The Books I've Read in 2020 Part 1

It’s that time again! I’ve been reading a lot this year, so I wanted to share what I’ve been reading so far in 2020! I’ll be sharing part 2 at the end of the year, and hopefully I can make it to my goal of reading 40 books! I’ll share a little synopsis of the book and my thought about each book. I’ll try to keep this short because there’s a lot of books to get through, so let’s get started!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng– I enjoyed this book more than the tv show (which I only just watched). It’s about a picture perfect family who isn’t quite as perfect as they seem, especially when a single mother and her daughter move into town.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood– The sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale that I really enjoyed! It jumps ahead in time and was answered some questions with a satisfying ending. It reflects some of what the show has already played out but goes much farther ahead in time. I would recommend it if you liked The Handmaid’s Tale!
Whisper Network by Chandler Baker– This was an interesting book to read that dealt with harassment in the workplace, and the many double standard for women at work. It was loosely based on or inspired by some of what the author saw when she worked as a corporate lawyer. Also- someone dies and you don’t know exactly how it happened. It was a good book!
The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda– I read a book by this author last year I think (they all blend together when you read so many books!), and I definitely enjoyed this one more. It’s about a girl who lives in a beach town that manages rental homes, and her best friend dies. She attempts to find out exactly what happened.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid– This book read like a documentary, and I really liked it! I could see it all in my head so easily, and it was so interesting that it included lyrics to a whole album. Like how does an author write music that works so well?! I think it’s supposed to be a tv show so maybe we will hear what it sounds like someday!
The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty– I’ve read almost every one of her books over the last few years, and this one was so cute! A hypnotherapist falls in love with a widowed father with a little bit of baggage- and ex girlfriend who is stalking him.
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling– I did NOT like this book. It had been on my list to read for years, but it was so hard to get through! It had a lot of characters and switched perspectives a lot so I found it confusing. I LOVE the Harry Potter books so I was really disappointed. But I will try reading another J.K. Rowling book at some point.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware– This was my favourite book that I’ve read by Ruth Ware (I think I’ve read all buy one at this point). It was about a girl who gets a job as a nanny in a “smart” home that is in the country with nothing nearby. I audibly gasped at one point, and did not guess what was going to happen.
Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson– This book is definitely for kids, but I liked how well it described the parks! If you know them well, you will know exactly where the characters are standing. It’s a series, but I don’t know if I’ll continue to read them. If you have kids who love Disney they would enjoy it!
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware– This was a book that I would start reading and when a book would come in from the library I would switch, so it took me a while to finally finish it! I enjoyed it though. It started with a girl bloody and running through the woods and you have no idea what’s going on, then it jumps back in time. I enjoyed it for a thriller, but it wasn’t my favourite book from this author (see #8!)
The Arrangement by Robyn Harding– I had NO idea what this book was about before I started reading it. Sometimes I just see a book by an author that I’ve read another book by, and add it to my list. So this book was about a girl who enters The Sugar Bowl and gets a Sugar Daddy, but she falls in love. It twists when someone ends up dead, and you try to figure out what happened. I really enjoyed it for having no clue! I just like being along for the ride sometimes!
Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews Edwards- I’ve loved Julie Andrews since I was a kid so I really enjoyed reading about her life! She talks about her career from when she was just singing to getting into the film industry. From Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, I loved reading about the making of some of my favourite movies. Reading it made me want to watch more of her movies!
The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong– I can’t remember how I found this book but I didn’t enjoy it. The youngest of two sons wakes up one morning to find his mother dead at the bottom of the stairs. Did he do it? It was a short book, but I didn’t enjoy reading it.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler– After watching Parks and Recreation last year I knew I wanted to know more about what it was like behind the scenes! I enjoyed learning about Amy Poehler’s life and how she got into comedy. I learned that she co-founded the Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UBC) which I had heard the term before but didn’t realize what it was! Reading the book was with it for the Parks and Rec part alone. It was good but not my favourite.
The Rosie Result by Graeme Simison– The third book in the series, and I like how it wrapped up! It jumps ahead 10 years, so Rosie and Don now have a ten year old, Hudson. It answers a question readers have probably wondered since the first book. Is Don on the spectrum? Is Hudson? I like the way this book wrapped everything up.
