So every year I start with some ridiculous goal of wanting to read 100 books or something crazy, when I know I don’t have the time. Well it started off a slow year, but I got a library card in October and started reading a lot from my phone or iPad (definitely not the same as having a real book in your hands). So I since I finished strong in 2020 (even if I didn’t reach 100), I decided to set the same goal for 2021. This post will highlight all of the books that I have read in 2020.
(So on a side note, I graduated in May 2020 with my Masters, so I didn’t really have any free time to read for pleasure until after that, plenty of textbooks and scholarly articles though).
Below is a list and general overview of the books of 2020. I will try not to reveal any spoilers, but be warned. Mostly just giving my view on how good, bad or annoying these books were.
Also speaking it into existence right now, that I will reach my 2021 goal of reading 100 books!
Buy Yourself the Fu*king Lilies – Tara Schuster :(self-help) So amazing! Literally it is kept on my night stand with sticky notes and things to follow up on. Not just a set down after reading. To me, it almost feels like a manual or guide of how to better myself. It also made me feel connected to someone who also doesn’t always have it all together for themselves.
The Sun Down Motel – Simone St. James : (mystery) Great! I could not stop reading. It kept going back and forth between times and stories of the aunt and her niece. The ending was kinda, ehhh. But overall, a great read.
Normal People – Sally Rooney : (Nonfiction) Umm.. If I could rate 1 to 10, maybe a 6. I did NOT like the ending. Just kind of stops. Also the main characters are so frustrating. But it wasn’t terrible.
The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett : (mystery) This was so good. I definitely recommend this book. I couldn’t stop reading until I was done. Two twin sisters who run away from home and then end up separating from each other and end up living different lives. They end up being brought together again years later back at home, with different life stories to share.
White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo: Very eye opening. It was about the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially. A MUST READ!
Today. Tonight. Tomorrow – Rachel Lynn Solomon: It was kind of sad. Very good read, but another one that kind of left me annoyed at the end. About a teenage love story of two rivals, but it turns out they find out they have had feelings for each other and just didn’t express them until years later.
Maybe You should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb: (self helpish): I really enjoyed this book. It’s from the perspective of a therapist and really was encouraging me to actually look into therapy/counseling.
A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness: So GREAT! For anyone who loves fantasy books. It brought me back to reading Twilight in high school. It had everything I loved from witches, vampires, a love story, and more. Really long, but so worth it. It is the first of a trilogy, so I will definitely be continuing the series.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark – Michelle McNamara: A true crime writer who becomes a bit obsessed with the Golden State Killer case and helps some former investigators work on the cold case. This book is posthumous. I loved it, mostly because I’m also obsessed with true crime.
The Broken Girls – Simone St. James: Another murder/ spooky mystery. I finished this book in less than two days. I couldn’t stop reading. I will definitely continue to read books produced by this author.
Anxious People – Fredrik Backman: This one was pretty interesting. An attempted bank robber gone wrong, really wrong. Ends with new friendships and family secrets. Really good. Another one that I read in the matter of a couple days.
The Whisper Man – Alex North: Mystery, suspenseful. So good, this one I finished in like 6 hours on Saturday. A creepy connected background that keeps it interesting page after page. Definitely reading more from this author.
*Edit* I just found a list in my trello of books that I read in early 2020 that I completely forgot about.. lol 2020 was a blur.
The 2nd and 3rd Novels in the Darkest Mind Series
The Defining Decade
Speak
Shout
Overall proud of what I was able to read in the last few months. Excited for what the new year holds. Already almost done with another one on my list.
– Ashley Lauren
wondering what’s next. 