The A-lists

Read in 2020

12/28/2020

I read a total of 40 books in 2020, and left a lot of funny reviews that only my mom got to read! So, if you're trying to jump start your 2021 reading list, consider adding any of these to your queue!

1. One of my favorites of Comer’s. I’m a huge fan of his style of writing, and love his ability to share his thoughts with nuance and this book is no exception. If you think you know who God is, think again. Highly highly recommend.

2. Unseen was the prefect "anchor" for 2020. In a world where we are constantly trying to put ourselves as the center of the universe, this book reminds us that the littlest moments never go unnoticed. This book completely changed my perspective on the holiness that is every day life. Sara Hagerty writes with conviction, and meekness, a talent not many authors can pull off.

3. "Hurry is the great enemy of the Spiritual Life." Yet again, Comer's nuance doesn't go unnoticed. This book is like reading with a fresh pair of eyes, the damage that our current way of life has on ourselves. In a society that is over committed, and over caffeinated, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to slow down. Another great "anchor."

4. A dense, well thought through, intense read. I had to take this book piece by piece because how do you conceive what you cannot understand? I’ll probably read this again just because there is so much to take it. Very well done. It’s like reading an academic researcher paper, theologian essay, and creative writing piece all at once. A challenging read that’s worth it in the end.

5. I held off on reading this book because I knew it was going to wreck me, and wreck me it did. Such a beautiful and moving novel with a love story you never saw coming. I absolutely devoured this book, and it’s one I’ll carry with me forever. Grief is a beautiful and brilliant thing. Wow. Wow. Wow.

6. This book has a little of everything, love, friendship, loss, family, suspense, mystery, but most of all home. It’s beautiful depiction of Alaska is breathtaking and captivating. It’s a little long winded, so buckle in because it's a long read, but a wonderful and touching story nonetheless. I actually found time to read this twice, I enjoyed it that much.

7. The perfect blend of romance, modern fiction, historical fiction, tragedy, and philosophical writings. A tale of star crossed lovers that simultaneously attempts to answer the greatest question “what is the meaning of life,” to be loved? To be remembered? To be wanted?

What would you sell your soul to the devil for?

8. A gut wrenching story about the lives we choose, and the lives we lust for. This book perfectly captures what it’s like to live in the now, but long for the what if. Relatable to those who have experienced real loss, and any one who feels like their soulmate is still out there. One of my favorite love stories of the year.

9. I loved this book! A wonderful look into how the other half “lives” while maintaining such a sense of real life with grounded main characters. I’m not a mom, but this gave me an interesting peak behind the curtain. A completely original story line put this book in my top 10 of the year. I loved all the characters, and it has one of the most unpredictable plot twists to date.

10. Wonderfully complex story lines. Beautiful character arcs. Original narration and descriptions. One of my favorite fiction read of 2020. Lily King has a way of making you fall in love with your narrator. This book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it for sure deserved a spot in my top ten.

11. Going to be real here, I picked up this book because I thought the cover was gorgeous! But as luck would have it, I really enjoyed this book! The complexity of the characters, the original story line, the complete understanding of what it’s like to live in a society driven by looks and status. Well done for sure. Parents could benefit from this read as well as today’s teenagers.

12. I am a sucker for star crossed lovers in a romance novel, and this one satisfied my guilty pleasure. I love a complex love story and this book delivers. With dark and twisted undertones, and characters I could relate to, this book tugged at my heart strings and earned its place in the top 15 of the year.

13. I'm honestly still chewing on this one. This book is not what you would expect it to be, but the love story is so very real and worth reading. I loved the two main characters in this book, and the only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it was just a smidge long winded. A perfect cozy read for the winter season nonetheless.

14. Finally, a break from romance novels! My favorite thriller of the year begs to answer the question, could you really trade lives with someone on the run and get away with it? Original story line, complete with great female leads, this fast paced thriller comes complete with plot twists, and sweet sweet revenge.

15. Another thriller, with two more great female leads. If you're looking for a book based soley on sweet justice, this book has that and them some. I also really enjoyed the narrative surrounding how the top 1% lives. Let's just say everything is not always as it seems.

