The 50 Books I Read In 2020

Each year I challenge myself to read more books. The book number for 2020 was 50. That seemed daunting until the pandemic hit. I'm quite certain from March until June, I spent most evenings in my bathtub with a large glass (eh maybe a bottle) of wine & a good book. I also often found myself laying on my outdoor patio of my high-rise apartment soaking up some sun while devouring another book. The pandemic caused a bit of an issue in my work life, like many of us, not to mention my social life, so I had an abundance of free time to hit my goal. I finished the last book just the day before New Year's but I did it. 50 books! Whew. What a feat. I won't lie, I'm proud of that number.

Some books, especially those with well-known authors, I like to listen to on Audible. For example, listening to Obama or Matthew McConaughey read their books gives the story a whole new depth and even deeper story-telling element. Other books I will read with an actual physical book. I love the feel of a book between my hands, especially laying in a hammock or laying on the beach. I tried to use a Kindle in the past but I wasn't really a huge fan.

The average American reportedly reads 4 books per year but unfortunately, many people I know, especially back home in Oklahoma don't even read one book a year. Reading is so important. It's important to always expand our thoughts, knowledge & understanding of the world. Whether you are seeking a place to gain understanding, expand your worldview or escape into a fake tale, there are so many useful purposes of reading.

I tried to mix up my reading list this year based on places I traveled like Salem, social causes, knowledge I wanted to gain, and then a few books just to escape and read for fun.

Here is the list of books I read in 2020.

1. Great Expectations By Charles Dickens

2. The Salem With Trials By Marilynne K. Roach

3. The Paris Hours By Alex George

4. Greenlights By Matthew McConaughey

5. A Promised Land By Barack Obama

6. The Undefeated Mind By Alex Lickerman

7. Art of Seduction By Robert Greene

8. Cesar's Way By Cesar Milan & Melissa Jo Peltier

9. Super Attractor By Gabrielle Bernstein

10. Screwball By Simon Rich

11. Sapiens By Yuval Noah Harari

12. Folsom Untold By Danny Robins

13. Out Of My Mind By Alan Arkin

14. Accessing the Healing Power Of The Vagus Nerve By Stanley Rosenberg

15. The Science Of Selling By David Hoffeld

16. We're All Marketers By Nico De Bruyn

17. The Science Of Storytelling By Will Storr

18. Game Changers By Dave Asprey

19. 18 Minutes By Peter Bregman

20. Genius Foods By Max Lugavere

21. Facebook Marketing By Greg Brooks

22. What Great Brands Do By Denise Lee Yohn

23. Disrupt Yourself By Whitney Johnson

24. How Google Works By Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg

25. The Art Of Social Media By Guy Kawasaki & Peg Fitzpatrick

26. The Science Of Why By David Forbes

27. Me Before You By Jojo Moyes

28. Rules Of Civility By Amor Towles

29. Range: Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World By David Epstein

30. Aphrodite Made Me Do It By Trista Mateer

31. Real Magic By Dean Radin, Ph.D.

32. Walk Like Buddha By Lodro Rinzler

33. Whiskey Words & A Shovel By r.h. Sin

34. Limitless Mind By Jo Boaler

35. Medical Medium By Anthony William

36. White Fragility By Robin Diangelo

37. The Daily Stoic By Ryan Holiday

38. The Plant Paradox By Steven R. Gundry

39. Flirty Thirty By Cassie Mae

40. Next To You By Julia Gabriel

41. UnFuck Your Brain By Faith G. Harper, Ph.D., LPC-S, ACS

42. Dear Lover By David Deida

43. How To Be An Antiracist By Ibram X. Kendi

44. Badass Affirmations: The Wit & Wisdom Of Wild Women By Becca Anderson

45. How To Punch The Sunday Jitters In The Face By TK Kader

46. The Singles Game By Lauren Weisberger

47. The Awakening By Kate Chopin

48. The Wild Woman's Way By Michaela Boehm

49. Shrill By Lindy West

50. You Are A Goddess By Sophie Bashford