Best Adult Fiction Read in 2020

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (2020). I read about the concept of this book and bought it immediately. I’m still obsessed with it - loaning out my copy and recommending it to everyone I know. It’s so fresh and unique - Oona is living her life out of order, meaning when she’s 18, instead of turning 19, she turns 51! She lives that year and learns about her condition, so on her last day of being 51, she knows she won’t necessarily wake up 52 the next day. I already want to re-read this book, and maybe even read it in as chronological of order as it can go.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020). Desiree and Stella are twins, light enough to pass for white. One twin embraces this and disappears into a privileged white life, not acknowledging her past. The other doubles down and ends up working hard, being a single mother to her darker daughter. This book totally lives up to the hype. I absolutely loved the story itself, but Bennett’s writing is so seamless that you get sucked in completely, and then a beautiful, profound line will stop you in your tracks.

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (2020). I’ve been reading a lot of story collections this year, and all of them have been so good. Evans blew me away, though. The stories are so fascinating yet realistic and have really stuck with me even after finishing the book. I got to hear her read part of a story at an online event and she was fantastic! I have her other collection to read next, but I know I’ll keep re-reading these stories and recommending them to everyone I can.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (2020). I was in a reading funk until I opened this book. I absolutely loved it, and I want to read more like it and I already want to re-read it. Something about the everydayness of things drew me right in and kept me comfortable in the story. I think King captured exactly that uncertainty of relationships and writing and how they work together.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2019?). I absolutely love time travel books, and this one was all I ever wanted and more. There are so many rules about going back in time at the Funiculi Funicula cafe that made the story more suspenseful. A few different characters went back in time within the cafe's constraints, and it was very touching and thought-provoking to see how they dealt with their situations. I loved how all of the characters tied together. Amazing book.

David Sedaris Live

Last week, I saw David Sedaris live for the third time, and it was just as good as the first two. He is so touching, so humorous, so down to earth, while being so out there, that I couldn't stop laughing and marveling at his wit and thought processes.

Sedaris is an author I've loved for years, and his writing really inspires me. I've clipped articles about his diaries - why he keeps them, what they mean to him - and he inspired me to start doing something similar. He pushes me to think about my seemingly-ordinary days in different ways and mine story ideas from the happenings. He pushes me to edit and revise and see how my writing can be polished.

This time, I noticed him making notes when the audience laughed, or when we didn't laugh. I wonder what he wrote, and how he'll revise his pieces - if at all. Maybe he's just taking notes for the sake of keeping a record, like his diaries.

He said he kept records about all his shows - how many people were there, what pieces he read, what diary sections he read, what book he recommended. He looks over these notes before re-visiting the same city, which he'll do in Memphis in November, since this show sold out. It got me thinking about how much work his job actually is. I think the dream is that authors get to sit around and dream up stories, even though that can be tough with writer's block, revision, promotion, etc. But when Sedaris tours, he goes to a new city every other night, reads, makes notes, visits and signs books until everyone has left. That's a lot of work. Signing alone would make your hand ache, but can you imagine being onstage for an hour or two, then making small talk with people for another two or three hours? It's nice of him, generous of his time and spirit, but it makes me realize I could never be that type of author. It's hard for me to make more than awkward small talk with people I somewhat know, much less with strangers. I can't imagine what my voice would sound like after reading onstage for so long, then talking more. I guess you'd get used to it, but it would definitely feel more like "work" to me than just writing. And I know this is his personality, and he seems to genuinely enjoy meeting people and hearing tidbits about their lives.

But I also know that if I became a successful writer, I'm much more likely to be a Harper Lee than a David Sedaris. What about you?

Shifting Shelves

I know all about switching books out on shelves according to season, themes, colors, etc etc. You can't be on Instagram/#bookstagram and not see that stuff, honestly. While I understand the concept and appreciate the idea, I just never had time for it. Plus, whenever I switched out my kid's toys, he would immediately ask for the toys I just put away, even though he hadn't touched them for two months prior! So playing the same game with his books just seemed exhausting and pointless.

After doing the 12 Days of Christmas Storytime with my son, I realized how fun it was to have a different book to read every night. I'll admit I have some favorites that I love to re-read, just like he does. But... we often don't agree on which ones we'd like to read over and over again. Reading new books together made bedtime fresh and exciting for us, so I realized it was definitely time to go through his shelves and change things up.

