2020 was a really weird year. Understatement of the year, I know. Looking back, I feel really thankful I made a conscious decision back in January 2019 to rebuild my book reading habit. A year ago, I felt very accomplished when I finished the year having read 21 books. My goal for 2020 was to read the same number of books; I ended up reading 33 (thank you, pandemic and lockdowns).
Anyway, I write this list mainly for myself because it gives me some sort of feeling of self-accountability but last year a few people reached out thanking me for the recommendations, so I'm doing it again.
Below are my top five, and then, ordered chronologically, all the other ones I read. Scores are completely subjective, sorry not sorry.
1. Recursion - Blake Crouch
I’ve never considered myself to be the type of person that can just sit and spend all day reading a book, I just don’t have the attention span to do it. Or that’s what I thought until I read ‘Recursion’. If you like science fiction, you’ll love this book. A detective novel but with time travelling, alternate realities and an actual message about how small actions can have huge ripple effects. Definitely reading this again soon. 10/10
2. The Invention of Nature - Andrea Wulf
Like many Venezuelans, I thought I knew who Alexander von Humboldt was (there’s a bunch of places/stuff named after him). Turns out I only knew about 5%. Humboldt not only met and inspired people like Bolívar, Jefferson, and Darwin, but also pretty much predicted climate change before anyone even knew we could have such an effect on our planet. A true visionary. 10/10
3. This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
This is one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. I even have trouble explaining it without writing a bunch of random words that wouldn’t make sense but it’d say it’s 'The Lake House' meets 'Killing Eve' meets sci-fi novel. Beautifully written to the point it sometimes feels like reading poetry. Loved it. 10/10
4. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford
If you’re like me, when you think about Genghis Khan and the Mongols you picture bloodthirsty savages that only cared about pillaging and killing every place they stepped on. Turns out the truth couldn’t have been further from that. An eye-opening book about one of the most accomplished and progressive rulers (for his era) of the Middle Ages. 9/10
5. No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram - Sarah Frier
Like many people my age I spent an unhealthy amount of time on Instagram this year. So, reading a book about Instagram felt very appropriate. More convinced than ever that the world would be a better place if Instagram had not been acquired and the founders were still at the helm. 9/10
Starting here, all books are ordered chronologically as I read them.
6. Friday Black - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah