As I was preparing to post this I realized I never shared about my 2020 November and December reads. Whoops! The only one that really matters is Wintering by Katherine May. It’s delightful and timely. I gave it to my sister-in-law for her birthday (which also happens to fall on the same day as mine) and now our other sister-in-law is reading it, so it’s Jantzi women approved.

ANYWAYS.

New year, new reading goals!

In 2021 I am attempting to read 65 books. It’s my loftiest goal yet and while I am happy to report I am on track, I am wary that this goal may sometimes feel like work and that’s not okay. So, I am publicly announcing that even if I don’t hit 65 books, that’s okay. Because the real goal is to feed my soul through one of my favorite activities, reading. This year is also a little different because my husband is joining me! His goal is different because he’s not a reader but we’re both pushing ourselves to grow in 2021 and so he’s aiming to read 12 books in addition to his constant re-reading (listening) of Harry Potter on audio while he works. Here our are January reads.

Becca:

Fences by August Wilson
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Fiction, Plays
Review: Fences is the sixth part of August Wilson’s Century Cycle which all tell the evolving story of the African American experience in the United States. Fences is set in the 1950s and is the story of Troy Maxson, a garbageman. It’s a simple plot but as Wilson describes it, “...it offers (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans. For instance, in ‘Fences’ they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman's life is affected by the same things -- love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives." And he is 100% correct. Admittedly, I first saw Fences when I was working through the 2017 Academy Award nominated films and if you haven’t watched it, I recommend it because while I hear the stage version with James Earl Jones is the best, I will never not love a movie starring Denzel Washington or Viola Davis (who did win Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose). Plot wise, it’s a simple story but Wilson is brilliant and I recommend it to anyone looking to appreciate history, the Black experience, and excellent playwriting.

Beautiful Resistance by Jon Tyson
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Non-Fiction, Religion
Review: This book was 100% as good as my friends told me. If you want a solid kick in your pants, read this book. Tyson, who pastors Church of the City New York outlines a beautiful vision of what the church in America could look like if we were to resist culture. He outlines eight areas of resistance, worship resisting idolatry, rest resisting exhaustion, hunger resisting apathy, hospitality resisting fear, honor resisting contempt, love resisting hate, sacrifice resisting privilege and celebration resisting cynicism. It is compelling, convicting, and ultimately gave me so much hope. My favorite chapter was the one on honor and contempt. It just felt so timely globally, nationally, but also personally as in 2020 I have been personally experiencing contempt both toward me and also having contempt towards others. “Disagreement is normal but dismissiveness can be deadly.” I would highly recommend reading, especially because it’s less than 200 pages! If you do, hit me up and we can do a book study!

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Rating 2.5/5
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
I really wanted to love this book because I do enjoy reading stories that are dissimilar to mine. I want to listen and learn so a book where the protagonist was a 25 year old Jamaican British woman living in London seemed promising. And for what it is worth, I did learn a lot. It opened my eyes to things I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of but it was also painful to see Queenie go through so much sexual self-destruction. There were scenes that were non-consensual and painful to listen to, so for all my hopes, ultimately this one did not make the recommended list. But it did open me up to a lot of thoughtful reviews from Black readers that had recommendations for other options and I appreciated that!

Anything You Can Imagine by Ian Nathan
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
There is a very real possibility of this book being my favorite for 2021. I know. BOLD statement. But it’s a semi-biography of Peter Jackson and chronicles the journey of how he came to make The Lord of the Rings films. Anyone who knows me knows those movies are my favorite thing in the world because Tolkien is my favorite so reading a book about my favorite topic was the perfect way to start the year. I found myself inexplicably weeping at moments, just overcome with gratitude for these films and remembering stories I grew up listening to via DVD features. Incredibly nerdy and absolutely wonderful.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Fiction, Romance
I cheated and 100% watched the movie first and that’s only because the boy I liked at the time had also watched it and would not stop going on and on about Astrid and how beautiful she was so I had to see for myself. I do not even come close to the beauty that is Gemma Chang but I’m thankful that boy married me anyway. This book was heartwarming and heartbreaking, I learned more about Chinese culture than I anticipated and I really enjoyed it. Satire is always something I appreciate (looking at you Northanger Abbey) and Crazy Rich Asians fits that bill! I’m looking forward to continuing the series. It’s not like a life changing book but it’s fun and funny and gave me a desire to visit places I’ve never even heard of before!

Adrian:

Artemis by Andy Weir
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Fiction, Science
Not as good as The Martian but still did a good job of telling an interesting story about space. It was a little predictable but generally not bad. SPOILERS: Apparently the climax of his books have to end with his protagonists ending up in space without a space suit. Seems to be a trend. If you only have time for one nerdy, spacey, book in your life, read The Martian instead. But if you have room for one more, read this one.

Book Reviews: January 2021