The Best Books I Read in 2020

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and wishing you a very happy new year! Hoping that 2021 brings us some of the things that 2020 didn’t…and that some of the good that came out of 2020 carries into 2021 too.

I set a Goodreads goal of 220 books this year in 2020 and I’m not quite there yet, but I still have 2 1/2 days left in the year to finish up! LOL. Despite not yet meeting that rather lofty goal, I read SO MANY excellent books this year and connecting with a lot of amazing book friends primarily on Instagram. I’m delighted to share that I was *almost* able to narrow down my top reads to 10 books (with a few honourable mentions and a series included), haha. Linking up with Steph & Jana and the Show us Your Books crew to share my top books today!!!

(Oops. I wrote that paragraph, went to copy in my top 10 list and found a few I couldn’t leave off it so maybe there will be some extra honourable mentions LOL).

LOVELY WAR by Julie Berry is THE BOOK this year that is likely to stay with me for years to come. It is the book that surprised me the most this year. It is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to and it blew me away like a book hasn’t in years. As soon as I was finishing it, I texted Kristen to tell her this one will be close to Jane Austen’s books for a book I will love forever and always.
THE PENDERWICKS by Jeanne Birdsall is maybe the best thing to come out of 2020 for our family, in some ways. We began this delightful series in…April? when we were super locked down to our home and these characters brought us so much infinite joy, some tears, and a lot of laughs. The second book was so exceptional that I actually sat and read ahead and finished it myself late one night instead of waiting to read it aloud to my kids. Yes, these are middle grade and not for everyone but fans of classics like Little Women should absolutely give these books a try.
ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny, the most recent Gamache book (# 16) did not disappoint me in the least. The fact that it was set in Paris was so fun for a little change, and we got to spend significant time reading about Gamache’s immediate family in a way unprecedented in other books. I couldn’t put this one down.
ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman took me a little while to get into but by the end, I had laughed and cried and was absolutely entranced by his writing, just like I always am.
THE FORGOTTEN HOME CHILD by Genevieve Graham this is a last-minute addition to this list of favourites because I can’t stop thinking about this incredible Canadian historical fiction novel.
DEAR EMMIE BLUE by Lia Louis I went into this book with zero expectations and was sobbing 30 minutes into it. I can’t exactly explain the emotions I went through while reading this one but I absolutely loved it.
A COURT OF MIST AND FURY & A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas were both infinitely better than A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES which I liked but did not love a few years ago. I am an undeniable fan of this series and her writing now and cannot wait to devour the new addition in the new year.
BEACH READ by Emily Henry is another book that totally took me by surprise – I expected to love it but not as much as I did. It was deeper and more fleshed out than its title suggests.
THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig I adored this book even though it was at times, desperately sad. It was also exceptionally well written!
THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab the hype is pretty real for this book and I know a lot of people loved it as much as I did. I haven’t read anything as captivating as this one in a while.