16. This book is NOT what you think it is ,and is not predictable whatsoever. While I’m sure the plot line follows the traditional story arc, it wasn’t as painfully obvious as it is in most novels. I love a character that you can hate but relate to throughout the whole novel. What I didn’t like: some of the characters I felt were completely irrelevant. While yes it’s fiction, no way would this be able to ACTUALLY have been pulled off. I would have loved if the author had went into more specific detail.

17. This was the first fiction book I read in 2020 and is what sparked my reading journey for the rest of the year! An easy, and enjoyable read, about taking chances and showing up even when you're scared and don't feel like it. This book leans a little to the YA side, and is probably more suitable for readers in their teens, and not their twenties. A little immature for my taste, but a good story nonetheless.

18. One of my favorite YA authors, her latest did not disappoint. I enjoyed the intricacy of the story lines, and the originality of the plot. Yes it’s wrong boy meets right girl as always, but very original idea surrounding that type of love story. The only thing I would have changed was that it felt a tad long. Other than that, I loved it.

19. This is the book that sparked my obsession with star crossed lovers for the year. Also originally chosen because of the beautiful cover, the story is just as beautiful! There's lots of great story lines to follow, and an ending that will break your heart. This is a perfect book to kick off your New Year.

20. I am not one to enjoy historical fiction, in fact I usually shy away from it. However, this book has changed my mind. An incredible story about sisters, love, loss, sacrifice and just about every human emotion on the planet this novel has one of the best endings I've read in my lifetime.

21. A Quirky, funny and charming traditional love story. This novel does have a very slow start, like painfully slow, but once you get past that, and get used to reading in a British accent, it’s a very cute read with fun characters! Another great read to add to your winter list!

22. I enjoyed this book! I originally bought it becasuse of my interest in gymatstics, but came to find that it also had a very cute love story, a fun storyline, and was a light read that has love, friendship, and personal growth all mixed in! A little “basic” but nonetheless a good read!

23. At first I really loved this book. The characters were fascinating and dynamic. However, as the story kept going I found it difficult to keep up with all the characters and felt that I would have enjoyed the book more had the original story line been the only story line. The ending really has nothing to do with the beginning. Also the narrator is not a characters in the book, that also was a bit challenging at times. In my personal opinion, I can come up with a better and neater ending that ties things together.

24. The initial warning signs on this book include “long,” and “multiple characters” and I am here to report that is most definitely the case. It’s not a ~bad~ read per say, it’s just highly highly detailed. At the beginning, I loved getting a peak behind the curtain of fame, and feeling like I was backstage, but by the end I felt like certain parts of the book had drug on for too long, while other parts were skimmed over much too quickly. In the end the major plot twists, I felt were delivered weakly, and felt lost in translation because so much was going on.

25. I really really wanted to love this book, but just a fair warning, it's deep, and it's sad. Which I knew going into it, but after a series of light reads, I couldn't get into this autobiography about a mom with cancer. I am wanting to give it another shot however, so this one is 3 stars and down, but not out. Stay tuned for when I actually sit down and read it.

26. This book was included in the series of YA novels that kicked off my love of reading again. Would I read it again? Probably not, but it was an easy one to get started with. I enjoyed the family dynamic and it's moody undertones, but I honestly can't remember much about it as I'm typing this review, so that kind of speaks for itself.

27. If Kristin Hannah were ever to sell one of her books to the hallmark channel, this would be it. This romance novel is on the borderline between good and just okay. I think part of the problem is that the main POV is male and personally I struggle when I can’t relate to the main character. Things I liked: the simplicity of the storyline, the wholesome content, and cozy imagery. Things I did not like: the dialogue seemed repetitive and predictable, to the point that I was skipping pages the surface level character development, and finally the beginning of the novel seems to really drag. For me it doesn’t pick up the pace until, well, the end.

28. When you try too hard to be meta, it’s not meta anymore. Imagine you’re 21 years old and you realize Miss Frizzle, from the magic school bus, is in charge of your life. That’s what our main character is dealing with here. Part of one the book is like reading a college girls journal where’s she’s humble bragging about how perfectly unquriky her travel abroad trip was and the mysterious boy she met along the way.
Part two of this book is like having to relieve the same trip over again with a main character who is slightly less awkward. Which I guess was the point?

