2020 was a wild year for all of us. I’m sure some of us found ourselves reading more, others not as much because everyone’s schedules and lives were completely uprooted.
In 2020, I’ve been working on a number of projects, including some exciting things that are coming up soon that I can’t wait to share with you! This list includes some of my favorite books of 2020 and books you may want to pick up as well.
If you’re missing travel, reading is an excellent way to explore and use our imagination in ways we don’t use in our everyday lives. So what were my favorite books? Here they are.
P.S. The first two are my top recommendations for the year and the rest are other books I enjoyed.
Let me know, have you read any of these or do you plan on reading them? I’d love to hear from you!
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai
Region: Asia
Country: Afghanistan
This book is one of my top two recommendations from the year. I highly recommend it!
A twelve-year-old American boy spends the summer with his Afghan parent with their relatives in their ancestorial rural village. The story is full of Tom Sawyer-like adventures, but amidst Taliban troops in the remote countryside. While this is a devote Muslim culture, we see racy relationships and classism among neighbors. The story provides a realistic view of living as normal as possible in a country of eternal war. In the spirit of Arabian Nights, there’re many stories within stories. The novel is not political or ideological, just a slice of life that most people outside of Afghanistan are not familiar with. In the end, there’s a chapter written in Pashto script, providing an unvarnished story for those who can read the language. Published 2019.
The Hundred Wells of Salaga by Ayesha Harruna Attah
Region: Africa
Country: Ghana
My second highly recommended book of 2020!
Set in the late 19th century in present-day Ghana, the novel describes the lives of the attractive, 15-year-old Aminah who eventually becomes enslaved to Wurche, a slightly older, “boyish-woman” daughter of a prominent chief. The ever-presence of slavery as an accepted way of life by local tribes and pre-colonial Europeans is a theme throughout the book. The author provides a complex description of the sexuality of the two women and they are treated by men and different societies. Adding to the tension is everyone lives in a lingering danger, as there are frequent skirmishes and sometimes invasions by robbers and other tribes.
Below are additional books that I read throughout the year with a very brief description to give you an idea if it appeals
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
A crew of comet-ice miners trapped on a moon of Saturn that escapes orbit and turns out to be an alien spaceship.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
A man is abducted, knocked unconscious, and awakes on a gurney in a laboratory. This is a start of a visit to multiple parallel universes and interaction of other slightly different versions of himself.
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch
A time-travel detective story about the murder of a Navy Seal and his family. The federal investigators are able to go forward in time for clues.
Educated by Tara Westover
The author’s story of growing up in a survivalist family in Idaho. She never attended school, but through self-education, she persuaded Brigham Young University to admit her. Afterward, she went to Cambridge and earned a PhD.
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
A feminist and anti-colonial prequel to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In her version, the “crazy lady in the attic” is a woman from an unidentified Caribbean island. The huge Sargasso Sea is east of the Caribbean and the U.S and has no land borders. It possesses deep blue water with exceptional clarity with strong currents and is used as a metaphor in this book and many other works of art.
The Violins of Saint-Jacques by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Located on a fictious Caribbean island in the early 20th century, you’ll navigate the petty concerns and decadence of the French society and the descendants of slaves. Everything changes when there is a volcanic eruption on the night of a Mardi Gras ball.
The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek
The autobiography of the famous host of Jeopardy, one of the most popular game shows in the history of television. It’s mainly collection of anecdotes from his life. It’s not especially revealing, but Jeopardy lovers will find it interesting.
These Truths by Jill Lepore
A sweeping history of the United States, focusing on the struggles of women and oppressed people, as well as the strengths and limitations of the Constitution. Published 2018.
Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption Paperback by Jules Witcover
The definitive biographic of the man who was the youngest elected Senator and the oldest elected President.
What were your favorite books that you read in 2020? Let me know @exploringedtravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
