A Year in Books: 2022

Happy New Year! Almost!

It's that very special time of year where I collect all the books I read this year and recommend my top ten favorites. This year's top 10 list was heavy on nonfiction, which I find myself drawn to more and more. I still like a good fantasy, but I keep finding all the best stories are true. As always I am looking for recommendations, fiction or otherwise! I've read 950 books since I started keeping track in 2011 so next year I'm on track to surpass the big 1000 :O

Total: 73 books, 40 nonfiction / 33 fiction

1. Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

I want Natalie Haynes to write about everything. This exploration of women in the Greek myths captivated me from the first page. She takes us from those viewed in a positive light like Helen to those viewed in a negative light like Medusa (are there really any villains here?) and every shade of moral grey in between. I learned so much and I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

2. Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

This is Simon Garfield's third appearance on my annual Top Ten list and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. When I saw this subtitle I felt as though it had been written just for me. I'm a huge font nerd (Georgia is the best no contest) and read this trivia filled romp through the history of typeface with delight. Serifs vs sans, face off.

3. Live Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

I don't think I'm alone in associating Shirley Jackson with her chilling short stories that often feature evil in everyday settings. I read "The Lottery" in middle school and am still not over it. But I had no idea she'd written a couple of semiautobiographical books about raising her children in the middle of the 20th century that are full of comedy, heart, and relatability. No frights, except for the terror of raising children and wondering what to do when the furnace won't start. Lovely.

4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Woooooooooof this is a tough read. One of the stars of iCarly opens up about everything. Trigger warnings for everything: Eating disorders, emotional abuse, sexual assault, really, really, really horrible parenting. I think we should abolish children acting on television, tbh. It's really well written, but skip if you're in an emotionally vulnerable place. I hope Jennette McCurdy is having a good day, god knows she deserves it.

5. Travels With George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick

I haven't read any of Nathaniel Philbrick's other historical books. Maybe I'm worried I'll be let down. But this was an excellent introduction and he's on my list for the future. He and his wife (and their dog) follow the path George Washington took after he was elected president and visited the thirteen original colonies. Philbrick mixes past and present day tales and tries to find connections between the two. You know what they say, the more things change....

6. American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin

Well this was a wild ride. I had been vaguely aware of Patty Hearst and associated her name with Stockholm Syndrome but I had no idea of the full goings on. It is frankly ridiculous that she was (spoiler alert) reintegrated into polite society with no more than a slight slap on the wrist but that's having a rich family for ya! This reads like a thriller.

7. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire 

There are only two fiction books on this list and they're both dark with elements of horror. Maybe next year's fiction will be lighter? When girls like Alice come back from Wonderland, how are they supposed to function in the "real world"? They go to a boarding school to help them accept their loss. But someone has started killing them....  This is a short read but an excellent job of world building.

8. The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A Arthur by Scott S Greenberger

I've said it before but in my presidential biography reading I often like best learning about the ones I knew very little about. While it's a tragedy (and an avoidable one at that) that James A Garfield died in office, Chester Arthur shocked everyone by rising above his corrupt background and following the encouragement of a letter writing spinster who told him she believed he could do better. 

9. Reprieve by James Han Mattson

A hands on, no holds barred haunted house with a charismatic CEO. A dead teenager. A trial. I will say that the ending felt a bit rushed to me, but the creepy atmosphere leading up to it for the rest of the book is spot on.

10. Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

There have been a spate of the "I took a 23 and Me test and my life got turned upside down" books in the last few years, and I'm sure that craze isn't over yet. Whether through infidelity, adoption, or donor sperm, many people have learned secrets that never would have been revealed without DNA testing. Dani Shapiro ponders what makes a family in this bittersweet memoir.

Honorable Mentions: 

Just the Funny Parts by Nell Scovell (nonfiction)

Something to Live For by Richard Roper (fiction)

And now, all the rest! As always, recommendations are bolded and rereads are marked with *** and books are listed alphabetically by author.

