December TBR
I took a short break from posting my monthly reads, just because I really did not read that much. I probably read about 7 books across 2 months (which I will review!) However, in the spirit of reaching my reading goal before 2021, here is my To Be Read pile for December 2020. I've currently read 90 out of my 100 books for 2020, but in the spirit of being an overachiever, I'm hoping to read more!
Also, please forgive the lack of images in this post! Trying to get the layout to work has destroyed my evening :~(
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
I picked this book up on a whim - I've seen so many people read it with so many good reviews. I'm normally someone that doesn't get drawn in to the biggest reads (though, typically, I do tend to read very mainstream contemporary fiction...) but on all the good reviews I've seen, I felt I should at least give this book a chance.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold: Tales From The Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I read this the first book in this series in August, and I loved it. I thought it was so clever, enticing, the perfect read for a very dreary Sunday afternoon with, you guessed it, a cup of coffee! When I saw this book in my local Waterstones, I couldn't not pick it up. The characters are warm, the kind you can get sucked into for their familiarity. I can't wait to dive into this.
Also, you can't see this from this post, but the cover is *beautiful*!
Engines of Privilege by Francis Green and David Kynaston
After the A-Level fiasco this year, I really wanted to look into the disparity between schooling, grades and exactly the history behind private education. I've actually dipped into this already but couldn't give it the full attention it needed. This book is packed full of statistics, delves deep into the political agenda behind private education and presents a very clear picture that I feel sums up my views on private schools.
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
This book was described as one of the best books of 2019! I actually got this for my Kindle, but I couldn't quite get into it (some books are just meant to be physically read). As far as I'm aware, there are different individual stories (A young editor starting an affair with a famous author, a POC economist being detained at Heathrow airport) , all of them containing a thread that links them all together. I'm a little excited for this, but also... a little apprehensive for the potential heaviness of its contents.
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
I have so many Murakami books, and honestly, they all read the same to me. I actually read Murakami's autobiography earlier this year and found it enjoyable. I've been trying to finish IQ84 for probably 3 years now, but since my copy contains both Book One and Book Two, it's been... very intimidating.
I will say that Murakami's writing is very familiar and distinctive, which means his stories are always a pleasant read, even if the plot is not my cup of tea. For that reason, I'm actually looking forward to finishing this.
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
I read American Marriage by Tayari Jones and found that it was pretty good. Not the best read, but definitely in my top 20 of 2019. I think this is another book I tried to read on my Kindle, and just couldn't get into it - so I picked up a physical copy. Silver Sparrow is about 2 sisters, 1 unaware of the others existence, and their friendship. I'm excited to read this, but I don't have the highest hopes for Jones' writing. I hope I'm surprised.
Stories of the Law and How It's Broken by The Secret Barrister
Not going to lie, I read this in 2018 and found it couldn't hold my attention (sorry to my barrister friends, and sorry to The Secret Barrister if you read this - It's a me problem, not a you problem!) I've been seeing a lot of people praise this book, so I'm giving it another go.
How To Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
I am someone who doesn't know how to relax. During exams a few years ago, I tried to relax and found I needed to be studying, reading, doing something productive. Even now, typing this, I'm on annual leave and feel I can't quite relax. I picked up this book at the beginning of lockdown in a way to assess my own views of productivity and the attention economy, in hopes it would shift my mindset. I'm about 1/4 of the way through and it isn't what I expected. However, I'm going to finish it no matter what. I'm hoping that I can find some meaning to this book before I finish it.
Against Empathy by Paul Bloom
This is another book that sits on my bookshelf and just hasn't been read. I was recommended this book by a barrister during a mini pupillage a few years ago and although I tried to finish this in 2018, I couldn't. So 2020 has to be the year I get through this.
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
This is the story of a young Chinese boy, Deming Guo, whose mother goes missing - and suddenly, he becomes Daniel Wilkinson, after being fostered by a wealthy white couple. This premise immediately struck me as interesting. I'm currently 17% of the way through, and I'm so excited to finish it.
Luster by Raven Leilani
Luster has been recommended to me as the book to read in 2020 (It's not out in England, but thanks to my American pals who managed to find me an American copy!). It's about an affair between a classic mess of a millennial. (which is a trope I am very sick of right now) and a family man in an open relationship with his wife, and the complexity of their relationship. I hope this is as good as people have said.
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
Following on from my interest in The Leavers, All You Can Never Know is about a young Korean girl adopted by white Christian parents, and her struggles in being the only Korean in a white town, a white family. Like the other books above, I really hope this lives up to my expectations because what a premise!
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
I've had a lot of mixed recommendations for this. Some people have advised I should stay away, and others have advised that I need to read this. I'm... undecided. So I've downloaded i to my Kindle, ready to read on my commute to the office. I'll be honest, I'm already prepared to not enjoy this (like I said, there's a certain trope of main character that I hate nowadays in contemporary fiction!)