The Best Books I Read in 2020...

There's certainly no denying that 2020 was a year unlike any other. So much has been said already and now that it's passed us by (good riddance), I don't want to dwell on it for much longer. I will say, however, that the craziness of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc with my sleep patterns so I spent a lot of extra time reading over the last 10 months.

I've done so much reading that in 2020 I read an unbelievable 306 books. Yes, that's insane. Yes, I read quickly. But I also don't watch television much and don't have kids so in a time period when we're pretty much tethered to the house, reading has been my prinary source of relaxation, decompression, and entertainment—and at times it also helped transport me away from a time of fear, political upheaval, grief, and anger.

Each year I choose the best books I've read. It's always difficult to narrow things down, but to whittle down a list of 306 books was even more challenging. Being the indecisive person I am I narrowed my list to 40 books. I've identified a top 11 (two books from one series) and then a top 27 (again, in two cases there were books from two series), and then an additional 13 books which are definitely worthy of mention. The title of each book is linked to my original review.

The Top 11

1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: A gorgeous book about our tendency to fear what we don’t understand, the magic love can do, and the different meanings of family.

2. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab: Such a beautiful story—emotional, fantastical, gorgeous, and thought-provoking. What does a life consist of? Does a successful life mean being remembered? What is the price for happiness?

3. The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels: A beautifully written, emotional book, perfectly capturing the struggles so many people with AIDS had to deal with, especially in the 80s.

4. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: Sometimes the only way to leaarn is to live. Moving and thought-provoking.

5. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emeze: A gorgeously written story of identity, sexuality, love, grief, friendship, and the need to live the life you want, even in a country where doing so might be deadly.

6. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré: This was brutal and emotional and utterly beautiful, but the main character’s spirit is a shining light. She is honestly one of the most memorable characters I’ve ever read about.

7. Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins, translated by Larissa Helena: From its dedication, which read, “For anyone who has ever gotten into a pool with their shirt on,” I knew this book was for me. I haven't found a book that spoke to me so directly in a while.

8-9. Wild at Heart and Forever Wild by K.A. Tucker: The second and third books in a fantastic series about a Canadian girl who falls in love with a gruff Alaskan pilot and moves there to be with him. (The first book, The Simple Wild, was one of my favorite books of 2019.) These books are steamy, romantic, and so much fun.

10. Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin: Dark, violent, and utterly crazy. If the characters from Mean Girls and Heathers teamed up for a retelling of Macbeth set at a modern-day Catholic school for rich troublemakers, you'd have this book.

11. Beach Read by Emily Henry: This isn't just another rom-com. It’s fun and sweet and sexy and romantic, populated by fascinating supporting characters, and it’s also surprisingly poignant and thought-provoking.



Top 27

12. Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski: A gorgeous story about love, longing, sacrifice, and secrets. Lyrical and powerfully emotional, this quiet book packs a punch. "...people can't always give us what we want from them; that you can't ask them to love you the way you want."

13. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy: Haunting, poignant, and thought-provoking. It’s also a commentary on the risks we face as a world given the way our environment is being abused. It will stick with you for a long while.

14. Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker: If you’re looking for a good, slightly creepy thriller, grab this one! Walker writes great thrillers, and this is one of her best.

15. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta: A salute to finding and loving yourself, this is an incredible, emotional, powerful book. It's empowering and ultimately joyful, a gorgeous book about race and pride.

16. 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand: This was inspired by the classic movie Same Time, Next Year, and it's a powerful testament to love, friendship, family, parenthood, and the magic of romance. It made me laugh, it made me hungry (they're always eating, it seemed), it made me long to visit Nantucket, and, of course, it made me cry.

17. Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby: Now HERE’S an excellent crime novel/thriller for you. n addition to some pulse-pounding chases and action scenes, this book explores the idea of whether a life of crime is somehow hard-wired in our genes, or if it’s just a life some are backed into.

18. The Bright Lands by John Fram: If Stephen King and John Boyne were to have a literary baby, it might resemble John Fram’s debut novel. But to try and compare it to something else does it an injustice—this is part mystery, part allegory, part social commentary, and part horror novel, with emotional heft to boot.