I pulled his books into stacks, such as: 

• spring and summer books, including birthday books because he's a summer babe

• fall and back to school books

• Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and winter books

• series and favorites

I left the series and favorites on the shelves, because we read obviously read our favorites a lot, and with series, there are multiple titles, so while we're reading the same characters for several nights, each book is different. I also left out some of his board books. While some board books can be intended only for babies, the ones I left out have more of a story to them, or are favorites, or are ones he can "read" independently.

We have tons of children's books, so I added some "random" anytime titles to the seasonal stacks, just to have fresh books on the shelf that aren't specific to the time of year. I also culled some to donate, because we already have more than we need, and we go to the library to max out our cards fairly often! We'll donate some to a local women's and children's charity, and keep some to put in Little Free Libraries around town.

As an added bonus, there's now room on his shelves for some of his smaller toy bins. They also fit under his bed, but often get pushed back too far to reach, so this is a great solution. I love how his shelves look right now, but the real test will come in March when I get out the spring and summer books, because... what will I get rid of? I guess I can use his Goodreads account to keep track of what we read this year and put those away to bring out next year after Christmas? Who knows! It's an interesting experiment I hope I can keep up with, especially given the volume of books we own!

Do you change out your child's bookshelves? Or your own? What themes or system do you use to change them out? Share in the comments!

Joshilyn Jackson

I read gods in Alabama in 2005 and it changed my life. Seriously. I have loved books and authors before, but the style of this writing and the story itself was so perfect… yet seemed like something I could write. Not in a way where I would scoff and say “Even I could write that!” But in a way that pushed me to write so I could love a book of my own as much as I loved that one.

I got to see Joshilyn Jackson speak at Square Books not long after her first book was published, and saw her a time or two after that as well. Her voice is amazing and her personality is so fun and charming. I used to read her blog obsessively, and her personality came out there too. This led me to feeling like I knew her, and that we were best friends… Which got super awkward when I saw her in 2017 at the American Library Association’s Midwinter conference in Atlanta. I greeted her like an old friend, but she is amazing and gracious and gave me the LAST ARC of her upcoming (at the time) book, which I dove into as soon as I got back to the hotel.

I have all of her books and love them and can’t wait to read more by her. As soon as I read her first book, she catapulted into my Top 5 Authors of all time, but as she writes more and more, she’s made it to that number one spot of Favorite Author by being consistently fantastic and innovative with her stories, while staying true to her writing self.

Dahl

Roald Dahl was one of my favorite authors as a kid. I love how silly his books are, but they're presented so matter-of-fact. A lot of funny kids books I've read lately kind of acknowledge the humor and ridiculousness, so the reader is in on the joke. I like that, too, but I love how Dahl says "This is how it is" and... that's how it is. Some things don't make sense, some things don't match up with logic, but the stories are consistent (as far as I've re-read) so you aren't snapped out of the story by a new line of magic halfway through that didn't exist at the beginning of the book.

I don't have all of his books, and I haven't read them all. Years ago, just after I had a go at an MFA program, I wanted to do an informal author study of Dahl, since I wasn't going to have to do one to earn a degree. So... that never happened. But slowly I have been re-reading some of Dahl's books for my own enjoyment, and I've found that I usually enjoy them just as much as an adult as I did as a kid. I especially like now seeing the movies and plays based on some of his books and comparing them all in different formats.

Who was your favorite author when you were a kid? Who is your favorite now?

Alice Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Though I read it when it first came out, I recently wrote a review for the last book in the Alice series for the library’s Teen Bookletters ‘zine. Now I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Alice. The last book spans over forty years; it’s called Now I’ll Tell You Everything. Even the title gives me chills. It makes everything seem so epic…

And it is! There are 25 books in the Alice series, and three prequels. I started reading this series in elementary school. I remember my elementary librarian presenting me with Alice in Lace, allowing me to be the first student to check it out! I loved Alice because she asked questions I wanted to know the answers to. I felt like I could be her… except I always thought she was thinner and prettier than me. But that didn’t make her popular, so she still felt relatable.

I basically grew up with Alice, and I’ve re-read the series a few times over the years. I have cobbled together a collection of used library books and can’t see myself ever getting rid of it. I honestly love the idea of my son reading this series, too – to learn from all of Alice’s questions, to see how girls think and act (spoiler: they’re not always delicate and dumb!), and just because I honestly think they are good books.

I love to recommend series because once you meet the characters, you get to know them and grow with them. If kids get hooked on the characters, they’re going to want to read the next book, and the next, and the next. Any series is great for this, but I can’t get enough of Alice.

