Favourite Books of 2020
And Some Thoughts on Reading Widely
At the beginning of the year, I challenged myself to read more widely. Reading is a large part of professional development as an editor. I have always enjoyed a range of genres but had found myself slipping into the comfortable pattern of reading the same type of books. I was not doing myself any favours by limiting my reading to one small niche, so 2020 was the year to shake this up.
In 2019, I escaped into romance. In 2020, I explored fantasy adventures, empathised with memoirs, investigated mysteries, got lost in poetry, relived my youth through YA fiction, questioned the future through science fiction, learnt about the world through academic writing, and still escaped into a little romance.
Reading widely is essential for writers and editors. It expands your vocabulary and helps you polish your craft. It makes you more aware of genre conventions, story structures, tropes, and cliches. Reading is research. Reading widely allows you to see where your writing project or manuscript will fit in relation to what is already out there. This is essential to know when pitching your book to agents and publishers or marketing to the public.
Had I not challenged myself to read more widely, I would have never picked up what would turn out to be my favourite read of 2020!
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty
In this non-fiction book, funeral director Caitlin Doughty answers questions from children about death and funerals. Doughty handles this difficult subject with care and respect, mixing humour, scientific facts, and personal stories to explore everything from Viking funerals to how to dispose of a body in space. While aimed at children, this book has appeal for adults as well. Each chapter explored an interesting question and aspect of death, teaching me much about this often-taboo subject.
This is also an invaluable resource for writers and editors. Writing a science fiction space odyssey? Reading this book will make you think twice about including the scene where they jettison a body out into the vast black. Including a decomposing body in your murder mystery? This book will help you get the right details, from the smell to how the colour of the corpse changes over time. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? provides knowledge and detail that can make your writing more accurate and authentic.
Honourable Mentions
Below is a list of other books that I read this year and highly recommend. Some were published more recently than others but all were new to me in 2020. There are also many more that I could not fit into this blog. I’ve not yet decided on a reading challenge for 2021, but I will certainly continue to explore the wide range of literature out there.
This book should be on everyone’s must-read list. Published in 2017, The Hate U Give explores ideas of systemic and overt racism, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and what it means to raise your voice in protest. It was an emotional read and one that stuck with me throughout the year.
This children’s book is visually stunning. I read it daily with my bird-obsessed toddler. As he points out the birds on each page, I cannot help but be in awe of the illustrations.
As usual, Charlotte Nash has written an engaging and exciting romance. This is a love story with beautiful moments and a complexity that is true to life while still providing that happily ever after we all want.
Archie Roach’s memoir is best listened to as an audiobook. Roach’s music is woven through as he narrates the story of his life. This is an important book that brings insight into the experiences of the Stolen Generations and explores the idea of belonging in Australia.
Set in a world impacted by a zombie virus, this fast-paced novel focuses on a group of bloggers following a political campaign. Published in 2010, Feed eerily reflects the events of 2020 (there are some great scenes about sanitisation and quarantining). This book was a lot of fun and surprisingly emotional.
With complex and intriguing world-building and a kick-ass protagonist, this was an impressive novel. Gideon has to be my favourite character from anything I read this year.
And that is it for 2020 from me. Let me know what your favourite books are and if you have any recommendations for what I should read in 2021.
Happy New Year!
