Happy New Year! I don’t think the world has ever been happier to see a change in the number on the calendar. Unfortunately, things are pretty much the same around here. Hopefully you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year celebration and are ready to take on 2021 whatever it may bring us.
I didn’t feel a whole lot of pressure this year to set grand new year’s resolutions or goals. I decided I had endured enough disappointment in 2020, so I was going to take the pressure off and just take 2021 day by day. I did (and always do) aspire to read more books than I did the previous year, so that may be my only resolution at the start of 2021: Read more books. Last year I read 39 books, which pales in comparison to my friend, Lauren, who read over 200! Wowza! About 1/3 of the 39 were audiobooks, but that still counts as reading to me. I was just as engaged, if not more so than the books I read from the page.
I’ll leave you the whole list of books I read, but we’ll start with my top 5.
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
You may remember Jojo Moyes for her outstanding novel, Me Before You, but this tale of the Packhorse Library in the hills of Kentucky is one of the most profound and fascinating books I’ve ever read. Jojo is an excellent storyteller that sucks you in right from the start and develops characters that you care deeply about by the end of the story. 5 star read for me.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Our book club wanted a romantic read for the month of February and Vanessa hit us with this one that will go down as one of my favorite books of all time. I can’t believe I’d never heard of or read Redeeming Love. Looking at the cover doesn’t really do it for me, so I definitely understand why I might have seen it and passed right over it. If you’re ever in a position to read this, DO IT! It is the most beautiful retelling of the book of Hosea (you know, from the Bible). Please add this to your TBR stack. Another 5 star read for me. I almost forgot! It’s going to a movie out this year! Seriously, read it first.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I grabbed this book on a whim off of someone and could not put it down. It’s written completely as correspondence among members of a small island town and a woman. If you’ve seen the movie, please do not base your assessment of this story from that. They changed so much, and it didn’t do it justice. I actually was upset that I watched the movie after I read and fell in love with the book. Because the book is written through letters, you’ll fly through it. It’s a tale of love and friendship and kindness, and I think everyone should read it. 5 bright stars.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchet
The Dutch House was a book I decided to try out after seeing that the audiobook was narrated by none other than Tom Hanks. He’s got a pretty iconic voice, and who could forget the wonderful voiceovers he does in You’ve Got Mail? But it turns out the book, because of the story-not because of Tom Hanks- ended up being one of my favorite reads of the year. I love a good family drama and bonus points if it’s a dysfunctional family. This one was, and it was so lovely. I love reading about flawed people, probably because all people are flawed when we strip away the pretense. It’s one of the most real-life stories I read this year, and I couldn’t recommend it more. Definitely do the audio version just so you can hear Mr. Hanks read to you. It’s a delight to your ears. If audio isn’t you thing, it just released this month in paperback! 5 stars.
Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore
Perhaps Valentine is the heaviest book I read this year, and nothing exciting happens really. It’s just one of those books that leaves you thinking and leaves a lasting impression on you. Valentine opens with a scene in which a girl has just suffered a sexual assault if that’s any indication on how heavy it is. But hear me out- the characters are so wonderfully developed, and you get completely lost in their world. It was a book club book that wasn’t loved by most of the group, but I do love it. The writing is beautiful, and I hope that more people read this one. Elizabeth Wetmore is a standout talent. 5 star read.
Honorable Mention
If you’ll allow me, I’d like to add two honorable mention books for 2020. They were standouts, but the others beat them when it came down to rating the books. Untamed by Glennon Doyle may have gone against some of the fundamental things that I believe in, but my goodness, what a fresh perspective on what it’s like being a woman. Wonderful book. The other was Open Book by Jessica Simpson. I loved her and her music so much growing up. Who knew how much she had endured? This felt very much like reading a juicy gossip magazine (hello, John Mayer chapters), but it was surprisingly heartfelt and got very deep at times. I couldn’t put it down!
Untamed 4.5 stars
Open Book 4.5 stars
Other Books I Read in 2020
The Tattooist of Auschwitz- Heather Morris 3.5 stars
Cilka’s Journey- Heather Morris 3.5 stars
Hillbilly Elegy- J. D. Vance 4 stars
Into the Water- Paula Hawkins 3 stars
The Guest List- Lucy Foley 4 stars
The Last House Guest- Megan Miranda 3 stars
The Silent Patient- Alex Michaelides 4.5 stars
The Wives- Tarryn Fisher 4.5 stars
The Woman in the Window- A. J. Finn 3 stars
We Were Liars- E. Lockhart 4 stars
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- Stuart Turton 1 star (hated this one)
The Royal We- Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan 4.5 stars
The Heir Affair- Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan 4 stars
Still Me- Jojo Moyes 4 stars
One in a Million- Lindsey Kelk 3 stars
One Day in December- Josie Silver 3.5 stars
American Royals- Katharine McGee 4.5 stars
Majesty (American Royals II)- Katharine McGee 4 stars
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe- Heather Webber 3.5 stars
The Secret to Southern Charm- Kristy Woodson Harvey 3 stars
The Last Train to Key West- Chanel Cleeton 3.5 stars
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali 4 stars
What Alice Forgot- Liane Moriarty 4 stars
Talking as Fast as I Can- Lauren Graham 1 star
Mr. Popper’s Penguins- Richard and Florence Atwater 3 stars
Harriet the Spy- Louise Fitzhugh 4.5 stars
Frindle- Andrew Clements 4 stars
Freckle Juice- Judy Blume 3 stars
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone- J. K. Rowling 5 stars (always)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J. K. Rowling 4 stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J. K. Rowling 4 stars
There you have it, a year’s worth of reading. Did your list overlap with any of mine? My goal for 2021 is to read at least 40 books this year. That will allow me to reach my goal of reading more books than the year before. Tell me your favorite book of 2020 in the comments.
