Happy 2021. Thank goodness! The last quarter was good for reading, though I ran out of new books as Christmas approached and had to wait for Santa. But a couple of rereads were worth it.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi was first up in October. I’m often drawn to novels with strong mother/daughter dynamics. This fits the bill with a complex relationship molded by deep south religious convictions, with deep themes of drug addiction, mental health, and sibling loyalty. Daughter Gifty is a scientist who discovers a transcendence in the intersection of religion and science, as she forges her path.

Next was The Secret Daughter by Kelly Rimmer. This novel grew from the horrific practice of forced adoptions in the 70’s and the resulting damage. Written with empathy for all sides, it focuses on an adopted woman ready to start a family and the two mothers who loved her in different ways. It’s painful, but also a redeeming exploration of love, forgiveness, and what family means.

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult offers a complicated plot construct about “what could have been.” The plot involves a traumatic accident, some time travel, and a lot of Egyptian history. I enjoyed the overall story but found it buried in too much dense Egyptology and theories of quantum physics and the multiverse. Those aspects took away from the relationship issues that are the novel’s essence. A painful twist in the middle seemed odd, and I was not entirely satisfied with the ending.

A friend (thanks, Frances) passed along a couple of detective novels, and something a little lighter was much appreciated. Both were UK based mysteries by Susie Steiner. Missing, Presumed introduced Detective Manon Bradwell and an interesting law enforcement team. In this novel, Bradwell is seeking a young woman who has gone missing, but many tangential story lines enter the plot. Some are entertaining, some seem wasted but an enjoyable read, nonetheless. Followed that with Persons Unknown, which involves the death of a man who is in Detective Manon Bradwell’s extended circle. The investigation takes a mysterious turn, with Manon’s adopted son Fly arrested, and she is kept out of the loop. The story is further complicated by her pregnancy through artificial insemination. Emotional, relationship, and family issues are intertwined with the case itself.

I came across Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo on a Target display. It won the 2019 Booker Prize, so I suspected it would be worth reading. It explores the intersections of identity, sexuality, and sisterhood among 12 black, British women. The connections are sometimes hidden and revealed at just the right time for the reader to savor. It’s a unique presentation of dialogue and back story, and I was glad I picked it up.

I turned to another light read, with The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. This psycho thriller is filled with deceptions and people who are not what or whom they seem. As the storyline untangles, the characters and their motivations become increasingly clear. But will the evil manipulators get their due? A fun read.

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler was next. It starts as a bit of a Romeo & Juliet story, between a biracial boy raised by a highly educated and widowed black mother and a white girl raised by a mother who has had a tough life and stepfather who is uneducated but wealthy. A lot of character development and back story establish motivations throughout the novel. This is a powerful but painful story of racism, white entitlement, presumptions of innocence/guilt and how easily they are manipulated.

Approaching Christmas, my unread book stack was gone, so I returned to an old favorite: The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. Rachman is an international journalist, so it makes sense he created an international newspaper to center his debut novel. It’s beautifully written, mining the personal and professional lives of the paper’s writers and editors. Their stories are funny, moving, and sometimes sad. Even the crustiest codger has secret depths. It’s a book I’ve recommended often since I discovered it. And pro tip: his follow-up novels are also excellent.

I read Untamed by Glennon Doyle when it came out earlier in 2020. I picked it up again because it has short, stand-alone chapters. You can learn something from any of them. This memoir is all about female empowerment and unleashing the cheetah within. Glennon (yes, I feel like we’re on a first-name basis) writes with powerful honesty, relatable stories, and humor.

Christmas brought me 5 new books, one of which I’ve already finished:  In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. What if you had a vision of your future in 5 years? What if that vision made you uncomfortable and a little scared, so you did everything in your power to keep it from becoming true? A love story, a friendship story, a little time travel, and fate carry the reader over 5 years as our protagonist ponders what’s true and real.

You may have noticed this last book has a similar theme to Jodi Picoult’s Book of Two Ways. Sneak peek: two more of my new novels also explore this idea of “what if you could do things over?” It wasn’t intentional, but clearly, this plot device appealed to me and you’ll see it reappear in my 2021 updates. What’s on your reading list?