19. The Holdout by Graham Moore: A pretty great legal thriller, one which I could totally see becoming a movie. (Given that the author is an Oscar-winning screenwriter, that's not a far-fetched idea, but Moore did a good job giving his characters depth as much as he crafted suspense. No objections! (Dad joke.)

20-21. Check, Please! Book 1: Hockey and Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu: This graphic novel series was amazing! It was full of fun, emotion, hockey, friendship, love, and baking, plus the struggles of self-acceptance and worrying what others think of you. All the feels.

22. All of My Friends Are Rich by Michael Sarais: Emotionally searing, thought-provoking, even a little bit sexy. This was a powerful read about one man’s struggle with mental illness, financial anxiety, and happiness.

23. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez: Don't discount these books simply as "chick lit"; these are well-written books which make fantastic reads. This book made me laugh, made me smile, and, I'll admit, made me cry in my office when I was finishing the book during my lunch. (Remember what it was like to eat lunch in your office?)

24-25. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson: Two books featuring the crime-solving skills of a student who believes the murder of a missing girl in her town wasn't as cut-and-dried as the police think, and a follow-up where she investigates another local disappearance. So good!

26. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver: Gotta love a book that has you sobbing in the wee hours of the morning!! When a woman loses her fiancé tragically, she finds a world where he is still alive, and there, her life goes on without that fatal night. But she ultimately must choose which life to live.

27. Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover: This is a story of strength and vulnerability, courage and fear, and powerful, powerful love. I read this book in one sitting and it grabbed hold of my heart and didn’t let go. I’m almost sorry I raced through it so quickly because I loved it so much.


Too Good Not to Miss

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano: Powerful, poignant, and beautiful. In less-skilled hands, this could be utterly maudlin and depressing, but instead it was as compelling as it was moving.

Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America by Hilary Levey Friedman: Traces the origins of the beauty pageant from its earliest days to the programs pageant fans know and love. It's a fascinating look at the mindset and the condition of the world when these pageants were created, and juxtaposing their initial purpose with where many stand today.

You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn: Be still my music- and drama-loving heart! This book was melodramatic and soapy without being ridiculous, predictable without being frustrating. Romance, drama, and country music—can you ask for anything more?

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: Exactly what you’d expect a memoir from Matthew McConaughey to be like, and that’s pretty great. This is at turns funny, blunt, insightful, emotional, and even so outrageous you wonder if he’s being completely truthful (although it wouldn’t surprise you if he is).

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel: Full of twists and turns, emotion, and evocative imagery. I devoured this book and actually wished it was longer. It's certainly dark and sad, but it's a terrific thriller.

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune: A book that truly lives up to its name. A story about a high school student with a crush on a superhero who decides if he has any chance, he'll need to become a superhero himself. That’s a tall order for anyone, much less a teenager with ADHD and anxiety and an overprotective police officer father.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo: I absolutely DEVOURED this book. Suffice it to say it’s a little bit Dexter, a little bit How to Get Away with Murder, and a little bit Unbelievable, with twists all its own.

November 9 by Colleen Hoover: How much can your life be shaped by someone you’ve barely met? Will the feelings you have for one another intensify or die in the absence of regular contact? This book is romantic, tragic, frustrating, and beautiful.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London: A funny, sexy, emotional book that explores the idea of a popular plus-size fashion blogger becoming a contestant on a Bachelorette-like reality show.

Breathless by Jennifer Niven: An emotional and enjoyable story about love, trust, family, and friendship. I love the way Niven can wring emotion and beauty from simple stories. Her characters speak a little more eruditely than typical teenagers, but their behaviors are fairly genuine.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark: Hollywood, here’s the basis of your next thriller. Two women desperate for a new life meet in an airport and agree to switch flights. Then one flight goes down and one woman assumes the other's identity. A crazy story!

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith: This was an intense, beautiful, moving book. It's a story of grief, anger, hope, recovery, and secrets, and how sometimes the right person comes along at the moment we need them most.

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein: I honestly never knew I was missing a gymnastics-related love story until I found this book. It hooked me from the very first word. I also really loved the way Orenstein meshed some serious subjects with the lightness of a rom-com.