8 Books I Don't Regret Reading in 2020

8 Books I Don’t Regret Reading in 2020

When 2019 was coming to an end, I decided that I would become a more frequent reader. I felt as if I wasn’t using my brain enough. More than that, I was struggling with a lot of mental health issues and I heard reading can help you. I read both fiction and non-fiction, and I challenged myself to read just about anything. This ended up really helping my mind slow down and focus on the beauty of story instead of the busy thoughts running through my tired brain.

I found book suggestions just about anywhere. Blog posts sharing lists of reading challenges, wandering around my library, and using Goodreads.

I’ve read 15 books in the year 2020 so far (it’s August right now). Out of all of them, I found that I invested myself in only a handful. Eight to be exact. These are the books that I would read again, the kind of books that stay in your mind afterward. Hope you enjoy!

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

It was my second time reading The Night Circus and I think I fell even more in love with it the second time.

To quote my own review on Goodreads: “I loved being apart of this world; apart of the circus. This is my second time reading and it was even better this time around. If you like to be caught up in mystery, romance, and whimsy you need to read this. Even if you don’t, you need to read this. You will learnt to love those things.”

That pretty much says it all. I love this book. It made me feel as if I could believe in something again. I loved getting lost in the pages.

2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

This book surprised me. I’ve always loved any story set in England, which increated my love for this book even more. You find this out very quickly, but it’s about a woman who lives on her own in England. This novel explores her social journey of finding herself and igniting unexpected friendship. There is such a twist in this novel that you wouldn’t expect, I was so invested! I remember feeling sad when I finished it and I almost bought it recently so I could read it whenever I want. I would highly recommend it!

3. Educated by Tara Westover

Oh my goodness.

This book blew my mind. It is a memoir about a girl fighting for her own education. It goes so much further than that though. I read this at the beginning of 2020, right after deciding I was going to go to school for Literature. I’ve always had an interesting relationship with the idea of college but this book only gave me more motivation to fight for something. To invest time into something so important such as education.

Tara Westover tells tells her life story in such a beautiful and straightforward way. It was completely shocking, slightly heartbreaking, and I couldn’t put it down. On top of that, I really enjoyed her blunt writing style.

If you’re even a little bit curious, you should read it.

4. Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

I had no idea that Lauren Graham had written a novel until this popped up in my suggested reads in Goodreads.

Someday, Someday Maybe is a novel about a girl named Franny, living in New York, and trying to be a successful actor. I’ve always found the life of an actor so fascinating. You could hear Lauren's sense of humor and heart in the pages. It’s such a light and happy read.

Read it!

5. One Day in December by Josie Silver

I recently discovered about myself that I really enjoy a cheesy love story. I just do. I’ll stop fighting it at this point.

One Day In December is all about a day in December where a girl and guy catch each other's eye, not knowing who the other is, but never getting the other off their minds. The story goes on from there. No spoilers here!

I’m pretty sure I read this one in four days. It was just so happy, you know?

6. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was such a relaxing read. I felt like I had made a new friend by the end of it. I also starting hearing my cat speak in my head, which was fun.

To quote my personal review from Goodreads: “Fun and inviting. Made me want to be Nina’s friend - but also was perfectly content when the book was over. It made me feel happy and yet it didn’t follow me afterward.”

Pretty straight to the point. It was an enjoyable read but I didn’t think about it afterward. It was just what I needed that night. Bookstore obsessions. Kittens that talk. Fancy love stories. Unexpected friendships. Even the fact that she lived in a cute cottage-like space made me a little emotional.

7. Becoming by Michelle Obama

I’ve never really read books that would be considered “political” before. Becoming was a story of Michelle's life more than it was political.

I never felt like she pushes any ideas, but simply told her story. After reading Becoming, I felt more inspired and empowered to use my voice and believe what I do could actually affect something or someone.

It was pretty lengthy and it had a whole lot of details to keep up with, but I don’t regret reading it at all. I felt pretty informed and educated afterward. I also kind of want to be her new best friend.

8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This is a classic that I had somehow never heard of before. I’m not going to lie to you, I think the title was only familiar because Rory talks about it in Gilmore Girls. I always wanted to be smart and witty like Rory, so I was obviously compelled to read it.

Anyways...I found this book incredibly profound. It’s a classic for a reason.

Let me share my personal review from Goodreads so I can articulate myself better: “This wasn’t what I expected. But I appreciate going into Sylvia's mind while reading this. In a lot of ways, it made me feel less alone, and in other, I just felt sad while reading it. I’m glad I read it, regardless.”

I did feel pretty bummed after reading it, especially knowing this was the last book Sylvia Plath wrote before committing suicide.

Even still, I felt as if it gave me permissoin to feel and wonder. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

There you have it, folks. 8 Books I Don’t Regret Reading in the Year 2020. I hope you enjoyed this post and feel as if you can add a book or two to your reading list. I have so many more books on my list, so expect another one of these posts soon!

Kayla M