The Stack | Everything Else I Read in 2020 That I Never Posted About
Hey guys, welcome back to my channel, kind of fell off the quarterly reading report (or any kind of blogging, honestly) wagon sometime in 2020 and decided that it’s fine and instead of trying to split up what I read seasonally I’m just going to do one last big list and get on with it. Ready? Okay, here we go:
Bury What We Cannot Take, Kristin Chen. I read this on the drive home from Shelf Road — I’d forgotten to download the book I wanted to read, and this one was an old recommendation from a coworker when I lived in Dallas that apparently I had downloaded at some point but never got around to actually starting? Anyway, it was a lucky break, because it sucked me in. I had embarrassingly little background knowledge of the time period and culture in which it’s set (early Maoist China), but the story did a remarkable job of informing me in what seemed like a pretty well-rounded way, so don’t let that deter you from it. Rich writing style, complex characters, and dramatic in the best way. Thanks, former coworker!
Bittersweet, Shauna Niequist. I usually don’t include rereads on these lists, because it seems like a waste of space. But this was the fourth or fifth time I’ve read this book since college, and every time, I leave it feeling like I am a slightly better version of myself — or at least more gracious towards the version of myself I am, if that makes sense. It makes me feel deeply understood. And different parts stand out to me every time, depending on the season of life. It’s tempting to feel like rereading books is a waste of time, but honestly, this was just what my soul needed this fall and I’m so glad I picked it up again.
Scary Close, Donald Miller. Please read this next sentence as if I’m clapping between each syllable for emphasis: This book hurt my feelings. I had no idea what it was about (vulnerability in relationships, mostly) when I picked it up — and honestly, I’m kind of glad I didn’t, because I’m not sure I would have otherwise. One chapter in I was like, “Dang, I know so many people who need to read this.” Three chapters in I was like, “Oh… maybe I need to read this.” And by chapter eight, I was like, “I’m going to go back to counseling.” Which is advice that I often give to friends but haven’t taken for myself since right after college; and you know what? I did, and it’s hands-down one of the best and most productive decisions I made last year. If you’re “bad” at relationships, please read this. Please. If you’re like me and you’re “good” at relationships, please read this, too, and sorry in advance, but also you’re welcome, and yeah, geez. Good good book.
H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald. This book has been in my TBR pile for years, heralded by so many, and I wanted to love it so much, but here’s the deal: I just don’t. The writing itself? Gorgeous. She puts together sentences and structures thoughts in a really breathtaking way; I’m always in awe of writers who can bring an element of poetry to their work when I feel like it’s virtually impossible for me. I have plenty of pages bookmarked just for the sheer, standalone beauty of a sentence or two. But I think, personally, I would have preferred a straight memoir about her falconry and how it helped her navigate grief — I just never really could get into the parallel examination of T.H. White, and because of that, it felt like every other chapter kind of disrupted the storyline and flow of the book for me. Again, worth the read just for a case study in writing. But not something I’m ever going to go back to, I don’t think.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer. I actually read this book twice, back to back. That’s how good and important it was for me, especially in the season of transition I’ve been in over the last few months. The phrase “love and hurry are incompatible” from it has become a sort of mantra for me. It is a gentle but firm, biblically-based, and incredibly practical thesis on what I feel are my personal weaknesses as a follower of Jesus, in so many ways; and I’m trying to genuinely take it to heart and grow from what I learned in it. (Big, big thanks to my mentor Elizabeth, who passed it on to me on my drive to Ohio to get Yoder, after pell-mell finishing my teaching certificate and the application/onboarding process to substitute teach, moving, continuing to work full-time at the gym, trying to freelance here and there, training for my own climbing, navigating some tricky relationship situations… basically, I can’t imagine why she thought I needed to read it! So weird! Just a coincidence, I guess! Xoxo!)
Restart, Gordon Korman. Welcome to the portion of the year’s reading where I became Ms. Rush and decided to try and catch up on YA fiction I saw junior high students frequently reading during my lunch breaks as a sub. (I debated on even including these kinds of books on here, but then figured, why not.) This particular book is about a football-playing bully who gets amnesia after a head injury and, therefore, a chance to recreate his identity and relationships. It’s a fast-paced book that tackles important topics in a surprisingly non-cheesy way. Seems like it might hold the attention of some kids who probably need to hear those messages, but aren’t interested in the vehicle they normally come in, if that makes sense? Also, just a good story.
The Crossover, Kwame Alexander. Another YA fiction book I read in a couple lunch breaks. This one also has a heavy sports theme (basketball, this time), but it’s also a narrative poem, which makes it incredibly fun and great for reading out loud. I picked it because it seemed like the students I saw reading it were genuinely sucked in, and it makes sense why. Definitely one I’ll keep pushing kids towards.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling. I read all the Harry Potter books Christmas break of my senior year of college, and kind of rushed through the last three. In the midst of my job transition and studying for/taking tests, I wanted some completely mindless comfort reading this winter, so I decided to pick HP back up, starting with book five, and it was perfect and everything I wanted and if you’ve never read these I don’t know how to help you and if you have read these let this be your sign to go read them again.
I get the feeling I’m forgetting one or two somewhere in there, but these are the main things I read in the summer/fall/first half of winter. Hope it gives you (or, you know… your seventh grader) something to pick up in the new year and check out — and as always, let me know what you’ve been reading so I can check those books out, too!