Blogging from A to Z!

Back in 2011, on a different blog, I took the A to Z Challenge. I blogged every day in April, except Sundays. Each day was based on a letter, but the theme or subject matter is up to the participant. It helped me get out of my comfort zone, it pushed me to write, and it helped me gain so many followers. Which meant I also found tons of new blogs to follow. Bottom line, it was a great thing.

I think I signed up the next year, or the year after, or the year after that. One of those years. But I didn't complete the challenge. I might have ONLY signed up, and never even gotten started.

It might be crazy, but I'm taking the challenge again this year. Threefold. I am blogging here, on my green blog (Not Easy Going Green), and on my photography blog, Allison and Her Camera.

I am really nervous about this, because I am so out of the blogging loop. Look at this blog... watch the tumbleweeds blow by. Ridiculous. I used to write all the time, scheduling posts in advance, writing every day... but that trickled off and I have no clue why, but honestly? I miss it. I miss writing and sharing and creating an online community.

I've started outlining a few posts to make sure I have enough to say about each letter of the alphabet. I'll be writing about favorite books, authors, illustrators, characters, and more. It's going to be a lot of work, but here I am, Blogging from A to Z to see what I can create. Follow along, and join up if you're interested!

May Favorites

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. Loved this. I love how Rowell can create such a cozy, inviting world in her books. I want to hang out with her characters and still find myself wondering what they’re up to. This book was about real life, two teens who don't fit in anywhere falling in love and trying to see if they can make it work in high school.

The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams. David Walliams is hilarious, and this book is funny and touching. Quick read, highly recommended for middle graders regardless of gender. It's not totally in the realm of transgender issues, more about a boy who likes fashion being teased for that instead of encouraged to explore his passions.

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. LOVED this book! The characters and setting were so cozy, I wanted to crawl in and never leave. Touching story, well-written without being overly sappy. Skylar is ready to get out of her tiny town and go away to art school, even if that means leaving her mother, a recovering alcoholic, behind. When Josh, an old coworker, comes back from Afghanistan, Skylar starts re-thinking her place in the world, and where she can do the most good.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bergman. If you never read any other book I recommend, please read this one. I love this book SO much, I already want to re-read it. Codes, hidden books, visiting landmarks in an historical city - what’s not to love? Emily has been an active Book Scavenger for years, so she’s excited when her family moves to San Francisco, even though she’s tired of moving once a year. Now she’s in the hometown of the man who created Book Scavenger, and he’s about to release a new game! But when he’s mugged in a subway station, no one knows if the game creator will make it, and Emily is worried her family will move again before she can participate in the game.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Yes, I’m just now reading Harry Potter for the first time. I tried to read it when it first came out, but it just wasn’t my thing. Also, my reading interests were narrower, and I had less time to read. I also saw the first two movies and wasn’t blown away, so I just figured I’d never read the book. This year’s summer reading theme made me interested in trying, so I started… and I actually love it so far! Much less fantastical than I thought they would be; I like how everything is explained parallel to “normal” life, which keeps it grounded for me. Eager to finish the series.

March Favorites

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson is always a treat, but he’s gotten better with age. Now he detests stupid people more than he used to, and it comes across in his writing. His informative prose is very well-written, but the glimpses into his thought process are more hilarious than ever.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. A middle grade graphic novel about 12-year-old Astrid who finds a new hobby in roller derby. She expects her best friend to come along with her, since they’ve always done everything together, but instead they are growing apart. Loved this book, and can’t wait to read more by Jamieson.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. Very emotional, dark young adult book, but not overwhelmingly dark. There is just enough hope and brightness to balance the book perfectly - not too depressing, not too overly perky. Carey has been living in a camper in the woods for year, taking care of her little sister while their mom leaves them alone for weeks at a time. When Carey and her sister are rescued, they have to fit in to a normal society they’re not familiar with.

Pretending to Be Erica by Michelle Painchaud. I really loved the concept of this young adult book. The jacket blurb didn’t really explain much so I wasn’t sure what the story was about, but I started it and loved the writing so I kept going and was SO thrilled with the subject matter and how it was written. LOVE. Highly recommend. Can’t wait for more from this author.

