My Favorite Books of 2020

As many did throughout stay-at-home orders, I read and read and read.  As a mom of three children, I found escape and comfort in the pages of books each afternoon while Wilder napped, especially in the summer time when I wasn’t working.  In July alone, I read 9 books which was a huge number for me.  Once I started my new job, and the holidays set in, I honestly didn’t make much time for it and let it slide.  I’ve already cracked open my first book of the New Year, Daring Greatly, because I want to make sure I start out on the right foot.  Now that I work in a job surrounded by writers, I want to make sure I keep my own mind sharp and creative, and that I keep reaching to expand my vocabulary.  That being said, I did fairly well in 2020 and read 41 books and today I am going to share with you my favorites and then break them all down by category for you. And, of course, I’d love to hear from you- what was your favorite book of 2020? (I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission from purchases made through my links.)

My top 5 Books of 2020

This list is the only one that’s in order with my favorite book of the year first!

1. Untamed– by Glennon Doyle: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this book so quickly because it spoke right to my soul and I strongly desire to go back and reread it.  Glennon Doyle just has a way of saying it like it is and being completely relatable and inspiring at the same time.  I laughed, I cried.  You will walk away from this book wanting to live life on your terms, as you should.
2. The Stars Are Fire– by Anita Shreve: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book explores the things we do to survive, the strength of our will power, and again addresses living life on our own terms. That theme always hits me!
3. The Silent Patient– by Alex Michaelides: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you are looking for a dark thrilling novel, look no further!  This book is the page-turniest of page turners.
4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine– by Gail Honeyman: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This novel is a really mysterious yet heartfelt and sweet read, and I found quirky strange Eleanor Oliphant completely relatable and was rooting for her the whole way through.
5. The Book of Longings– Sue Monk Kidd: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved the premise of this book, which was told from the perspective of Jesus’ wife, if he’d had one.  She was fire, filled with her own ideas and longings, and I love the strength in women this novel demonstrates. It’s very much about listening to that inner voice and trusting it to guide your life. (What did I say- books about living life on your own terms were apparently my jam in 2020!

Personal/Business Development

Boy, was I strong into personal development in the beginning of the year. I thought it was going to be my year.  In retrospect, I think it absolutely was, just not at all  how I anticipated it to be. Additionally, there are a couple books about racism as I tried to educate myself on important societal issues and systemic racism.

1. Everything is Figureoutable– Marie Forleo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was the first book i read in 2020, and I loved it!  I have been a fan of Marie’s for a while. She’s relatable and real, and her words encourage and inspire.
2. Girlboss– by Sophia Amoruso: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I listened to this one on walks and runs in the beginning of the year.  Although it had been around for a while, I hadn’t read it.  I loved the author’s story of building her business, but I do not love the author.  I did find her gumption and creative businesses tactics inspiring.
3. Do It Scared– Ruth Soukup: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one had been recommended by several friends who are friends of the author, but I just didn’t love it. I found it a little hard to follow, and I also found the writing to be a little obnoxious at times.  She also has you go to her website to fill out some survey, and then you will be bombarded with emails. Not a fan.  Unsubscribe.
4. Crush It– by Gary Vaynerchuk: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2  This audiobook was read by the author, and Gary Vaynerchuk is one of those balls-to-the-wall go-get-em you-can-and-will-do-it types. If you need someone to kick you into gear, it’s worth a listen! It’s slightly outdated given that it talks a lot about social media, but still worth your time.
5. Crushing It– by Gary Vaynerchuk: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 I loved Crush It, and listened to Crushing It as a follow-up. This book is filled with success stories of  entrepreneurs who applied Gary’s methods.  I love a good entrepreneurial story, so I was there for it!
6. Now Discover Your Strengths– Don Clifton: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this one after I finished with B School as a sort of supplement. While some of it was very textbook boring, there was so much that I could apply to my own life, and I really started to learn to lean into my strengths rather than trying to make my weaknesses better. Doing that will only cause frustration.
7. Get Out of Your Own Way– by Dave Hollis: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Oooh, this one is a hard one for me right now. I was all in with the Hollis Co, a big fan of Rachel and Dave’s and stoked to read this book.  It was funny, inspiring, but not quite as good or relatable as Rachel’s books had been to me.  Just a few months after its release, they announced their divorce, and honestly, it’s been hard to take their words to heart anymore- not when so much of their business as built on their togetherness.
8. White Fragility– by Robin DiAngelo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this with a group, and the discussions were awesome, but I was not at all a fan of this author positioning herself as an expert on racism when she’s a privileged white woman. I thought perhaps it would resonate with me more because of that, but instead I found her a little obnoxious at times.
9. How to Be An Anti-Racist– by Ibram X. Kendi: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 The same group read this book, and I found this one much better at helping me understand systemic racism and what I can do to help break it down.
10. Hello, Fears– by Michelle Poler: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book was really sweet and cute, the author’s approach to overcoming fears was incredibly fun and each chapter had a little exercise to help the reader along.
11. Super Attractor– by Gabrielle Bernstein: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book had been recommended to me and I was so excited to read it!  It helped me work on my own manifestation skills; I loved it so much that I’ve loaned it out to a friend at the moment.
12. The Universe Has Your Back– by Gabrielle Bernstein: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book came before Super Attractor, but I wanted to read it after that, and I am so glad I did!  This one definitely helped me explore all of the ways that the universe truly wants the best for each of us. I really enjoy Gabbi Bernstein.

