Lit Hit List: The Last of 2020
Wanted to share a quick round-up of the books I read over the holidays. It’s no secret we all went through more than one reading slump this year—I don’t think I even picked up a book for two weeks in October—but I was fortunate enough to go to a quiet beach in Florida after Christmas and got through quite a few books there. (I only left the beachside condo to get a COVID test before traveling back to New York.)
So, here’s what I read!
The Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab: It took me a little bit to get into this series, which is primarily set in London—but not the London we know. Schwab explores the multiverse of 4 different Londons, each of which have different amounts of magic. Kel, the main protagonist, is an Antari—a rare type of magician who can travel between the different Londons. We learn about the different types of magic and elements, meet an intriguing woman from “Grey London” (the London we know here), and travel by magic and sea to far-off places. The third book in the series was definitely my favorite, as Kel and a band of characters have to defend “Red London” from an evil type of magic encroaching on that world. But the magicians’ tournament in the second book was also excellent!
“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (Bookshop | Kindle) (Elizabeth’s review here): a quick read but an incredibly compelling one. I think I read this novel in less than a day. After attempting to commit suicide (major trigger warning), Nora winds up in the Midnight Library, containing books which show her what her life could have been had she made different decisions. And since every decision has a consequence, there are literally millions of books. Incredibly thought-provoking and touches on the ideas of fate vs free will—and reminds us that we affect people’s lives in ways we may not even know. 4.5 out of 5
“White Ivy” by Susie Yang (Bookshop | Kindle): I loved this novel’s prose, which brought us into the mind of Ivy, a Chinese-American immigrant who lives in the Northeast with her father, mother, brother, and grandmother. From a young age, she’s obsessed with being accepted by her white peers, but just never quite fits in. After a humiliating event at a rich classmate’s birthday party, her parents send her to China, where a rich relative spoils her and she becomes even more entranced by material things and how they lead to acceptance. Years later, Ivy is reunited with the rich classmate, as well as another person from her childhood, and has to decide the kind of person she wants to be. There’s a lot going on here—class conflict, the life of one immigrant family in the U.S., and it almost feels like a thriller at some points—and I really enjoyed it. 3.75 out of 5
“Transcendent Kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi (Bookshop | Kindle): Saving the best for last. I may have liked this even more than Gyasi’s stunning debut, “Homegoing” (Elizabeth’s review here). In “Transcendent Kingdom,” we meet a Ghanaian family living in Alabama. Flipping back and forth between present day, in which the daughter Gifty is conducting research for her PhD at Stanford, and in flashbacks depicting her life growing up with her brother Nana, this novel is absolutely stunning. The novel opens in present day, when Gifty’s depressed, suicidal mother shows up in California and Gifty must care for her—while also doing research on reward-seeking mice to better understand addiction and depression. In the flashbacks, we learn more abut Gifty and Nana’s upbringing and experiences. There is a great deal of spiritual reflection, and the novel is a beautiful contemplation of family, loss, acceptance, love, and one immigrant family’s experience. 5 out 5
