Best Books I Read In 2020

Despite being at home more than I anticipated, I didn’t get to read nearly as much as I wanted to this year! I’ve got big plans to change that in 2021, but in the meantime, I wanted to share my winners from the year. 

Best Books I Read In 2020

I had planned to take a cute little photo of all my favorite books arranged for this post, until I realized I loved them so much I had sent them off to friends across the country after reading for them to enjoy, HA! In any case, here are my favorite books I read in 2020 and why:

Verity – Verity came highly recommend to me and sometimes I feel weird about books that people RAVE over, but I decided to take the plunge. It’s safe to say I am very glad I did, even if parts of the book felt super creepy to me. I went back and forth between – is that really happening and she did WHAT?! 

Why I loved it: I stayed engaged with the book the entire time without ever skipping chapters. Excellent writing!

Home Before Dark – I found this book on a blogger book round-up and decided to read it around Halloween. It’s safe to say it’s one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a very, very long time. I finished it late at night…and then I had a very hard time going to sleep! If you like psychological thrillers, this is a MUST.

Why I loved it: The ending was a huge twist for me that I absolutely didn’t see coming. 

Beneath A Scarlet Sky – I really love WWII-era novels, so I was really excited to dive into this after it came recommended to me. I loved it just as much as I loved The Nightingale, if that tells you anything!

Why I loved it: I felt so many emotions reading this book and still managed to find a couple times to laugh even with the somber tone. To note: there are some truly horrifying sections, so make sure you’re prepared. 

I Miss You When I Blink – This book was gifted to me and then I wound up paying it forward and gifting it to several women in my life who I knew would appreciate it! This collection of essays is a feel-good, laugh-out-loud, very relatable nod to the type-A person trying to hold it all together. I loved it and was so sad when it ended.

Why I loved it: Each chapter was a new essay that felt like a very easy, digestible read before bed. 

What Kind of Woman – If you’ve been around awhile, you know my love for Kate Baer runs deep. Her beautiful collection of poems is so refreshing and relatable that not only did I love this book, I gifted it to quite a few people in my life.

Why I loved it: No one talks about womanhood like Kate and it’s a breath of fresh air. Also, I wouldn’t say I love poetry, but her work gives me hope that maybe I just hadn’t discovered the type of poetry I enjoy yet. It’s SO good!

Home Front – Home Front came recommend to me by my friend Nicole after we had talked about our mutual love for Kristin Hannah. This book dives into the costs of war from the perspective of a female soldier. So many of the portion hit close to home for me and I found myself nodding in agreement, sobbing, and just overall feeling ALL THE EMOTION. It’s a must-read in my opinion!

Why I loved it: There are very few books that talk about what military life is truly like and I really enjoyed reading about it from the perspective of a woman. 

As we head into 2021, what books do I need to add to my list?