Best Books of 2020

I think that this is one of my favorite posts to write.

It is so fun to look back over the year and reflect on it through the lens of the books that I read - and more specifically, the books that I loved.

There are so many books that I forget about and I love to be reminded of the ones that truly impacted me, those that I hated, and the dozens that were just “meh.”

Many people ask why I give so many books 3 stars - to me that’s because they are just okay. Most books are. That what makes that the average. And that isn’t to say that most of them aren’t good books, but at least to me, they didn’t really stand out.

But I’m not here to talk about those books. I’m here to talk about the ones that did make an impact - whether they got 5 stars, 4 stars, or even a few 3 star books that, upon reflection, I really enjoyed. I haven’t re-reviewed any of the books here - their full reviews are listed in the months in which they were read. But you can trust that if they made this list, they are pretty great.

And so, without further ado, these are the best books I read in 2020:

1. The Wellness Project: How I Learned to Do Right by My Body, Without Giving Up My Life

2. Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

3. The Red Fox Clan (NOTE: this is from a series, and is not the first book)

4. Duel at Araluen (NOTE: this is from a series, and is not the first book)

5. Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me

6. The Singles Game

7. Meg and Jo

8. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

9. The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter--One Month at a Time

10. The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists

11. The Honest Enneagram

12. Kate: The Future Queen

13. Diana: Her True Story--in Her Own Words

14. Love, Lucy

15. Contagious: Why Things Catch On

16. The Guest List

17. 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste

18. None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and Why That's a Good Thing)

19. The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are

20. Big Summer

21. The Heir Affair (NOTE: this is from a series, and is not the first book)

22. Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters

23. Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family

24. The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life

25. At Bertram's Hotel

26. Didn't See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart

27. Is This Anything?

28. Home: A Memoir of My Early Years

29. The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done

30. Something She's Not Telling Us

31. The Midnight Library

Looking over the list, it is easy to see that I really love novels and memoirs. And there are a good amount of mysteries and personal development books mixed in too.

I also thought it was interesting that even though I read 50 more books last year than this year, I had 31 favorites this year (compared to only 30 in 2019).

And of course, I loved all of the books I’ve read in the past and that I re-read this year, but I didn’t mention any of those here. If you’re curious about those, you can check them out in my Books of November 2020 and Books of December 2020 posts.

There are several books on this list that I already can’t wait to read again in 2021 and beyond. There are a few that I even plan to purchase so that I can add them to my personal collection - and that is something I don’t do very often. Those are the two highest honors that a book can get from me! I’ll be sure to share which books those are as I acquire and re-read.

I’m already looking forward to writing this post next year. I’m excited to think of how many more books I will have read. I’m excited to think of how many more books I will have loved. And I’m excited to think of the person I will be.

2020 wasn’t what we had planned, but no year ever is. Regardless of what happens in the world to shape me, the books that I read will have just as much of an impact.

And I have some great ones planned for 2021.

Until next time,

Carly