Favourite Books of 2020

[Gagadonna 10,801]

13 minutes ago, MonSwiftAnton said:

My favorites of this year was:

1. A little life (Might be the best book I've ever read) 

2. Red, white and royal blue

3. On earth we're briefly gorgeous

Let us know when and where we can read it!

 

5 minutes ago, monster4life231 said:

I'll read it when it's available!

I'm planning on reading Turn of the Screw too. Have you read Haunting of Hill House?

It’ll be in French though 

[Cello 49,540]

2 minutes ago, monster4life231 said:

I just finished Moonwalk today. I really enjoyed it as I felt as though I was sat talking to MJ. How did you find it?

I loved Moonwalk, I read it on my balcony over the summer when lockdown started.

I was already a fan of MJ but reading this book reignited the stan in me! It was lovely but also quite bittersweet to read his thoughts about life before all the allegations and media stories got really bad. I definitely feel like I understand his personality more now. 

I particularly liked reading about his time on the Mowtown 25 show, his decision to leave The Jacksons and all the hard work he put in to making Thriller. Very inspirational and so interesting. Those early solo years are peak MJ for me. 

[Franch Toast 25,224]

Fiction:

Alyssa Cole, When No One Is Watching – A thriller novel about gentrification and race in Brooklyn. 

Angie Kim, Miracle Creek – A mystery novel about a Korean American family in rural Virginia. 

Jennifer Chow, Mimi Lee Gets a Clue and Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines – A cozy mystery series in which the protagonist is a pet groomer in L.A., and her talking cat Marshmallow helps her solve mysteries. 

[Cello 49,540]

7 minutes ago, KanyeWest said:

Who is the author?

Michael himself. Its his autobiography, released just after Bad came out

[Shawniqua Mendes 3,893]

[CCSir 399]

18 minutes ago, monster4life231 said:

Thank you for sharing this!

edit: Apologies I've quoted you twice in two separate comments rather than in one comment.

Np!

Yes, Haunting of Hill House is amazing, although I read it after the show came out and was surprised to find out how completely different it was (shame on me again ).

[mattbri 1,332]

This one tops the list: If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson (translator)

[SFDMQ 3,313]

1. The Last Thing You Surrender by Leonard Pitts Jr.
WW2 historical fiction book that talks a lot about racism in the US. A very gut-wrenching read. I think this book is so underrated.

2. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
A collection of stories about the Vietnam War.

3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
A middle grade novel about a boy who was born with facial abnormalities.

4. Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb
A memoir of a therapist.

[Snejana 974]

22 minutes ago, baazyll said:

 

yas clarice lispector  the TASTE 

[Snejana 974]

my top 5

Manuelzão e Miguelim  by Guimarães Rosa 

As Meninas by Lygia Fāgundes Telles 

Las Cosas que Perdimos en el Fuego by Mariana Enriquez 

La Peste by Camus 

Distancia de Rescate by Samanta Schweblin 

honourable mentions: Sanshiro By Natsume Soseki and Nocturno de Chile by Roberto Bolaño 

[RuPaul 242]

The Meaning of Mariah Carey was such a good book and it did a good job of giving more context to stories that we already knew but also revealing certain things (like the secret rock album recorded during the Daydream era) that we never knew. 

Next on my list is to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the President Snow-spinoff from The Hunger Games (which is probably a 100% cash grab to get a new movie made, but I've always loved that series of books and movies.)

[LaLa 18,569]

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. It's non-fiction and tells the story of Jack the Ripper from the perspective of the victims, you learn all about the women and how they came to end up where they did.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, historical fiction about the life of Shakespeare's family and his son Hamet who died as a boy.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. I've never read her stand alone stories, this one was just so nice and low-stakes, it was perfect for a early quarantine read

 

[monster4life231 4,304]

14 hours ago, KanyeWest said:

This book is an amazing short book, the most touching Ive ever read. I recommend to you all especially if you are american

So true! It was on my reading list for university, and at first because of the publish date I expected to be "old" in style if that makes sense. However, I found it highly readable and one of the most touching books II've ever read too.

14 hours ago, KanyeWest said:

Who is the author?

Michael Jackson.

[monster4life231 4,304]

14 hours ago, Cello said:

I loved Moonwalk, I read it on my balcony over the summer when lockdown started.

I was already a fan of MJ but reading this book reignited the stan in me! It was lovely but also quite bittersweet to read his thoughts about life before all the allegations and media stories got really bad. I definitely feel like I understand his personality more now. 

I particularly liked reading about his time on the Mowtown 25 show, his decision to leave The Jacksons and all the hard work he put in to making Thriller. Very inspirational and so interesting. Those early solo years are peak MJ for me. 

I felt the same. It was quite spooky reading some of the passages about addiction, knowing what was to come. I feel like his personality definitely came across throughout the book, he was genuinely just a great person trying to make a difference in the world. I couldn't believe that he found a flaw in the Motown 25 performance of Billie Jean too! He really was a perfectionist.

[littlepotter 72,885]

I really liked Mary Trump's memoir about Donald. It reads like a novel.

Mariah's memoir was also very insightful.

The book "Breath" was very interesting and informative, albeit pseudo-scientific.

I think the best written was Caste by Elizabeth Wilkerson, the argument is so strong and relevant right now. She's gifted.