Our year in books, 2020

12/15/20 • 30 min

We take a look back at our reading life in 2020: our challenges, our wins, and of course, our favorite books. Highlights from the year:

Fiction: The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Non-fiction: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Boys and Sex by Peggy Orenstein, and Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story by Onnie Lee Logan as told to Katherine Clark

Most enjoyable: Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas on audio, One to Watch by Kate London-Stayman, and Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One’s Own, both by Evie Dunmore

Memoir: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig

Audio: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig

Read aloud: The Wild Robot and Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, The Vanderbeekers of 141st St by Karina Glaser, The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Looking forward to: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Life lately

Sarah shares a story of E’s glasses lost, then found.

Abby is in a Christmas crafting mood.

Reading lately

Sarah read Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford, which she found through the New York Times Best Books of 2020.

Abby loved escaping into the alternate reality of Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. Here’s the article that compares the book to reality.

Eating lately

Abby added corn pudding to her family’s Thanksgiving, but it was not a success.

Sarah is devouring spinach and artichoke dip as fast as she can make it.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at [email protected], or find us on Instagram

We take a look back at our reading life in 2020: our challenges, our wins, and of course, our favorite books. Highlights from the year:

Fiction: The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Non-fiction: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Boys and Sex by Peggy Orenstein, and Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story by Onnie Lee Logan as told to Katherine Clark

Most enjoyable: Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas on audio, One to Watch by Kate London-Stayman, and Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One’s Own, both by Evie Dunmore

Memoir: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig

Audio: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig

Looking forward to: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Life lately

Sarah shares a story of E’s glasses lost, then found.

Abby is in a Christmas crafting mood.

Reading lately

Sarah read Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford, which she found through the New York Times Best Books of 2020.

Abby loved escaping into the alternate reality of Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. Here’s the article that compares the book to reality.

Eating lately

Abby added corn pudding to her family’s Thanksgiving, but it was not a success.

Sarah is devouring spinach and artichoke dip as fast as she can make it.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at [email protected], or find us on Instagram

Previous Episode

Our 100th episode + listener q&a

Celebrating 100 episodes + listen q&a

We reflect on the last four years of making the podcast, then answer listener questions. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions! We cover everything from how we knew our families were complete to whether we have a personal theme song. Listeners, we are so grateful to have you with us on this podcasting journey. Here's to the next hundred episodes!

Life lately

Abby gives a chick update.

Sarah's family has started having weekly family meetings.

Reading lately

Abby is listening to (and loving) Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Wisdom of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, while Sarah finished Unfollow: A Journey From Hatred to Hope by Megan Phelps-Roper.

Eating lately

Sarah made Swedish meatballs for the first time and Abby made Apple Dapple Cake (recipe below).

3 c. chopped apples, set aside

Combine:

1 1/2 sticks melted butter
1/2 c. apple sauce
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar

Then stir together dry ingredients:

3 c. flour (unbleached)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add dry to wet ingredients.

Stir in apples.

Bake in bundt or tube pan for 45-60 ish minutes at 350.

During the last few minutes of baking, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar with 1/4 c. butter and 2 T. milk in saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook 2 minutes.

As soon as cake comes out of oven, poke holes in top and then pour topping over. Let cool in pan before inverting.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at [email protected], or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

New year's intentions, 2021

New year's intentions, 2021

We reflect on the year that was, set intentions for 2021, and share some of our favorites from 2020. Links we mentioned:

Last year's intentions episode and our mid-year check-in
Schitt's Creek
The Good Place
Merge Dragons

Life lately

Abby's building a chicken coop.

Sarah has abandoned one holiday tradition and remembered how much she loves another.

Reading lately

Abby listened to The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue and Sarah read the Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Eating lately

Sarah made an alfredo sauce that didn't break apart and Abby enjoyed Budget Bytes' Dal Nirvana.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at [email protected], or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.