Top 20 Books I Read in 2020

I know, I’ve been absent for a while, but I have been reading! I’m excited to share my favorite 20 books from 2020, which encompass a large variety of genres from general fiction to mystery to young adult to Christian fiction to non-fiction. There’s something for everyone here, so dig in and check out my favorites from this past year. When all was said and done, I read 232 books last year, and out of that list there were only 11 books that I gave 5-star ratings to, the rest on this list were 4.5 stars or ones that just stand out in my memory as something unique and touching that have stayed with me.

I voluntarily reviewed complimentary copies of many of these books, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

About the Book:

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

My Thoughts:

“We get trapped in our own little bubbles, and even though the world is a wide and mysterious place, our bubbles keep us safe from that. To our detriment.”
“Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.”
“A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have magic.” “You do, Mr. Baker. Arthur told me that there can be magic in the ordinary.”

I really loved this beautiful book. It has humor and heart, all the things that we so desperately need and don’t always find while reading. I feel fortunate to have read this to close out my reading year, because it offers some hope in the midst of these bleak times. Do yourself a favor and read it. You will not be disappointed. A book filled with magic, love, acceptance, and being a part of something bigger than yourself. It took me a little bit to get into the book because the beginning is dark and depressing, but give it a chance and give it time, because it will dig its way into your heart. I laughed out loud in parts and I cried in others. That’s the sign of a great book in my view.

“Sometimes, he thought to himself in a house in a cerulean sea, you were able to choose the life you wanted. And if you were of the lucky sort, sometimes that life chose you back.”

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

About the Book:

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

My Thoughts:

Oh my, how I loved this book. It just spoke to me on so many levels, I absolutely loved how things fit together in the end. The growth of the characters, how they learned about themselves and about those they loved…just all the feels and I had tears streaming down my face for the last 10% of the book.

It is a challenge to all of us to celebrate life, no matter how difficult, no matter how mundane. To reach out to others even when they are prickly and strange, to meet people where they are and let them into our lives and join them where they are.

This book made me think of the quote “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Dive in. Don’t be a Stockholmer.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

About the Book:

When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?

Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.

My Thoughts:

This is an incredibly powerful and moving book about the insidious nature of grooming leading to assault, rape and other horrific things, coupled with the lack of belief in the victims’ authenticity and victim blaming.

That’s quite a lot to unpack, but Tiffany D. Jackson does it with her usual aplomb, by helping to put the reader in the place of the main character, Enchanted “Chanty” Jones, to live those circumstances along with her so that the reader can empathize and understand.

As I’ve said in many other books that involve rape, it is the only crime that occurs where the victim is blamed, shamed, and not believed. After reading this book, I also come to realize that if the victim is Black, there is an even greater chance that all of those things will happen and more.

As much as I loved the plot and was gripped by the story, the timeline gets a bit convoluted so it takes some concentration to figure out what is happening, even though the beginning of each chapter makes it somewhat clear what is “Now” and “Then”.

Even though the subject matter is difficult and may be triggering for many people, I think that this is an important book that older teens and adults alike should read.

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

About the Book:

This is the 16th book in the series

On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.

When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art.

It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.

A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized.

Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.

For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.

My Thoughts:

I have listened to the majority of this series on audio book, first with the late Ralph Cosham and now with Robert Bathurst, both who amazingly capture the voices of the characters so that even when I pick up the print copy, I can hear them in my head as I’m reading. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to see the audio review copy available for this newest installment. Bathurst does a stellar job yet again.

Penny is supremely gifted at crafting intelligent, thoughtful mysteries with a large amount of atmosphere and action. This intricately plotted tale grabbed my interest from the beginning and the puzzle kept me intrigued until the end. I missed Three Pines, but was satisfied with the vignette at the end when the group is back together in the village. I read it with tears streaming down my face at the interactions of these characters who have become real people in my life.

The suspense and drama in Paris is fascinating and there are some deep themes about family woven throughout. It is fantastic to get to know Daniel and to begin to understand the reasons behind the rift between him and Armand.