Nonfiction

• Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, & Behave -- Adam Alter
• The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History-- Katherine Ashenburg
• The Lost Prince: The Survival of Richard of York-- David Baldwin
• Maeve's Times: In Her Own Words-- Maeve Binchy
• The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the 20th Century-- Deborah Blum
• Wildcat: The Untold Story of Pearl Hart, the Wild West's Most Notorious Bandit-- John Boessenecker
• Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee-- Dennis Brooks
• The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness-- Susannah Cahalan
• Eat the Buddha: Life & Death in a Tibetan Town-- Barbara Demick
• I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman -- Nora Ephron
• Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, & Madness From Romanov Russia-- Michael Farquhar 
• Beyond the Wand: The Magic & Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard -- Tom Felton (Excellent as an audiobook, narrated by the author)
• Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation -- Hannah Gadsby (Excellent as an audiobook, narrated by the author)
• When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, & Funny People-- Jim Gaffigan
• Just My Type: A Book About Fonts-- Simon Garfield
• Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, & Murder in Queer New York-- Elon Green
• The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A Arthur -- Scott S Greenberger
• Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London-- Claire Harman
• Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths -- Natalie Haynes
• Life Among the Savages-- Shirley Jackson
• Heart: A History-- Saneep Jauhar
• The Women I Think About At Night: Traveling the Paths of My Heroes-- Mia Kankimaki
• Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim & I Created Sunday in the Park With George - James Lapine
• Walking the Bowl: A True Story of Murder & Survival Among the Street Children of Lusaka -- Chris Lockhart & Daniel Mulilo Chama
• Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, & the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth -- Rachel Maddow
• I'm Glad My Mom Died-- Jennette McCurdy
• Lions of the West: Heroes & Villains of the Westward Expansion-- Robert Morgan
• The Light We Carry-- Michelle Obama
• This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey From Refugee to Congresswoman-- Ilhan Omar
• Travels With George: In Search of Washington & His Legacy-- Nathaniel Philbrick
• Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son-- Homeira Qaderi
• Catch the Sparrow: A Search for a Sister & the Truth of Her Murder-- Rachel Rear
• Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law-- Mary Roach
• Just the Funny Parts: And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys' Club-- Nell Scovell
• Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, & Love-- Dani Shapiro
• The Fly Trap-- Fredrik Sjoberg
• Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries-- Kory Stamper
• Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, & Hope on a Reservation in Montana-- Abe Streep 
• The Year of the End: A Memoir of Marriage, Truth, & Fiction - Anne Theroux
• American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, & Trial of Patty Hearst-- Jeffrey Toobin
• Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, & the Fight to Fit In-- Phuc Tran
• The Last Escaper: The Untold Firsthand Story of the Legendary World War II Bomber Pilot, "Cooler King," & Arch Escape Artist-- Peter Tunstall
• Instant Mom-- Nia Vardalos 
• The Fixed Stars: A Memoir-- Molly Wizenberg

Fiction

• Leave the World Behind -- Rumaan Alam (For the first time in nine years of book blogging I honestly don't know if I recommend it or not. I'm so torn. The writing was pretentious and I hated the ending but the middle was so compelling. You may love it, you may hate it; it's certainly not for everyone.)
• If Beale Street Could Talk-- James Baldwin
• The Immortalists-- Chloe Benjamin
• The Postman Always Rings Twice-- James M Cain
• The Boy on the Bridge-- MR Carey
• Highfire-- Eoin Colfer
• Absolute Certainty-- Rose Connors
• ***The Eyre Affair-- Jasper Fforde
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter-- Theodora Goss
• The Cactus-- Sarah Haywood
• The Perfect Girl-- Gilly Macmillan
• Reprieve-- James Han Mattson
• Every Heart a Doorway-- Seanan McGuire
• Oona Out of Order-- Margarita Montimore
• The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August -- Claire North
• Noor-- Nnedi Okorafor
• Listen to the Marriage-- John Jay Osborn
• The Magician's Assistant-- Ann Patchett
• Soul Music-- Terry Pratchett
• ***The Lost Hero-- Rick Riordan
• ***The Son of Neptune-- Rick Riordan
• ***The Mark of Athena-- Rick Riordan
• Something to Live For-- Richard Roper
• Lizzie Bright & the Buckminster Boy-- Gary D Schmidt
• It's Not Like It's a Secret-- Misa Sugiura
• The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules-- Catharina Ingelman Sundberg
• Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase-- Louise Walters
• Lum-- Libby Ware

A Multiverse With Plenty of Madness

 So Doctor Strange was real bizarre.

Truly a trippy film. Not a well put together review but man, I am glad we saw it in a basically empty theatre because I was cackling. Some parts that weren't meant to be funny (like America exploding her parents into the multiverse because she saw... a bee?) were hysterical. Also, THE SOULS OF THE DAMNED. That's when the movie really jumped the shark for me. It was not a good movie , but at least it wasn't boring.

Assorted ramblings, full of spoilers:

-Christine-- surely no one can believe he actually cares about her since he hasn't mentioned her once since his standalone movie. This isn't a Peggy Carter situation; if you put a gun to my head yesterday and asked who Dr Strange's love interest was I could not have told you

- SO many candles. That combined with the constant evoking of "Christine" (because Sam Raimi believes if you mention something enough times that's the same thing as having it make sense) gives it real Phantom of the Opera vibes

- speaking of PoTO, there's a fight with piano notes?? like Marvel meets Fantasia?? And the climatic blow is struck by a single harp note that I guess is just extra special

- Dr Strange torments a man who was stolen from and it's presented as "how funny"

- There are SO MANY bad "quippy" one liners in this movie. The dialogue is atrocious. 

