Happy Monday, friends! And welcome back to my “What I’m Reading” series, which took a break for a few weeks as I wrapped up last year with my “Best of 2019” posts. I’m so ready to talk about what I’ve been reading again. Instead of rehashing all of the books I read since I last wrote one of these posts, I’m only going to talk about the books I’ve finished so far in 2020. There are five and one of them is most likely going to make my favorites list at the end of the year.
Books Finished
1) Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean (★★★★★) – MacLean’s newest historical romance might be her most feminist one to date (and that’s really saying something). It’s the Year of Hattie for Hattie Sedley who aims to take control of her father’s shipping business and secure her future. She’s going to start the Year of Hattie by losing her virginity but all of her carefully laid plans could be ruined when she finds a man tied up in her carriage. It’s a super fun, super feminist story that I couldn’t put down. I am so glad I chose to start off my 2020 year of reading with this book!
2) Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan (★★☆☆☆) – I really thought this book was going to be perfect for me. It was billed to me as a treatise on the mother/daughter relationship from someone who has a moderate-to-good relationship with her mom. In the book, Kelly is in her young twenties, traveling abroad, and nannying for two children whose mother has just died from cancer. Witnessing their grief and having to shoulder the responsibility for these children causes her to reflect on her own mother and the way she was raised. It’s a good book, but it just didn’t touch me the way I expected it to. For me, it was “just ok.”
3) The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (★★★★★) – This book completely destroyed me. The story is told in alternating timelines: in the mid-1980s and in 2005. In the 1980s storyline, Yale is a gay young man who is watching friend after friend die from AIDS, and worrying about his own mortality. The 2005 storyline is about Fiona who was 21 when her brother Nico, one of Yale’s best friends, died from AIDS. She’s now in her forties and trying to find her daughter who has disappeared into a cult. It’s a powerful, heart-wrenching story about the AIDS epidemic, what it was truly like for the people who lived it, and the lasting impact it had on those who were left behind. There aren’t many stories about this (even the author said in her Author’s Note that it was really difficult to research for this book because there just isn’t a lot of information or real-life accounts). It’s only the third book I read in 2020 and I already know it’s going to make my favorites list at the end of the year.
4) The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai (★★★☆☆) – I loved this contemporary look into the dating world, as many romances either make dating apps seem like the worst thing in the world or pretend that they don’t exist at all. Rhiannon Hunter is the owner of Crush, a Bumble-like dating app, and has a one-night stand with a man named Samson that seems like it could evolve into something more. Until Samson ghosts on her… only to show up a few months later as the face of Matchmaker, one of Crush’s rival dating apps. I loved the look into dating apps and what dating is like right now, but it only earns three stars from me because I never felt like I connected with Rhiannon and some of the scenes felt over the top and out of place in the narrative.
5) Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton (★★★★☆) – This novel taught me so much about the history of Cuba and the injustices Cubans still face today. It follows a journalist named Marisol who goes to Cuba after her grandma dies to spread her ashes. During this visit, Marisol learns so much more about her grandma and her life before her family left Cuba in 1959. And, with the help of a very cute family friend, she learns about the Cuba of today. This book is a love story to Cuba and Cuban people, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
What I’m Reading Now
1) Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson – I’m listening to this on audio and I have about six hours left. It’s a great (fictional) insider’s view of the military from the perspective of three women.
2) The Governess Game by Tessa Dare – I started this historical romance on Sunday evening and I’m flying through it. I am such a fan of Dare’s writing and characters!
Up Next
1) Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb – I’ve only seen rave reviews of this book and I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it, too. After all, it’s about my new favorite subject: therapy!
What are you reading?
I definitely want to read “The Great Believers”. I’m on the hold list for it at the library so hopefully I get to it soon! I also read “next year in havana” and learned so much about Cuba by reading that book. I didn’t love that book as much as I thought I would but I think it was a little over-hyped before I read it (several people told me it was SO good).
I just finished “Outer Order, Inner Calm” by Gretchen Rubin. I have listened to every episode of that podcast so was familiar with much of her advice. But it was still a good read that made me want to go through my closet and the storage room in our basement. Next I am going to start “Dearly Beloved” which I’ve heard good things about. I’ll also be reading “Beyond the Point” as I have that checked out right now, too!
I can’t wait until I get Beyond the Point!
The Great Believers sounds really good, and like a tough read. I may have to check it out. I love when books, like the one in Cuba, teach you something in the background of the story!
I am reading Bad Blood per your recommendation 🙂
Um, the Great Believers sounds awesome! I’ll definitely add that to my TBR. And nice to see The Right Swipe was OK. It’s on my list of books I want to check out sometime — I think the concept is interesting and have generally heard pretty good things.
Right now, I’m reading…well, I’m not right now haha. I finished Public Relations by Katie Heany and Arianna Rebolini which was pretty light and breezy (but uh also clearly Harry Styles fanfic lol) and wrapped up Letters to the Church by Francis Chan (my small group book). Haven’t started anything new yet, though! I have the audiobook for Becoming by Michelle Obama out, though, so I will start that soon, I think!