“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes…Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever. “ —Neil Gaiman

It’s no secret I’m a Neil Gaiman fan, and not just because he’s given me permission to make mistakes. Having Covid symptoms for the whole of January and beyond felt like one giant mistake. (C19 hammered Rae too.) Not posting my 2020 faves, while a bit of a blunder, has got me thinking it’s not too late to bring on the thunder.

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR

I’m still in Never Never Land over Maggie O’Farrell’s stunner Hamnet. If you are curious as to why Shakespeare titled his most famous play after his only son who died at age 11, you’ll want to check out Mag’s theory. If that’s never been a source of curiosity, don’t worry—O’Farrell’s poetic pages ultimately deal with hope and healing. And who couldn’t use a bit more of those soothing remedies right about now? Click here for my review.

FAVORITE MEMOIR

This remarkable real-life story about a girl, her grandpa, and soul-saving honeybees will stay with me for a good long while. I’ve given this book to more than a dozen friends. No lie, it’s the bee’s knees. You can read all about it here.

FAVORITE THRILLER(S)

American Dirt has been called a “romance thriller”; regardless, it’s a page turner. This novel about Mexican immigration will change the way you think and feel. What an eye opener. (And heart stopper at times.) Check out my review here.

I sent Rachel The Dry ages ago. It was The Lost Man that made me an instant Jane Harper fan. In the middle of the pandemic, I devoured The Dry, which solidified Harper as a fantastic storyteller as far as I’m concerned. And Stephen Shanahan’s voice is pure silk. (This selection could easily fall under Favorite 2020 Listen.) Check out Rachel’s awesome review here!

FAVORITE LISTEN

What did Rachel say? “My list, my rules.” I’m going to let you choose which audible narrator is better—Richard Armitage or Juliet Stevenson. Good luck with that! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Jane Austen Society and our book club selection, Wuthering Heights. Both listens constituted classic lit ear candy. You can read all about them here and here.

 Posted by Tracy