Now for the qualifier I always give–definitely read this series in order. It’s critical or you will miss the nuance and the ways the characters are connected, which is half of the enjoyment of these novels.

Becoming Brave by Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil

About the Book:

Reconciliation is not true reconciliation without justice! Brenda Salter McNeil has come to this conviction as she has led the church in pursuing reconciliation efforts over the past three decades. McNeil calls the church to repair the old reconciliation paradigm by moving beyond individual racism to address systemic injustice, both historical and present. It’s time for the church to go beyond individual reconciliation and “heart change” and to boldly mature in its response to racial division.

Looking through the lens of the biblical narrative of Esther, McNeil challenges Christian reconcilers to recognize the particular pain in our world so they can work together to repair what is broken while maintaining a deep hope in God’s ongoing work for justice. This book provides education and prophetic inspiration for every person who wants to take reconciliation seriously.

Becoming Brave offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. It challenges Christians to be everyday activists who become brave enough to break the silence and work with others to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality.

Link to my post and review of this amazing book:

Lifefullybooked’s Review of Becoming Brave

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

About the Book:

In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.

My Thoughts:

This is a book I feel that every white person should read. I took a long time to read through it because I took a ton of notes and highlighted many portions. The main themes that hit home were the good/bad paradigm: it is difficult for white people to separate racism from being a bad person. Systemic racism exists in every facet of society and we need to acknowledge it so we can help to improve it. It’s getting people to actually acknowledge that they may be part of the problem that is so difficult. I think that reading this book can be a good first step–especially if you are just getting your feet wet in racial justice learning.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

About the Book:

Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living.
But she wasn’t always that way.
Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen.
But he wasn’t always that way.

And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before—at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him—but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school—and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.

As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love—which is the riskiest move of all.

My Thoughts:

As I got about halfway through this book, I thought I wasn’t going to like it as well as some of the others I’ve read by this author. But I was wrong. So many beautiful, wonderful things this author has to say about stepping into or out of fear and choosing joy. Even if it is difficult. Even if it is painful and oh, so much work. It’s always worth it to choose to find joy in life around you.

I shed quite a few tears, wanted to shake Duncan for being such a hard-hearted jerk, and rejoiced with the characters as they journeyed through life. Because it’s true–if you don’t seek the good, you will never find it. I learned quite a bit from Sam and the other characters, and I just need to remember to put it into practice in my own life.

Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors for her heartfelt stories that magnify the good that can come from walking through the rough, seemingly insurmountable pain of life. Go read this book.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

About the Book:

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

My Thoughts:

Excellent psychological suspense novel that will totally keep you guessing throughout. I know it sounds like a cliche, but Hillier’s writing is so good that it will captivate readers.
I did have my suspicions about what was going on, and I was partially correct, but the extent of the web of lies is stunning and brilliantly laid out.
I genuinely felt for Marin. Again, the author’s ability to put me right in her shoes, even though I’ve never experienced the anguish of a missing child, elevates this book past what other books in this genre provide. Plus, the Seattle setting is near and dear to my heart, I could vividly visualize the locations of everything described.
I loved Jar of Hearts and this one is even better. Sorry I waited so long to read it!

The Water Keeper by Charles Martin

About the Book:

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

With Charles Martin’s trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story and a heartrending search for freedom.

My Thoughts:

“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine”

This song echoed through my head throughout my reading of this novel. The Parable of the Lost Sheep. There are so many parallels between Murph and that overwhelming love of God that seeks us out even when we are the only one who is lost. This is a story within a story within a story. A heart’s cry to love and to open ourselves up to love. Also about Whose we are. And who we are, but one leads to the other.

“We don’t love because people love us back. We love because we can. Because we were made to. Because it’s all we have. Because, at the end of the day, evil can take everything save one thing: your love. And when you come to realize that, that the only thing you really control in this life is your love, you’ll see, maybe for the first time, that we’re all just lost.”

