2020 in Books!

 This year was one for the books (ha!) and I laughed, cried, and enjoyed my way through 66 books this year. Choosing my top picks was really difficult since there were so many excellent ones! Ok, before we dive in....here's my list of all my reads, then scroll down for some commentary and my faves!!

hello 2020. 

1. The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg

2. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

3. *Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

4. Over the Top by Jonathan VanNess

5. *Teach Like Finland by Timothy D. Walker

6. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

7. *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

9. *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

10. Finding Chika by Mitch Albom

11. The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James

12. *Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

13. The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters

14. *Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

15. *True Crime Addict by James Renner

16. The Ingredients of Us by Jennifer Gold

17. You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

18. Rushing Woman's Syndrome by Libby Weaver 

19. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

20. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

21. *On the Bright Side by Melanie Shankle

22. *One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

23. The First Time by Colton Underwood

24. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 

25. *Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

26. *The Paris Hours by Alex George

27. The St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets by Annie England Noblin

28. *The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup

29. Girl Logic by Iliza Schlsinger

30. *Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling

31. *Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crossley

32. *Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin

33. The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren

34. Ghoster by Jason Arnopp

35. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

36. *One to Watch by Kate Stoyman-London

37. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling

38. One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

39. *Stand All The Way Up by Sophie Hudson

40. *The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin

41. Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

42. *A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

43. The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton

44. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman 

45. *The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

46. *An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

47. Open Book by Jessica Simpson

48. That's My Son by Rick Johnson

49. Hungry Heart by Jennidfer Weiner

50. *The Night Swim by Megan Goldin 

51. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

52. *27 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

53. *The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

54. Beach Read by Emily Henry 

55. The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

56. *Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

57. The United States of Anxiety by Jen Lancaster

58. *Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

59. *Always the Last to Know by Kristen Higgins

60. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

61. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump

62. The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

63. *Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam 

64. *This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

65. The Secret Place by Tana French

66. *Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld 

Ok, let's chat! In list form! 

Here are the Non-Fiction books I read:

Over The Top, Teach Like Finland (loved it!), Finding Chica, True Crime Addict (so good!), Rushing Woman's Syndrome (so glad I bought it to reference in the future), On The Bright Side, The First Time (Bachelor Colton, this book was eyeroll inducing), Girl Logic, Stand All The Way Up, Here For It, Open Book, That's My Son (a Christian parenting book that was super cringey and sexist to me), Hungry Heart, The Lazy Genius Way (such a fun, practical read), The United States of Anxiety, Too Much and Never Enough. 

Easy Breezy Chick Lit: The Confession Club, The Ingredients of Us, The St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, Happy and You Know It, The Honey Don't List, One to Watch, The Hideaway, Evvie Drake Starts Over, Always the Last to Know, This Time Next Year 

Tear Jerkers: Finding Chika, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, The Paris Hours, A Good Neighborhood, An American Marriage, Anxious People

My Least Favorites: The 7 and Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Secret Place, Beach Read, That's My Son, One of Us is Next, All The Missing Girls, The Homecoming of Samuel Lake

Honorable Mentions: Rodham, Look Alive Out There, A Good Neighborhood, One to Watch, True Crime Addict, Such a Fun Age 

My TOP 5!!!!! These are in no particular order....I just couldn't choose! 

1. Leave The World Behind: This book is in a word: Raw. It's jarring, creepy, unsettling, but also suspenseful and it elicits reader empathy as you walk through this unknown scary journey with the main characters. This is the opposite of an easy breezy read. I read this book in a matter of days and it left me breathless when it was finished. You'll never look at flamingos the same way again (I mean, doesn't that fact alone make you want to read?!). This book is not for everyone (don't at me if you hate it, you've been warned!) but it was a rollercoaster experience, and for that, it has earned it's place in my top 5! 

2. An American Marriage: I stayed up so late devouring this book. This is not a happy read, but it's thoughtful, deep, and the commentary on racism, privilege and our unjust justice system made this book confront beliefs I had. I loved the letters back and forth from the main characters. This book fits its title perfectly: What does it mean to be married in America? What do vows mean when they're tested? What happens when you're hurt by the systems ser it in place to protect you? I really enjoyed this book. I thought as I was reading that it might be in my Top 5 (I read it this summer), and it has remained in that spot. It's excellent. 

3. The Harry Potter series: Listen. I'm typing this out sipping my coffee from a Harry Potter mug. I mean, is there a more ringing endorsement from me than that? These books debuted when I was young and I honestly never picked one up. It just didn't seem like my jam, and I'm still not into fantasy reads. But I can't deny the magic of this series. I have never read books that transported me so fully into a another realm. Reading this entire series and watching the movies was my 2020 resolution. Hogwarts is a delight (except when, you know, Dementors hang out there), the Professors' different styles kept me on my toes, and the friendship. THIS is the heart of the series in my opinion. Ron, Hermione, and Harry rely one one another as they navigate adolescene while defeating evil (as you do, right?!). I'm so glad I read this series. I think I missed the train (Hogwarts Express?) on becoming a full blown Potter-head, but I feel like I've been fully baptized into pop culture now. I listened to the first 3 books on audio and that was a great way to dive into this world. I also cheated a bit by combining the whole series into my top 5, but my fave 2 were Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of Phoenix. 

4. 28 Summers: This book is perfect. As soon as I finished, I remarked that this book would undoubtedly be in my top faves for the year. This book follows Mallory and Jake for decades as they live separate lives but get together every Labor Day weekend. I love a long time line and this one follows the characters for pretty much the entirety of their adult lives. The romance in this was chef's kiss, the cultural elements that are painted before each of their weekends together set the stage perfectly, and the setting of Nantucket had me googling vacations there as soon as I closed this book. This is classified in reviews as the "perfect beach read," and it is, but it's more heartfelt and sweeping than a typical beach read. 

5. The Lies That Bind: If part of what makes a book great is how quickly I devour it, then The Lies That Bind earns it spot on this list because I stayed up till 2 am to finish this book. I could not put it down. This book is a very complicated love story set up in New York leading up to, during, and immediately after 9/11. The mystery in this book kept me on my toes and I could NOT wait to read about how the story wrapped up. The characters in this book are deelpy flawed, but not so much that you're not invested in their fates (Emily Giffin is a pro at this). This Amazon review puts it perfectly:  The Lies That Bind is a mesmerizing and emotionally resonant exploration of the never-ending search for love and truth—in our relationships, our careers, and deep within our own hearts.

So there you have it, my top 5 reads of the year! I've always loved reading but this year in particular with so much time at home, it proved an especially meaningful hobby for me.

Whew! That's a wrap. May our 2021 reads be delightful, page-turning, thoughtful, and life affirming. I can't wait to crack open those pages and dive in! 

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie