2020 Books in Review
We’re avid readers here at A Wild Lass. Even the Lad has reading recommendations.
That’s why every year we post the list of books we read. It’s divided into those we recommend and those we don’t, with sub-sections for what we finished and what we DNFed (Did Not Finish).
This year I’m putting an asterisk by my very favorites, and a ^ by the book club picks.
*Disclaimer: Some of the links you see may be affiliate links. All that means is if you click through and end up making a purchase, I’ll earn a commission.
Recommended Reading
As promised, here are the best books we read this year. You should probably read them, too.
Finished
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary - Juvenile
*Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend - YA
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore - chicklit
Stuart Little by E. B. White - Juvenile
*A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman - Fic
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary (audio - narrated by Neil Patrick Harris, great job) - Juvenile
Ribsy by Beverly Cleary (audio) - Juvenile
Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary (audio - narrated by Stockard Channing, great job) - Juvenile
*Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl - Nonfic (audio - narrated by the author, great job)
^Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - Romance+
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren - Juvenile
*The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (audio) - Nonfic
To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Golberg Sloan - YA
*Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (audio)
First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (sequel to Garden Spells) - Romance+
True Places by Sonja Yoerg - Fic
^The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - Fic
The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center - chicklit
*Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown - Romance+
The Last Testament by Sam Bourne - Fic, Thriller
*Deception Point by Dan Brown - Fic, Thriller
*Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend (2nd in Nevermoor series) - YA
Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace - Juvenile
Betsy Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace - Juvenile
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace - Juvenile
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace - Juvenile
*If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane - chicklit
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester - Fic
Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary - Juvenile
*^It’s Not Me It’s You by Mhairi McFarland - chicklit
*Geekerella by Ashley Poston - Romance+ (#1 Once Upon a Con series)
*Here’s Looking At You by Mhairi McFarland - chicklit
The Kill List by Frederick Forsyth - Thriller
Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh - Historical Romance
Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh - Historical Romance
*Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber - mystery
^Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - Middle Grade fantasy
*The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A Flynn - chicklit
*^The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal - Fic
*First Impressions by Charlie Lovett - historical fiction
*Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center - Romance+
The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts - YA
Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider - teen romance
*The Island by Elin Hilderbrand - Romance+
Rosie Hopkins Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan - chicklit
*The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren (actually two authors together)- Romance
Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - Romance
^The Edge by Dick Francis - mystery/thriller
*The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine (actually two authors together)- Fic
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams - chicklit
*American Royals by Katharine McGee - Futuristic teen chicklit
Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne - Romance
Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin - chicklit
*The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts (sequel to The Replacement Crush) - YA
*The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs - chicklit
Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins - Fic
Beach Read by Emily Henry - Chicklit
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London - Romance+
^The Guest List by Lucy Foley - Mystery
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crighton - Thriller
Micro by Michael Crighton - Thriller
*Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - chicklit
500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan - Romance+
Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge - Romance
*What You Wish For by Katherine Center - Romance+
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson - Romance
The New Testament (Bible) - history, spirituality
Majesty by Katharine McGee (#2 American Royals series) - futuristic teen chicklit
*Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore - Fic
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella - Romance
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren - Romance
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren - Romance
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid - Fic
Persuasion by Jane Austen - Fic
A Highlander is Coming to Town by Laura Trentham - Romance
*A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - Fic Fantasy (#1 All Souls Trilogy)
^25 Days Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander - Romance+
A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday - Romance
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin - chicklit (#1 Darcy and Rachel)
Well Met by Jen DeLuca - Romance+
DNF
Normal People by Sally Rooney - Fic
An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard - Fantasy
How to Be A Heroine by Samantha Ellis - nonfic
Lady Killers by Tori Teller - nonfic
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson - nonfic
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (audio)
Confections of a Closet Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado - nonfic
Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch - teen fic (#3 Love and Gelato series)
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - teen fantasy
Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren - Romance
Don’t Recommend
These are the books we didn’t like, and we’re pretty sure you wouldn’t like them, either.
Finished
Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake by Barbara Park - Juvenile
Arthur Celebrity Readings by Marc Brown (audio) - Juvenile
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider - YA
The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson (audio) - Romance
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - Fic
I’d Tell You I Love You but Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter - YA
Flowers and Foul Play by Amanda Flower - Mystery
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson - Middle Grade
The Witches by Roald Dahl - Juvenile
DNF
^Less by Sean Andrew Greer - Fic
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott - Fic
^The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney - Fic
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - Middle Grade
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michael Richardson (audio) - Fic
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige - dystopia, Fantasy
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heap by H. G. Perry - Fic
The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost - travelogue
The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston (#2 in Once Upon a Con series)
Love in Lowercase by Francesca Miralles - Romance
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike - Fantasy
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick - Fic
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon - Romance
Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell - Teen fantasy
The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck - Fic
And Murder Makes Three by Ayelet Waldman - Mystery
The Ickabog by J. K. Rowling - Juvenile
Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett - Thriller
^The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - Fic
Well-Behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave - Fic
The Lido by Libby Page - Fic
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - Fic
^Dear Girls by Ali Wong - nonfic
The Transatlantic Book Club by Felicity Hayes-McCoy - Fic
Words on the Page
What are some books you read in 2020? Do you have any reading goals for the year?
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Here are other posts about books, if you want more recommendations:
*Disclaimer: Some of the links you see may be affiliate links. All that means is if you click through and end up making a purchase, I’ll earn a commission.