Martin’s writing is stellar, as usual. His way of turning a phrase is exquisite, he puts so much meaning that can both be taken as face value with an exciting story, but also as much deeper and contemplative about life on another level.

Beautiful book with some difficult themes of human trafficking, but well worth the discomfort to find the joy that can be discovered on the other side of the darkness for all of us.

Fierce Free and Full of Fire by Jen Hatmaker

About the Book:

NOW you can get busy doing what you were placed on this planet to do. NOW you can be honest, honest, honest about all of it, even the hard stuff, even the humiliating stuff, even the secret stuff. NOW you can walk in your convictions of faith and ask new questions unafraid. NOW you can be so free, because you are not searching for value from any source other than your own beautiful soul made piece by piece by God who adores you and is ready to get on with the business of unleashing you into this world.

In this book, I break it down into five self-reflective categories—who I am, what I need, what I want, what I believe, and how I connect—and by working your way through them, you will learn to

• own your space, ground, and gifts (they are YOURS, sister);
• be strong in your relationships and lay down passive aggression, resentment, drama, and compliance;
• say GUILT-FREE what you want and what you need; and
• welcome spiritual curiosity and all the fantastic change that doing so creates.

You with me, beloveds? If we do this work on our own selves now, not only will we discover a life truly worth living, but we will free our daughters to rise up behind us, with spines straight, heads up, and coated in our strength.

My Thoughts:

This book is exactly what I needed right at this moment in my life. And I’m sure it will be just what most women need, no matter their particular moment.
Fierce, Free and Full of Fire is challenging. It’s convicting. Jen isn’t afraid to dig deep and to challenge readers to do the same. The book is divided into five sections: Who I Am, What I Need, What I Want, What I Believe, and How I Connect. Within each of those there are chapters involving personal development, connection, spiritual development, and growth. As she fully admits in the introduction, “My hypothesis is that ever reader will need some of these in a crucial way, some in a medium way, and some not at all.” And those things may change over time depending on our personal journey.
Right now, I’m at a stage of changing connections, of learning, growing, and exploring spiritually, and trying to discover and really engage in the causes that are important to me. Other readers may be at completely different stages, and this book provides food for thought and action no matter where you might be at the moment.
If you’re ready for a challenge, ready to jump in with both feet to discover exactly how you are fierce, free, and full of fire, this is a gorgeously written, humorous book that will help you to explore yourself and where you fit into this world.

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern

About the Book:

Seven years after her husband’s death — six since she read his final letter — Holly Kennedy has moved on with her life. When Holly’s sister asks her to tell the story of the “PS, I Love You” letters on her podcast — to revisit the messages Gerry wrote before his death to read after his passing — she does so reluctantly, not wanting to reopen old wounds.

But after the episode airs, people start reaching out to Holly, and they all have one thing in common: they’re terminally ill and want to leave their own missives behind for loved ones. Suddenly, Holly finds herself drawn back into a world she’s worked tirelessly to leave behind — but one that leads her on another incredible, life-affirming journey.

My Thoughts:

I loved P.S I Love You, and was very hesitant to read this one because I just didn’t think I would have the same experience. I am happy to say that I was incorrect. I adored this book and it made me cry in the absolute best way.
It is such a raw, real look at grief and loss and how it changes over the years. Our grief doesn’t stay the same and it can be disconcerting to both ourselves and to those around us when things change. I loved how Holly and Gabriel have such differing views and how they work and work to make their perspectives mesh into a loving relationship. I sobbed with Holly’s dilemmas, each and every one of them, and also laughed with the humor in the varying situations.
P.S. I Love You was the author’s first book way back in 2004, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Her maturity with her writing has just deepened over the years and I’m thrilled that Holly’s story turned out the way it did. Fantastic book.

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin

About the Book:

In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, determined to do his best in the upcoming Allied invasion of France. With his future stolen by his brothers’ betrayal, Clay has only one thing to live for–fulfilling the recurring dream of his death.

Leah Jones works as a librarian at Camp Forrest, longing to rise above her orphanage upbringing and belong to the community, even as she uses her spare time to search for her real family–the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago.

