In all the uncertainty and anxiety  of 2020, we continued to find sustenance, refuge, learning and enjoyment in books. On walls, they lent gravitas to Zoom calls, and contributed to year-end Christmas cheer as they danced into tree-like piles. But most of all, they lent warmth to the hands and delight to the eyes and mind, whether on the backlit screens of kindles or in varied font on creamy rag.

In this special episode of Reading for our Times, a few readers look back at their year in books—what they meant, what they gave, and why reading is for all time.

Here’s a list of books featured in the episode:

A Memory of Light (Book 11 in The Wheel of Time Series) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova

Home by Marilynne Robinson

Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth

A Beginner’s Guide to Japan by Pico Iyer

Vesper Flights by Helen McDonald

Farthest Field by Raghu Karnad

The Spirit of Indian Painting by B N Goswami

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

If you’re ever short of book recommendations, you may wish to check out Suroor Ali Khan’s blog, which has a wealth of reviews, posted weekly: Talking About Books