Books Read in 2020
Here we are, eleventy weeks in to January 2020, and I finally have a book list for you! Jazz hands! 2019 was a great reading year for me. Not that I ever have bad reading years, because y’all know my very firm rule – never, ever, EVER read a book you don’t like. Ever. Life is too short for that nonsense. Give it a chance, sure, but if a book isn’t grabbing you, move on. It will always be there if you want to try again.
That said, of the 146 books I read last year, there were some standouts. I marked those with an asterisk in the list below. These are often books that caught me by surprise. I knew I would like There, There by Tommy Orange. I listened to it on audio, and found myself rewinding over and over again to listen to certain sentences and paragraphs. As soon as I finished it, I ordered a hardback copy. All of the starred books, in fact, earned a permanent place on my bookshelf.
I’d love to hear about what you read last year – what did you love, what did you hate, what was unexpected? Drop a note in the comments and let me know!
Fiction
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty
The Innocents by Francesca Segal *
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
The Italian Party by Cristina Lynch
The Only Story by Julian Barnes
Normal People: A Novel by Sally Rooney
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
There, There by Tommy Orange *
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abby Waxman
The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown *
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng *
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Historical Fiction
Lady Macbeth by Susan Fraser King
Romance
The Decoy Bride by Lizzie Shane
Sweet Beginnings by Melissa McClone
The Bullrider’s Valentine by Cathy McDavid
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Edge Rules by Melanie Hooyenga
Peregrine’s Call by Elizabeth Cole
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half Blood Prince,* The Deathly Hallows,* The Cursed Child
The Ticket to True Love Collection
Practically Persuaded in Pittsburgh by JB Schroeder
That Night in Nashville by Savannah Kade
The Inspector Gamache Mysteries by Louise Penny
Thriller/Mystery/Horror
The French Girl by Lexie Elliot
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline
It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell
Something Wicked: Nocturnal Screams Vol. 7 by Mark Leslie
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh *
They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough *
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan *
Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Children’s/Young Adult
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich
The Watsons go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis *
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee *
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera *
Hunger: A Tale of Courage by Donna Jo Napoli
All the Things That Could Go Wrong by Stewart Foster
Memoir/Biography
Between the World and Me by TaNehisi Coates *
Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies *
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen *
Ed Sheeran: Memories We Made by Christie Goodwin
Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life by Darcey Steinke
H is for Hawke by Helen McDonald *
Graphic Novels
41 Reasons I’m Staying In: A Celebration on Introverts by Hallie Heald
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Nonfiction
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Janet Evans Total Swimming by Janet Evans
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Bohemian Rhapsody: The Official Book of the Movie
Cookbooks/Food & Drink
Cheeky Treats: 70 Brilliant Bakes and Cakes by Liam Charles
Breads from the La Brea Bakery by Nancy Silverton
Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
Bar Chef: Handcrafted Cocktails by Christiaan Rollich
Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin
Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
The Sexy Vegan Cookbook by Brian Patton
Love and Lemons Everyday by Jeanine Donofrio
Dinner for Everyone by Mark Bittman
Never Too Late to Go Vegan by Carol J. Adams
A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis by Nikki Furrer *
The Forks Over Knives Plan by Alona Pulde
Home/Garden
Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof
The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of the Earthworm by Amy Stewart
The Plant Lover’s Guide to Dahlias by Andy Vernon
Planting Designs for Cactus & Succulents by Sharon Asakawa and John Bagnasco
For the Love of Books: Designing and Curating a Home Library by Thatcher Wine
The Marijuana Grower’s Handbook by Ed Rosenthal
Epic Tomatoes by Craig LeHoullier
Research for an Upcoming Book
The Strange Case of Dr. Couney by Dawn Raffel *
Walking Brooklyn by Adrienne Onofri
Secret Brooklyn by Michelle Young and Augustin Pasquet
Writing/Craft/Author Business
Dear Writer, You Need to Quit by Becca Syme
Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes