Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort on 4,000 acres in the mountains of Baja, California, just 45 minutes from San Diego.

Family owned and operated since 1940, Rancho La Pueerta offers adult summer camp-like vacations for anyone who enjoys hiking, mindfulness, and fitness classes.

Special rates and offers are available for summer stays and first-time guests.

Learn more at Rancho LaPuerta.com.

Greetings, boomtown.

The Xfinity Wi-Fi is booming!

Xfinity combines the power of internet and mobile.

So we've all got lightning fast speeds at home and on the go.

Learn more at Xfinity.com. Restrictions apply. Xfinity internet required. Actual speeds vary. From KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, this is Michael Krasti.

With everyone spending more time at home this year, many have turned to books for comfort,

stimulation, or just to pass the time.

Coming up on forum, New York Times Book review editor Pamela Paul will join us to share

her best books of 2020 and we'll hear from some local writers to get their recommendations. And we want

to hear from you. What's the best book you read this year? You can give us a call now at 866-736-7-86.

That's 866-733-6786 or get in touch on Twitter and Facebook or at KQED

forum or email, forum at kQED.org. Welcome to Forum. I'm Michael Krasny. As the winter solstice approaches, nights grow long, and you're stuck at home because of the pandemic, and it's a good time to curl up with a book. New York Times book review editor Pamela Paul joins us this hour to share her

favorite books of 2020 and later in the hour we'll hear from some local authors to get their

picks and open the phone lines for listener recommendations for a great read. And as usual,

we will try to post all of these recommendations on our website so that you can avail yourself of

them and let me welcome Pamela Paul. Good morning. Good morning. Thanks for having me.

Glad to have you. And I guess the place I'd like to begin with you is, well, a sort of paradigm

for many people in terms of choosing a book. They often look at the bestseller lists.

...