My favourite books of 2020

Well, thank goodness 2020 is over. Thankfully I read some great books, so it wasn't a total waste. (I'm trying really hard to be positive but I'm mostly exhausted, so let's pretend we're happy and positive for a minute.) 

I read a tonne of non-fiction this year, which is definitely a hard right from my usual diet of YA fiction. It may have been because I've once again found myself diving head-first into [insert latest obsession here] and will read/watch/listen to literally anything on the subject I'm currently obsessed with. (Links to books in images.)

See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill

Let's start out with a fun one, shall we? See What You Made Me Do was all about control and why men abuse their partners (and why we ask "why doesn't she just leave?"). It brilliantly explained the dynamics of abusive relationships and what we can do to end the cycle. Plus it's all Australian which is freaking AMAZING because it's hard to learn when the context is completely different (ie American). It's a hard read, I'm not going to lie. It's important, of course, but hard. Make sure you're in a good place if you pick it up. 

How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns

Lately I've been fascinated with all the different ways to read the Bible, and let me tell you, there are enough ways to make my brain melt. Not only did I learn so much about an alternative way to read and interpret the Bible, but I also learned an incredible amount about Judaism and Jewish history. I think too often we forget that the Bible is a deeply Jewish text and it's so important to read it through that lens. I'll need to reread it as it's dense and there's a lot of big ideas in there.

No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani

This is probably the most difficult book on my list, and there are some hard books on this list. Behrouz Boochani is a refugee who arrived in Australia in 2013 and was held without charge on Manus Island (an offshore processing centre, AKA a prison) for four years. The book was written in Farsi on a contraband phone and texted to journalists, and I cannot believe something so beautiful and well-written and absolutely heart-breaking could be written on a mobile phone, one text at a time. I knew what Australia was doing to refugees was wrong but I had no idea just how bad it was. After reading this, I am truly disgusted by my country. Both Behrouz and I arrived in Australia at similar times and it was horrifying to think that while I was sitting in a classroom reading and learning and making friends, he was sitting in a prison from hell. I finished the book, set it down, and wept. Every Australian needs to read this.

Talking to my Country by Stan Grant & Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

To be honest, these books both deserve separate book reviews but it's been a while since I've read them and I want to go to bed, so. I read these during the George Floyd protests and they tackle racism from an Indigenous Australian (Grant) and British (Eddo-Lodge) perspectives. They changed my life. I learned so much and they cut me to my core, and I wished I would have read both books years earlier. 

Well. 2020 my dudes. I'm out. Peace!