It’s cold, it’s cozy, and it’s the perfect reading weather. With COVID-19 restrictions tightening across the country, reading is a hobby that I’ve fallen back into. I tend to read as either an escape, to educate, or to feel good. While I love curling up and watching a TV show or a movie, there’s something about a book that invigorates my imagination and allows me to be playful.
I’ve put together a list of books together that I’ve read over 2020 that you can curl up into a ball and read, or take with you on your next walk. I’m a fan of reading with both my eyes and my ears. Each modality has its pros and cons and depending on what I’m needing or craving, that may help me choose what type of book I’m reading.
For the list below, I’ve separated the books into different categories, in hopes of helping you decide what your next read should be.
Memoir/Autobiography
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Jennifer Gottlieb
- We Have Always Been Here – Samra Habib
- Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love – Jonathan Van Ness
- From the Ashes – Jesse Thistle
- A Promised Land – Barack Obama
- *bonus* Pulsing Through My Veins – our dear founder, Blair Kaplan Venables
Wellness
- Untamed – Glennon Doyle
- Dare to Lead – Brene Brown
- When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times – Pema Chodron
- When The Body Says No – Gabor Mate
Anti-Racism
- Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – Isabel Wilkerson
- They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing up – Eternity Martis
- Me and White Supremacy – Layla Saad
- The Skin We’re In – Desmond Cole
- The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
Novels
- The Most Fun We Ever Had – Claire Lombardo
- The Farm – Joanne Ramos
- Where The Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
- After the End – Clare Mackintosh
What books am I missing that I should absolutely read in 2021? Comment below and let me know!
Written by Alana Kaplan, Project Manager for the I Am Resilient Project.