Top 15 New Reads of 2020

Hello, lovelies! 

In the midst of reflecting on all that 2020 was and all it wasn't, I decided to delve into the less-serious sides of 2020. Namely, my reading material over the past 12 months. 

I read 81 books in 2020, which sounds good compared to 68 in 2019, but lousy compared to 201 in 2018 or 168 in 2017... Still, it was a nice number, in light of the limited reading time I had for most of the year. 

So yeah, I picked my top five reads in three categories to spotlight! I removed a few books from this list that were Christmas, since I'd already talked about them during 12DoC, or were re-reads to help narrow down the list. Because...I'm terrible at picking favorites. *throws up hands*

F I C T I O N

A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano

/ beautiful eloquent prose / deeply woven mystery / pretty names: Tressa, Trevalyn, Donegan / vineyard setting / one first person POV & one third person POV / oceanside estate / buddy read /

Untitled by Jesseca Wheaton

/ raw, heartfelt prose / WWII - war in the pacific / brotherhood / harsh war fiction / painful / indie fiction / totally broke me / spotlighting the untitled, forgotten ones / 

r e v i e w

Never Say Goodbye by Sarah Grace Grzy

/ single father trope / bookstore vibes / broke my heart and put it back together / stunning cover art / sequel to Live Without You / adored the audiobook /

Tattered Wings by Kassie Angle

/ working dog rep / spunky girl MC / strong brotherhood relations / fragments of a memory / wounded soldiers / tattered wings still fly /

r e v i e w

He Wore Brass Buttons by Willowy Whisper

/ beautiful historical collection / intoxicating writing style / one novelette + three short stories / The Tiny Gift was my fav <3 /

N O N - F I C T I O N 

All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols 

/ thoughts for boundless living / free-style poetry / inspiring artwork / encouragement for every heart / 

He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado

/ lingering at the foot of the cross / soul-stirring thoughts and reflections / well-done audiobook / 

War Letters compiled by Andrew Carroll

/ genuine letters from America's wars / revolutionary war through Iraqi conflict / over 500 pages of history / a total treasure / aside from being abridged, epic audiobook / 

Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris

/ inspiration to use the middle and high school years as something more / teen encouragement / upstart of the Rebelution blog / late to the party on this one / best suited for teens /

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon 

/ "10 things nobody told you about being creative" / insight into the life of an artist / humorous / oddly inspiring / includes original art / 

S H O R T   S T O R I E S

Off Course by Angie Thompson

/ sibling relationships / foster care and juvenile detention rep / cemeteries always get me / might have cried a lot / 

A Touch of Purple Paint by Hailey Rose/ broke my heart into pieces / childhood cancer rep / amputee rep / grief and loss / cried so dang hard / 

What the Cat Dragged In by Angie Thompson

/ perfect winter story / adorable little kid / foster care rep / reunited / sibling relationship /

Lockdown by Angela R. Watts

/ prequel to the Infidel Books / 2020 vibes / all the feels / "America forgets too much." /

Tin Can Serenade by Amanda Dykes

/ epistolary historical story / adorable story / deeper story than I expected / precious Christmasy tale /

what was your top favs of 2020?