Every year it is so fun to go back through and decide what my favorite books of the year are. I instinctively know the ones that make the list, because I just think “Oh yes, I loved that one.”
So here, in no particular order are my favorite books of the year.
Notorious RBG
by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
I read this near the beginning of the year, and it filled me with such appreciation for Justice Ginsburg and for the work she has done for this country and for women in particular. When she died, I cried, in my car, in the driveway. I don’t think it would have made as much of an impact on me without this book. What an incredible person she was. What a champion.
Know My Name
by Chanel Miller
I was completely shocked that I even liked this, let alone that it would be one of my favorite books of the year.
Written by Emily Doe, the woman sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer. She takes you through her entire experience all the way up through the trial.
“I didn’t know that money could make the cell doors swing open. I didn’t know that if a woman was drunk when the violence occurred, she wouldn’t be taken seriously. I didn’t know that if he was drunk when the violence occurred, people would offer him sympathy. I didn’t know that my loss of memory would become his opportunity. I didn’t know that being a victim was synonymous with not being believed.”
I will say, that despite the heavy subject matter, this memoir was also quite uplifting as well.
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
After I finished reading this, it wouldn’t leave my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was just such a rich story with incredible characters and a setting that you could just feel. And I was so very sad when it was over.
Anti Diet
by Christy Harrison
When I was in college I remember reading this quote somewhere: “Instead of changing the world, women are counting calories.” It struck me then, and I have continued to think about it over the years.
This book was fantastic. As a result of it and other similar books, I have really tried to embrace the intuitive eating and anti-diet lifestyle over the last couple of years. And have I put on some weight? Yes. But I can honestly say that it bothers me less than it ever has before. Even though I weigh more than I ever have before. I just don’t think about my weight or obsessively think about food the way that I used to. Mostly, I just live my life eat when I’m hungry. I have been able to pretty much eliminate the cycle of restricting, bingeing, and shaming. I am definitely not perfect at any of this, but am able to focus on much more important matters, like changing the world.
Just Mercy
by Bryan Stevenson
Wow. This book broke my heart. Repeatedly. Bryan Stevenson is an incredible human. And our criminal justice system is in need of serious overhaul. This was not an easy book to read, but I am so glad that I did. It opened my eyes.
Lab Girl
by Hope Jahren
I was shocked by how much I loved this book. You’d think that a book on Botany would be rather dry. Oh no, I LOVED it. She writes beautifully, tells her stories in incredibly compelling ways, and is able to draw such beautiful parallels between her own research and everyday life. I loved it.
Small Great Things
by Jodi Picoult
I read this book relatively early in the year, for book club, and it haunted me a little bit. It is about a Black nurse who is tending to the infant of white supremacists when the baby dies. The author does an amazing job of showing the many ways in which racism can rear its ugly head. One scene in particular has stayed with me, the protagonist, Ruth, is stalked and then stopped at the door by security while she is shopping at Ross. She had displayed no suspicious behavior. And this was not an unusual experience for her. It was because she was black.
Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
This was another book club read. And another social justice read. And it was fantastic. Trevor Noah is funny, witty, and his stories are amazing. He details his childhood, growing up in South Africa where as a half Black/half white kid he found it difficult to fit in; because he was neither Black enough for Black people nor white enough for white people.
Tattoos on the Heart
by Gregory Boyle
This one did my heart so much good, and also made me sad. Father Gregory Boyle (or ‘G’, as his homeboys like to call him) details some of his experiences working in a part of Los Angeles that is deeply impacted by gangs. He truly loves those gang members and does whatever he can to help them get out of the gangs and onto their own feet. I loved this. There were definitely some sad stories, but this was so incredibly inspiring. The whole time I was listening the following couplet kept coming into my head: “Hurt people hurt people.” It makes me re-evaluate the way that I judge others.
Rhythm of War
by Brandon Sanderson
Ah yes, the latest Brandon Sanderson brick. This was 50 hours of audio, y’all. But what an excellent brick it was. It made my trip from Seattle to Provo (and back) enjoyable. As usual, there were many feels, many mind-blowing occurrences, some jaw-dropping revelations, and all the goodness of a masterfully constructed world and magic system.
