Now more than ever, books provide a much needed escape from the drama and stress of the world.

Needless to say, with everything going on, I’ve found myself reading quite a bit more than normal (and my normal is actually quite a lot of reading, so that’s saying something). The fact that we’re home, not traveling or going out for the foreseeable future, leaves much more free time that I shall gladly fill with literary gluttony. You know what? I’m not mad about it.

So it shouldn’t surprise you that I’ve read 83 books so far this year. Yes, 83. It may even get up to 84 or 85 between now and when this post is published. For perspective, I read 63 last year, and had set a 65-book goal for 2020 which I thought was entirely sensible but that I completely obliterated before the year was even half over. Needless to say this list of book recommendations is… quite a bit longer than normal because I’ve read too many good ones lately and simply couldn’t narrow it down!

(Also, have you heard that reading books for 30 minutes a day can add 2 years to your life? Yale researchers say its true… and if it is, well, guess I’m just going to live forever at this point.)

I can feel my book-tastes changing. Whether it’s age or circumstances or just the circle of life, I’ve been reading less serious literary fiction and more lighthearted romance these days. I think the underlying knowledge that there will be a happy ending is just what my heart needs in these stressful times. There’s enough depressing news in the real world, I don’t need more stress and sadness in my bookish pursuits.

Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another. – The Starless Sea

I’ve also been much more conscious of the diversity of my book choices lately, and have been making a more conscious effort to include stories about and by people of color (and not only that, but actually purchasing these books rather than just checking them out from the library, to further support these authors). I strongly believe that reading stories about those who are not like ourselves, even if it may be hard to relate to such characters, is incredibly important to better understand our shared humanity. I hope my book lists reflect these beliefs and encourage you to do the same.

(As always, there are some affiliate links in this post, but all opinions are entirely my own).

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