- Did I mention THE SOULS OF THE DAMNED???? That sound like the "it's me, boy" TikTok? Does this mean there is a god in this universe? What are they damned from? Just general wtf

- The reason No Way Home worked so well is because we knew all the Spider-Men and were excited to see the actors reunited. This was just Benedict Cumberbatch with different hair

- What was up with the evil one? just a plot point I guess

- They massacred Wanda's character. I wanted to feel compelled by both sides like in Civil War but they really did her dirty. And then she couldn't actually be defeated so they just had her pull a Padme and die of sadness. What a girlboss. I also love how Vision wasn't in any of her fantasies because I guess Paul Bettany didn't want to do the movie

- Plot? Don't know her. The whole movie was running to place to place, cringey dialogue, running again. My least favorite kind of plot. Nothing really happened via logical cause and effect, there were just cool looking fight scenes Sam Raimi wanted and so they happened. Woo.

I want to sit down with Sam Raimi and watch this and pause it a lot and be like, "so let me explain to why that line is stupid. And why this isn't enjoyable to watch. You did a bad thing."

Marvel is truly sending out its C list movies now, they know the superhero movie bubble is gonna burst soon.

New York, New York

 I always stress about a lot of different things with trips like this and then it’s the ones I don’t expect that pop up. But honestly today’s New York trip went about as well as it could go, until MegaBus. I found the new stop this morning with only a little weird driving to get into the garage. It’s on the bridge now which is cool. The ride up was uneventful; nice to see New Jersey again. It was chilly in New York but I had a jacket. First stop was 45 Bond because I wanted to try something new and it was highly reviewed for brunch. Very Italian and they had a butt statue to rub, haha. I am not sure if I needed my reservation or not but I had one and the waiters were very fancy. I got an omelet and breakfast potatoes. It was really good! Nice thick cheese in there and then eggs like the place from the mill. Mmm.

Then I walked around Times Square for a while; I can’t believe it’s been two years since I’ve been. Theatres require ID and proof of vaccination to get in, which is all you can ask for. It’s weird feeling okay with some things and then weird about others. This is gonna be the thing we never really get over, I think.

Then I went to Westside Theatre for Little Shop of Horrors. I’ve never done Off Broadway before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I really loved it. In the lobby there were several teenagers and the boys were going back and forth a routine oh “Batman has one rule. What rule? He doesn’t kill people. It’s his only rule. Won’t kill anyone. No other rules? Nope, only one rule.” What ‘boys will be boys’ should mean, haha

 It was a much smaller house obviously (with a plant in the lounge ;O)  but y’allllll these guys blew it out of the water. I was most excited for Christian Borle and of course he delivered. A nice surprise was that he did more than just the dentist, he was an assortment of characters as well.

I expected to like Conrad from HTGAWM because Oliver was the best non Viola Davis character and he absolutely slayed it. So earnest and sweet and good. I am a big fan of his more specifically now. Also I just looked it up and he’s forty three??????????? Literally would have bet on him being like 31. Him trying to point a gun: cinnamon roll. The ensemble girls were also fierce and on point. It’s such a small cast but that can also be an asset. And at bows they brought out the techies and the plant operators and the conductor on a TV as well as the voice of Audrey II of course.

Highlights: Christian Borle’s dentist hair lol. When he was a random guy “couldn’t help but notice that strange and interesting plant” he did a little tooch back on “I guess I’ll just have to buy twice as many then” and it was pure chaos, I Love it. The dewop girls throwing dollars into the audience and then demanding them back. The sparkly red outfits and encouraging Seymour to jump onto the garbage can. When Christian Borle comes on as three characters in a row giving Seymour contracts, including as an old lady, and each time he takes off Seymour’s glasses and recoils. “Nope.” “WOOF” “ugh” I was dying

The plant was super cool; I’ve only seen the show once and at the Empress and their plant was neat but this was obviously like ooooh. It could move almost to the audience and it was huge. And at the end it sprayed blood out and I jumped. Someone’s phone went off near the beginning of act two and Connor’s line right after was “I’ll call for you” and he gestured to the audience and smirked. “You’ll hear it.” He also seemed to nearly break for a second when old lady Christian was talking.

For the Broadway Cares plug Christian Borle said “just a minute here and we’ll start act three.” “We know you paid a lot of money to be here, we’re just asking for you to pay a little more to get out” It was great. I totally would have stage doored if they were doing it but alas Covid has taken it. But one of my favorite shows I’ve seen in New York even though it’s an older script. (Definitely aged, the Audrey stuff that was originally comedy now seems much harsher.)

