20 books reserved for 2020

2019 has been a fantastic year for me in terms of reading, writing, reading about writing and writing about reading – all the combinations there could have been! Looking at the books I bought or was gifted this year and will definitely not be reading this year, I’ve come up with a list of 20 books that I will be picking up for sure next year! After all, we can’t just buy books and never read them! 🙂

Something I want to incorporate going forward when selecting new books is to be able to say why I want to read them. I’m trying that out for the books on this list. If you have read them already, do share your review and why you choose to read them in the first place!

Also, I have mentioned this in some of my articles that I am open to buddy reads in 2020. Some of these are already set up to be buddy reads with my friends but if there are any that you would like to buddy read with me, let me know! Here are the 20 books, by genres. Links open in new tab.

~ Science Fiction ~

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

I remember being at my local bookctore many months ago and asking my partner, Clinton to choose a book from him – of course, I narrowed down his choices first. He chose this one! Since, it has been recommended to me by my friend, Karen, and author Rob Hart. What could possibly make sleepwalking into an epidemic? And who are the ‘sheperds’ protecting their family and friends from? Hmmm so many questions!

The Peripheral by William Gibson

I have not read any William Gibson recently but he comes recommended from two of my close friends. This book is the first of the series (2nd book, Agency, is out in 2020), about Burton, a veteran, and his sister, Flynne. Burton is called for a job where he is beta-testing a game… but it might also be murder. I agev so many questions just by reading the synopsis but I am hoping that this will be a little like the Black Mirror episode about games and messing up reality… That was creepy.

The Sundered by Ruthanne Reid

This one comes highly recommended by my friend, Evelina. She mentioned this to be many weeks back and then again during our 2019 in books coversation (out tomorrow). Focused around slaves known as ‘The Sundered’, this dystopian novel is set in a world destroyed by a deadly flood – water is no longer safe. A neat concept that I am looking forward to knowing more about.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

This has been a popular book in the last decade and was even awared one of the best books of the decade by Penguin Random House. Other books on the list included Night Circus, Ready Player One, Educated (another book which is on my list for 2020 but was not bought this year). I love the connection that thiis book has to Shakespeare (King Lear) and how the death of an actor causes a chain of events that dissolves the world as we know it. As a fan of dystopia and science fiction, I am always up a new version of the world!

The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson

Set in the near future when people have arranged themselves into 21 groups known as Affinities, Adam Fisk decides to take the test and find the group where he should belong. But together the people in the Affinities are powerful, so powerful that they can topple governments… and then themselves.

~ Fantasy ~

The Time Collector by Gwendolyn Womack

I love books about time travel and this one caught my eye when it was on sale at the Kindle store. Roan West can perceive the past of any object that he touches. This is a romantic thriller, with references to antique objects, Rene Descartes, and prehistoric era. So, philosophy, time travel, friendship, romance… Quite a collection there!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I really want to read Night Circus before I pick this one up but my copy of that book is sitting in India while I am in Canada. Let’s be honest – I want to read this book because Night Circus was fabulous and they share the same author. I’ll be buddy reading this with my author friend, Erynn, and she says this one is about a library. Yup, I looked it up – a book about books, secret notes, — a bee, a key, a sword — I’m ready whenever you are, Erynn!

Of Royals and Rioters by M.L. Grey

Set in the land of Enlennd where the kingdom is divided into Royals and Rioters, this story focuses on Princess Emry’s search for a Knight through the Trials, while at the same time avoiding war with the Rioters. My instagram friend Mae suggested this book and since our conversation couple weeks ago, I’ve connected with the author as well. The second book of the series is out in January and I’m really excited to read this one so that I can read that follow up! I do enjoy romance once in a while. 🙂

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

The story of a town librarian who believes that books whhisper their secrets to her, The Book Charmer is about friendshi, community, and a little superstition. Categorized as magical realism, a trope I seriously struggle with, I am going to pick up this book and decide if it truly was the right one.

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

Do you like reading books written in other languages? This one is originally in Russian. The concept is quite neat – a school with coursework that cannot be memorized (yes, it resists) and the families pays for the the students’ transgressions? This is a speculative fiction, first published in 2018, touching on science, philosophy and our very existence. I have not read many (if any) books that were originally set in Russia, so this will be a new experience for me! I am also getting some The OA vibes from the cover photo!