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory– This was an easy romantic comedy to read. A man and woman meet in an elevator when it breaks down, and he ends up asking her to be his date to a wedding that weekend- but she has to pretend to be his girlfriend. It’s characters are diverse and I liked the book! There are actually at least 5 books in the series, so I have more to read!
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris– What a story. Based on interviews the author had with the main character, he tells his story and how he met the love of his life at Auschwitz. It’s a little dramatized, but still such an amazing story. It’s hard to read, but very good.
Becoming by Michelle Obama– I really enjoyed learning more about Michelle Obama! I didn’t know really anything about her but had her book on my list for a long time and finally got to it! It was interesting to learn about her career before being the First Lady and even before she met Barack. Reading her perspective of so many things that happened while Barack was in office was powerful. I would highly recommend this book!
Someone We Know by Shari Lapena– This book takes place in a neighbourhood, where one woman ends up dead. Who killed her? Everyone is connected, and it was not who I thought it was! I got this as a 7 day rental from the library instead of the normal 14, but I flew through it in 4 days! This is I think the third book I’ve read from this author, and I really enjoyed it!
Act Like A Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions, and Humiliating Tales from Three Undignified Woman by Keltie Knight, Jacquelynn Vanek, and Becca Tobin– This book was a quick read as well! Short essays on love, friendship, career and more. I enjoyed getting to know the podcast hosts a little better! Hearing how they got to where they are was interesting, and the short essays made it an easy read. It was a fun read I would recommend!
I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella- I’ve read almost every single Sophie Kinsella book, so I was happy to read another! Fixie ends up saving a stranger’s laptop from certain disaster, so he owes her one. It was cute, and a little predictable. But I enjoyed it as a light, funny read. You can always count on a Sophie Kinsella book to make you laugh.
This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Phillips– I know Busy Phillips from Cougar Town, but I was interested in learning more about her life. It was interesting, but not super well written in my opinion. I guess she’s popular because she was one of the first celebrities to adopt Instagram Stories? I didn’t get a lot of information about what it was like to be on Cougar Town, so I was disappointed. And the ending felt pretty rushed. But I guess if you like Dawson’s Creek read it? I read it quickly over a weekend so I’m happy it was at least a quick read.
Blink by K.L. Slater– Told from the perspective of a mother before and after her 5 year old goes missing. This thriller kept twisting and turning, and every time I thought I had it figured out I was wrong! I wouldn’t suggest finishing this one before you go to sleep, you might have some trouble like I did! The kindle version is only $1.99 right now!
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell- Weirdly similar to #23, but a teen girl goes missing. I was SO CLOSE to figuring it out, but still wasn’t quite right! I read this book quickly and enjoyed it!
Untamed by Glennon Doyle- There is a lot of hype surrounding this book, so I was very curious. It’s about how society tames us to be the perfect wife, perfect mother, perfect perfect perfect. There were some things I agreed with, and some that I wanted to roll my eyes at. Not that I don’t think Glennon has gone through some hard times and overcome a lot, but it seemed a little preachy- in that “my life is great!”. I have a hard time reading books like this because I see that in a lot of them- but it did make me think differently about some things.
A Love Letter Life by Jeremy & Audrey Roloff– If you’ve watched Little People Big World you’ll know Jeremy and his wife. They wrote this book about their love story up until their wedding day. I wanted to read it because I wanted to know more about their story. This book is very faith based, which I don’t have anything against, but isn’t my thing. It also came off a little “our marriage is great!” and they haven’t been married that long. If I’m looking for marriage advice, it’s going to be from a couple that has been married longer.
The Mothers by Brit Bennett- This story was about a teenager who loses her mother to suicide and ends up getting pregnant while she’s with the pastor’s son. She gets an abortion, and it follows her life for the next few decades. The Mothers part I took to mean the mothers of the church, how they think they know everything that’s going on.
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory– This was the sequel to The Wedding Date, but not in a traditional sense. It takes place in the same world, and has one character in common as the first, but it’s not a strict continuation of the story. I was confused when I first started reading it, but I liked it! Again, this is just a cute romantic story and not the greatest book of all time, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Again, the characters are diverse which is nice to see!

If you’d like to follow along in real time to see what I’m reading and my star rating, you can follow me on Goodreads! I also have about a million books on my want to read list, so you can see those as well!

I’m trying (aka I’m really behind) to put all of this information in a highlight on Instagram, and hopefully putting up this post will help me get my act together! You can follow me here.