In 2020 I read 127 books. My original goal was to read 100 books. Once I did that I raised my goal to 150 books. Then there was an election, and then another election, so that didn’t happen, but I’m still so proud of all I accomplished.
Would I do it again? No. I read so many incredible, life-giving books. I met a lot of lovely new friends through Bookstagram. And I developed some very cool relationships with authors and publishers. But the goals and the reading frenzy turned my favorite hobby into a chore. That said, I probably read more “OMG I must tell everyone about this!!!” books than ever before. Here are a few that I’m still thinking about.
Top 10 Favorite Books of 2020
Presented in no particular order, these are the 10 books, across genre, that I enjoyed the most in 2020. They weren’t all published in 2020, but they’re all books I read for the first time in 2020. You can find reviews for all of these in my monthly. reading wrap-ups.
— The Vanishing Half (historical fiction that’s currently being turned into an HBO mini-series!)
— Group (non-fiction about one woman’s experience with group therapy)
— The House in the Cerulean Sea (fantasy that will break your heart wide open, recommended even for readers who hate fantasy)
— Open Book (Jessica Simpson’s memoir – great on audiobook or in written form!)
— Endurance (Astronaut Scott Kelly’s memoir about his year living in space and the path that led him there)
— One to Watch (contemporary fiction that’s a lightly fictionalized take on what a season of The Bachelorette might look like with a plus-sized lead)
— Becoming (Michelle Obama’s memoir – watching the Netflix special is no substitute for reading the book!)
— Lovely War (historical fiction meets fantasy, unlike any other historical fiction you’ve ever read)
— Promise Me, Dad (Joe Biden’s memoir that covers the last year of his son Beau’s life and his journey through grief)
Other Favorite 2020 Books
It was really hard to narrow it down to just a top ten, though. Here are a handful of others that I’m still thinking about!
And as y’all know, I’m a serial re-reader. These are a few old favorites that I revisited in 2020 that definitely stand up to the test of time.
2021 Reading Goals
So where does that leave me going into 2021? Well at this point I haven’t read anything in about six weeks so I need to start by getting back in the habit of reaching for a book when I have free time. I think I’ll ease back in by re-reading some old favorites. I also have some ARCs I need to catch up on from publishers.
As for a 2021 reading goal, I’m keeping it super low and manageable – if I read one book a week in 2021 I’ll be a happy camper.
What are your reading goals for 2021? Anything you read in 2020 and loved that I haven’t mentioned here?
[…] House in the Cerulean Sea (full review here) was hands down one of my favorite books of 2020. If 2021 has hit you hard, read this book to pick you up and restore your faith in humanity. (And […]