~ Historic Fiction ~

The Ventriloquist by E R Romzipoor

I love reading about the second world war and this book is set in the right time – Brussels, 1943. Underground newspaper, publishing, this story is about the common people and the heroes that never get named. There is actually a game that I can’t recall the name of in which the player is a newspaper editor and has to publish messages by the government and well as secretly posting the ones from the revolutionaries as well. I am looking forward to this lesson in history!

Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis

At the beginning of 2019, my friend Varun and I had come up with a book bingo. He stuck to the prompts, but unfortunately, I eventually moved away from them. One of the prompts was to read a book with an animal/fossil on its cover. I chose the Sea Monsters, and will be ready to read it next year. Set in 1980s Mexico, the story follows a seventeen-year-old girl named Luisa, as she travels to the Pacific Coast from Mexico City, in search of a traveling troupe of Uranian dwarfs with the help of a boy, Tomas. I found the synopsis of this novel particularly haunting and can’t wait to see the connection to sea monsters.

~ Literary Fiction ~

Another Path by Caitlin Lynagh

This contains both books 1 and 2 of the The Soul Prophecies series with extra journal entries. If you had the gift to look into the future and what comes after life, what would you do with it? Sophia Leto has this gift but if she interferres, the future will change. Knowing too much can be just as bad as knowing too little. Mystery, fantasy, this book doesn’t have a categorization so I’m putting it here!

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

A book I desperately wanted for my birthday and got it! Juliet writes letters to her monther, leaving them at her grave. One day, she gets a reply back from a guy named Declan. They think they are strangers but they go way back. I love letters so this one is a much anticipated read!

We’re all in this together by Amy Jones

Imagine a grandma plummeting over a waterfall in a barrel… yes that’s a video that someone captured. Kate Parker was in the barrel and this one incidents changes the course of the Parker’s lives. Bringing together the family as well as the doubts that each member has about their life, this debut novel will be quite thouughtful I am sure.

Aria by Nazanine Hozar

I am a huge fan of Baghdad Burning, the blog that a woman in Iraq wrote in the 2000s during the invasion. Set in Iran from 1953 to 1981, this book is narratored by Aria and is about the three women who played the role of ‘mother’ in this child’s life thorugh the Iranian revolution. The book also sheds light on who Aria becomes as a mother.

I was captivated by the last sentence in the synopsis – Here is a sweeping, unforgettable, timely saga that brilliantly humanizes people trapped and left powerless and voiceless by an unjust world–people no different from those in the west, wanting love, kindness, belonging and freedom of thought.

I hope it will not disappoint.

~ Non-Fiction ~

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

I qwas quite surprised to learn that this is a non-fiction book! Centered around the true event of a first in the los Angeles Public Library in 1986, and commenting on the role that libraries play in our lives, this would be great read! I am also curious how much of the analysis still applies 40 years later when libraries have started to offer books in a variety of formats, as well as offering computer services to the public.

Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Isn’t that a fascinating name? Professor Harari looks to the future in this book, speculating on big questions like “As the self-made gods of planet earth, what destinities will we set ourselves, and which quests will we undertake?” I am currently reading Beyond the Known by Andrew Rader and I think this book will be an amazing companion to that one. While the later is about the science of the future (along with the history), the Homo Deus will be about the people. Where do we go from here? Ready to take some notes on evolution!

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee

This book is about the little moments in life that manner. The small things around us that we notice, almost in slow motion, like the slow falling of snow. Linking the physical world to our inner peace, Joyful comobines concepts from neuroscience and psychology to help the readers harnes sthe power of our surroundings to live better.

Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models by Gabriel Wenberg and Lauren McCain

A book about learning new things and building a network of ideas to recall them faster! I am a learner and have been dying to learn new strategies and apply them to life. As as excited as I get about all books, no, I have gotten to it yet. 😉

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Of the 20 books mentioned above, I’ll be reading Wanderers, Stations Eleven and Letters to the Lost with my lovely friend Ariel. Erynn will join me for The Starless Sea.

Is there a book of the above that you would like to read with me? Let me know! If you have read that already, share your review below! I’ll be happy to read it and promote it on social media channels. 🙂

Are there books you are keeping for 2020? Share in the comments below!