enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

MORE FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2020.

Last July I shared six books I read and loved in the first half of 2020 and I am back with six more favorites (all fiction this time!). My goal last year was to read 100 books; I ended up finishing with 66. Twenty audiobooks were part of that total! I could have never gotten through so many without listening to nearly a third of them.

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kid –– this is historical fiction told from the viewpoint of Jesus' wife, Ana. It felt old and also so unbelievably current. It was a book I still think about and any book I don't just forget when I finish is a winner.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi –– probably my favorite of 2020. This is a story told over 300 years and through many generations. I think my favorite part is how repeatedly you were dropped into a new time and a new place and because the author can just write the story flowed so beautifully. I loved it. Couldn't put it down and immediately mailed it off to my mom to read with her book club.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab –– I am new to V. E. Schwab's writing but I read three books by her this year! In addition to this one, I finished books #1 and #2 of her Villain's series. This book is not part of a series though and was my favorite. Like so many books I love, it spanned an epic amount of time. I listened to the audiobook version and would recommend that route if you're a listening fan. Excellent narrator.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller –– Circe was one of my favorite books a few years back and this was just as great. I love a love story that isn't "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back." (Am realizing now that the first four books on my list are all love stories that don't follow that formula.)

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng –– I think everyone read this in 2019? I was late to it and didn't watch the show that came out this year but finally wanted to see what the hype was about. The hype was worth it!

Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby –– this was the final book I read of 2020 and I finished on New Year's Eve. I raced through it (which is appropriate as so much of the plot centers on cars). I would describe this as a "heist book" and it's a thriller for sure, but there is so much heart in it. I loved it. Loved it. Read it! Or at least plan to see the movie. (From about page three on all I could think was "this must become a movie")

I know my book reviews are basically just "I loved this" and that's not super helpful but sometimes it's hard to put into words why a book clicks. For me, the question is always "is reading this more interesting than scrolling my phone?" I can promise that with these six, even is a scroll-heavy year like 2020, ABSOLUTELY YES.

I'm going to try to read 100 books again in 2021. (Honestly, why not?)

MID-YEAR BOOK REPORT.

I set a goal to read 100 books in 2020. 100. LOL. At first it seemed realistic. And then shelter-in-place began and I became glued to my phone. I didn't finish a single book in April. I doubt I am going to get through 68 more books in the next six months, but I have read some great ones so far and I wanted to share six of my favorites here today. Three non-fiction and three fiction. All so great. I have used affiliate links below to the book listings on bookshop.org where your purchase supports local bookstores.

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston | I listened to this on audio over two days. It was great. Such a fun, feel-good read and I smiled while listening often. It felt current and hopeful and romantic and special.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle | this was a memoir I was excited about reading before it came out. What happens when you live a public life, have written books about that public life, and then you realize it's not the life you want and need? I loved reading it and took so much from it. I would also highly recommend Glennon's interview with Brené Brown about the book.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller | I didn't know what this was about when I checked it out from the library! A few pages in though, when I read Chanel's description of a sunset being like an egg yolk spilling out of the shell (wow), I was so in. This was hard and brave and wonderful. I read so many passages out loud to Paul. I think everyone should have to read it in high school and if you're already out of high school it should be required reading anyway.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett | this is the novel of the summer and for excellent reason. I read and enjoyed Brit's first book, The Mothers, and this was even better. I loved the different relationships. I loved how some were so complicated and some were so easy. I loved the time it spanned. I absolutely gasped at the reveal. Another book that should be required reading.

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali | I also listened to this one and wish I had read it on paper because I think I would have been able to take it in more. But it was so beautifully done. I love a decades long story. And I (clearly) love a love story.

Where to Begin by Cleo Wade | this is a short book that is mostly a poem and I read in one sitting but I know I will pick up again and again. Cleo is an artist and this book is art.

(ps... how good is cover art these days?)

THE BOOKS I LOVED IN 2019.

As we wrap up 2019, I was feeling a bit bummed about my reading this year but then, I popped over to Goodreads and saw a bunch of 5 stars I had forgotten about. So that's great news. Big year for fiction for me. (Also the book I wrote came out this year! So that's a BFD, when I think about 2019 bookwise.)

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Clare Lombardo - this was so good. SO GOOD and so long. A present day story with flashbacks to a couple's long life together raising four daughters.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - I loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and so I was looking forward to this one which is about a girl who's parents move her deep into Alaska in the seventies. I am always impressed when an author has such different stories in her.

Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens - this was the book I saw all over Instagram this year. I listened to it in TWO DAYS. Loved it. Oh, I loved it. The main character is a young girl who has been left to fend for herself in rural North Carolina.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - a fun, easy read about a rock group from the 1970s.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - I am a forever Elizabeth Gilbert fan and this was a great fiction read from her about a showgirl in the 1920s.

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai - another sweeping story. I think that this one, about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, was my favorite book I read this year.

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel - oh my heart. It's about a family and parenthood. We read it for bookclub and I couldn't put it down.

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow - one of the two non-fiction that made my list this year and that's probably because it read like fiction. I listened to the audiobook (read by Farrow) and it was bonkers and so good. I am sure it will become a movie in five years.

The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs - a memoir from a dying mama. A must if you enjoyed When Breath Becomes Air.

