reading list for 2020
Today I’m sharing the start of my 2020 reading list. This post contains affiliate links.
Happy January! In 2019 I read 102 books (all audiobooks) .. and this year I’m planning on doing things a little differently.
I’ve set a goal for 75 books this year, markedly less than last year, but I didn’t feel like I got enough out of each book I read when I crammed so much listening into each free moment of my day. I need a little more blank space in my life to digest the books, to think about them. I read “Just Mercy” slowly, over the course of almost a week in December, in small chunks, with lots of empty hours in between reading to ruminate on the stories…and as a result I remember that book better (and feel more impacted by it) than many others.
This year I’m planning on keeping a record of what I read and what my takeaways from each book were, in hopes that it means I take more action from what I read in 2020, instead of just consuming it.
I also have an additional goal of reading physical books for a few of those 75 – we’ll see if that happens.
My 2020 reading list is compiled with recommendations I’ve collected over the last few months (saved posts on instagram where people mention books, notes in my phone from conversations with friends, and the books from this list that Ben recommended that I haven’t read yet).
Here are my 25 favorite reads from the last 2 years if you want a list of books I love and recommend – today’s list are ones I can’t vouch for yet!
2020 Reading List
Here’s what I’m excited about reading in 2020:
(I’ve marked in bold all the books I finished – clearly didn’t make it through all of my list for 2020!)
- The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou – I’m not sure why I haven’t read this one yet!
- The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester
- Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
- Crucible of Doubt by Terryl Givens
- Peaceful Parent Happy kids by Laura Markham – my favorite parenting book I plan on re-reading each January
- No-Drama Discipline by Dan Siegel – another re-read parenting book I”m working through now and teaching Ben what I’m learning
- Wearing God by Lauren Winner
- The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes – started this one in January to go along with my month of no sugar (trying to cross off as many of my 30 by 30 items as I can!)
- Woman First: First Woman by Selina Meyer
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert – another re-read for book club in January but it’s been a few years
- Savor by Shauna Niequiest – another book by the author of “Present Over Perfect” and “Bread and Wine,” two of my favorite books from last year
- The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates – a book club pick
- The All-or-nothing Marriage by Eli J. Finkel
- Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch – this has been dowloaded on Scribd for over a year but I haven’t read it yet!
- The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley
- The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine
- The Beekeepr of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
- Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen
- Cribsheet by Emily Oster – I’ve been waiting for this to come up on library holds for months and months!
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman – Ben recommended this one
- With All Due Respect by Nikki R. Haley
- The Book of Gutsy Women by Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett
- The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler
- More than Enough by Miranda Anderson – I actually finished this one on my long drive yesterday! Left me feeling excited about a month of not buying things and determined to be more mindful about the things I add to our lives.
- Mindset by Carol Dwek – I haven’t read this in 10 years and think it’s a good time to revisit the concepts of mindset as I parent Lincoln and Adelaide (and baby Westley, I guess)
What should I add to this list? What have you loved?
Like this post, you might like these, too:
- 2019 reading list (shared in January with a list of 40 books I wanted to read – the ones I actually read are bolded)
- 25 favorite books from 2018 + 2019 (also available on an amazon list here for convenience)
- Best books to gift to men in your life (book recommendations from Ben and my dad)
I completed a lot of books last year on audio but sometimes I find myself wanting to see the words in print. I read a lot of books by reading a few chapters when I could and listening at other times, at a ratio of about 40% reading and 60% listening and I love when I can get my hands on print and audio at the same time. I read 95 books last year and set my goal lower this year in hopes of actually reading more print.