After Clay saves Leah’s life from a brutal attack, he saves her virtue with a marriage of convenience. When he ships out to train in England for D-day, their letters bind them together over the distance. But can a love strong enough to overcome death grow between them before Clay’s recurring dream comes true?

My Thoughts:

I have been anxiously awaiting this final installment because I really wanted to read Clay’s story and find out what happened after The Sky Above Us ended in a cliffhanger. This book did not disappoint me in any way! Sundin has a gift for placing the reader right in the middle of the World War II time period and everything about the story feels authentic and believable.
I loved Clay’s emotional journey in this novel. The themes of forgiveness resonate throughout, and I could feel his struggles with his identity and knowing who he was in God’s eyes even when he couldn’t quite figure that out with his family. I absolutely loved the Biblical parallels to the Rachel and Leah story and how those themes are timeless. Clay and Leah’s relationship development was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time.
Although this book could stand alone, you shouldn’t read it without the first two. You would miss the blessing of watching the relationship of the three brothers as it grows and changes, and that is one of the most beautiful parts of this series. I urge you to get all three books and savor them, you won’t regret one minute of the time spent.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

About the Book:

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

My Thoughts:

This is an absolutely gut-wrenching book that shines a bright spotlight onto the injustices of the criminal justice system in the US. I cannot count the number of times I was absolutely floored and in tears at some things that have occurred in my lifetime and that are still occurring. It is unconscionable that such racism is not only allowed, but actually both encouraged and legally mandated. I am still shaking my head.

The cases that Stevenson highlights in his book are incredibly heartbreaking and again, astounding to me. I feel like I must live in a bubble because I seriously did not know that things like this were and are happening. We must do better as a country, and I appreciate and applaud Stevenson and his colleagues for stepping into the fire and attempting to right some of these wrongs.

In High Cotton by Ane Mulligan

About the Book:

While the rest of the world has been roaring through the 1920s, times are hardscrabble in rural South Georgia. Widow Maggie Parker is barely surviving while raising her young son alone. Then as banks begin to fail, her father-in-law threatens to take her son and sell off her livelihood—the grocery store her husband left her. Can five Southern women band together, using their wisdom and wiles to stop him and survive the Great Depression?

My Thoughts:

I am not generally the biggest historical fiction fan, but this book has so much action and intrigue that it kept me captivated throughout.

Widow Maggie has her share of troubles–mostly instigated by her father-in-law Big Jim. He doesn’t believe she should have inherited the family store from her husband, and doesn’t think she is capable as a woman to run it. There are so many incidents, both frightening and overall disheartening, that Maggie sometimes feels on the verge of giving up. Yet she has to think about supporting her son Barry, and a group of women from the town band together to support each other through their various trials.

I was on the edge of my seat through most of this book. Many incidents come one on top of the other to propel the tension. I was worried for Maggie and her family and friends and kept reading to make sure that everything would turn out all right for them.

There is a subtle but meaningful spiritual thread throughout the book that focuses on trusting God to bring a person through hard times, and that God’s timing is always perfect, even if we think otherwise. And when Maggie has a difficult time with her faith and with trusting God, her friends are there to lift her up and encourage her.

This is a departure from Ane Mulligan’s humorous fiction, but it is still filled with the same small town characters and readers should warm to them and root for a happy ending for all.

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

About the Book:

When Ruby King’s mother is found murdered in their home in Chicago’s South Side, the police dismiss it as another act of violence in a black neighborhood. But for Ruby, it’s a devastating loss that leaves her on her own with her violent father. While she receives many condolences, her best friend, Layla, is the only one who understands how this puts Ruby in jeopardy.

Their closeness is tested when Layla’s father, the pastor of their church, demands that Layla stay away. But what is the price for turning a blind eye? In a relentless quest to save Ruby, Layla uncovers the murky loyalties and dangerous secrets that have bound their families together for generations. Only by facing this legacy of trauma head-on will Ruby be able to break free.

