My Best Books of 2020

   Wow, we're flying through the last month of 2020, which has simultaneously seemed like both the longest and shortest year ever. I can still hardly believe that it's just about over?

  I am also in denial about the fact that I have to read 9 more books to meet my pitiful 2020 reading goal, but if I don't say anything it's fine, right??

  In the interest of procrastinating that goal, I thought I'd hop on the blog and share some of my favorite books from the year because even though I maybe haven't read as MUCH as I should have, I have definitely read some great books this year. Check them out below! And also follow the link in the titles to check them out on Goodreads if they intrigue you! ;)  

THE CHAOS WALKING TRILOGY by PATRICK NESS

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

  This series, this book, OH MY WORD YOU GUYS. My husband has been recommending them for ages, and yeah, he was super right about how amazing they are. I took the first one on our family camping trip at the beginning of July and yes, every spare minute I had was spent poring through it. I did the same with the second book at horse camp, and the final book on another camping trip in August. Let's just say, don't start these books if you're planning on getting anything else done before you finish them. If you take nothing else from this post, PLEASE add these to your TBR, you will not be disappointed.

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by VE SCHWAB

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name. 

  A close second of best books of 2020 goes to this piece of absolute perfection. VE Schwab long ago cemented herself as one of my favorite authors ever, but this book just solidifies it even further, if possible. I know some people thought it was a bit slow, and they aren't entirely wrong, but there is so much magic and existential drama here, not to mention I was actually full out sobbing in front of my husband at the end (and am even tearing up to think about it). Please, please get this on your TBR, it was my most longed for book of the year, and totally met all my expectations. 

LITTLE WOMEN by LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the freethinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with "woman’s work,” including sewing, doing laundry, and acting as a domestic servant. But she soon discovered she could make more money writing. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the "girl’s book” her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.

  Yes, I had never read Little Women until this year, and yes, I only decided to give it a shot because the new 2019 movie with Saoirse Ronan was such literal perfection and I had to. Of course, I found that I should have read it a long, long time ago. So if you're like me and haven't read this classic yet, you should probably get on that. And, if you need something to inspire you to do so, try watching the 2019 movie because it's absolutely beautiful. 

(also, I am a Laurie/Jo stan forever)

ALL THE WRONG QUESTIONS #1 by LEMONY SNICKET

The adventure began in a fading town. Far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket started an apprenticeship for a secret organization shrouded in mystery and secrecy. He asked questions that shouldn't have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should not be published that shouldn't be read. Not even by you. Seriously, we recommend that you do NOT ask your parents for this, the first book in his new ALL THE WRONG QUESTIONS series.

Lemony Snicket, in case you don't already know, grew up to be the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events series.

  This book was tiny, but mighty, and I'm so glad that there is a whole other Lemony Snicket series I can dive into, it's just a matter of finding the rest of the books in this series, which has been exceedingly difficult. They are rare finds! I love Lemony Snicket's way of writing, everything about it, and if you haven't read this or his staple Series of Unfortunate Events, then you should probably get on that like, yesterday.

THIS SAVAGE SONG by VE SCHWAB

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

  I'm currently on the second book in this duology, and I am loving it as much as this one. Ms. Schwab is a force to be reckoned with in all her various books and genres, and her stories are powerful and visceral, this one no less so. I am very much looking forward to seeing the end of Kate and August's stories, and really that's what I ought to be doing today (reading) instead of making this post. XD

MORE THAN THIS by PATRICK NESS

A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies. Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive. How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?

As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

From multi-award-winning Patrick Ness comes one of the most provocative and moving novels of our time.

  I must say, this book rocked me. It was not what I expected in any sense, and Patrick Ness was the perfect person to explore the important, powerful themes presented in this book. I started reading it over my husband's shoulder and then basically stole it from him until I'd finished. It was one of my first books of 2020, and remains one of the most powerful. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

My Best Books of 2019

My Favorite Books of 2018

My Best Reads of 2017 (and Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2018)

LET'S TALK. 

  Wow, 2021 is almost here and that seems impossible somehow. How many books did you get through in 2020? What were some of your favorites? Have you read anything on this list? Let me know in the comments below!