I read a lot this year, 65 books to be exact. That’s mostly because pre-pandemic I worked as a bookseller at Parnassus Books. I’ve always written about what I’m reading, but this year I started talking about it on Instagram, which of course, is where everyone is. RIP to my pageviews.

In anticipation of writing this post, I asked my friends what they’d like to know about what I read this year. So many of you sent me questions! Hilariously, they were all the same questions, lolz. But thank you for playing along.

Here are your questions -and my answers!

Did you read any fiction that briefly made you forget about the world?

Yes! The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. My friend Delaney recommended it and I DEVOURED it. Truly, nothing happened except this book while I was reading it. OBSESSED.

What made you laugh and cry?

I’m not sure if you’re asking what books made me both laugh and cry, or what books made me laugh, then what other books made me cry. The good news is I have nothing but time and answers.

Books that made me laugh AND cry:

• Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb

• The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

Books that made me laugh:

1. Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

2. Here For It by R. Eric Thomas

3. Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri

4. Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood by Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova

5. Shit, Actually by Lindy West

God, what didn’t make me cry this year? Books that made me cry:

1. File Under: Duh, but seriously Untamed by Glennon Doyle is as good as everyone says

2. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

3. Stray by Stephanie Danler

4. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

5. Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith

6. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

7. They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

What was a bore?

Oof. I am the only person alive who didn’t love this book, but Writers & Lovers by Lily King took me straight to Snooze Town. I typically love coming-of-age stories, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

What books are like other books?

Man, Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. It’s fiiiiiiiiine, but other books do it better.

Book that surprised you the most?

That goddamn Mariah Carey book. It’s hilarious that I read it. It’s absurd that I can’t stop talking about it. What can I say, sometimes the internet is right.

Honorable mention: I read a book about ghost sex, which is an obviously surprising topic. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it (that’s what she said): The Regrets by Amy Bonnaffons.

Most surprisingly enjoyable read this year?

I picked up a book because the cover is an illustration of a woman wearing a dog in a sling. It turned out to be one of my most enjoyable reads this year: Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman.

Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. I thought I was too old for this book and I was wrong.

What books should I read?

• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

• The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

Must reads?

• They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

• In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

• Greetings from New Nashville by Steve Haruch

• Can’t Even: How Millennials Become the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen

• Shit, Actually by Lindy West

Fave books by new authors?

• My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland

• Negotiations by Destiny Birdsong

• Luster by Raven Leilani

ICYMI, here is what I read in the first half of 2020. Below is what I read in the second half.

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Whew, that’s a lot of books!

I posted everything I read in Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec. If you want to go back further, it’s all on Goodreads. I also contributed to the staff picks for Parnassus Books from July 2019 - June 2020 if you want to go check those out, as well.

Now, tell me, what are YOU reading?

P.S. Don’t forget about audiobooks! Please consider using Libro.fm instead of audible. Libro.fm buys your book through the independent bookstore of your choice, as opposed to audible, who buys your book from Amazon 👎🏼. I have a discount code if you’re new to Libro.fm. Use code LADYLAND at checkout to get 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 ($14.99) when you start a monthly membership.