The Most Compelling Books of 2020

Reprinted from the Citizen:

 This is the time when the end of the year “Best Of” lists start appearing, and that means it’s time for my Most Compelling Books of 2020 list. These are the books that I still think about long after I have finished them. They have intriguing characters, fascinating storylines, and writing that makes you stop and reread beautifully crafted sentences. 

This year I had more time to read, so I had a larger selection from which to choose- over 125 books. I found it interesting that all of my choices were novels, perhaps because the escape from the real world outside to fiction was a necessity. 

Emily Nemens’ book The Cactus League takes the reader inside the Arizona baseball spring training for one season. The story is told by multiple characters, including the pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery trying to hide that it didn’t work, a former MVP whose personal life hides a secret that could blow up on him, and the overhyped rookie. 

Colum McCann always tells a great story and his novel Apeirogon is based on the true story of two men- one Palestinian and one Jewish- who both lost their daughters to violence. They join together to try and understand each other. It is so beautifully written, and he combines the history of a troubled region in a poetic way with these men’s tragic family stories. It’s an epic accomplishment. 

Brit Bennett has gotten much well-deserved praise for her second novel, The Vanishing Half about twin Black sisters from a small town in the 1950s. At the age of sixteen they leave home. One returns years later with a young daughter, and the other one manages to pass as a white woman. It’s an eye-opening look at race and family. 

Regina Porter’s The Travelers also tackles race in her multi-character driven novel. Her story tells the tale of two families whose members intersect over the years. Her characters are so well-drawn, and the strong pull of home here rings true. 

The world has been waiting for the fourth book in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead novels, and the wait was worth it. Jack brings us the back story of a preacher’s prodigal son Jack Boughton, after being released from prison in 1950’s St. Louis. Jack falls in love with Della, a young Black schoolteacher. Interracial relationships are against the law, but Della finds herself drawn to Jack, and he fights to be the man she deserves. It’s just stunning. 

V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue tells the story of Addie, young woman in 1714 France who, while running away from an arranged marriage, makes a deal with the devil. She wants to live life on her own terms and when she is done, her soul is his. He agrees, but in making the bargain, Addie discovers that while she will live as long as she wants, no one will remember her. It’s a sad life, until 300 years later she meets a man who remembers her. Why did this happen? 

Jess Walter’s historical novel The Cold Millions combines real people with his characters of two Irish immigrant brothers who get involved with the labor movement in 1909 Spokane, Washington. It’s a brilliant piece of storytelling, his best since Beautiful Ruins. 

Kristin Fields’ A Frenzy of Sparks is set in 1965 Howard Beach, New York, when young men are being drafted into the Vietnam War, and the scourge of drugs is starting to appear in young Gia’s close-knit neighborhood where almost everybody is related. The story of a family fighting addiction is heartbreaking. 

There are a lot of WWII novels, but Hazel Gaynor’s When We Were Young & Brave tackles a different aspect. Her story is set in a Japanese Army internment camp in China, where a British school’s students and teachers are being held. The bravery of the teachers protecting the children is the best of humanity. Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale should pick this one up. 

Emily Gray Tedrowe’s The Talented Miss Farwell captured me from the very first page. Becky Farwell is the comptroller of her small town’s government. She has an alter-ego named Reba who becomes enthralled by the art world, and becomes a dealer and collector, financed by money she steals from her town. The tension ratchets up as the art world collapses and her town’s finances crater. It is based on a true story, and an homage to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. 

Here’s to reading good books in 2021.

Friday 5ive- December 11, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention this week. It's been all about Christmas this week- mailing our Christmas cards, and wrapping gifts. 

1) In February our local Papyrus store was closing, so I popped in to see what they had left and found these terrific Christmas cards with a New York City theme. One is of St. Patrick's Cathedral, where we have spent time at masses there, and the other is Yankee Stadium, where we have also spent a lot of time at and jokingly refer to as "the Cathedral of Baseball." I got them 70% off, a great deal, and even better, I remembered where I put them seven months ago when I needed to send them out this week.

2)  This year I placed a big Christmas gift order order with Bookshop.org (it's like Amazon for independent bookstores). I chose my books, placed my order, and my books arrived in time for me to wrap them and send them out this week. On Bookshop.org, the books ship from a warehouse, but you can designate a specific bookstore you would like to receive your portion of the sale. They have raised over $9 million for independent bookstores since the pandemic began, and my local bookstore received a nice chunk of money from my purchase. Here are some of the books I ordered, wrapped and ready to go. You can order digital gift cards too if you need last minute gifts. Who doesn't want a book for the holidays?

3) On Saturday I received my medal and t-shirt from the 4th virtual bike race I completed- Manhattan to Montauk 180 Mile Challenge. This one was fun because two of my friends joined in, one biking, one running. Doing these challenges is a great way to keep me on track and on the bike everyday. Race number 5- Winter Quest, The Snow Belt Challenge- is next. We have to bike 300 miles, the distance between Niagara and Albany, the snow belt in New York State, between December 1st and February 28th. The link is here if you want to join. Thank goodness for Peloton, because it's too cold to bike outside.

4)  Last night I watched a special on NBC- One Night Only- The Best of Broadway, a salute to Broadway shows that we miss so much. There were wonderful performances from Broadway shows, including Jersey Boys, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, and Mean Girls. The highlights for me were "All That Jazz" from Chicago, a searing performance of "You Oughta Know" from Jagged Little Pill, and surprisingly gorgeous performance of "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma sung by country artist Brett Eldridge. The show was a fundraiser for Broadway Cares, and since they missed their annual red bucket fundraiser this year, I donated the $20 I usually put in the bucket after a Broadway show. You can help here if you wish, and watch it on NBC.com if you missed it. 

5) I got back to reading this week, with three stellar books. The first is Christina Baker Kline's historical novel, The Exiles, about women prisoners in England in the 1860s sent on a convict ship to serve their sentence in Australia. It's powerful and the twist in the middle is a stunner. I love how she writes a different book every time out. If you liked her novel The Orphan Train, read this one. 

The second book is a fascinating novel, The Talented Miss Farwell, by Emily Gray Tedrowe. Becky Farwell is the comptroller of a small midwest town with a fascination for the art world. She invents a new persona, Reba, for her forays into the art scene, buying and selling artworks by up and coming artists. The only problem is that she uses money she stole from her town to do it. Tedrowe took her inspiration from a real life event and I was sucked right into this book from page one. I could not put it down. It's gripping, and somehow you like this character. The title is an homage to Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Continuing my quest to read more Christmas-themed books this year, I picked up Christina Lauren's 

In A Holidaze. At an annual Christmas vacation in Colorado, where four families have gathered for twenty years, Maelyn makes out with Theo, someone she has known since she was a child. The only problem is that she pines for his brother Andrew, who sees them kissing. On the way to the airport to return home, the car Maelyn is in is hit by a truck. When Maelyn wakes up, she isn't in the hospital- she is on the airplane with her family on the way to their annual holiday. Maelyn finds herself reliving the entire vacation. Can she fix things this time? It's a sweet, charming, romantic tale, and a great way to wind down from hectic holiday chores. 

 

I hope you are all safe and healthy- wash your hands, wear a mask and stay socially distant.