2020 Reading List, Vol. 2

Back in June I posted about all the books I read for the first half of the year, and since we are now into a new year, it is time to follow up with the back half of the year. Last January I made a goal to read 23 books this year. I had slowly been making my way back to pre-children reading levels when I read 30-40 books a year, so I thought 23 was a reasonable goal. Then, the pandemic hit, and I blew that goal out of the water with a total of 35 books read in 2020. I actually delayed this post until today, hoping that I could finish one of the two books I was reading, but neither came to fruition. Nevertheless, I am ecstatic that I was able to finish so many books this year and work and parent full time.

I will follow the same format as my June post, with one or two sentences about what impacted me from each read. Feel free to use the comments to further the discussion about any of the books that stood out to you or you also enjoyed. Without further rambling, here is my reading list from July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

• This is the sequel to Children of Blood and Bone, which I read earlier in the year. I love the world and the characters, but this one veered a little too much into YA tropes for me to enjoy it as much as the first one.

The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel by Renee Nault, Margaret Atwood

• I have never read the original novel, but I have watched the show and enjoyed the earlier seasons. This graphic novel gave me some background to the world that I did not get in the show.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

• This book left me thinking for days about all the possibilities and paths my life could have taken. I very much enjoyed reading this both for the entertainment and philosophy embedded in it.

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

• Carrie Fisher was a very entertaining author with a distinct and humorous voice. I came into this memoir hoping for a lot of great BTS stories about filming the original Star Wars movies, and while there was some of that, most of it focused on her affair with Harrison Ford, which I did not care about at all (and still don't).

March: Books 1-3 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

• By far, the best graphic novel I have read this year. I cannot recommend it enough, and coincidentally (or serendipitously?), I was reading this when John Lewis passed. The impact of him and his story were felt all the more fully because of this book.

Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy, Octavia E. Butler

• Another great graphic novel by a great Black author, Kindred had some great art and a compelling story about switching between time periods. Once again, this work had me reflecting on the legacy of slavery in our country, especially in the context of all that happened last year.

Force Collector by Kevin Shinick, Tony Foti

• I always have a few Star Wars reads throughout the year, and this one was forgettable. Basically, it served as a reminder of the highlights of the saga, most likely leading into Episode IX last year. As a Star Wars superfan, I found the book completely unnecessary and kind of boring.

Queen's Peril by E.K. Johnston

• Another Star Wars read, this time about Padme Amidala when she was first elected Queen of Naboo. I really enjoyed how the story weaved in and out of the plotline of The Phantom Menace, and it actually kind of enhanced that movie for me.

The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It by Pete Enns

• Between his podcast and a few of his books now, I am a fan of Pete Enns, and this book was no exception. He has helped me view the Bible with academic integrity while still holding it in its place as God's Word.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

• I saw the movie Just Mercy early last year and found it very moving, so the next logical step was to check out the book. Bryan's justice work is inspiring and challenging, and the stories he tells in this book ran me through a range of emotions. Probably one of my favorite reads of the year.

Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed

• Star Wars books are back, and this one is the second in a series of starfighter novels that get the inner X-Wing pilot in me excited. In addition, this book did a great job of keeping me excited for the next one in the series.

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn

• I read the original Thrawn trilogy way back in the late 90s, but I never considered myself a Thrawn devotee. I decided to check out this book because Thrawn seems to be having a moment in again in the Star Wars zeitgeist. The book was okay but did not feel much like the Star Wars I am used to.

Love Anyway: An Invitation Beyond a World that's Scary as Hell by Jeremy Courtney

• This was a powerful book full of stories about the work Preemptive Love is doing in the Middle East. Courtney does not shy away from challenging his readers to pursue deeper meaning and purpose in their lives.

The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity by Jason Thacker

• Overall, this was an interesting read, but the element I remember most is that the author tried to dovetail passages from Scripture with technological advancements that felt too unrelated and over-spiritualized. 

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back by Assorted Authors

• This book was a fun read, with a few outstanding stories that really enhanced the narrative of the Empire Strikes Back. Overall, however, I found most of the shorts in this collection boring or completely pointless.

White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to be White by Daniel Hill

• Another one of my top reads of 2020, Hill is clear and succinct in explaining Whiteness and its influence in our world today. He does an excellent job in breaking down the journey to being aware of how Whiteness impacts the way we engage with people in the world. Highly recommended read!

Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1 by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson

• I read this graphic novel (which covers the 1st third of the original Dune novel) simultaneously with the original novel, and because of that, I found it greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the story so far. While the graphic novel cannot depict all the nuances of the original, it really helped me visualize some of the more complex elements of Dune.

Thanks for sticking around to the end, and I hope that there might be something on this list worth checking out in 2021! I decided to be reasonable and keep my goal at one higher than last year (24 books), since we have a new baby coming this year, so check back at the end of June for the midyear update!