My year in books and pictures
As 2020 dawned, I made a list of things I wanted to do this year.
- Travel more
- Write more
- Read more
- Strength-train more at the gym
- …and so on.
No surprise, but only a few of those came true. It was a case of the best laid plans gone awry. I did write more and read more. But traveling came to a screeching halt. There was little if any gym.
2020 has been a year like no other in my recent memory.
I remember the day when I first had the hunch that this year might be different. It was in early March, a cool, overcast day in Seattle. There was a sharp smell of fresh cut grass in the air. As I walked to my car at the end of my workday, I looked at my phone, and there it was, at the top of my unread email - a message from our one of our VPs telling us to work from home until end of the month. All travel was suspended. My heart sank. I had a few trips and events I was looking forward to, including a keynote at a Codess event and a visit to Lagos to see my team. I comforted myself that things would surely change soon, hopefully in April.
April came and went. Dense morning fogs gave way to watercolor blue skies. I continued to put my mind to finding answers to the new questions of our new reality. Should I work with my laptop, perched on my sofa, or should I pony up the money for a proper office setup? How do I deal with my now constant neck pain? How do I structure my amorphous days? Whose turn was it to cook lunch? Why was there so much dust on our tables? Why were there so many dishes in the sink? Should I buy more canned beans and soap? Should I be sanitizing the many cardboard boxes that got delivered from Amazon? How can I help my team feel connected and energized, when all around them was hardship, chaos, and unknowns? How can I make sure my 75-year-old dad and my 81-year-old mother-in-law were safe and cared for? What happens if one of them falls sick and I can't travel?
Slowly though, things started to fall into place.
I started feeling less anxious. I was thankful I had a job where I could work from home, and no itty-bitty human dependent on me. I created new routines for myself. I started running in the morning, meditating in the evening, bookending my workdays. I started clearing dishes in the sink after work, listening to audiobooks. I checked in with my team regularly. I started talking to our parents every day instead of just the weekends. These new habits and routines began to help.
Of course, there were still unimaginable losses and tragedies happening around the globe. But I started feeling less out-of-rhythm in our new reality. I even began to appreciate the unexpected, small blessings it bestowed on me.
Working from home, I missed seeing my team. But I didn't have to spend quite so much time in traffic, enduring bad drivers. I didn't have to attend after-work socials where I pretended to enjoy the conversations when all I wanted to do was go home, get into my pajamas, listen to nothing but the low hum of my fridge, and lose myself in a good book. I had so much more time for connecting with my family, with my husband. I had so much more time for my books.
Speaking of books, I read a TON - close to thirty this year. Here are my fourteen recommendations,
one from each month, plus some bonus. :-)
|
Barack Obama's memoir. A grand telling of history and how some big decisions get made. |
Michelle Obama's memoir. LOVED the intimacy, honesty, and relatability of the writing. |
A case for seeing racism in America same as casteism. It is true how the structure keeps oppressed people in their place. |
|
A book about how to write better. I learned so much from this. |
A rationalist's take on mindfulness and meditation, with a lot of science. |
A hilarious satire, dramatized by the BBC. You'll enjoy it especially if you like British comedies. |
|
Reports on the events of the London Blitz and how Churchill handled it. Beautifully written. |
An inspiring account of a holocaust survivor. My full review here. |
A chronological account of our universe's Grand History. So much to learn! |
|
A reflection on old age by a physician. Made me think of my aging parents and myself when I get old. Powerful. |
A wonderful book to help you write more. Clear, quick, and comforting to read. |
Five leaders that showed steady leadership during turbulent times. Valuable to read especially this year, one of the most turbulent times in recent history. |
|
A plodding book, but great to learn about strategic thinking from history. My full review here . |
A book about the climate crisis facing us in our future. My full review here . |
My entire 2020 book list is here.
By far, the best book I read this year was Becoming by Michelle Obama.
Becoming is the story of Michelle Obama's growing up and her years in the White House. In it, we see Michelle as a flesh-and-blood human being - with her flaws, her anxieties, her strengths, her dreams, and her disappointments. She is not just a made-up character in her flowing gowns and her J. Crew dresses, alternately glorified and vilified by the media. In this book, she comes across as someone who has worked hard for her accomplishments, as someone who wants to make a difference in the world. I loved reading about her "box-checking", accomplishment-craving, perfectionist tendencies - tendencies I battle with in myself.
Here is a quote that I'd underlined in my copy of the book.
It wasn't pretty, but I found it encouraging in the end, proof that I could work my way out of just about any hole. Whatever deficits I might have arrived with, coming from an inner-city high school, it seemed that I could make up for them by putting in extra time, asking for help when I needed it, and learning to pace myself and not procrastinate.
I later read her husband's new book "A Promised Land". While Barack Obama's book is more expansive - a telling of grand history where you learn about how world leaders make big decisions and navigate national politics - the writing is sadly not as crisp as Michelle's. Michelle Obama is not just a driven, accomplished woman and our former first lady, but she is indeed a skilled writer. Her writing in Becoming, is intimate, vivid, honest, clear, and enjoyable. It feels like a thick coat of melted butter on a piece of toast. Smooth, delicious, and decadent.
I know some of you will be taking time off work this month. Holidays are a perfect time to reflect and recharge. What better way to recharge than with a good book? And if there is just one book you can read from now until the end of the year, I recommend Becoming by Michelle Obama. I hope you enjoy it.