Books in 2020

Every year, I set a target for the no. of books to read in a year and track my progress diligently. At the end of the year, I put together a list of my favorite books from that year. So far, this list was private, but here it is, starting this year.  

In 2020, I read a total of 70 books, against a goal of 60 books. Going into 2020, I wanted to read books written originally not in English or by set in countries other than India, USA and UK (because that is where I get most recommendations from), and I was able to read 18 such books.

Given how bizarre the year was, I am still glad to have read as much as I could. I remember, I spent the first couple months of the lockdown worrying about family in India and as I drowned my panic in TV (the time that I should be ashamed to admit), I barely got any reading done. Once my brain registered that this was the new normal, I got back to my normal reading pace.

Here is the list of my best books from 2020 -

1. Normal People by Sally Rooney - I loved this book for many reasons, but the easiest one of all is - I am in love with Rooney's prose, literally unputdownable - and I read this book in one long sitting over one evening. Rooney has a great way to write contemporary fiction which also feels like it will age well.
2. The Siege by Helen Dunmore - I picked up this book because it was recommended to be a book that would make me feel colder in the winter months. And the book delivered! I became aware of how St. Petersburg laid under a siege during the winter months, Anna's resourcefulness in keeping her family fed during the harsh times was inspiring and I read this book right when the COVID lockdown started, so the setting and the mood fit fine, in my mind.
3. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah - Noah's autobiography takes you to the 90s South Africa as apartheid was coming to an end, and that is a ride worth taking. It also felt like Noah was paying homage to his mother, a strong and determined woman.
4. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney - See above. I could read a laundry list by Rooney and still think its the best piece of prose ever. 
5. East of the West by Miroslav Penkov - Penkov's prose is like poetry - sweet to read, elaborate in its descriptions, rich in the metaphors and full of longing. I loved every story in this collection, each story reminded me of my love for home. This book opened me to the complicated history shared between Bulgaria and Turkey, and the various stories serve to improve this perspective better.
6. The Book of Indian Kings - This short book which is an anthology of essays written by historians takes you through a list of Indian kings from the last thousand years. Must read if you are interested in Indian history.
7. A long petal of the sea by Isabel Allende - This book is on this list coz I love Allende's prose no matter what she writes about, but this book is special because it is a story of immigrants into Chile and follows the lives of one family.
8. Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris - Months after I finished reading this book, I am still obsessed by how amazing this book is, and in awe of Harris's adventure through the Silk Road and thankful for her perspective on everything she wrote. She opened me up to many new subjects to learn and I resonated with her views on travel, wilderness, nature and outdoors. This book is on my forever-favorites list!
9. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - Towles is a revelation and a find for me, I loved just how beautiful the prose in this book was. And I will always be sad because I cannot read this book for the first time ever again! 
10. Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich - This is a depressing book, especially because we all know what happened to the people behind these voices, but this book is a must read if you want to not forget how the apathy of the leaders makes matters worse. I picked up this book because I read an article on Believer talking about her style of writing, which intrigued me. I am going to pick up more of her work in 2021.
11. Fox and Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugresic - I love Ugresic's prose and her stories. Always a fresh perspective, especially considering the author's own journey starting from Yugoslavia. 
12. The Writer's Library - This book is a book-lover's dream - these are a set of interviews with famous American authors about what inspires them and I walked away with more book recommendations than I could count. I also got a front seat into these author's minds and their influences. I was also glad for some takeaways from this book - Almost all authors are voracious readers, of course; Most authors started reading from a very young age, devouring almost everything in sight; Most authors cited their parents as a reason for their reading habit - This made sense to me, from my personal experience!
13. Cooked by Michael Pollan - I read this book through the entire year, page by page while eating at my dining table, and drooling over Pollan's words when he talks about his cooking experiments and deep in thought as he talks about the food industry. Must read if you are interested in food. 
14. How to be Ace by Rebecca Burgess - This book is a must read for everyone, for the takeaways and the subject matter. Burgess talks about how representation in popular media impacts young minds. I relooked at my own perceptions on certain key areas related to this book and am working on correcting them. 
15. To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova - Part memoir, all non-fiction, this is a very well written book drawing from the author's family but taking the reader into the current Macedonia, Albania and Greece, and the two great lakes that are divided between these three countries, and how borders have impacted the lakes and the people.

I have similar goals for 2021 - Target to read at least 60 books, so I can walk away with at least 10-15 great books which will stay with me forever; read more foreign writers or stories set in lands foreign to me.

I also hope to go beyond reading just a few chapters of favorites like Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy or Gaiman's Trigger Warning and re-read them completely. Because, reading is for fun and I need to remind myself to not chase only numbers. :-)

What are your reading goals for 2021? Also, please share some of your reads/recommendations with me.

Banner pic - Just a few books from my physical To-Read shelf - some are my own, some are borrowed from the library - all of which I want to finish reading in 2021.