Biography/Other Non-fiction

I am so interested in people’s life stories, so a good auto-biography always intrigues me.

1. Untamed– by Glennon Doyle: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this book so quickly because it spoke right to my soul and I strongly desire to go back and reread it.  Glennon Doyle just has a way of saying it like it is and being completely relatable and inspiring at the same time.  I laughed, I cried.  You will walk away from this book wanting to live life on your terms, as you should.
2. Sh*t My Dad Says– by Justin Halpern: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I gave this one to my dad for Father’s Day and then he let me borrow it.  If you’re looking for a light, funny read filled with Grumpy-Old-Men-isms, this is that book!  I laughed out loud at times.
3. Now Waiting– by Sarah Johnson: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was written by a local author, and while I much enjoyed the ideas behind the book, I had a hard time connecting personally. However, I do think it’s a great 2020 book because we are all still very much in the waiting period.
4. More Myself– by Alicia Keys: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I had heard Alicia speak on a podcast, and was so into her story and excited to read this book.  She’s such a creative talent, and I love how she has learned to lean into exactly who she is as a woman and artist.  This was a fabulous autobiography!

Literature/Other Fiction

Literature can tend to be a little heavy at times, especially historical fiction.  I try to blend in some lighter reads as well here!

1. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry– by Fredrik Backman: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I wanted to really love this one, but it was much longer than it needed to be.  The story between grandmother and granddaughter, however, was super sweet and made it worth the read.
2. Grace After Henry– by Eithne Shortall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I expected to love this one…an international bestseller about a newly widowed young woman. However, it was just a little too far-fetched for me.  Still a sweet read.
3. Fleishman is in Trouble- by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book had such buzz around it and I was excited to dive in!  I read it with my book group and I would say I liked it the most as I found a character I connected to and it had some great discussion points. The rest of the group felt a total lack of connection. I will say, the main character and his wife are both unlikable which makes it challenging.
4. The Immortalists– by Chloe Benjamin: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 I didn’t expect to love this one as much as I did!  What would you do if you knew the exact day you would die?  This book dives into that and takes a look at fate versus manifesting our own destiny through what we believe.
5. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill– by Abbi Waxman: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was SOOOOO close to making my top 5!  I absolutely loved it. Nina is a quirky character who loves words, and that is something I can get behind!  I didn’t put it in the top 5 because maybe it was too happy.  Can you even judge a book for being too happy? Apparently.
6. Feels Like Falling– by Kristy Woodson Harvey: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kristy is a long time blog friend so I am always happy to read her books!  They’re always sweet novels that make the perfect beach reads.
7. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Gröen– by Hester Velmans: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My mom bought this one and loaned it to me and I just loved this sweet novel told in diary form as written by an 83 year old man in a nursing home.  It’s such a bittersweet gem, and I’ve just discovered that it’s part one of a two part series.  Can’t wait to read part two!
8. Shadow Baby– by Alison McGhee: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ This book was another very sweet story and reminiscent of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship between an awkward and lonely little girl and an elderly loner in town.  Loved it!
9. The Stars Are Fire– by Anita Shreve: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book explores the things we do to survive, the strength of our will power, and again addresses living life on our own terms. That theme always hits me!
