Last year, I managed to surpass my reading challenge of 52 books by finishing 54. Which was v surprising to me because I had a four week old baby at the start of 2019. I plan to keep the same goal of 52 books for 2020, just being realistic here — I’m due with my second baby in June, and have a strong feeling my reading time will drop to essentially zero with two babies, two cats, and one husband.
Since I’m going to try to read as many books as I can before our second baby is born, I’ve already selected a handful that I’ve got queued up (either on the nightstand or on Audible).
IN MY READING PIPELINE
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Inspired by a true story of one child’s incredible survival–riveting, uplifting, unforgettable. After losing everything, a young boy discovers there are still reasons for hope in this luminous, life-affirming novel, perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Patchett (yes, please). Sidebar: I actually already finished this before I got around to posting this, I loved it, 5 stars!
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Over the course of one unforgettable summer, four orphans will journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.
Truth Be Told by Kathleen Barber
Serial meets Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood in this inventive and twisty psychological thriller about a mega-hit podcast that reopens a murder case and threatens to unravel the carefully constructed life of the victim’s daughter—now a major Apple TV+ series
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.
There There by Tommy Orange
As we learn the reasons that each person is attending the Big Oakland Powwow—some generous, some fearful, some joyful, some violent—momentum builds toward a shocking yet inevitable conclusion that changes everything.
It won all the awards and has been on everyones list for a very long time. I’m excited to dive in!
I hope these picks will kick start a fantastic year of reading, because they are already purchased, downloaded, and borrowed from the library. Cheers to a new year, and a new reading challenge.