An unforgettable debut novel, Saving Ruby King is a powerful testament that history doesn’t determine the present and the bonds of friendship can forever shape the future.

My Thoughts:

This is a stunning debut novel. West’s words are both nuanced and relatable. There are so many sections that are timely to the events going on in today’s world with Black people and their relationship with the police. The fact that this book was written before the recent events involving George Floyd shine a spotlight on the fact that, while it may be a new fight for many people, this is nothing new for Black people. I highlighted so many passages that made me stop and ponder these lived experiences.

There are multiple points-of-view in this novel, one of them is the church building and the secrets the building holds for its inhabitants. Themes of family, friendship, and whether or not our pasts define us resonate throughout. Church and faith play an integral part of the story, some parts of which may be uncomfortable for people who put pastors and fellow church members up on a pedestal. This book reminds us that we are all human and a role in the church isn’t a pass for horrible behavior or ignoring horrible behavior. There are some difficult issues that come to light in this novel: domestic abuse, sexual and physical abuse of a child, and how families and even the church are complicit in perpetuating it by turning a blind eye or feeling helpless about what to do. Again, the themes are thought-provoking and very realistic.

Many feelings come up during the reading of this tale: compassion, anger, frustration, fear, and love. West’s poignant words made me care about characters on the page and root for Layla and Ruby to overcome the large obstacles in front of them. There’s a bit of a mystery to the story, but overall it is the story of relationships, both good and bad, intertwined and shaping us into who we will ultimately become.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

About the Book:

Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. Three weeks later they fled in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His horror memoir of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks toMaggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

Alternating between Maggie’s uneasy homecoming and chapters from her father’s book, Home Before Dark is the story of a house with long-buried secrets and a woman’s quest to uncover them—even if the truth is far more terrifying than any haunting.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book. I normally steer far away from books with paranormal or ghost themes, but this book is written in such a way that those elements actually added to the suspense rather than detracting.
The interplay between Maggie’s current status of living in the house and the excerpts from the book her father wrote about their experiences keeps the tension in the forefront throughout. Shades of Amityville Horror give a creepy, spooky feel to the novel. And Maggie’s staunch insistence that the book was nothing but a bunch of lies created for publicity makes the reader question everything that happens–was the book real, or is there a logical explanation?
The exposition of the plot is deliberate, yet with dynamic pacing that keeps the reader turning pages quickly to discern what is true from what is fabrication.
Riley Sager is an author that never fails to satisfy suspense lovers because his cleverly drawn stories are clever and original. Keep them coming!

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

About the Book:

One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them are a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured veteran returning from Afghanistan, a business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. Halfway across the country, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.

Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a part of himself has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery—one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do you find the strength to put one foot in front of the other? How do you learn to feel safe again? How do you find meaning in your life?

My Thoughts:

This book just hit the right spot for me. It is hopeful and uplifting in the best ways. Yes, there are parts of deep, aching sadness, but the overall message of the novel is of perseverance through terrible circumstances and learning how to move forward through grief while trying to navigate the normal adolescent changes.
Although I have not experienced what Edward did, I am familiar with loss, and the emotional parts of this book are meaningful and relatable. Some other reviewers didn’t like the back and forth between the time on the plane and Edward’s life, but I loved that, because it gave me a bigger glimpse into the before and after and the wider effect that the crash had on people other than him.
I listened to this book on audio and the narrator is excellent. Her distinct voices and inflections for the various characters brought the book to life.
Highly recommended.

When You Were Mine by Kate Hewitt

About the Book:

Mother-of-two, Ally has always dreamed of fostering—it feels like her chance to give back when she has been so lucky in life. But when seven-year-old Dylan joins her family in their big, spacious, suburban home, Ally isn’t prepared for the responsibility—or for the love—she will feel for him.

Life with Dylan isn’t easy though. He refuses to speak and Ally finds herself only able to guess what his needs might be. And, as her family feels the impact of his arrival, she is forced to question whether she really is a good enough parent to help another woman’s child.