The Single Feather by Ruth F. Hunt. Rachel is a thirty year old woman who uses a wheelchair, and after escaping from a heavily-guarded home, she lives independently in a new town in England. To try and get her old life back, she joins a local art group and makes friends with some of the locals. The story is really compelling, and I was very drawn in to find out what happened in Rachel’s past as her disability was caused by an accident, and she doesn’t reveal much about the home she escaped from. The ebook I read had a lot of punctuation errors, especially with quotation marks, which occasionally took me out of the story, but overall it’s a great book.

A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel. I started this book as an audiobook, and it was wonderfully read - I highly recommend it to those who have time to listen to audiobooks! My 2-year-old doesn’t give me much of a chance to listen peacefully, so after trying for a month I checked out the hardback so I could finish it - which I did in less than a day! I loved Pack of Dorks but I think I might have loved this one more… Alice has albinism so she is practically blind. When her family moves from her familiar Seattle to a new town called Sinkville (but it stinks from the paper mill, so it’s totally Stinkville), she has to try and be independent. Alice has always relied on a friend to help her get around, but now she has to make new friends and fit in, which is hard when you have albinism. Alice is a great character with a great voice, and the book is so realistic I’m still wondering how the characters are doing! Highly recommended.

Demon Dentist by David Walliams. I love David Walliams in Little Britain so I was excited to find out he has written loads of books (that’s me, late to the game as usual). I’m just happy that I’ve started reading his books, because this one was great! A strange new dentist moves to town, one who gives kids candy and makes her own toothpaste that burns through concrete. She's got to be up to something, right? Alfie is determined to uncover the tooth truth (sorry, couldn't resist!). Walliams cites Roald Dahl as his literary influence and I definitely see that, but in a good way, not a cheap imitation way. Can’t wait to read more of his, which I plan to buy since my library system only has two titles.

February Favorites

I read eighteen books this month - how did I find the time? I was so busy with schoolwork, my student association duties, and writing STEM programs for a rural library (more about that later). I'm only highlighting six of them, but you can find all my reviews on Goodreads. I'm thinking of doing an annual "Duds" post of books I read and then hated myself for reading, or books I started and couldn't finish. But let's not think about that type of book - let's focus on the great ones!


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I’m not a big poetry fan, but I LOVE verse novels. Woodson’s story of her childhood is so beautiful, with exquisite imagery and emotion. I think this is the first book I’ve ever read by her, but now I’m eager to read more. I highly recommend this book.

George by Alex Gino. This book tackles an interesting, contemporary issue, and it does so in a way that pretty much every age level can understand, which I really appreciate. As someone who was born female and identifies as female, I wish there were prequels and sequels to this book, because I am very curious to know how and when George realized she was a girl, not a boy, and I really want to see how things progress in her life. I think this is a great subject for younger books to be written about, and look forward to more in general, and from this particular author.

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova. Middle grade graphic novel about a girl who is nervous about attending a new school, and fails to follow the rules she made for herself to fit in. Peppi joins the art club but can’t bring herself to speak up and share her ideas, and can’t bring herself to apologize to the boy she hurt on the first day. I love middle grade fiction, and when it's also in graphic novel form, it's so fun to read! You really get sucked into the story with the illustrations.

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson. Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite authors, and her books keep getting better and better. Paula is a divorce lawyer who has had countless identities in the past, thanks to her mom, who lived wherever she could find a boyfriend. Paula has been sending her mother money every month to “make good” on something that happened in the past - and that’s been all the contact she’s had with her mother. When she finally gets something from her mother, it’s not what she expected, and she has to deal with her past catching up to her rich (literally) present.

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. Robert Cormier was writing dark YA fiction before it was mainstream, and his last book doesn’t disappoint. Jason is twelve years old when he’s questioned in the murder of his seven-year-old friend. Most of the story is in the suspense between the interrogator and Jason, but the ending has an excellent twist, then another twist, then a knife to the gut. Amazing!

Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson. A collection of short stories about a school shooting, told in 17 different points of view by 17 different YA authors. A few of the stories fell flat, but most were amazing and interesting and emotional. Makes me want to re-read Columbine by Dave Cullen. This book has been popping in to my mind randomly since I read it, so I think that makes it a powerful read. I could see myself re-reading this one in a year or two.

January Favorites

On a previous blog, I would post monthly recaps of my favorite reads. I've decided to start doing it on this blog. Each post will have a variety of books I really enjoyed reading, whether they are children's or young adult, fiction or nonfiction, graphic or prose.


Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. I love this beautifully creepy collection of short stories. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up - I’d heard a lot of buzz about it, but thought it was just a fairy tale graphic novel. I was pleasantly surprised! The stories aren’t outright scary, but they’re delightfully unsettling, and quick and easy to read.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Ada was born with a clubfoot, and her mother is ashamed of it. Because of that, Ada has never been out of the house, never learned anything, even though she is…or at least THINKS she is, 10 years old. Her little brother Jamie, on the other hand, is their mother’s favorite, and can play outside and attend school. As the war gets closer to London, Jamie is going to be sent to the country to stay safe. Ada sneaks out with Jamie, and they get on a train with the other children from London. People who live in the country are going to take in children until World War II is over, but what if no one wants Ada and Jamie? This was a very engrossing book, and I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction. The ending of this book is one of the most satisfying I’ve read in a long time, with a perfect last line. Highly recommended! Check out my video review: A Book a Minute.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. I love Lauren Graham, mostly as Lorelai Gilmore, so I was worried I was going to imagine her as the character in this book. Luckily the story is about Franny trying to make it as an actress in New York, and she’s silly and funny, so imagining Lauren Graham as the character totally fit. I love reading about people trying to make it as actors, so I loved this book. The overall resolution was a little obvious, but there were nods throughout the book that Graham knew what was going on, so it seemed a little less hokey. The ending itself was very well-written. I’d love to read more from her.

Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt. This graphic novel is beautiful. Overall it looks very simple, with scratchy pencil drawings, but there are so many details in the images. The story is about a girl who used to have friends, until they abruptly turn on her and she is the class loner. It’s a story that’s been told over and over again (and I feel like most of the books I’ve read recently deal with this issue), but it’s well-done, and worth a read since it’s quick.

FAVORITE RE-READS Matilda by Roald Dahl. I haven’t read this book since childhood, and I was delighted that it’s still just as entertaining to read as an adult! I’m a huge Roald Dahl fan so it was fun to start reading his works again. I read this right as I saw Matilda, Tim Minchin’s musical, so it was nice to compare the book to the musical (which actually stayed fairly true to the story)!

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis. I previously read this in February 2013 and loved it - the review from my now-defunct blog is actually in the paperback version! I loved it just as much re-reading it now. I remembered the biggest plot point, but had forgotten a lot of the little twists along the way so it was a lot of fun to read again. Still highly recommend this book if you want a fast-paced, suspenseful read.

The Pout-Pout Fish

This book grabbed our attention at the library because some of us are a little grumpy
in the morning. (It may or may not be me.) Therefore, anything portraying that
crankiness in a different light is something we gravitate towards!


Plot Summary
Pout-Pout Fish is always frowning as he swims around the ocean. He frowns when he encounters his fellow ocean-dwellers, who all try to cheer him up to no avail. Will Pout-Pout Fish ever learn to smile?

Critical Analysis
This book is a great read-aloud choice! Kids will love the refrain “I’m a pout-pout fish / With a pout-pout face, / So I spread the dreary-wearies / All over the place.” This creates a call and response for storytime, with “Blub, Bluuub, Bluuuuuuub” following right behind the catchy verse. My seven-month-old even learned the rhythm of the words and would lean back to watch me blue along with Pout-Pout Fish!
     The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous; the jellyfish page took my breath away! The images are bright and vividly colored, sure to draw in young readers. One ocean friend is introduced per page spread, but there’s an added game of looking for and identifying all of the other critters that inhabit the pages.

Personal Response
This book is already a favorite at our house! My fiancé read it for the first time to his five-year-old son and our seven-month-old son, and both boys loved it. The five-year-old loved the rhyming stanzas (as did I!) and the seven-month-old loved the pictures. His room is decorated in an ocean theme, so I like to think he felt right at home underwater with Pout-Pout Fish and friends! When I re-read it to the baby, as I mentioned above, he learned to recognize certain sections of the text and look at me as I read them. He loved grabbing at the fish in the pictures as well. He smiles any time he sees Pout-Pout Fish now, so we’re eager to add these books to our library… and we’ve caught (pun intended!) word that there is a plush Pout-Pout Fish out there too…

Reviews & Awards
Pout-Pout Fish is a New York Times Bestseller and the 2009 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. Times Record News says "Diesen's clever rhymes are playful and fun and are sure to keep children's imaginations swimming from page to page.”

Connections & Activities
There is a whole series of Pout-Pout Fish books - with more still coming out! This first one is so enjoyable, I know we’re going to read and love them all.

Read it for yourself!
Diesen, Deborah. 2008. The Pout-Pout Fish. Ill. by Dan Hanna. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374360962