Ahhhhhhh. I want to cry as I finish typing up this list. (And, yes, I said the same thing last year...it's still true.) I am so grateful that there are storytellers. Here's to another year of books.

the books I loved in 2018.

I set a goal in 2017 to read 52 books and fell short at 37. Thinking I'd set myself up for success this year, I set a goal to read 36 books and with a few weeks left in 2018 I am at 54. Most of were checked out from the library, some were from my Book of the Month subscription, but a few were audiobooks (listened at 1.5x speed). All were good (I stop reading if a book isn't clicking) but a few were AMAZING. I wanted to share the amazing here with you.

FICTION:

We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter - this is the true story of what the author's grandfather and his four siblings went through during WWII. It was masterfully told. I couldn't put it down.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - if I judged books by their cover I would never have picked this up. In fact I saw it on the shelf at the library and didn't think twice, but then I got a message on Instagram recommending and so I gave it a shot. I am glad I did. It's a surprising love story and a great read.

Circe by Madeline Miller - this was a story as told through Circe, daughter of Helios, the sun God in Greek mythology. Embarrassingly, I didn't realize that going in and found it strange that I kept remember snippets of freshman year mythology. This was entertaining and smart and a very fun book. I hope they start letting freshman English classes read it.

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff - I remember this book getting a ton of buzz last year and I finally picked it up myself early in 2018. I really enjoyed it. It's a decades long story about a marriage and is told through first the husband's and then the wife's perspective. I wasn't expecting the narrator change and loved getting the mirror image of the same events.

Kindred by Octavia Butler - this was written in 1979 but could have been written today. The main character is an African American woman who inexplicably finds herself time traveling back to the early 1800s to a plantation in the deep south. I knew nothing about this book going in - it was recommended - and so I don't want to say too much else...just that I would recommend it to you.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - another sprawling story, this one with two intertwined families. Honestly, I picked this up because I loved this article written by the author. I am glad - I loved the book.

NON-FICTION:

Becoming by Michelle Obama - surely you've already heard of this memoir? This was the only book I pre-ordered this year. I am in awe of her honest and relatable story-telling. I didn't know much about Michelle Obama's life pre-Whitehouse before reading this and it was delightful getting to hear more about her background, education, marriage and parenting style. I am curious to see what will be next for her.

Calypso by David Sedaris - the most recent memoir from David Sedaris did not disappoint. This might be my favorite of his yet. So much stuck with me but the most hilarious was picturing him out there getting all his steps each day. Or the stuff about how you have to act as a couple when guests are over.

Educated by Tara Westover - now this was a BOOK. I listened on audiobook and couldn't get over it...often having to skip back to make sure I heard correctly what disastrous thing had just occurred.  The author was born to survivalists in rural Idaho and had nothing resembling a formal education but she got through it and tells us about it. I am not hyping this book very well, but I am sure most of you have read it already. If not, do.

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan - legit perfection from Kelly Corrigan. Twelve essays about the things that Kelly has learned to say. I loved them all and it made me think about my own list...

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - this is the deeply researched and entertainingly told true story of the Theranos scandal and it played out like fiction. Listening (this was another audiobook) to the creation of this start-up and then hearing it ultimately unravel was fascinating.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah - another excellent memoir. I knew from watching The Daily Show these past few years that Trevor Noah was brilliant. But hearing about his childhood was on another level. His story-telling is entertaining, of course, but his way of looking at the world is important. I read this in paper form, but have heard from many that the audiobook, read by him, is great.

This will sound dramatic (because it is) but when I put together this list I just wanted to cry with joy. How lucky are we that, ages ago, humans figured out how to put sounds together in such a way that stories are possible. What a gift for us all.

september book report.

Eh, I didn't do so well book-wise this month. I started falling back into "browsing my iPad" instead of reading before bed and I can always tell...and not just because I get through less books. I'm more tired during the day and generally feel more bummed out when I'm reading the Internet instead of reading books. Hopefully I can get back on track in October.

But here's what I did get through...

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese / this took me forever to read. I struggled with it a lot at the beginning and sort of waded my way through the middle. FINALLY, finally at the end I felt it click and I would say that the last 150 pages were worth it. But so many people really recommended this book and I have to admit I was slightly perplexed for a long time as to why. I liked it, for sure, I just don't think I would blanket recommend it (though clearly Amazon reviewers would).

Dirty Chick by Antonia Murphy / this was recommended after I said how much I loved The Dirty Life. It was a fun read (and totally laugh out loud funny at some parts) but while there were many crazy stories it lacked some of the farm detail that I think I was longing for.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion / wow. This was a hard one for me to read. It was painful and beautiful. So very beautiful. I think I was most struck by the simple power of the relationship between Joan and her husband. It BLEEDS off the page. I enjoyed hearing about the little things, like how they would take separate walks around the park but then always time it so they met up for the end. Inspiring and heartbreaking.

I started and stopped Astonish Me about halfway through and couldn't really get into the Rob Lowe memoir (what's wrong with me?). I am currently reading (and enjoying!) Farm City.

What about you?

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And speaking of books! Today on ELISE GETS CRAFTY I have John and Sherry Petersik of Young House Love fame. I have admired these two for a long time and it was a pleasure to chat with them about their new book and how they've changed since getting out of the daily blogging routine. Subscribe or stream here!

Other posts you might enjoy: 

• creative books I always return to
• 9 books our toddler loves
• winter book report 
• summer book report