I think one good thing that came out of 2020 for me would be my discovery of audiobooks. At first, listening to audiobooks was the only (available) option to complete my summer reading for AP Lang (when places were still closed due to the pandemic), but then it evolved into a hobby. There is something so special about hearing a book being read out loud– the narrator can bring the characters to life, transport readers into the story, and can completely transform a reader’s enjoyment of the novel. Although audiobooks cannot replace the reading experience and comprehension with hard copies, I like how I can finish a book in a shorter time and have the ability to work on something else while playing them in the background (in other words, multitasking).

Below, is a list (from 2020-present) of a few stand-alone’s and series that I’ve enjoyed so far in no particular order:

• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

• The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer 

• Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

• The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart 

• The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis

• Becoming by Michelle Obama

• Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

• Educated by Tara Westover

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

• Circe by Madeline Miller

My most recent finish was Madeline Miller’s 2018 novel, Circe, an adaption of several Greek myths through the perspective of Circe. Miller is known for her 2011 debut book, The Song of Achilles, which was awarded the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction– pretty incredible, right? Before I read Circe, I remembered Circe from Homer’s Odyssey; she was the enchantress had who turned Odysseus’ men into swine and imprisoned them on her island for a year. After all, who could forget such a cruel character? In her book, however, Miller explores the unknown origin story of the witch, writing an unforgettable narrative of her encounters with mythic figures such as Hermes, the Minotaur, and, of course, hero Odysseus. 

I really enjoyed the author’s capture of Circe’s emotions; for instance, her bitter jealousy for the nymph Scylla (who was later turned into the six-headed monster in Homer’s epic poem), her utter loneliness on the island of Aiaia, and her distressing fear of losing/hurting her son, Telegonus, brought her character to life and each minute (I listened to the audiobook narrated by Perdita Weeks) had me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend Circe if you enjoy reimaginations of iconic literature, whether fairy tales or mythology, or are in need of a good book to add to your reading list!