Tuesday, December 29, 2020

2020 Books

Here is the 2020 list of the books I've read and my top reads of the year. I've pared my lists down as much as I'm willing to do and added a separate list for procedurals. It was an excellent year in books!

Top 16 fiction; in order of review date
1. Eden Mine by S. M. Hulse, 2/5/20
2. Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell, 3/25/20
3. The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel, 3/25/20
4. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler, 3/29/20
5. The Motion of the Body Through Space by Lionel Shriver, 5/3/20
6. The Distant Dead by Heather Young, 6/7/20
7. The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda, 6/21/20
8. Hare's Fur by Trevor Shearston, 7/5/20
9. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, 7/19/20
10. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, 9/13/20
11. Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger, 10/4/20
12. The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo, 11/11/20
13. The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington 12/28/20
not new releases this year:
14. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 1/11/20
15. Bird Box by Josh Malerman, 12/5/20 
16. The River by Peter Heller, 12/6/20 

Top 8 procedurals; in order of review date
1. When You See Me by Lisa Gardner, 1/15/20
2. The Third to Die by Allison Brenna, 1/26/20
3. The Dark Corners of the Night by Meg Gardiner, 2/16/20
4. The Evil Men Do by John McMahon, 2/26/20
5. The Good Detective by John McMahon, 4/8/20
6. The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter, 7/26/20
7. No Woods So Dark as These by Randall Silvis, 8/25/20
8. Every Kind of Wicked by Lisa Black, 8/26/20

Nonfiction top 12; in order of review date
1. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, 2/23/20
2. Biography of Resistance by Muhammad H. Zaman, 4/19/20
3. Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson, 5/10/20
4. Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price, 5/13/20
5. Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State by Barton Gellman, 5/24/20
6. Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier, 7/5/20
7. Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife by Ariel Sabar, 8/9/20
8. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald, 8/13/20
9. Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage by Dan Crenshaw, 8/28/20
10. 13 1/2 Reasons Why NOT To Be A Liberal by Judd Dunning, 9/30/20
11. American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World by Joe Berkowitz, 10/7/20
12. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance, 11/26/20

short stories/ collections
Unrestricted Access: New and Classic Short Fiction by James Rollins, 9/27/20
My Favorites: A Collection of Short Stories by Ben Bova, 10/21/20
Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South by Rick Bragg, 10/25/20
Lord The One You Love is Sick by Kasey Thornton, 11/8/20 

 

Books 2020: 205 books read


January – 17 books
1. Hill Women by Cassie Chambers, 304 pages, 1/5/20, recommended, nonfiction
2. Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom, 276 pages, 1/7/20, recommended
3. Wife After Wife by Olivia Hayfield, 464 pages, 1/8/20, recommended
4. The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica, 386 pages, 1/10/20, highly recommended
5. Little Boy Lost by J. P. Carter, 400 pages, 1/10/20, very highly recommended *
6. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 368 pages, 1/11/20, very highly recommended **
7. Losing You by Nicci French, 368 pages, 1/15/20, recommended
8. When You See Me by Lisa Gardner, 400 pages, 1/15/20, very highly recommended**
9. The Other People by C. J. Tudor, 336 pages, 1/19/20, very highly recommended *
10. Within Plain Sight by Bruce Robert Coffin, 432 pages, 1/19/20, highly recommended
11. Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald, 336 pages, 1/19/20, highly recommended
12. Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah, 336 pages, 1/22/20, recommended
13. The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman, 368 pages, 1/22/20, very highly recommended *
14. The Third to Die by Allison Brennan, 464 pages, 1/26/20, very highly recommended **
15. The Misfortunes of Family by Meg Little Reilly, 352 pages, 1/28/20, recommended
16. The Inhabited Island by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, 416 pages, 1/28/20, very highly recommended
17. All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen, 336 pages, 1/29/20, highly recommended

