Barack Obama released his favorite books of 2020 list today and I confess to feeling a little thrill to see that the book I’m currently in the middle of was on it. And that two other books in my queue are also on it. Reflected good taste! To be honest, the book I am reading, that was on his list, is probably not going to end up on my list of best books I’ve read this year, unless it takes off or takes a rather drastic turn. It’s good, but it’s really heavy and because it’s about the consequences of climate change, it’s really hard to read because it’s also depressing as hell. We’ll see. I’m at 41%, so not actually at the midway point yet.
I look forward to putting my own lists together every year, and even though they’re pretty much only of interest to me, I think it’s fun to 1) write lists and 2) keep track of the books I read and even 3) recommend them in the hopes someone else will check them out and read them, too.
I’ve enjoyed seeing Obama’s end-of-year lists of books and movies and music and have always found things on his lists that appeal to me, too. He’s a good recommender. Several of his recommendations are award-winners and best-sellers, and if nothing else, some of them often end up on the list of books we read for my book group. Typically, I don’t find much in common with his musical tastes, but I’ve watched several movies on his recommendation, over the past few years, and usually enjoy them. I don’t trust many people’s film recommendations; my friend Russell is one of the few exceptions, so Barack should feel honored I take his seriously. Haha! (secretly: I’m serious)
Even though I know this blog and my lists are only seen by a few people, they’re more for me and for posterity, so I’ll continue to throw my writing and my opinions and my random thoughts out here.
It’s hard to believe that there are only 7 days left until Christmas, which means there are only 13 days until the end of this monotonously awful year. I don’t, however, like so many others seem to think, believe that just because we turn the corner into a new year, things will magically be better and brighter and happier. Brighter, eventually. Better, hopefully. Happier? Anyone’s guess. I don’t think the pandemic is going anywhere, for the majority of us, any time soon, and that means living like this, with lockdowns and quarantines and working from home and masks and social distancing, for the foreseeable future. Part of me really misses things, and part of me is just resigned. I miss the rest of my family a LOT, though, and it’s SUCK suckage that I can’t travel or see them for such a long time.)
One blog I read had a post about this the other day, and I really commiserated. She was venting about the “goal” of “normal life” constantly being moved back, and indeed, that IS what it feels like. But, that’s just how things are. We hope, and are disappointed, and hope some more, and maybe one of these times, we’ll be pleasantly surprised to realize that we HAVE truly turned a corner and the light IS coming back, things ARE getting brighter, and better, and happier. I’ll keep on hoping, even while I stay at home, filling up my Kindle queue with books to read.