2020 Books

 2020 was a big year for reading for me.  Goodreads.com said I read 42 books, but I actually read 49.  Many of the books I read were personal histories and other books that were not on Goodreads. 39 of those were fiction, and 10 non-fiction.  Here are the books I read during the year and what I *rated them,  in no particular order:

Fiction

3 The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith

3 There You'll Find Me by Jenny B Jones

2 Bucking the Sun by Ivan Doig

4 Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

  The Scholar's Charm by Bria Mackrory (our granddaughter- her debut novel!)

3 On the Horizon by Lois Lowry

3 Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

3 The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig

4 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

  3 The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

3 The Lake House by Kate Morton

 5  So Big by Edna Ferber

   The Poets of Room 174 by Melanie Hinton Cox

3  My Grandmother Asked me To Tell You She's Sorry by Friederick Backman

4 Hearts of Resistant by Soraya M Lane

3 The Holy Secret by James L Ferrell

4 The Night Diary by Veera Hinanandani

4 A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

3 Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig

3 Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

3 Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley

4 The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce

4 The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

5 The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

4 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

3 A Dog Like Daisy by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

5 A Man Called Called Ove by Frederik Backman

3 The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

4 Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

4 The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

3 The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

4 The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

3 Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

3 Peter Pan by J M Barrie

2 The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle

4 Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

3 The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan

4 The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Non- Fiction

 Patty's Personal History by Patty Mickelsen

Grandpa's Stories by Jim Hinton

2 The Freedom Writers by Erin Gruwell

4 Insights From a Prophet's Life by Sheri Dew

2 The Minuteman: The Forgotten Legacy of Nat Arno and The Fight Against Newark Nazis by Greg Donahue

3 Our Harlem by Marcus Samuelson

3 You Ought to Know Adam Wade by Adam Wade

3 The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail by Wallace Stegner

3 Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 by Sally M Walker

4 I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B Eyering by Robert Eaton

* Ratings are from my goodreads.com reviews based on a 1-5 scale.  For me, most books will receive a 3 rating.  If I really like it, I will give it a 4.  Very rare for me is a 5 rating.  It has to be really good and make me want to be a better person- be life-changing.  I didn't rate ones that were not on goodreads.com) 

It is a very thought-provoking experience to create this list and reflect on the books I have read and the ratings I gave them.  As I think about it, I would probably change some of these ratings now I have time between the reading and the rating.  Time gives perspective.

Tradition is that I mention my favorite and least favorite in each category.  That is always difficult.  

Fiction:  I gave three books 5 ratings in this category: So Big, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, and A Man Called Ove.  But maybe the one that impressed me most was The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  I didn't give it a 5 because a couple of the characters frequently used the "F" word, so I gave it a 4.  But the story was unique, and definitely life-changing for me.  Looking back, I would say it and The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter were my favorites of the year.  My least favorite fiction book was probably The Good Liar.  I really disliked the main character.  He was evil.  I hated spending time with him.

In the non-fiction category, I really enjoyed the personal histories of my sister, Patty and Jim's Grandpa's Stories. That little book really inspired us and Ken and I are now writing our own Grandpa and Grandma's Stories book.  I think my least favorite was The Minuteman.  

I love to read and look forward to another great reading year in 2021!

If you would like to read my reviews of any of the books I read in 2020, please click here.