February – 15 books
18. Thunder Bay by Douglas Skelton, 312 pages, 2/5/20, very highly recommended*
19. The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray, 384 pages, 2/5/20, recommended
20. Eden Mine by S. M. Hulse, 272 pages, 2/5/20, very highly recommended ***
21. Ghosts of the Missing by Kathleen Donohoe, 320 pages, 2/9/20, so-so
22. The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day, 400 pages, 2/9/20, very highly recommended *
23. The Adventurer's Son by Roman Dial, 368 pages, 2/11/20, highly recommended, nonfiction
24. Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long, 384 pages, 2/11/20, highly recommended
25. The Dark Corners of the Night by Meg Gardiner, 384 pages, 2/16/20, very highly recommended **
26. Willa's Grove by Laura Munson, 304 pages, 2/16/20, recommended
27. Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic by Harry Wiland, 304 pages, 2/19/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction
28. Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge, 352 pages, 2/23/20, highly recommended
29. The Unexpected Spy by Tracy Walder, 272 pages, 2/23/20, highly recommended, nonfiction
30. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, 608 pages, 2/23/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
31. The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman, 320 pages, 2/26/20, highly recommended
32. The Evil Men Do by John McMahon, 368 pages, 2/26/20, very highly recommended **

March – 18 books
33. The Companions by Katie M. Flynn, 272 pages, 3/1/20, recommended
34. Deprivation by Roy Freirich, 275 pages, 3/1/20, recommended
35. Actress by Anne Enright, 272 pages, 3/4/20, highly recommended
36. Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen, 352 pages, 3/4/20, highly recommended
37. The Silent House by Nell Pattison, 400 pages, 3/8/20, recommended
38. The Operator by Gretchen Berg, 352 pages, 3/8/20, recommended
39. Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox, 352 pages, 3/8/20, very highly recommended *
40. Revolver Road by Christi Daugherty, 304 pages, 3/11/20, highly recommended
41. Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey, 272 pages, 3/11/20, recommended
42. A Conspiracy of Bones by Kathy Reichs, 352 pages, 3/15/20, highly recommended
43. The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben, 384 pages, 3/15/20, very highly recommended *
44. Too Close to Home by Andrew Grant, 336 pages, 3/18/20, highly recommended
45. The Last Tourist by Olen Steinhauer, 384 pages, 3/18/20, highly recommended
46. The Last Odyssey by James Rollins, 448 pages, 3/22/20, very highly recommended *
47. Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell, 270 pages, 3/25/20, very highly recommended**
48. The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel, 256 pages, 3/25/20, very highly recommended **
49. Roanoke Ridge by J.J. Dupuis, 224 pages, 3/29/20, recommended
50. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler, 192 pages, 3/29/20, very highly recommended **

April - 16 books
51. Coffeeland by Augustine Sedgewick, 448 pages, 4/1/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction
52. Something She's Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell, 320 pages, 4/1/20, recommended
53. Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia, 352 pages, 4/5/20, highly recommended
54. The Good Family Fitzgerald by Joseph Di Prisco, 480 pages, 4/8/20, highly recommended
55. The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey, 416 pages, 4/8/20, highly recommended
56. The Good Detective by John McMahon, 320 pages, 4/8/20, very highly recommended **
57. Queen: A Chronicle of the Sibyl's War by Timothy Zahn, 384 pages, 4/15/20, highly recommended
58. Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang, 640 pages, 4/15/20, recommended
59. The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, 432 pages, 4/19/20, recommended
60. Biography of Resistance by Muhammad H. Zaman, 320 pages, 4/19/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
61. The Silence by Susan Allott, 304 pages, 4/22/20, highly recommended
62. Dead Land by Sara Paretsky, 416 pages, 4/22/20, highly recommended
63. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan, 304 pages, 4/26/20, recommended
64. Have You Seen Me? by Kate White, 384 pages, 4/29/20, recommended
65. The Perfect Daughter by Joseph Souza, 368 pages, 4/29/20, recommended
66. All Adults Here by Emma Straub, 368 pages, 4/30/20, so-so

