Reading Round Ups

The Books of 2020

by Caroline

What a year. Let’s take a collective deep breath and say goodbye to the dumpster fire that was 2020. Now, it wasn’t all bad. There were some shining lights throughout the year. However, you’re here for the books of 2020.

This year, I allowed myself to indulge in some of my “old” favorites. In the past few years, I’ve focused on only reading new books. However, there’s nothing quite like diving in to a book that has brought you joy. We all needed a little extra joy this year.

Now, as I read throughout the year, I try to compare books to each other (not necessarily books of past years). Thus, ratings below are all relative for 2020.

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⭐ Books of 2020

I have to REALLY not like a book to only give it one star. There are few books in my life that would fall under this category. For the most part, I should add books that I don’t finish here, but I don’t think it’s fair to rate a book if I haven’t finished it. This year, I had three books that come to mind as just not good books that I didn’t finish. They shall remain nameless.

⭐⭐ Books of 2020

These books were promising, but ended up being very disappointing.

  • City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

⭐⭐⭐ Books of 2020

My three star books tend to be fine reads. They don’t blow me away, but they aren’t awful.

  • Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
  • Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
  • Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
  • Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
  • Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  • The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
  • The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore
  • The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
  • The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
  • The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore
  • The Fate of Ten by Pittacus Lore
  • United as One by Pittacus Lore
  • Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
  • Pretties by Scott Westerfield
  • Specials by Scott Westerfield
  • The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
  • Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • What it Seems by Emily Bleeker
  • Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
  • Among the Impostors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • Among the Barons by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • Among the Free by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • The Mislaid Magician by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
  • The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
  • Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
  • The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker
  • The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
  • The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie
  • A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
  • The Edge of Elsewhere by Sam Stea
  • Murder at Hotel 1911 by Audrey Keown
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  • A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
  • The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl
  • The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz
  • The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz
  • The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz
  • Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Books of 2020

I try and keep four stars as books that keep me engaged and keep me reading. Some of these brought me back to my reading days as I was growing up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Books of 2020

See? There were some very good books that I read in 2020. Not nearly as many as I would like, but these are my standouts.

That looks like a year of a lot of mediocre books. I definitely read more than I anticipated reading. My Goodreads goal was to read 75 books this year, and I ended up reading 84. For 2021, my goal is to read 100 books, and stick with my 20,000 minute goal. I’m also going to start keeping a book journal/tracker of sorts, so stay tuned. If I like it enough, I’ll be sure to share here!

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