Next was Six. It was pretty much what I thought, more a pop concert than a musical. Everyone was really talented it just wasn’t the same for me as something like Little Shop. The dialogue was horrible, so cringey. It was super cool to have an all women band though and call them the Ladies in Waiting. The outfits were awesome; I want Jane Seymour’s dress. Silver and lovely metallic shimmer. There were definitely some bangers but I think it still needs some work. But it is what it is, which is not a musical. But props to those ladies because that is a ton of dancing and singing in crazy spiked heels so damn they must all be fit as hell. (Oh and Six had a “suddenly Seymour” reference lol)

My schedule was working perfectly as I was going to get to the bus stop right on time for the bus to take off. HOWEVER the 8:15 bus, according to the driver, “never showed up” so we became the 9:15 bus and merged with those riders. I don’t know if they just got lucky and had enough seats or if some people didn’t get on but I’m just glad I a) had a seat, b) got to wait on the bus instead of outside for an hour, which I’ve had to do for buses, and c) that it was the bus home and not there that was vanished. Also I guess reading lights on the bus don’t work once they leave which I think I knew but had forgotten. Oh well.

It was SO cold when I got off the bus and bitterly windy, even colder than the first day in Philly at the Navy Yard because it was after dark. I found the parking garage without much trouble but then trying to get out it said exit closed and I was like “what am I gonna do, sleep here?” But there was another exit and all was well. Then I got turned around trying to take a different exit than I usually took to get home but I made it to Broad Street and then from there I knew where to go from dropping off/picking up Justin all those times when we shared a car, and also when I went to the Sixers games. All in all it was a fun and busy day but when the radio played “Take Me Home Tonight” I agreed. In bed now. Tomorrow home!

Without a Touch of Poetry

 For what, we ask, is life without a touch of poetry in it?

A favorite lyric from a favorite show. I got to go to a callback yesterday, for the first time since March 2020. The three Ps (pandemic, pregnancy, postpartum) have kept me off the stage for over two years and I would dearly love to do a show this year. Unfortunately this callback had not one but two dance combos, the latter of which was wildly out of my level, so I'm not holding my breath. But it was great to be considered. I'd never auditioned at this theatre before so it's nice to know I can get callbacks from video auditions without knowing anyone. It seemed like a neat place. Pretty far drive for me so I won't go there unless it's a dream show, which this was. But so refreshing to get called back. My last audition was a disaster so I feel a bit of redemption.

Ways I am trying to find poetry in life:

Reading for pleasure every day

Watching Diana find joy in the smallest things, like grabbing a zipper, or seeing someone walking around the corner

Auditioning for things I want to be in even if I don't think I'll get cast

Getting Back on the Horse

Here are some things I want to resume (or attempt to) this year:

- Blogging, shoot for once a month. But I'm not going to put tons of pressure on myself for it to be wonderful, insightful essays, this short, rambling entry being a case in point. I just want it to be more than an annual book diary.

- Theatre (I miss you, musicals) (directors I am begging you)

- Any sort of travel, even just down to St George or Cedar City once snow stops being a risk

- get a Wordle in three guesses or less. This may never happen as I'm actually really bad at word scrambles. But I can dream!

General updates? Having a baby changes everything, obviously. People ask me how I'm doing and I answer with how she's doing. Working to get back to having some "me" stuff as well. Did literally the worst audition of my life in December and had to stop myself from breaking down in the audition room. "Whyyyyyyyyyy does this pianist hate me?" So it can only go up from there, or at least not down. (She said, tempting fate.) Haha, no, I was totally humiliated. But I didn't die and life goes on!

Diana is closer to being a year old than a newborn, which blows my mind. I love her so much, but I worry so much. I worry that she'll never learn to eat anything more solid than applesauce, that she won't crawl, that she won't sleep through the night. (However if I stay up late anticipating her wake up she sleeps soundly so for now I'll keep doing that, haha!) It's not that I'm worried **she** can't do these things, I worry that **I** can't teach her, or am failing her in some way.

She loves to go outside, even though it's so cold. Makes me wish we lived in San Diego, where she wouldn't have to be triple bundled to do her daily walk to the mailbox with daddy. Oh well, she's so cute triple bundled. (And I wouldn't want to live in San Diego anyway, but I can't wait to take her to the ocean.) She loves bathtime and the water. We were going to a baby swim class but I got nervous about the spike in Covid rates and stopped. It's so tough to be a new stay at home mom right now and not really able to go anywhere because I just want to make it through her first flu season with no sickness. Knock on wood, it's working so far. But it's tough too. I just want to go back to normal.

