What will you read in 2020?
The world of books and reading is so difficult for me to write about for two reasons: One, I love it deeply so it feels nearly impossible to narrow my sentiments into words. Two, it is entirely subjective—what I love might bore you to tears and vice versa! But, since we’ve decided to challenge you to read more in 2020, I’ve decided to offer up my personal suggestions for the direction you could read and then let you take it from there.
Books make our world bigger, brighter, and deeper. They deepen our knowledge, give understanding into another world, and delight us with stories and characters and beautiful sentences. Books also keep us humble—walking into a bookstore or library should have you marveling at all the things you don’t know. The following are a few categories to inspire you, along with a few of my “swiss army knife” recommendations that might peak your interest.
Category 1: Understand A New Perspective
I am really intentional about the books I read and the authors that write them. If all I read were books from people who looked and lived just like me, I would be missing out on so much! Memoirs, Non-fiction, and Poetry are especially incredible avenues that allow me to live in someone else’s world for a bit. This is also REALLY important for reading to your children! This is a reading list I’ve had my eye on for quite awhile, and the Children’s Books on here look amazing. Raising our kids to see and know heroines and heroes of all races is so important.
Some of my favorite books of Poetry through the years have been:
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
My Non-Fiction pics:
Gang Leader for A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh (I blazed through this one, but just a heads up that this book includes some difficult subject matters.)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in An Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander, who is such a gifted communicator.
Memoirs are also incredible!
Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls was an incredible but tough read that really stuck with me.
Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill-Perry, a beautiful writer with a deep love for God and an amazing testimony to share.
On my list for this year:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Murambi, The Book of Bones by Boubacar Boris Diop
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Category 2: Remember Your Childhood Favorites and Head for the Classics
The books I keep coming back to over and over again are those from my childhood. C.S. Lewis said “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” (If you’re interested in Fairy Tales, you can’t go wrong with George MacDonald, whose writings inspired every one of C.S. Lewis’ works. Speaking of C.S. Lewis, if you haven’t read The Great Divorce, you must!)
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read several books that seem to get better the older I get. Some favorites include:
Anne of Green Gables
Little Women
Harry Potter
The Secret Garden
The Little Princess
I am also aiming to read more Classics this year! There are a few books I read in high school English class that I think I’ll enjoy even more now.
On my re-reading list:
1984
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Night
Invisible Man
Other great suggestions:
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Souls of Black Folk
Crime and Punishment
Les Miserables (It took me a full year to read this massive 1900-page tome, but it was amazing!)
Anything written by Jane Austen (my favorite is Sense and Sensibility)
Category 3: Explore a New Genre
This is a fun one because you are bound to find unexpected surprises and quirky sub-genres. I strayed into the Sci-Fi realm a couple years ago and it turns out I love almost anything across the board that has a post-apocalyptic setting (Station Eleven is a favorite, but I will pick up anything from Young Adult to Zombie novels if I get wind of post-apocalypse involvement.)
My sister, Malorie, loves anything set in a bakery or about a chef. She recommends:
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Delicious! By Ruth Reichl
We both love Kate Morton mysteries! Exploring different genres is not only a great way to expand your bookshelf, but it can be a great way to connect with a loved one. My dad and I, for example, have found a few crossover interests in certain books on history, space, the classics, and Christian living. We have both loved The Martian by Andy Weir, Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle,The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. This year I gifted him with The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson for us to read together.
On my New Genre list this year:
Buttermilk Graffiti by Chef Edward Lee because in my heart of hearts I know I am going to love food essays.
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl.
Category 4: Deepen Your Faith
Were you starting to wonder if I read anything from Mardel’s? Outside of the Bible (speaking of reading the Bible, please join us as we read through the Bible in a year!), there are a few books that have shaped and informed my faith in major ways that I come back to often.
I love Hannah Whittal Smith’s The Christian’s Secret to Happiness (which isn’t a health and wealth happiness but rather about contentment in Christ)
Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby (I read this as a high school senior and it remains to be such an important book in my life!)
The Reason for God by Tim Keller (wow, I love Tim Keller)
Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale by Frederick Beuchner (One I read in college that I’ve read a few times now, it’s so good!)
Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero (We read this as a church staff a few years ago and I’ve recommended it so many times since then.)
On my list for this year:
Spirit Walk by Steve Smith, recommended by friends who have served 18 years overseas so my guess is that it’s pretty good. (CRBC people, you know who I’m talking about!)
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom (recommended by one of my best friends)
Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins (I can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet)
The Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster Wallace (This is a hint into our focus for our 2020 missions month!)
Category 5: Let Me Gush
Let me gush about one book, and then I must wrap up somehow. Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a book that I love with all my heart. You can hardly find a book to top its charm, characters, and setting (German occupation during World War 2 on the small island of Guernsey...which is a real island near the French coast. I’ve looked it up and started a spreadsheet of how much it would cost to go there. I can almost guarantee you’ll be doing the same after you read it.) If you are in a reading rut or can’t decide what to read next, simply ask a friend to gush about a book they love with all their heart and it should help you find your way!
Also: I would be remiss to pass by an opportunity to tell you that the Friends of the Library book sale is coming up in February! If you have never been, it’s incredible. Picture a massive garage sale...but all that’s being sold are books under $2. Amazing.
I hope you find something in here that is or will be a treasure to you! If not, head to your local bookseller (my favorite is Full Circle) and let them hand sell you a book to your liking. Happy reading!
Meet the Author!
Makenzie graduated from Wheaton College where she majored in Christian Ministry, Urban Studies, and Photography and somehow managed to apply all of her degrees to work in the real world! She has a passion for community development after years working in urban ministry in Chicago, non-profits in Austin, and part-time roles at CRBC the past 4&1/2 years. She loves being able to equip and serve the church and recently stepped into the full-time role as Minister of Missions at CRBC which includes both local and global partnerships. Despite being the missions minister, she is quite the homebody. She is an avid Harry Potter fan, loves Oklahoma City, and loves to be with her friends, family, and ADORABLE weenie dog, May.