Hello everyone! I know I’ve been MIA recently, but it’s because I started a new job and took over the theatre department at a local school. After putting on a successful production I am happy to have more time and write for you! I wrote this post back in December and I know it’s a few months late, but I still wanted to share it with you because it made me happy! 🙂 I’m sharing all of the books I read in 2020! I ended up reading 38 books, so I won’t be writing in-depth about every single book. Below are my favorites, least favorites, and my best reads of the year! I hope you enjoy reading about my 2020 reads! 🙂
The Start of the Year
My first read of the year was The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Following the life of Leni, her mother, Cora, and her impulsive father, Ernt during the 1970s. Ernt comes home a changed man after the Vietnam War. Then after losing his job and temper, he makes a rash decision to move his family to Alaska. Living off the grid in Alaska seems like the right fit for them until Wintertime. They find themselves underprepared and soon Leni and Cora understand that the perils of Alaska are nothing compared to what happens inside their small cabin. A must-read if you have ever wondered what life in the backcountry of Alaska would be like. I could not put this book down, it pulled me in and left me gasping and guessing after every chapter! This was by far my favorite read of 2020!
I also read The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon during the month of January. February brought along The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, which is quite an intriguing read about living life as a lighthouse keeper. I watched the movie shortly after and I found it hard to stay focused on, but I did really enjoy the book.
Then came March, the start of the stay-at-home order in my state. I thought I would read more, but found myself binging The Tiger King documentary and Community with my boyfriend. However, I did end up reading Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus, Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, and Again, but Better by Christine Riccio. Again, but Better was a phenomenal book! Check out one of my past Renée’s Reads post to read all about the book and my thoughts about it. April was the beginning of my first re-read of the year, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Gracia and Margaret Stohl. A magical book filled with Casters, southern charm, and forbidden love. There are four books in the series and I decided to re-read them all because I never actually finished the last book when I first read the series.
Reading at my Summer Job
My 2020 reads continued during the summer where I worked as a Lake Host. Depending on the day or the week I could spend most of my shift reading. So here comes my long summer list of books. 🙂 May was filled by continuing the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Gracia and Margaret Stohl with Beautiful Darkness and Beautiful Chaos. Followed by finishing up the series in June with Beautiful Redemption. After finally being able to finish the series I think the first book was my favorite because of the character building and the storyline!
I read quite a few more books that month such as A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris. Both books by Heather Morris are such powerful reads, but I recommend not reading them back to back as it took away from the powerfulness of each story. Make sure to look out for another Renée’s Reads about these books. I also read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley, and Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan.
July brought Wild by Cheryl Strayed, one of my favorite books of all time. This followed by a new favorite All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I highly recommend this historical fiction read about two lives intertwining during World War 2. Check out this past Renée’s Reads post to read all about Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, another one of my favorite reads of 2020 and my August read!
It wasn’t until I wrote out and organized the list of books that I read that I realized September was the month that I read the most! Starting with Normal People by Sally Rooney, quite the read about the rawness of a relationship and the show on Hulu (not sponsored) did a fantastic job with the storyline. I continued with Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
If you have never read any books by Mitch Albom, you should read The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, my next books that I read in one shift at work. I was so happy that I received the sequel for my birthday because I didn’t know that it existed. It was such a great continuation of the original story. The last two books of the month were The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand. Both beautifully written stories and quick reads, in my opinion.
The Last Months of my 2020 Reads
My favorite time of the year, Fall, is actually when I read a few of my least favorite books, but before those, I read Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. A super interesting read about “the perfect neighborhood” and what happens if you don’t quite fit into the mold. Then I read The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace a set of poems that were very good, but I couldn’t relate to them. My next read of 2020 was Asylum by Madeleine Roux. I read this book awhile back but didn’t really remember it, and since it was Halloween time I thought it would be a good spooky read. I did enjoy it, but I finished the series in November and didn’t really enjoy the two other books in the series, called Sanctum and Catacomb. I’m glad I finally read them, but I would only read Asylum again.
Although I read two books I didn’t enjoy in November I also read a new favorite, The Sun and her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. A wonderfully written poetry book that I found myself writing and marking the pages with notes and drawings. I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling and needs to read something to know you’re not alone.
The last month of the year brought Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland and Lovely War by Julie Berry, another phenomenal book! Set during World War 1 and all told by the Greek goddess Aphrodite, two romances intertwine during the harsh reality of war and longing. At this point, I didn’t know what I wanted to read next. I stared at my books before deciding to re-read an interesting book called We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach. All about what life would be like if an asteroid was hurtling towards Earth. I did enjoy it but found it hard to relate to the characters. My last read of the year was The Assistants by Camille Perri. A modern take on the 9 to 5 work life, but with student debt and rich bosses that keep getting richer. It’s quite intriguing reading about what you could do with a little money, some scheming, and some steps in the wrong direction that end up doing some good.
Those were my 2020 reads, a few months late, but I hope one of these books will find its way to your bookshelf! (Hint, hint: The Great Alone and Lovely War) Thank you all for your continued support and patience as I navigate a new schedule! Follow me over on my Instagram page @aneclecticplace to stay updated about what’s going on with the blog! I hope everyone is having a healthy start to the new year and enjoying the spring sunshine!
Take care and stay safe,
Renée