So hello, blog, from me and kitty sitting on the couch (she wishes it would go back to normal too, but she hasn't seen nothing yet) and sleeping baby upstairs. (Stay sleeping, little one.) Here's to 2022, and roughly twelve blog entries. 

Books I Read in 2021

Oh hey I'm alive! This blog has not seen much love this year as I spent the first half of the year busy being pregnant and the second half with a new baby. Still managed to get some reading in, though. I can't wait for Diana to get older so we can go to story time at the library, and takes stacks of books home like I did when I was a kid. At her first trip, she didn't seem that impressed...

Totals: 92 books,  47 nonfiction/45 fiction

Page count:  13,676 nonfiction/15,675 fiction 

My Top Ten Books of 2021

1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Stunning. A strange flu has arrived from overseas and it's very contagious... If you're not all pandemic-ed out by the last two years, this is a fantastic read. (If you are, I can't blame you.) It follows protagonists in three time periods: prepandemic, mid pandemic, and afterwards, I expected this to be depressing. It has those dark moments, but has hope as well. Overall I would describe it as full of humanity: the good, the bad, and the ugly. You never know how your life and art will affect others. And I can never resist a troupe of traveling actors. This is a book that I wanted to start over as soon as I finished.

2. The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

I don't even know where to start with this one. Also told in three different time periods, and sort of an end of the world novel as well. It's a fantasy novel (which won the Hugo award), and the world building is impeccable. Again, chock full of humanity. (This proves to be a theme with this year's favorites.) It's the first of a trilogy, and I can wait to read the others. I won't try to offer a plot description, but the dedication sums up the theme nicely: "For all those who have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question."

3. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

I've been working my way through presidential biographies, greatly enjoying most. (See Ron Chernow's Grant from last year's list.) This was a double biography of President James Garfield and his assassin (but maybe not killer) Charles Guiteau. I loved it. Garfield is one of those presidents I knew little about but I left the book really liking him and sad that he was killed before he could enact much legislation. Guiteau saw their fates as entwined, and this is the dark side of the "you never know how your life will affect others" coin. Also, as a tribute to the great Stephen Sondheim whom we lost this year, check out his musical depiction of Guiteau in a lesser known musical, Assassins.

4.  The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

For a long time I assumed Asimov would be boring, full of space lingo, and hard to understand, because that was my view of midcentury science fiction. But wow was I wrong, and happy to be proven so. This book was so good that I held off on formalizing my top ten list because I was only partly through it but knew it was going to be on here. 3000 years in the future, New York City, and all other major cities (I was happy to see Philadelphia get a shoutout) are now entirely underground. No one goes out into the open air except robots, who mostly look like the clunky machines humans view them to be. But a murder brings together a human detective and a new, humanoid passing robot, who work together to solve the crime, and possibly the future of humanity as well. Clever, funny, five stars.

5. This is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick

I'm the kind of person who on a road trip will imagine who'd I be if I'd grown up in Albuquerque or Chicago or where have you. Would I have a flower garden? Play baseball? Rock climb? My cross country move in 2019 made it clear that wherever you go, there you are. It also made clear that although I'd wanted out of Utah, I missed it when I was gone. And now I miss Philadelphia. Melody Warnick has moved many times, and set out to discover if you can decide to belong somewhere. Conclusion? It takes work, but yes.

6. Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey's Head, the Pope's Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul by Brandy Shillace

Unrelated to the main story, but this book has the distinction of being the first time I saw "Covid-19" in a printed book. I logically knew that I was going to be reading mentions of coronavirus for the rest of my life, but this hit me. We are living through a historical event. In the style of Sam Kean's science writing, this is a medical biography of Robert White, who pushed the limits of what medicine could (and maybe should) do. If you get queasy about medical stuff, this is not the book for you. Besides just the facts of Dr White's life there are questions of morality and ethics that don't have clear answers, but left me thinking.

7. Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West

Lindy West's book of essays made me literally laugh out loud. It's hard to be a woman on the internet, especially a fat woman, but Lindy has come out of it that much stronger and passing on her wisdom to the rest of us. I first heard of the author through her story on This American Life, and it's also recounted here, but with many other essays on being fat, feminist, and funny. I haven't watched the Hulu series based on it, but if they captured the vulnerability and character growth that is here, it's probably pretty good.

8. Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley

A classic. I was intimidated by the size and seriousness of this story that begins with Kunta Kinte in 1750s Africa and ends with the author in 1970s America, with all the generations in between, but it moved pretty fast and packs a big punch. Obvious content warning for all the violence, rape, and inhumanity that comes with slavery. It's heartbreaking to meet people just to be ripped away from them as the narration changes and moves on. This one lingers after it's done. Also, Alex Haley wanted it to be classified as nonfiction but the consensus today is fiction. 

9. How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K Eason

And now for something completely different....

Rory Thorne was blessed by a fairies at her birth. There hadn't been a girl child born to royalty in a long time, and it was assumed she'd take her father's throne. But then a brother is born, a parent dies, and an engagement emerges, as well as treacherous advisers and the threat of galactic war. Rory will have to use her wits to rescue the prince, and she's running out of time. One reviewer called it "Princess Bride meets Princess Leia" and that's captures its fun subverting of fairytales. I liked almost every character in this book, which is high praise as I'm notorious for disliking main characters. Can't wait to read the sequel.

10. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by CA Fletcher

ANOTHER apocalypse novel?? It's like something happened in the world to turn our minds toward mortality. This one is simpler than the other two I've listed, but has a lot of heart. How far would you go to get a stolen dog back? The child narrator of this one would go pretty far. If this book had stuck the landing with the end it would have been higher on the list, but I still recommend it.

Honorable mentions

Nonfiction-- Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero by Kate Clifford Larson

Fiction-- The Big Door Prize by MO Walsh

And now, all the rest! As always, recommendations are bolded and rereads are marked with *** and books are listed alphabetically by author. 

Nonfiction

• The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age America -- Karen Abbott
• The Genius of Birds -- Jennifer Ackerman
• Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Good Chinese Wife: A Love Affair With China Gone Wrong -- Susan Blumberg-Kason
• Einstein's Greatest Mistake: A Biography -- David Bodanis
• All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir -- Nicole Chung
• A Map is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home -- Edited by Nicole Chung and Mensah Derrary
• Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery -- Paul Collins
• The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age -- Tom D Crouch and Peter L Jakab
• American Sherlokc: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI -- Kate Winkler Dawson
• Over the Hills and Far Away: The Life of Beatrix Potter -- Matthew Dennison
• Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots -- Deborah Feldman
• The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me -- Paul Joseph Fronczak
• The View From the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction -- Neil Gaiman
• Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown -- Anne Glenconner
• ***Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin -- Nicole Hardy
• The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir -- Michelle Harper
• Would You Rather?: A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out -- Katie Heaney
• It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree -- AJ Jacobs
• Enemy of All Mankind: A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt -- Steven Johnson
• Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire -- Bob Kealing
• Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero -- Kate Clifford Larson
• Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things -- Jenny Lawson
• Crossing the Borders of Time: A True Story of War, Exile, and Love Reclaimed -- Leslie Maitland
• Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice -- Ellen McGarrahan
• Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President -- Candice Millard
• In the Heights: Finding Home-- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Jeremy McCarter
• Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown -- Anais Mitchell
• The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial -- Maggie Nelson
• A Promised Land -- Barack Obama
• Rutherford B Hayes -- Steven Otfinoski
• In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom -- Yeonmi Park
• Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World -- Matt Parker
• Royal Renegades: The Children of Charles I and the English Civil Wars -- Linda Porter
• The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World -- Nichola Raihani
• What's a Lemon Squeezer Doing in My Vagina?: A Memoir of Infertility -- Rohini S Rajagopal
• One Life -- Megan Rapinoe
• Congo: The Epic History of a People -- David van Reybrouck
• True Raiders: The Untold Story of the 1909 Expedition to Find the Legendary Ark of the Covenant -- Brad Ricca
• *** Me Talk Pretty One Day -- David Sedaris
• Mr Humble & Dr Butcher: A Monkey's Head, the Pope's Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul -- Brandy Shillace
• Hidden Figures -- Margot Lee Shetterly
• Here, Right Matters: An American Story -- Alexander Vindman
• This is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are -- Melody Warnick
• Persist -- Elizabeth Warren
• Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus -- Bill Wasik & Monica Murphy
• Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman -- Lindy West  

