Books I Enjoyed Reading in 2020

Books are great. They are. In a world of increasing digital entertainment, it's nice to give your eyes a break and hit the pages of another world. Not only can books be great for helping you chase other worlds, but they help with learning and growing your mindset on a variety of different topics. I know a lot of people my age struggle to read. Not that my generation is illiterate, but the design of social media and Netflix is much more alluring than a stack of paper. Trust me, I've been there.

My first couple of years in college were spent watching Netflix with limited amounts of reading. I want to challenge everyone who reads less than a book a year (yes, there are people like that) to find a genre or topic that interests you and read for 10 minutes a night. Reading right before you go to bed can allow your body to relax from the blue-light stimulation it receives from a phone and dive into another world.

With that being said, here are some of my favorite books that I've read in 2020:

Atomic Habits-James Clear

Habits affect nearly everything that we do. From the moment we awake to the moment we hit the bed at night, we act on autopilot. You can hope that your autopilot is healthy, but taking a good look at your daily living can reveal your values and what you've built into your life.

James Clear does a wonderful job of breaking the cycle of habits and shows you that small habits can lead to drastic results. I began reading it this summer, and I can truly say that it helped open my mind to the way I was living and the very unhealthy habits I had allowed myself to partake in.

While I'll still eat Chick-Fil-A every once in a while (I love you, Chicky), I realized that a habit of eating out leads to an increase in spending and weight. This small change from eating out to cooking at home not only helped me save money, but I felt better and gained a newfound joy in home-cooked meals. In fact, I'm trying to cook my way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Bon Appetite!

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”―?James Clear

The Power of Habit- Charles Duhigg

Aligning with the core truths of "Atomic Habits," "The Power of Habit," is an excellent dive into how habits can serve you in the real world.

Giving examples of corporations, activists, and Olympians who use habits to their advantage, Charles Duhigg really dives into how every day can be filled with healthy habits! I liked this book because it gave a lot of details and examples from the corporate world, and it was fascinating to learn about how places like P&G and Target use consumer habits to their advantage.

“Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”― Charles Duhigg

7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen R. Covey

Okay, okay. So I'm ALMOST done with this book, but OH MY WORD, it has been one of my favorites so far. This book walks through (as the title suggests) 7 habits that can lead to being more effective and successful in your lifetime.

The first chapter calls you out and tells you that you and you alone are responsible for your life. While terrible things may happen to you in your life, you have the choice to become the victim or the victor. You have the "response-ability" or the ability to respond to situations in your life, and that is all up to you. I mean, how good is that!?

This book dives into first private habits that will build then into public habits. This book has been excellent so far, and I'm thrilled to finish it out soon.

“If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control - myself.”

American Royals & American Royals II: Her Majesty-Katharine McGee

These may not be business books, but boy, was it some good reading! I love all things royal, so when my husband found these books at Walmart, I KNEW I had to read them. The premise of the series is that after the Revolutionary War, George Washington was offered a crown. In this alternate version of history, he accepts, and the line of the Washinton Royals began. The story follows the future queen Beatrice (the first queen in the country's history) and her twin siblings Samantha and Jefferson. It is very YA, but so good.

“Beatrice is going to be queen someday.” Samantha didn’t sound resentful, just pensive. “And what are you going to be?” Nina asked, curious. Samantha grinned. “Everything else.”―?Katharine McGee

The Selection Series-Kiera Cass

Oh my goodness. A book all about if the reality TV show "The Bachelor" were about royalty. Following my strange interest in royalty, this book follows America Singer as she goes through the Selection, the process in which Prince Maxon chooses a princess from 30 women. With romance, a caste system, and drama galore, this book series is wonderful. I first read it as a junior in high school and have read the whole series around 4-5 times since. And now that I'm typing about it, I think I need to reread it.....

“I hope you find someone you can't live without.I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them.”―?Kiera Cass

The Silent Patient-Alex Michaelides

A little more adult than my normal taste, "The Silent Patient" follows Alicia Berenson’s life, which is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer. She lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.

Theo Faber is a psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.

“We're all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”―?Alex Michaelides

That's it! If you have any book recommendations, I would LOVE to hear them, so comment on your favorite book below :)

Written By Hannah Inman

Hannah works at Delta Faucet Company as the Innovation Lab Marketing and Channel Manager. She loves to use her analytic and creative skills in subjects like brand management, PR, and consumer behavior marketing.