Books to Read in 2020

Hello All! First things first - I would like to apologize for my absence this past month. Life has been a bit busier but I also found out that several of my blog post links on Pinterest weren't connecting to the specific posts they advertised but instead to just the blog itself. When investigating I found that my website has been deleting several of them and the ones lost were ones I did not have saved/backed up in any way. I was a little discouraged, which left me rather unmotivated when it came to writing new posts. I will now be backing up all of my posts just in case, but I am excited to be back and writing again!

Now that that is out of the way, below are some of the books I've read/am currently reading during this new year and a little about each one. I have been keeping up through the free website goodreads.com so that I can keep track of my reading this year, as well as accomplish my goal of reading 26 books in 2020. If you are already on Good Reads or plan to join and want to be friends feel free to add me here.

1. The Wife Between Us

I bought The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen on Audible in 2018 and just finished this week. I am a slow reader (I typically read at the speed that I talk in), but apparently I also lack dedication as a listener since it took me so long to finish this 13 hour book. It is important to know that this is not the book's fault, it was a wonderful thriller with unexpected twists and turns, and an even more surprise ending. I found myself hanging on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next many times, and if you choose the audible version the reader does an excellent job of highlighting the suspense as well as the character voices. 

Personally, I am not a "thriller" genre book or movie person, but I still loved this book. the plot is well thought-out and exciting, and it is definitely worth the read! I want to tell you about it but even mentioning the person/persons the book is about could give away one of the first surprises.

2. Free Speech on Campus

Free Speech on Campus by Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman was lent to me during a project I was working on recently. It was extremely informative when considering the First Amendment on Campus, Safe Spaces, the history of free speech on university campuses as well as the current climate. I felt as though the book was written to be more neutral and informative and less politically charged which I appreciated. If you are curious about the First Amendment in reference to free speech on campus or just free speech in general this is a good and quick read.

3. Fence Vol. 3

The Fence series by C.S. Pacat, Johana The Mad, and Joana LaFuente is a graphic novel series I started after a friend loaned me the first two volumes. I quickly grew obsessed with following Nicholas Cox and the other members of the fencing team's stories. Nicholas comes to a private school in the U.S. in hopes of getting onto the fencing team to receive a scholarship to attend the school and to continue to practice fencing. He is not the only new recruit to come in, but his attendance at the school is reliant on him making the team once tryouts begin. It is a fun and very sweet story so far, the graphics are great, and I can't wait for volume 4 to release! 

4. Safe Enough Spaces

Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist's Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness on College Campuses by Michael S. Roth was another book used in a project I was working on recently. The first half of the book pointed out a lot of the concerns of safe spaces on campus and why there is controversy towards them. The third chapter opens up more to talk about how to move forward without ignoring the problems addressed by the students. One of my favorite points Roth makes is: “When people are getting their news from social media tailored to their own interested and values, their allegiances intensify and their toleration of alternative modes of thinking diminishes.” (pp 113). The book really works to put into perspective the importance of being challenged, but definitely comes from one political side more than the other.

5. Get a Life Chloe Brown

Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert is a book I am half way through reading right now. 

​I am fairly obsessed with it, as it is an adorable love story about Chloe, a girl who lives in England and suffers from fibromyalgia. This is a book I received in my Book of the Month a while back and am just getting the chance to read. The story so far is very light (with some deep pasts of the two love interests), fun, flirtatious, and everything you want out of a romance novel right before Valentine's Day. Hibbert tells a lively story that is quite tasteful, even with some of its' more "R" rated scenes. Reading from both Chloe and Red's point of views has also been a treat.

6. A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is another book that is taking me a while to read. The story is very heavy and impactful, so I often have to take breaks. I started this book in October, trading a student for my copy of A Woman is No Man so that we could both read them and then discuss the premise and impact on students at OSU that may be facing similar issues at home. So far I am half way through it, I am enjoying the different perspectives as well as learning about history in an area of the world I did not know much about. Hosseini also wrote a famous book called The Kite Runner from the perspective of men whereas this book is written from the perspective of women.