Dylan’s mother, Beth, then begins her fight to reclaim the son who she says is her whole world. With everything at stake for this small, silent, beautiful boy—which mother can truly give Dylan the love, the security, and the home he deserves? Ally knows her life could never be the same again without Dylan in it. But would she really consider letting a child be taken from his own mother forever?

My Thoughts:

I started out reading this book rather reluctantly. The subject matter wasn’t one I’d typically choose, so I was hesitant. The plot centers on two women: Beth, the single mother of 7-year-old Dylan, who due to varying circumstances has been removed from Beth’s home and put into foster care; and Ally, wife and mother of two young adult children and who, along with her husband Nick, become Dylan’s foster parents.

This book drew me in from the first chapter and I literally could not put it down until I finished. The two women had such different lives and backgrounds, yet their growth throughout the novel was so realistic and heartfelt. I didn’t like Beth at first, and I related so much more to Ally since we are in similar phases of life. However both of them had trials and triumphs throughout the book that made me root for everyone’s success.

I loved the way the author portrayed “the system” and gave faces and hearts to the social workers, the psychologists, the counselors, and everyone dealing with a very complex situation. It made me stop to think about how much internal judgment I’ve passed on people I’ve known in Beth’s situation and how there is always more to the story than is shown on the surface.
This is an incredible book that is definitely a worthwhile read.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

About the Book:

Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to “the land beyond the seas,” Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land.

During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel—a skilled midwife and herbalist—is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors.

Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land.

My Thoughts:

Kline has yet again crafted a unique story that transports the reader to another time and place. Parts of this tale are ultimately triumphant and uplifting, and other parts are just utterly heartbreaking.

I listened to this as an audio book and the narrator does an amazing job giving voice to these characters. There are surprises and shocks throughout, but overall it is just a well told tale of life of female convicts and others in 1800s Australia.

To Steal a Heart by Jen Turano

About the Book:

After a childhood as a street thief, Gabriella Goodhue thought she’d put her past behind her until a fellow resident at her boardinghouse is unjustly accused of theft. In the middle of breaking into a safe that holds the proof to prove her friend’s innocence, Gabriella is interrupted by Nicholas Quinn, the man she once considered her best friend–until he abandoned her.

After being taken under the wing of a professor who introduced him into society and named him as heir, Nicholas is living far removed from his childhood life of crime. As a favor to a friend, Nicholas agreed to help clear the name of an innocent woman, never imagining he’d be reunited with the girl he thought lost to him forever.

As Gabriella and Nicholas are thrown together into one intrigue after another, their childhood affection grows into more, but their newfound feelings are tested when truths about their past are revealed and danger follows their every step.  

My Thoughts:

Can I just gush for a minute about how enjoyable Jen Turano’s books are? I am always a little bit giddy when I pick one up because I know I am in for a treat, and this novel was no exception.

I’m generally not a big historical fiction fan, but the way Turano combines romance, humor, and in this book, a few well thought out mysteries, makes the experience of reading a delight. The 1886 Gilded Age setting among the New York Four Hundred’s privileged members provides the perfect backdrop for this enchanting tale.

I loved the characters, particularly headstrong Gabriella and her childhood friend Nicholas. The romantic tension between the two is palpable, yet they cannot and will not admit it, not even to themselves. Both have a great deal to learn about and resolve regarding their pasts before they can confront the future. The start of the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency is thrilling, the cases that they take and solve during the course of this novel are both fun and clever, and there’s so much potential for further installments in the series with the plethora of women running the agency–all with secrets they are hiding. I can’t wait to learn more about Daphne and Eunice in upcoming novels.

There’s a very subtle faith message in the novel, but it is very approachable for those looking for a clean, enjoyable read. Turano’s inclusion of animals in her stories consistently adds to the humor–the pirate dog and the kleptomaniac parrot are just two of the hilarious characters readers will encounter. All in all, this is a thoroughly wonderful book and a very entertaining way to spend time.

What were your favorite books that you read last year? Do we have any in common? Drop me a comment and let me know what you loved!