2020 – The Full List

I thought I would start out by writing the list of what I read in 2020. It’s a lot!!!

But First, the Stats!

Books Finished: 120

Pages Read: Approximately 39,726

Longest Book: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (771 pages)

Shortest: The Sun on My Head by Geovani Martins, translated by Julia Sanches (128 pages)

Most Surprising Standout: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Most Underrated: Molly of the Mall by Heidi L.M. Jacobs OR The Mother Code by Carole Stivers

Five Star Reads of 2020

• Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson (Middle Grade, Poetry, Sports)
• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (Horror)
• The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Historical Fiction, Native American)
• Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, Translated by Neil Smith (Fiction, Mystery)
• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (Fiction, Magical Realism)
• The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Mystery, Thriller)
• Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (Fantasy, Humour)
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (Fiction, Romance, Books about Books)
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Fiction, Art)
• The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (Historical Fiction, Books about Books)
• Agent Sonya: Moscow’s Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre (Non-Fiction, History, Biography)
• Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia (Mystery, Fantasy)
• A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi (Historical Fiction)
• Home Body by Rupi Kuar (Poetry, Feminism, Mental Health)
• House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance)
• Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Mystery, Thriller)
• The Witches are Coming by Lindy West (Nonfiction, Feminism, Essays, Politics)
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Historical Fiction, Mystery)
• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Magical Realism)
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (Young Adult, Romance, Banned Book)
• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction, Mental Health)

Four Star Reads

• The Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford (Historical Fiction, Native Americans)
• The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (Mystery, Canada)
• Don’t be a Tourist in Paris by Vanessa Grall (Travel, Cultural France, Nonfiction)
• His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie (Fiction, Cultural / Ghana)
• The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (Fiction)
• Normal People by Sally Rooney (Fiction, Romance)
• Afterland by Lauren Beukes (Science Fiction, Dystopian)
• We are all the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin (Mystery, Thriller)
• My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Fiction, Thriller)
• Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell (Thriller, Mystery)
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Fantasy, Magical Realism)
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (Fiction)
• Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit and Obsession edited by Sarah Weinman (True Crime, Essays, Anthology)
• Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction, Romance)
• The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd (Historical Fiction, Religion)
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Horror, Gothic, Mystery)
• Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (Fantasy, LGBTQ, Western)
• The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (Fiction, Mystery)
• Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker (Nonfiction, Pyschology, Science)
• Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown (Historical Fiction, Mystery)
• Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas (Mystery, Horrow, Gothic)
• I was Told it Would get Easier by Abbi Waxman (Fiction)
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Fiction)
• Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
• Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori (Horror, Magical Realism, Japan)
• A Bend in the Stars by Rachel Barenbaum (Historical Fiction, World War I, Jewish)
• Godshot by Chelsea Bieker (Fiction, Religion/Cults)
• Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich (Mystery, Humour)
• Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West (Humour, Essays, Movies)
• The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver (Romance, Magical Realism)
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Historical Fiction)
• A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet (Science Fiction, Dystopia, Allegory)
• The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious and Perplexing City by David Lebovitz (Non-Fiction, Travel, Food)
• The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (Historical Fiction, Ireland, LGBTQ)
• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (Fiction, LGBTQ, Nigeria)
• Molly of the Mall: Literary Lass & Purveyor of Fine Footwear by Heidi L.M. Jacobs (Canada, Humour, Fiction)
• The Down Days by Ilze Hugo (Science Fiction, Dystopian, South Africa)
• Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s by Tiffany Midge (Nonfiction, Essays, Humour, Indigenous)
• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (Historical Fiction, Romance, Books about Books)
• Beach Read by Emily Henry (Romance, Books About Books)
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley (Mystery, Thriller)
• The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic by Darby Penney, Peter Stastny, Photographs by Lisa Rinzler (Non-fiction, History Psychology, Mental Health)
• Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard by Russell Miller (Biography, Religion)
• All Adults Here by Emma Straub (Fiction)
• Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (Fiction, Contemporary, LGBTQ)
• Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel (Mystery, Thriller)
• The Mother Code by Carole Stivers (Science Fiction, Dystopia)
• The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson (Fantasy, Horror, Witches)
• The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan (Fiction)
• The Seep by Chana Porter (Science Fiction, LGBTQ)
• The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James (Mystery, Thriller, Horror)
• The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Historical Fiction, LGBTQ)
• The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs (Fiction, Romance, Books about Books)
• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (Horror, Fiction, Indigenous)
• The Conjure Women by Afia Atakora (Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism)
• You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe (History, Biography)
• Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh (Science Fiction, Dystopia)
• Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (Non-fiction, Feminism, Essays)

3-Star Reads

• Not Like the Movies (Waiting for Tom Hanks #2) by Kerry Winfrey (Romance)
• The Safe Place by Anna Downes (Thriller, Mystery)
• Self Care by Leigh Stein (Fiction)
• Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) (Romance)
• Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum #26) by Janet Evanovich (Mystery, Humour)
• Consent by Anabel Lyon (Fiction, Canada)
• Practical Magic by Alicia Hoffman (Fiction, Magical Realism)
• Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth, Illustrated by Sara Lautman (Horror, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ)
• Hell in the Heartland: Murder, Meth, and the Case of the Two Missing Girls by Jax Miller (True Crime)
• Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho (Romance)
• The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun, Translated by Lizzie Buehler (Fiction, Thriller)
• Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins by Katarina Bivald (Fiction, Horror)
• Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked it All Up by Tom Phillips
• How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang (Historical Fiction, Westerns)
• American Royals by Katharine McGee (Romance, Young Adult)
• We Ride Upon Sticks by Barry Quan (Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Sports)
• One to Watch by Kate London-Stayman (Romance)
• Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile (Fiction, American South)
• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Romance, LGBTQ)
• Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles (Fiction, Canada)
• The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase (Mystery, Historical Fiction, Gothic)
• The Sun on My Head by Geovani Martins, translated by Julia Sanches (Short Stories, Fiction, Brazil)
• The Familiars by Stacey Halls (Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Witches)
• The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward (Fiction)
• The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall (Fiction, Humour)
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Fiction, Mental Health)
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (Nonfiction, History, Science)
• A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik (Fantasy, Magic, Horror)
• The Silence by Don DeLillo (Science Fiction, Dystopia, Novella)
• Plum Spooky (Stephanie Plum #14.5) by Janet Evanovich (Mystery, Humour)

2 Star Reads

• The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine, Hillary Huber (Fiction, Historical Fiction)
• Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff (Thriller, Mystery)
• The Big Door Prize by M.O. Walsh (Fiction, Science Fiction)

Memoirs

• Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard (Memoir, Food & Drink)
• Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West (Memoir, Feminism, Humour)
• Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by Kira T. Madden (Memoir, LGBTQ)
• In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Memoir, LGBTQ, Feminism)
• Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (Memoir, Religion)
• Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres (Memoir, Religion)
• Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby (Memoir, Humour, Essays)
• The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae (Memoir, Humour, Essays)

That’s the 2020 list! Are there any books you would like to see reviews of? What did you read in 2020?