May – 23 books
67. Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles, 352 pages, 5/3/20, very highly recommended *
68. The Motion of the Body Through Space by Lionel Shriver, 352 pages, 5/3/20, very highly recommended **
69. Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan, 352 pages, 5/4/20, highly recommended
70. Hard Cash Valley by Brian Panowich, 304 pages, 5/5/20, very highly recommended *
71. The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson, 384 pages, 5/5/20, highly recommended
72. What We Forgot to Bury by Marin Montgomery, 439 pages, 5/6/20, highly recommended
73. The End of the River by Simon Winchester, 44 pages, 5/6/20, recommended, nonfiction
74. Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson, 304 pages, 5/10/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction*
75. How to Bury Your Brother by Lindsey Rogers Cook, 384 pages, 5/10/20, highly recommended
76. The Last High by Daniel Kalla, 320 pages, 5/10/20, highly recommended
77. This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf, 336 pages, 5/13/20, highly recommended
78. Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price, 624 pages, 5/13/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction**
79. The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine, 320 pages, 5/17/20, highly recommended
80. Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde, 300 pages, 5/17/20, highly recommended
81. Things You Would Know if You Grew Up Around Here by Nancy Wayson Dinan, 336 pages, 5/20/20, recommended
82. Dark Mirror by Barton Gellman, 448 pages, 5/24/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
83. The Falling Woman by Richard Farrell, 336 pages, 5/24/20, recommended
84. The Ballad of Ami Miles by Kristy Dallas Alley, 272 pages, 5/24/20, recommended
85. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly, 416 pages, 5/27/20, highly recommended
86. Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon, 368 pages, 5/27/20, recommended
87. The Last Flight by Julie Clark, 320 pages, 5/31/20, highly recommended
88. The End of the Day by Bill Clegg, 320 pages, 9/29/20, highly recommended
89. The Second Home by Christina Clancy, 352 pages, 6/2/20, recommended

June - 17 books
90. The Oppenheimer Alternative by Robert J. Sawyer, 374 pages, 6/2/20, highly recommended
91. An Elegant Woman by Martha McPhee, 416 pages, 6/2/20, highly recommended
92. The Monsters We Make by Kali White, 272 pages, 6/7/20, recommended
93. The Distant Dead by Heather Young, 352 pages, 6/7/20, very highly recommended **
94. Last One to Lie by J.M. Winchester, 287 pages, 6/10/20, recommended
95. Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins, 400 pages, 6/10/20, highly recommended
96. The Last Scoop by R. G. Belsky, 328 pages, 6/14/20, highly recommended
97. The Lightness by Emily Temple, 288 pages, 6/14/20, recommended
98. Glorious by Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, 400 pages, 6/14/20, highly recommended
99. Spring Girls by Karen Katchur, 316 pages, 6/17/20, highly recommended
100. Gone in Seconds by Ed James, 356 pages, 6/17/20, recommended
101. You Can Go Home Now by Michael Elias, 272 pages, 6/21/20, so-so
102. The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda, 336 pages, 6/21/20, very highly recommended **
103. Love by Roddy Doyle, 336 pages, 6/24/20, highly recommended
104. The Swap by Robyn Harding, 336 pages, 6/24/20, highly recommended
105. Where the Road Bends by David Rawlings, 304 pages, 6/28/20, recommended
106. Dark August by Katie Tallo, 448 pages, 6/28/20, highly recommended