Fiction

• Midnight Riot -- Ben Aaronovitch
• The Goblin Emperor -- Katherine Addison
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian -- Sherman Alexie 
• The Caves of Steel-- Isaac Asmiov
• Falling Free -- Lois McMaster Bujold
• Swimming at Night -- Lucy Clarke
• The Red Badge of Courage -- Stephen Crane
• Well Behaved Indian Women -- Saumya Dave
• Sister of My Heart -- Chitra Banerjee Divarkaruni 
• The Sweeney Sisters -- Lian Dolan
• Death at Wentwater Court -- Carola Dunn
• How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse -- K Eason
• A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World -- CA Fletcher
• Motherland -- Leah Franqui
• All the Lonely People -- Mike Gayle (This was SO CLOSE to being good but in the end it just made me want to reread A Man Called Ove)
• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing -- Hank Green
• The Midnight Library -- Matt Haig
• Roots: The Saga of an American Family -- Alex Haley
• Etta and Otto and Russell and James -- Emma Hooper
• Never Have I Ever -- Joshilyn Jackson (content warning: child abuse)
• The Fifth Season -- NK Jemisin   
• Searching for Sylvie Lee -- Jean Kwok
• The Broken Gun -- Louis L'Amour
• ***The Never War -- DJ MacHale
• The Great Believers -- Rebecca Makkai
• Station Eleven -- Emily St John Mandel
• Atonement -- Ian McEwan 
• The Song of Achilles -- Madeline Miller
• The Red House Mystery -- AA Milne
• Nine Perfect Strangers -- Lianne Moriarty
• 1984 -- George Orwell
• Crocodile on the Sandbank -- Elizabeth Peters
• A Woman is No Man -- Etaf Rum
• The Midnight Lie -- Marie Rutkoski
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe-- Benjamin Alire Saenz
• The Power of the Dog -- Thomas Savage
• What If It's Us -- Adam Silvera & Becky Albertalli
• The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes -- Elissa R Sloane
• Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English -- Natasha Solomons
• Something in the Water-- Catherine Steadman
• Roadside Picnic -- Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
• Veronica Mars & the Thousand Dollar Tan Line -- Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
• The Big Door Prize -- MO Walsh
• The Woman in Cabin 10 -- Ruth Ware
• All the King's Men -- Robert Penn Warren

Books to Quarantine With

 What an utterly strange year. I'm not the first nor the hundredth to say it, but this one didn't go like I anticipated. But what will go on as in other years: my annual reading recap and recommendations. 

Totals: 77 books-- 39 nonfiction/ 38 fiction

Page count:  27,648 pages-- 13,322 nonfiction / 14326 fiction

Top Ten Reads of 2020

1. The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles by Gary Krist

I loved this book. Loved it. I have tried a couple "city histories" over the years but none have really grabbed me like this one. Told mainly through the stories of three powerhouses in different segments of LA: movies (DW Griffith), infrastructure (William Mulholland), and mysticism (Aimee Semple McPherson), Gary Krist paid equal attention to each character and how they contributed to the culture Los Angeles is famous for today. I didn't want to put it down. It also made me want to visit sunny LA again.

2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Perhaps the perfect quarantine novel. In 1922 Count Alexander is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in one hotel in Moscow. For the next thirty years we meet the guests, staff, and politicians whirling in and out of his circle as he muses on everything from poetry to the perfect dinner menu. But don't be fooled, it's not just thinking. The Count keeps busy with work, love, and the children of the hotel that find their way into his heart. It wasn't what I thought it would be, it was better.

3. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell 

I love his podcast so it's no surprise that I greatly enjoyed this new book about communication, both what we think we're good at and what we're actually quite bad at. The audiobook version was produced in a podcast adjacent style, with interviewees reading their own sections where possible, which was also a nice touch. International espionage, alcohol and consent, and mistaking truth for lies, amid much more.

4. Grant by Ron Chernow

My first Ron Chernow biography! I've avoided this author throughout the years through a mix of wariness of the time commitment and the hype, but I'm glad I finally dove in. I've been working my way through presidential biographies and #18, Ulysses S (did you know the S was a clerical error? His real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant?) really impressed me as one of the greats. A deeply honest man, a master soldier, and a loyal husband and citizen. Yes, Chernow is as good as all the reviews have said.

5.  A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A tiny slip of a book sandwiched on this list between two much larger tomes but it proves that it's not the size of the book that counts, but the size of the story's heart. I cried on the train reading this book. I don't want to say too much but if you're looking for a light hearted read this is not the one for you right now. (For a less loss-centric Patrick Ness book check out The Rest of Us Just Live Here.)

6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

It was January 2018 and I was in New York City for the first time, at a Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. I had come with a group of Utah theatre lovers and my friend Corina and I were looking at books in the gift shop. "Have you read this?" she asked me, pointing to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I said no and she was aghast. "You HAVE to." I put it on my list that day but it didn't happen until this year. She was right, this book is a treasure. Francie grows up in Brooklyn in the early days of the 20th century with all the happiness, hardship, and daily life that entails. Really feels like a time capsule to another life.

7. Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

Everyone has an opinion on Edward Snowden but I really think this book is worth a read no matter what you think. I was struck by how much thought and turmoil went into Snowden's decisions. And while I rather expected it to be a dry read (and there are technical sections, don't get me wrong), Snowden's personality and humor made it go quicker than I anticipated.

8. The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History by Nathalia Holt

If you're a Disney lover this one is a must read. Nathalia Holt takes us behind the scenes of classic films like Cinderella and Bambi all the way up through Frozen as women worked their way through the ranks of the Disney boys' club. Although these animators were often not credited in the early days of animation (common practice at the time), without their hard work and artistic talent the films would not be what they are.

9. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Lovely. A wonderful book that unfolds in layers with each character and plot line not quite what it seemed to be at first glance. I love Fredrik Backman and his compassionate look at humanity. Thankfully this one is not as melancholy as A Man Called Ove, although that is still his best work. This little puzzle box deals with an apartment viewing, a police investigation, and a bank robbery that never happened. Highly recommend.

10. Mozart's Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

I was in the midst of a reading slump this fall. Quarantine had closed everything, I needed something new, and audiobooks are just not the same. When we moved back to the Utah and got to go inside a library again, I cried. Libraries have always been my happy place and I get so excited by the prospect of learning new things. Wandering the shelves I found this book and it totally cured me. Mozart had a starling as a pet, and so does the author. A quick read on Mozart and his music  and starlings in general. Did you know they can mimic human speech? And I learned what a murmuration is. 

Honorable Mentions

Fiction: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Nonfiction: All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir About Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything by Sasha Chapin

And now, all the rest! 

As always, I'm always looking for recommendations for what you enjoyed, and I'm also thrilled to give more personalized recommendations or discussion on anything on the list! 

Also as always, recommendations are bolded and rereads are marked with *** and books are listed alphabetically by author

Nonfiction

Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man-- Emmanuel Acho

Saturday Night Widows: The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives-- Becky Aikman

Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog-- Dave Barry

The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century - Neal Bascomb

The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad-- Mike Birbiglia

Solutions and Other Problems-- Allie Brosh

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness-- Susannah Cahalan 

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of 20th Century China-- Jung Chang

All the Wrong Moves: A Memoir About Chess, Love, and Ruining Everything-- Sasha Chapin

Grant-- Ron Chernow

***Mao's Last Dancer-- Li Cunxin

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea-- Barbara Demick

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know-- Malcolm Gladwell

A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano - Katie Hafner

Mozart's Starling-- Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Reporter: A Memoir-- Seymour Hersh

The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History-- Nathalia Holt

The Recovering-- Leslie Jamison

Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture-- Ken Jennings

The Mirage Factory: Illusions, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles-- Gary Krist

Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship-- Robert Kurson

After Lincoln: How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace-- AJ Langguth

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin-- Erik Larson

The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations-- John McCain

The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician's First Year-- Matt McCarthy

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe the World-- William McRaven

The Avenger Takes His PLace: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days That Changed a Nation-- Howard Means

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told-- Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally

Ungovernable: The Victorian Parent's Guide to Raising Flawless Children-- Therese Oneill 

Expecting Better-- Emily Oster

Truth & Beauty: A Friendship-- Ann Patchett

Chasing the Devil: My Twenty Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer-- Dave Reichert

Is This Anything? -- Jerry Seinfeld

A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Ann Bradstreet to Annie Proulx-- Elaine Showalter

Permanent Record-- Edward Snowden

My Beloved World-- Sonia Sotomayor

The Answer Is: Reflections on My Life-- Alex Trebek

A. Lincoln: A Biography - Ronald C White Jr

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary -- Simon Winchester

Fiction

Northanger Abbey-- Jane Austen

Anxious People-- Fredrik Backman

Mercy Snow-- Tiffany Baker

World War Z-- Max Brooks

***Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism-- Georgia Byng

To Capture What We Cannot Keep-- Beatrice Colin

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes-- Suzanne Collins

The Passage-- Justin Cronin

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse-- Louise Erdrich

Careful What You Wish For-- Hallie Ephron

***Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine-- Gail Honeyman

An American Marriage-- Tayari Jones

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat-- Sofie Kelly

The Institute-- Stephen King

We Are Okay-- Nina LaCour

A Star is Bored-- Byron Lane

Is This Tomorrow?-- Caroline Leavitt

***The Lost City of Faar-- DJ MacHale

Prayers the Devil Answers-- Sharyn McCrumb

The Silent Patient-- Alex Michaelides

Anne of Windy Poplars-- Lucy Maud Montgomery

A Monster Calls-- Patrick Ness

The Rest of Us Just Live Here-- Patrick Ness

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars-- Christopher Paolini

Hogfather-- Terry Pratchett

Lords and Ladies-- Terry Pratchett

Men at Arms-- Terry Pratchett

***The Titan's Curse-- Rick Riordan

***The Battle of the Labyrinth-- Rick Riordan

***The Last Olympian-- Rick Riordan

The Second Mrs Hockaday-- Susan Rivers

The Island of Sea Women-- Lisa See (I am recommending with a caution that this does contain very graphic violence and I was not prepared)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn-- Betty Smith

The Warden's Daughter-- Jerry Spinelli

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

A Gentleman in Moscow-- Amor Towles

Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward

Maisie Dobbs-- Jacqueline Winspear