This year has been a pretty busy reading year. I read around 80 books and looking back they ranged from the heavy duty January 6th Report to the fluff of a thriller series by Vince Flynn. But in that range there were some real treasures.

First place is a tie between The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger and Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor. Both of these authors approached their subject matter with intensity and the result was a mesmerizing encounter with fascinating characters and difficult social issues. The Displacements tackles the difficult topic of climate change but also the rippling effects of large climate events and their aftermath. Age of Vice is set in India and discusses the vast differences that social and financial status make. The opening scene of  the book describes a large Mercedes losing control on a road where thousands of migrant workers sleep on the curb, and it is about as vivid and disturbing as anything I have ever read.

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra is a fascinating book about Hollywood in its early days right as World War II begins. It is also a story about immigrants and the fear that was generated against Germans and Asians. Marra deftly uses various story lines to reveal the complications that ensue as fear and anti immigration policy begin to affect the production of movies and Hollywood”s inevitable shift to propaganda and public service announcements in order to survive. This book opened a door to a whole new part of WWII history that I knew nothing about and I found it provocative and fascinating.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus were books about people who claim their own truth even when it is difficult. Albert Entwistle is 65 years old living in a small village in ‘England when he decides that he is going to embrace being gay- something he has tried to hide all is life. His dramatic journey of finding true love is both heart warming and somewhat dismaying to find that even now, in this current time, being who you truly are is so difficult.  Lessons in Chemistry is set in the US in 1950-60s and describes the struggles of a smart chemist who is raising a child on her own after her husband suddenly dies. Although her first love is research and chemistry, she is forced to begin a weekly cooking show which is broadcast on TV in order earn money. In her show she teaches basic lessons in cooking (and chemistry) as well as giving life advice to the many woman who watch her. This is an amazing book with great characters and lively and sharp dialogue. Both of these books are full of human drama and the struggles of those who find their own power even though society has tried to disempower them.

Finally, Babel by R.F. Kuang is an amazing book about the power of translation and the the way colonialism disempowered and controlled native populations using the power of words. Although this is a fantasy book, the real political and social consequences of power and translation are made evident and force us to see the ways in which words and translation were used to subjugate. This is a long book so it demands commitment but if you love fantasy books and the idea of words and their meanings then this is a great book for you read!

I hope that you will find something in this list that makes you want to read!

Happy New Year!