top of page

Nikki's Favorite Books of 2020 So far

Writer's picture: Nikki MichaelsNikki Michaels

Only one of these actually came out this year, and one was published in 1847. A true spectrum. Without ado, the best books I’ve absorbed over the past six months — listed from just-read to January.



WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë


Yes, I majored in English lit. No, I hadn’t read Wuthering Heights until June of 2020. Emily Brontë writes in that gorgeous lost-art classic style that makes me feel like I’m really working my brain as I read. I’m particularly fascinated by the role race plays in this novel and how I’d never heard it mentioned before that Heathcliff very possibly could’ve been Black.


(Also, IMAGINE being one of the Brontë sisters. The skill! The prowess! Just imagine.)


 



MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell


Easily one of the most-hyped reads of 2020. My Dark Vanessa is a novel of obsession, abuse, and psychological trauma. It asks questions about agency and power; it challenges, interrogates, and confirms widely held notions about the nature of emotionally and sexually abusive relationships — in turn forcing the reader to challenge and question those notions themselves. Horrifying, illuminating, and intensely memorable.



 


THE LESSER BOHEMIANS by Eimear McBride


Eimear McBride is not for everyone. Her prose defies convention, using a blend of stream-of-consciousness, thought fragments, and “normal” structure to give you a sense of a character and their inner monologue. It’s not easy to read, and I get why some people would forego her work — but I’m absolutely enraptured by the way she manages to develop character and story with such a strange, distinctive style. The Lesser Bohemians is a pull-no-punches chronicle of the sickening agony of obsessive love and the gut-wrenching pain of those moments where you’d literally do anything to keep a person in your life. I’ll read anything this woman writes.


(Side note: what is happening in Ireland to churn out writers like McBride and Sally Rooney?? Unreal.)


 


MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Ottessa Moshfegh


This is a rather infuriating read. Told from the perspective of a deeply unlikable protagonist attempting to heal a truly fucked-up psyche — one dealing with grief, loss, and a toxic attachment to a waste-of-space ex-partner — My Year of Rest and Relaxation explores the line between self-serving egotism and self-care and offers a unique look at depression and mental health through a murky lens of vice, addiction, and consumerism. A one-of-a-kind read.



 



A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki


I adored this dreamy, sad, atmospheric tale by Ruth Ozeki and spent equal time crying and sitting enthralled by her seemingly boundless capacity for calm exploration of our most daunting existential questions. How much agency do we have over our own lives? What does it mean to die? And what, for that matter, does it really mean to live? I’m fascinated by death, so A Tale for the Time Being really struck a chord with me.


 


WHITE TEETH by Zadie Smith


This was my first Zadie Smith, and I don’t think I was ready for her deeply layered and intricate storytelling. Packed with cultural commentary and smart, sharply written dialogue that reminded me of a screenplay, White Teeth made me a more well-rounded reader and blew me away with its bottomless character development. A modern classic for a reason.


14 comments

Recent Posts

See All

14 Comments


MZKO QPFQ
MZKO QPFQ
Dec 24, 2024

代发外链 提权重点击找我;

google留痕 google留痕;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Slots Fortune…

站群/ 站群;

万事达U卡办理 万事达U卡办理;

VISA银联U卡办理 VISA银联U卡办理;

U卡办理 U卡办理;

万事达U卡办理 万事达U卡办理;

VISA银联U卡办理 VISA银联U卡办理;

U卡办理 U卡办理;

온라인 슬롯 온라인 슬롯;

온라인카지노 온라인카지노;

바카라사이트 바카라사이트;

EPS Machine EPS Machine;

EPS Machine EPS Machine;

EPS Machine EPS Machine;

Like

MZKO QPFQ
MZKO QPFQ
Dec 17, 2024

무료카지노 무료카지노;

무료카지노 무료카지노;

google 优化 seo技术+jingcheng-seo.com+秒收录;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Slots Fortune…

站群/ 站群

gamesimes gamesimes;

03topgame 03topgame

EPS Machine EPS Cutting…

EPS Machine EPS and…

EPP Machine EPP Shape…

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

EPS Machine EPS and…

betwin betwin;

777 777;

slots slots;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Like

ezjf rijx
ezjf rijx
Dec 12, 2024
Like

MZKO QPFQ
MZKO QPFQ
Dec 04, 2024

google 优化 seo技术+jingcheng-seo.com+秒收录;

谷歌seo优化 谷歌SEO优化+外链发布+权重提升;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Slots Fortune…

gamesimes gamesimes;

站群/ 站群

03topgame 03topgame

betwin betwin;

777 777;

slots slots;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Like

bottom of page