29. I’m not a horror novel enthusiast, but this was definitely what I would call a solid read. Part one gets you hooked on The Who done it. Part two is a little lengthy. Part 3 ties everything up in a nice little bow with twists and turns on every page. The author is a fantastic writer, and that’s why this book gets a 3.8. It’s docked because of personal taste, so it never stood a chance at a solid 5, but retains a higher score because it was still a good read.

30. This book had a lot more to do with racing than it did with the dog. I would recommend giving this book a chance if you've seen the movie as they are completely different! This book is extremely adult, and the ending had me in tears as all dog stories do. But overall, the main theme had to do with racing, and that's just not my taste.

31. I bought this book right before we went into quarantine as a sweet and encouraging read. I enjoyed the book and it’s refreshing positive outlook on life. Was it earth shattering with new information? No. Was it a great reminder of how sweet this life can be. Yes. For anyone looking for a quick light read this book is for you.

32. This book is the book that prompted me to read "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry." So why is this one so far down on the list? It's very introductory, nothing wrong with that, it's just I was expecting a little more. If you're just getting started in Christian non fiction, start here. If you're looking for something a little more complex. See John Mark Comer.

33. Truthfully, I would have given this a 3.5 if possible. It was beautifully written with wonderful story telling. Definitely some nuggets of gold. The only reason I didn’t score it super high is because it’s more about loving your neighborhood and neighbors specifically, and that just wasn’t what I thought I was going to be reading about. Good and sweet read, just not what I had in mind.

34. I didn’t not like this book, but I didn’t LOVE it, like I’ve loved Hannah’s other books. A good story, however in my opinion there was a LOT of story lines going on. Maybe too many. The beginning is phenomenal, but I feel like towards the end it maybe drags out a little. As usual, I applaud Hannah for her ability to tell someone’s entire life story, ability to have the years of a story fly by, and especially, her ability to mimic the twist and turns of life that we never expect to see coming.

35. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but no, it’s the premise of this book. Not about love story at all, this books is actually a very boring murder mystery. If you hate watching the shopping channel, you’ll hate this book because you’re basically reading the shopping network. Poor character arcs and a lackluster love story made me skip to the end of this one just to find out who done it. Case was closed and so was the chance that I recommend this book to anyone

36. If you ever wondered, “what would I do if I knew I was going to die today,” this books answers it in the most messed up way I guess? I had really high expectations for this book. Fascinated by the topic of “your last day,” I was prepared for an emotional roller coaster of truth bombs, however instead, I ended up reading about two characters I could never connect with, and a lot of plot holes. This book could have been sooooo much more, but instead, the author chose the “it’s just not that deep,” mentality. Dark, bland, and a love story that falls flat, I rushed this book just to see if they really die at the end. Spoiler, they do.

37. Truly, Id give this book a 4.5 out of 5. It’s easier to write the one thing I DIDNT like about this book than all the things I did like. Towards the end the stream of consciousness style of writing gets to be a little bit exhausting.

However, great plot twist, original story line, and original point of view AND great representation of what it’s like to be a person who is on the spectrum. A great way for people to get a sliver of an idea of how they experience the world.

38. If you love a relationship-psychological-thriller, this book is for you. Way too too dark for my taste, and I felt it had two plot holes, but an original story line gets it 4 stars. If you like horror and messed up marriages this book is definitely for you, but I had to read this one in one sitting it freaked me out so much.

39. I’m not even sure what I read? Where was the story arc? Why do I feel like I read 5 grocery lists? What was the imminent threat. Did I not “get” this book? What an absolute time suck. Huge letdown.

40. I really REALLY wanted to like this book. And I was so disappointed in it, I skipped to the last chapter. The dynamic between the two characters is fantastic. However, the style of writing, and timeline feels like one giant run on sentence written in the color grey. Just blah. And the ending is about as exciting as the opening page of the book. In other words, there is hardly a story arc. I don’t know, maybe I just didn’t get it.

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the A-lists

Read in 2020

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