10. Daisy Jones & The Six– by Taylor Jenkins Reid: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I listened to this one on a road trip, and I would highly recommend that you listen instead of read.  The voice actors did an incredible job telling this story and bringing life to its characters.  I loved this one!
11. The Vanishing Half– by Brit Bennet: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 We finally discussed this in our book club the other day, and I was relieved that I was not the only one who didn’t love it.  None of us did, yet it’s been on almost every “best books of the year” list I’ve seen.  We all agreed the author tried to cram too many social dilemmas into one book and didn’t spend enough time developing characters.
12. The Silence– Don Delillo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was sent to me by an agent or publicist and I was so excited to read it as I had loved this author in college.  The book was very short and thought provoking, but also very odd and hard to connect to.  I will say, it made me think about how much time we spend staring at screens, I say as I sit here staring at a screen.
13. The Book of Longings– Sue Monk Kidd: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved the premise of this book, which was told from the perspective of Jesus’ wife, if he’d had one.  She was fire, filled with her own ideas and longings, and I love the strength in women this novel demonstrates. It’s very much about listening to that inner voice and trusting it to guide your life. (What did I say- books about living life on your own terms were apparently my jam in 2020!
14. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine– by Gail Honeyman:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This novel is a really mysterious yet heartfelt and sweet read, and I found quirky strange Eleanor Oliphant completely relatable and was rooting for her the whole way through.

Thriller

I love a good thriller, but sometimes I get in a pattern of only reading them, so I try to mix it up.  Our book club did select a thriller for January of this year, and I am excited to crack it open!

1. Girl Last Seen– by Nina Laurin: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was a great thriller, but it was hard to like the main character and I figured it out pretty early on.  Still, it kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know what was going to happens.
2. The Silent Patient– by Alex Michaelides: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you are looking for a dark thrilling novel, look no further!  This book is the page-turniest of page turners.
3. Hush Hush– by Laura Lippman: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 I have been a fan of Laura Lippman in the past, but this one just didn’t do it for me.
4. The Leaving– by Tara Altebrando: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I found this one in my neighborhood free library, and really liked it!  The story was unique and interesting, but also dark and sad.
5. I Found You– by Lisa Jewell: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was close to being on my top for the year!  I loved this story so much, and loved that it had a dark and suspenseful mystery, and an awkward love story.
6. The Woman Upstairs– by Claire Messud: ⭐️⭐️ No, just no.  I did not enjoy this book at all.
7. The Seduction of Water– by Carol Goodman: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I picked this one out of a pile my mom gave me and OH how I loved it!  The storytelling is beautiful, and the plot is intriguing!

Poetry

Honestly, I loved all of these, and find it hard to criticize the poetry of another.  They’re all filled with beautiful soulful incantations.  I did find What Kind of Woman to be my favorite.  I had read the other three and while I loved the words, I wondered where the poems for the moms were… the others were filled with words of self-exploration and broken hearts but I needed one filled with the broken bodies that have birthed children into this world.  Kate Baer delivered that for me. (Gross pun not intended.)

1. Milk and Honey– by Rupi Kair ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Nocturnal– by Wilder ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. What Kind of Woman– by Kate Baer: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My favorite of the four books of poetry I read because it’s the most relatable to me.
4. The Dark Between Stars– by Atticus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And there you have it! That’s everything I read in 2020…. Now tell me what you read last year that you couldn’t put down?!  What book were you most excited to share with others?  Drop me a comment!