Researches suggest that book reading has a myriad of benefits. Not only it improves your creativity and imagination, but it also gives you a different perspective on life. Besides this, it’s an ideal way to learn from successful and inspirational personalities.
In this post, we have put together some of the best books of the year so far from different genres. If you’re a bibliophile or have just started off with this new hobby, you can check them out.
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Written by Abi Dare, this adventure fiction is shortlisted for the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize. The novel tells the story of Adunni, a 14-year-old Nigerian girl who goes through a series of unfortunate events during her mission to get an education that she thinks is the only way to get a “louding voice.” and speak up for herself. While it’s Dare’s debut novel, it is getting good responses from readers across the globe. If you want to learn the story of a young Nigerian woman trapped in slavery but determined to fight for her dreams, you must buy it.
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything
If you have an interest in reading a business or leadership book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg won’t disappoint. Fogg is an American social scientist who works as a research associate at Stanford University, California.
The book is a practical guide to establishing small changes in your day-to-day routine that can lead to significant positive outcomes. Fogg has spent several years figuring out how to develop good habits and ways to stick to them. The author shows how readers can focus on accomplishing small actions, which will then turn into something substantial. If you want to learn Fogg’s behavioral formula to live a happier and healthier life, you should read this book.
Hidden Valley Road
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family is another must-read book listed in Best Book of the Year So Far category. Written by Robert Kolker, Hidden Valley Road is a true story of a mid-century American family with twelve children, six of which diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental disorder in which patients interpret reality abnormally. The story shows how the family becomes subjects of researchers investigating genetic origin for schizophrenia.
The book debuted at first place on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and was selected for the revival of Oprah’s Book Club.
Deacon King Kong
Deacon King Kong is another well-appreciated work by James McBride, an American author, and musician. He received a National Book Award for his novel, The Good Lord Bird, in 2013. Again, the author captivates the audience with a bold and brilliant story.
Taking place in Brooklyn in 1969, the story starts with a grumpy old church deacon who fires at Deems Clemens, a drug dealer in front of several witnesses. As the story progresses, it reveals the reason for this burst of violence and the consequences that arise from it. Although it’s a fictional story, it depicts a broader story of religion, race, and how bitterness and coalition have embedded in the foundations of our neighborhoods.
The Splendid and The Vile
Written by Erik Larson, the Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family & Defiance During the Blitz takes readers to a time of real leadership. It is the story of Winston Churchill’s ( Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945), first days in office when he established an alliance government with Labour in May 1940 to lead Britain. The story revolves around how Churchill encourages the British people to be fearless. The day Churchill became prime minister, Adolf Hitler attacked Belgium and Holland. However, Churchill’s courage and perseverance bounded the entire country together.
Erik Larson is the author of 5 national bestsellers. If you have a passion for history and want to dig deep into the situations during the beginning of World War 2, you must read this book.
Oona Out of Order: A Novel
Do you live your life fully in the moment? If yes, you will find this innovative novel quite interesting. The author Margarita Montimore takes a distinctive approach on time travel. The story tells that life is very much in the present, not in the moments that have passed or those that are yet to arrive.
The story of the novel goes like this, It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart, who is the central character of the story, will turn 19 at the stroke of midnight. As the countdown to the New Year starts, she faints and awakens in the future where she is 51 years old. Oona then realizes that with each passing year, she will jump to another age. It’s a beautiful story about aging and self-discovery.
Pretty Things
Janelle Brown, the author of Pretty Things, is a renowned novelist who is known for her work, Watch Me Disappear, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, and This is Where We Live. Pretty Things is full of suspense and tragedy. Pretty Things is the story of two women and the men they love. The novel shows how their journeys cross through their pasts. Every character in the story has a frontage behind that they conceal the sorrows of their pasts. They all experience some heartbreak and loss of hope in life. As a reader, you can learn from their experiences.
The City We Became (The Great Cities Trilogy)
Written by N.K. Jemisin, The City We Became, is the urban fantasy. It’s her first novel in the Great Cities series. In the novel, the author is asking, what if the city has a soul? What if it could come to life in a human avatar? The story portrays a metropolis under attack by a malevolent attacker, supported by the self-defeating prejudices of those who distrust the polyglot nature of the city. If you want to try an urban fantasy, you can place an order for this book.
These are some of the best books for this year and have had great reviews from readers all across the globe.