July – 14 books
107. Love & Other Crimes: Stories by Sara Paretsky, 448 pages, 7/1/20, highly recommended, short stories
108. The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton, 288 pages, 7/1/20, highly recommended
109. Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier, 276 pages, 7/5/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
110. Hare's Fur by Trevor Shearston, 288 pages, 7/5/20, very highly recommended **
111. Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay, 320 pages, 7/8/20, highly recommended
112. The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O'Neal, 352 pages, 7/12/20, recommended
113. The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman, 368 pages, 7/12/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
114. Never Ask Me by Jeff Abbott, 368 pages, 7/15/20, highly recommended
115. The Unidentified by Colin Dickey, 320 pages, 7/15/20, highly recommended, nonfiction
116. The Vacation by T. M. Logan, 384 pages, 7/15/20, recommended
117. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, 304 pages, 7/19/20, very highly recommended **
118. Playing Nice by JP Delaney, 416 pages, 7/22/20, very highly recommended
119. The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter, 496 pages, 7/26/20, very highly recommended **
120. Their Last Secret by Rick Mofina, 400 pages, 7/29/20, highly recommended

August -21 books
121. Little Threats by Emily Schultz, 368 pages, 8/2/20, highly recommended
122. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, 272 pages, 8/2/20, recommended
123. Bear Necessity by James Gould-Bourn, 320 pages, 8/2/20, highly recommended
124. Every Bone a Prayer by Ashley Blooms, 352 pages, 8/4/20, recommended
125. Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins, 320 pages, 8/5/20, recommended, maybe
126. The River Home by Hannah Richell, 368 pages, 8/9/20, highly recommended
127. Veritas by Ariel Sabar, 416 pages, 8/9/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
128. The Quiet Girl by S. F. Kosa, 384 pages, 8/9/20, highly recommended
129. Until I Find You by Rea Frey, 320 pages, 8/9/20, recommended
130. Somewhere in the Dark by R. J. Jacobs, 289 pages, 8/11/20, highly recommended
131. Still Here by Amy Stuart, 320 pages, 8/13/20, highly recommended
132. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald, 288 pages, 8/13/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
133. My Lies, Your Lies by Susan Lewis, 416 pages, 8/16/20, recommended
134. Blood World by Chris Mooney, 448 pages, 8/19/20, highly recommended
135. The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry, 284 pages, 8/20/20, highly recommended
136. Do Her No Harm by Naomi Joy, 288 pages, 8/25/20, highly recommended
137. No Woods So Dark as These by Randall Silvis, 448 pages, 8/25/20, very highly recommended **
138. Every Kind of Wicked by Lisa Black, 320 pages, 8/26/20, very highly recommended **
139. Fortitude by Dan Crenshaw, 256 pages, 8/27/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction**
140. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R Sloan, 448 pages, 8/27/20, so-so
141. Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine, 320 pages, 8/27/20, very highly recommended **

September -18 books
142. Daddy: Stories by Emma Cline, 288 pages, 9/2/20, highly recommended
143. One Step Behind by Lauren North, 368 pages, 9/2/20, recommended
144. Monogamy by Sue Miller, 352 pages, 9/9/20, highly recommended
145. Dear Ann by Bobbie Ann Mason, 352 pages, 9/9/20, recommended
146. One by One by Ruth Ware, 384 pages, 9/9/20, highly recommended
147. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, 220 pages (of 880), 9/13/20, highly recommended
148. Creativity by John Cleese, 112 pages, 9/13/20, highly recommended, nonfiction
149. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, 352 pages, 9/13/20, very highly recommended ***
150. Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker, 352 pages, 9/19/20, very highly recommended *
151. Plague by Julie Anderson, 290 pages, 9/19/20, recommended
152. Cursed Objects by J. W. Ocker, 272 pages, 9/19/20, highly recommended, nonfiction
153. Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti, 332 pages, 9/20/20, highly recommended
154. The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult, 432 pages, 9/23/20, highly recommended
155. The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline, 384 pages, 9/27/20, highly recommended
156. Jack by Marilynne Robinson, 320 pages, 9/27/20, highly recommended
157. Unrestricted Access by James Rollins, 416 pages, 9/27/20, very highly recommended, short stories *
158. The Last Campaign by Martin L. Shoemaker, 320 pages, 9/30/20, highly recommended
159.13 1/2 Reasons Why NOT To Be A Liberal by Judd Dunning, 256 pages, 9/30/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction**

