I have been on such a great run lately with one fantastic read after the next (after the next), and considering it’s now about halfway through the year (how is this possible???), I think it’s time to share some of my faves of 2020, so far.
Same context and disclaimers as always:
Aside from my family (and perhaps chocolate and coffee), books are MY LIFE.
I go through about one or two a week, on average, and I absolutely cannot go to bed without reading for a decent chunk of time (like, seriously, I probably have less than ten nights in an entire year, when I don’t read before I go to bed).
Reading is my love, my escape, my joy, my spark of imagination, my decompression, I love, love, love it.
And, also—I love the love within a book. So I’m an unabashed reader of romance. My reading genres are pretty much a rotation of romance (contemporary, historical, fantasy, and on and on), young adult, and women’s fiction. So these faves all fall within those categories.
Okay...heeeeere we go!
Background:
For the love of all that is holy, Daisy is one of those books that I could absolutely smack myself over the head for not reading sooner. Like, it physically hurts me to think of how many times I passed it up before finally diving in. Hands down, one of my favorites (if not very favorite) of the year.
It follows the meteoric rise of a rock band in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, and specifically, the explosive chemistry between the two front runners of that band, and I hesitated to pick it up for two reasons.
First: I’m not well versed in that era of music at all, and even the cover of the book made me feel like I wasn’t cool enough to read it. And, second: I thought it was the story of an actual, real-life band—which made me feel even less qualified to read and appreciate it.
(Again, cue massive thump on the head.)
But I keep seeing it over and over and over, with as many raves and awards as humanly possible. And then one day, I had the lightbulb realization that I’d read something else by this author and loved it. So I dove in.
Holy. Freaking. Mesmerizing.
This book was intoxicating.
Literally spun a web around me for the entirety of the story—but in particular, for one major chunk of the book that I was able to read in one sitting—and I could not rave about it more.
Read It If You’re A Fan Of:
If the latest A Star Is Born movie had you entranced, or if you’re a fan of books/movies/shows that follow the magical and complicated process of creating art of any kind, READ IT.
Heck, just read it no matter what.
(And don’t even get me started about the brilliance of the way it’s written, interview-style.)
Background:
Next up...Ayesha.
Yet again, a book that I’d seen many times on bestseller and recommendation lists, but I passed it up for an embarrassing but cold hard truth that I had to own up to myself.
It’s a re-telling of Pride & Prejudice, but in this case, our Darcy and Elizabeth are modern day Muslim immigrants from India, living in Canada. And I didn’t know if I would connect with their backgrounds.
If I could smack myself even harder on the head over this one than I did over Daisy, I would (and maybe I should, on principle).
This has been (I’m wrapping up the final pages) a gem. Not only have I been wildly immersed in a culture quite unknown to me—beyond what I see portrayed through mainstream media—but the modern take of this beloved classic, told through such a fresh perspective (to me)is absolutely...fantastic.
My only caveat here is that the book truly shines when it focuses on the two main characters and their interaction. As anyone familiar with the Pride & Prejudice construct knows, there are certain diversionary characters that are meant for plot thickening and drama, that can sometimes come across as a bit campy, so I sometimes wished 10% of those extraneous plot lines could have been cut out toward the end, but still.
Read It If You’re A Fan Of:
I love nothing more than the colorful world-building of any kind within a story. I want details and vivid characters, and a unique world lense that’s varied from my own, and this book has it in spades.
If you’re a fan of sprawling families—or better yet, sprawling families and complicated interpersonal relationships told through a specific cultural viewpoint (some personal favorites that come to mind—and are in NO WAY an exhaustive or racially, ethnically, or religiously representative list for either myself or the world—in both books and film, are: Memoirs of a Geisha, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Crazy Rich Asians, Bend It Like Beckham), this book is a must read.
Background:
Okay, for this one we’re diving into the world of fantasy.
This is an author that I’ve read before, but I was drawn to this title, specifically, after reading a foreword from the author that detailed her drive to write this particular story, even though it was a bit of a departure from previous tales of hers. And I’m a total sucker for stories that authors feel completely compelled to write, for any number of reasons.
In the end, it was a cut above the rest within this genre, because the tension and attraction between the two main characters was...fire.
I mean, never have I ever read so many amazeballs scenes where two characters beat the absolute shite out of one another, and I could not love it more.
Read It If You’re A Fan Of:
If you love any sort of fantasy book (and I personally qualify that as something beyond humans in a human world), then READ IT.
If you love Sarah J. Maas, and obsess over A Court of Mist and Fury, then read this.
If you love fierce female leads who can handle their own daggers (and that is not a euphemism), then read this.
And if you love all the push pull of romantic feels, read this.
Background:
Okay, again, Lukov is one that I should have read ages ago. But the truth is that I read one previous book by this author and didn’t swoon quite as much as other reviewers told me I would, so I was hesitant to dive in to this bestseller.
(Are you sensing a theme here with books that are AMAZING that I should have read ages ago???).
Short synopsis: pairs figure skaters who loathe each other but are physically and mentally well-matched to be the best of the best and have to overcome their love/hate of one another.
Read It If You’re A Fan Of:
If you loved that old move The Cutting Edge as much as I did, read this book.
If you love a fantastic love/hate relationship, read this.
If you love reading about athletes and what they demand of their bodies, read this.
And if you love a slow burn romance, read this (seriously, I think fans of this author have dubbed themselves The Slow Burners because Mariana takes her ever-loving sweet time getting her leads together, and the build-up is so worth it).
I won’t go into the whole write-up over this one because it’s the same author as above, and the same things to love—just with an international soccer star (think David Beckham), and an up-and-coming women’s soccer phenom he winds up coaching.
I won’t go into the whole write-up over this one because it’s the same author as above, and the same things to love—just with an international soccer star (think David Beckham), and an up-and-coming women’s soccer phenom he winds up coaching.
Loved it.
Background:
And last but not least for my favorites (so far this year)...see the above.
This book is hands down ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THAT I HAVE EVER READ.
Like, legitimately laughed/guffawed/Cheshire-cat-smiled my way through the greatest chunk of this book.
It’s basically the story of an engaged couple who have fallen out of love and start doing horrifically, hilariously awful things in an attempt to get the other person to officially call off the wedding.
IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE JOY with equal parts hilarity and heart. In fact, the heart portion of the book that really kicked in during the second half hit me even harder because I’d been so immersed in the hilarity.
Read It If You’re A Fan Of:
If you loved The Hating Game, read this book.
If you want to snort laugh so hard that you wake your sleeping husband in bed next to you at 2 a.m., read this book.
Romance and love and heart are bonus/bonuses to the packaged gem of this story.
Okay...there you have it. Some of the best of the best of my reading list over the past few months.
I hope you find something you enjoy!
Over and out.
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