Need a new book? Here's a roundup of what I read and liked in 2020.

If ever there was a year to get lost in a good book, it was in 2020. I've never been eager to escape into a story as much as I have every night before bed this year .

So if you're looking for something new to read this holiday season, or the year ahead, here's my annual roundup of the books I've read and loved this year. Some of them are new, some are not. Hope this gives you some new ideas!

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Books I liked in 2020

Half gone: a novel

What happens when a fair-skinned black woman decides to secretly pass herself off as white in the southern 1950s? I loved this story that spans decades. From Amazon: From New York Times bestselling author The Mothers, a mind-boggling new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one black. other white.

Maybe you should talk to someone

I loved this inner look into the life of a therapist as she explores her clients' issues and hers. From Amazon: From bestselling author, psychotherapist and national columnist for the New York Times, a hilarious, thought-provoking and surprising new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world - where her patients seek answers (and she as well).

Such a fun age

This book is centered on a blank "influencer" and the young black woman who takes care of her children - and what happens when the nanny is accused of kidnapping the children when she takes them to the store one evening. It's full of tough questions about race and class. From Amazon: With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a fun age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means "family," and the complicated reality of being an adult. It is a dazzling start for our time.

It's always like that: a novel

I'm halfway through this book but I don't want to let it go. The story is inspired by the author's child, who was born a boy but identifies as a girl. From Amazon: it's Claude. He is five, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also likes to wear a dress and dreams of being a princess. When he grows up, says Claude, he wants to be a girl. Rosie and Penn want Claude to be who Claude wants to be. They just aren't sure they're ready to share this with the world. Soon, the whole family keeps Claude's secret. Until the day it explodes.

Big Summer: a novel

I read everything Jennifer Weiner writes, and this mystery was a fun escape. From Amazon: A delightfully funny, remarkably poignant, and simply unmistakable, novel about the power of friendship, the lure of enemies, and the importance of making peace with yourself through the ups and downs of life. .

Park Avenue summer

While this is fiction, there are a lot of anecdotes and real-life details about Helen Gurley Brown's debut in Cosmo. From Amazon: New York City is full of opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to pursue her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job for the first editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown.

The guest list: a novel

If you're a fan of the deliciously unsettling mysteries of Ruth Ware, you'll love this one, too. From Amazon: A Wedding Celebration turns dark and deadly in this delightfully wicked, atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie.

The henna artist: a novel

I loved getting lost in this story of a henna artist (with a secret) sought after by rich (and talkative) women in her community. From Amazon: Vivid and compelling in portraying a woman's struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door to a world that is both lush and fascinating, austere and cruel.

I loved my life

In this book, a family struggles to understand the suicide of a mother. It's told from the mother's perspective after her death, as she watches her husband and daughter try to move on. From Amazon: called "wonderful" and "absolutely stunning," this beginning asks: what happens when a mother's death leaves her husband and daughter wondering why they thought everything was okay when it wasn't?

The Dutch house: a novel

When a wealthy brother and sister lose their father and are chased away by their stepmother, they try to make a living - but continue to step back into the past and back to their childhood home. If you'd rather listen to books, this one is read by Tom Hanks! From Amazon: Ann Patchett, # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, delivers his most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the home of their childhood and a past that will never let go.

Recipe for a perfect wife: a novel

This story is told by both a modern bride and a 1950s housewife as they both try to find their place in the world and in their marriages. From Amazon: In this intriguing double-narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in the hidden notes left by the former owner of her house, a quintessential 1950s housewife. Discovering remarkable parallels between This woman's life and his own, it causes her to question the basis of her own relationship with her husband - and what it means to be a woman fighting for her place in a patriarchal society.

Nothing to see here

A completely original and unexpected story - and you end up falling in love with the very quirky characters. From Amazon: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Fang family, a touching and tumultuous novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins to care for two children with remarkable ability.

Rodham: a novel

This is a novel about what Hillary's life might have taken had she said "no" at Bill's suggestion. I am a huge Curtis Sittenfeld fan and loved this smart "What if?" story. From Amazon: In Curtis Sittenfeld's mightily imagined fictional tour de force, Hillary takes a different route. Sensing doubt about the potential marriage, she endures their devastating breakup and leaves Arkansas. Over the next four decades, she forged her own path - a track that unfolds in both public and private, which involves crossing paths again (and again) with Bill Clinton, who raises questions about the trade-offs we all owe. do to build a life.

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tera set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting kcal or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious

Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet saine overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad ( full of different color vegetables ) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more saine choices to your diet.

Small Changes Matter. Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a saine diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Drink Water. Consider water as one of the central components to your diet. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.

People often think of saine eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any saine diet is moderation. Despite what certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.

Try not to think of certain foods as “off-limits. ” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.

Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in brasseries. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small. Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards. A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a CD case.

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating vêtements can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model saine eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.

Chew slowly. Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes, savoring every biroute. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.

Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A saine breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, saine meals throughout the day ( rather than the standard three grande meals ) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal—the brighter the better. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.

Greens. Branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options—all packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Sweet vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables—such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions, and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets.

Fruit. Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases. And while advertisements abound for supplements promising to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables in pill or powder form, research suggests that it’s just not the same.

A daily regimen of nutritional supplements is not going to have the same effet of eating right. That’s because the benefits of fruits and vegetables don’t come from a solo vitamin or an isolated antioxidant.

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables come from numerous vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals sérieux together synergistically. They can’t be broken down into the sum of their parts or replicated in pill form.

Choose saine carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for long lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole céréales are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.

Healthy carbs ( sometimes known as good carbs ) include whole céréales, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels ne change pas.

Unhealthy carbs ( or bad carbs ) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar, and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.

Include a variety of whole grains in your healthy diet, including whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and barley. Experiment with different céréales to find your préférés.

Make sure you’re really getting whole céréales. Be aware that the words stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran can be deceptive. Look for the words “whole grain” or “100% whole wheat” at the beginning of the ingredient list. In the U. S., check for the Whole Grain Stamps that distinguish between partial whole grain and cent pour cent whole grain.

Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to whole grains. If whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat pasta don’t sound good at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the whole céréales. You can gradually increase the whole grain to 100%.

Avoid refined foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.

Good sources of saine fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart, and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails. Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood, and help prevent dementia.

Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts ( like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans ), and seeds ( such as pumpkin, sesame ). Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues, and organs. A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce force mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.

Try different variétés of protein. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu, and soy products—will open up new options for saine mealtimes. Beans : Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good alternatives. Nuts : Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are great choices. Soy products : Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and veggie burgers for a change.

Downsize your portions of protein. Many people in the West eat too much protein. Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole céréales, and vegetables. Focus on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs, beans, or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics.

Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and saine. It is an essential building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, as well as many other important functions. You and your bones will benefit from eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, limiting foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and getting your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its travail. Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Take a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you don’t get enough of these nutrients from your diet.

Dairy : Dairy products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by the body. Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese. Vegetables and greens : Many vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are rich sources of calcium. Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms. Beans : For another rich source of calcium, try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.

If you succeed in planning your diet around fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get in the way of your saine diet—sugar and salt.

Sugar causes energy ups and downs and can add to health and weight problems. Unfortunately, reducing the amount of candy, cakes, and encas we eat is only part of the solution. Often you may not even be aware of the amount of sugar you’re consuming each day. Large amounts of added sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. Here are some tips : Avoid sugary drinks. One 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the daily recommended limit ! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice. Eat naturally sweet food such as fruit, peppers, or natural peanut butter to satisfy your sweet tooth.

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