October -18 books
160. Snow by John Banville, 304 pages, 10/4/20, highly recommended
161. Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger, 368 pages, 10/4/20, very highly recommended *
162. Never Turn Back by Christopher Swann, 320 pages (est.), 10/4/20, very highly recommended *
163. Every Now and Then by Lesley Kagen, 296 pages, 10/7/20, highly recommended
164. American Cheese by Joe Berkowitz, 304 pages, 10/7/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
165. Boop and Eve's Road Trip by Mary Helen Sheriff, 304 pages, 10/7/20, recommended
166. The Cutting Place by Jane Casey, 400 pages, 10/11/20, very highly recommended *
167. They Never Learn by Layne Fargo, 352 pages, 10/14/20, highly recommended
168. Attack Surface by Cory Doctorow, 384 pages, 10/14/20, highly recommended
169. The Outlook for Earthlings by Joan Frank, 237 pages, 10/15/20, highly recommended
170. Still Life by Val McDermid , 436 pages, 10/18/20, highly recommended
171. Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell, 368 pages, 10/18/20, very highly recommended *
172. My Favorites by Ben Bova, 338 pages, 10/21/20, very highly recommended, short stories *
173. House of Correction by Nicci French, 528 pages, 10/25/20, highly recommended
174. Where I Come From by Rick Bragg, 256 pages, 10/25/20, very highly recommended, short stories**
175. The Silence by Don DeLillo, 128 pages, 10/25/20, recommended
176. You Betrayed Me by Lisa Jackson, 448 pages, 10/28/20, highly recommended
177. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg, 304 pages, 10/28/20, very highly recommended *

November -14 books
178. The Preserve by Ariel S. Winter, 256 pages, 11/1/20, recommended
179. Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas, 640 pages, 11/1/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction; re-release**
180. After All I've Done by Mina Hardy, 310 pages, 11/4/20, highly recommended
181. Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent, 352 pages, 11/4/20, highly recommended
182. The Move by Felicity Everett, 352 pages, 11/4/20, recommended
183. Out of Her Mind by T.R. Ragan, 284 pages, 11/8/20, highly recommended
184. Lord The One You Love is Sick by Kasey Thornton, 232 pages, 11/8/20, very highly recommended, short stories **
185.The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo, 416 pages, 11/11/20, very highly recommended **
186. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce, 368 pages, 11/18/20, very highly recommended *
187. Blind Vigil by Matt Coyle, 336 pages, 11/18/20, very highly recommended *
188. To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan, 352 pages, 11/22/20, highly recommended
189. Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen, 320 pages, 11/22/20, recommended
190. The Tinderbox by Laura Elliot, 352 pages, 11/22/20, recommended
191. Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance, 288 pages, 11/26/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction **

December -14 books
192. Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan, 352 pages, 12/2/20, very highly recommended, nonfiction *
193. Take It Back by Kia Abdullah 304 pages, 12/5/20, highly recommended
194. Bird Box by Josh Malerman, 272 pages, 12/5/20, very highly recommended **
195. The River by Peter Heller, 272 pages, 12/6/20, very highly recommended **
196. The Last to See Her by Courtney Evan Tate, 352 pages, 12/9/20, highly recommended
197. Girl Under Water by L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain, 394 pages, 12/13/20, highly recommended
198. Come Take Me: A Celestial Satire by E. M. Skyler, 209 pages, 12/16/20, highly recommended
199. Surviving Crazy by Frank Crimi, 284 pages, 12/16/20, highly recommended
200. Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd, 400 pages, 12/20/20, highly recommended
201. The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher, 336 pages, 12/25/20, very highly recommended *
202. The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg, 352 pages, 12/26/20, highly recommended
203. How China Loses by Luke Patey, 400 pages, 12/26/20, highly recommended, nonfiction
204. The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington, 320 pages, 12/28/20, very highly recommended **
205.Pickard County Atlas by Chris Harding Thornton, 288 pages, 12.29/20, very highly recommended *

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