While 2020 may not have been the best year ever (as we all originally anticipated), it was certainly my best reading year – and that has to count for something!
At the beginning of the year, I set a reading goal for myself. I wanted to read 30 books. That’s how many I got through in 2019, so my thought was that it should be simple enough in 2020. Now, I look back and laugh, friends. I read a grand total of 131 books in the last year. Phew!
I’ll get into just how I managed to read that many books at a later time. Today, we’re dwelling on the best of the best out of that massive stack. I’ve gone through my Goodreads and read over my reviews to determine which ones were truly top tier, and now I’m sharing them with you.
The 30 Books I Loved Most in 2020
You can find synopses for these books, along with my reviews, scattered throughout my blog and on my Goodreads. I’ve also provided links for each of my monthly wrap-ups on their corresponding month below.
January
Opposite of Always – Justin A. Reynolds
Echo North – Joanna Ruth Meyer
February
Stepsister – Jennifer Donnelly
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
March
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill – Abbi Waxman
The Starless Sea – Erin Morgenstern
Renegades – Marissa Meyer
april
Waiting for Tom Hanks – Kerry Winfrey
All the Stars and Teeth – Adalyn Grace
May
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird – Josie Silver
Talking as Fast as I Can – Lauren Graham
June
Strange the Dreamer – Laini Taylor
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
The Falconer – Elizabeth May
You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson
July
The Switch – Beth O’Leary
Scythe – Neal Shusterman
A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E. Schwab
august
Midnight Sun – Stephenie Meyer (review article)
Into the Heartless Wood – Joanna Ruth Meyer (review article | author interview)
September
Lovely War – Julie Berry
Clockwork Prince – Cassandra Clare
October
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin – Roseanne A. Brown
Early Departures – Justin A. Reynolds (review article)
Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid
How to Find Love in a Bookshop – Veronica Henry
November
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas
December
Finding Christmas – Karen Schaler (review article)
One Way or Another – Kara McDowell
What were your favorite books of 2020?
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Katie says
I LOVED Talking as Fast as I Can! I read it year before last I think, but really loved it! So many other great suggestions here though, thanks for sharing!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Stephanie Whitman says
It’s a phenomenal book! Lauren Graham is one of my favorite people in the whole world and learning more about her life and what it was like to film Gilmore Girls (again) was so special. I listened to the audiobook and to this day, it’s one that I regularly pull back up again just to listen to because it’s soothing to hear her talk (she narrates it)!
Margot says
Oh I read 2 books in this list.
I also read the Midnight library this October and this is probably my favorite book I read this year.
And I read the bookish life of Nina Hill but I was expecting better. I found it just ok.
I need to check all theses others books.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
Stephanie Whitman says
The Midnight Library was truly life-changing for me. I have a whole review post coming about it (hopefully next week)! It was phenomenally written. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill felt like it was written about me. I absolutely adore Nina and found it to be one of the funniest books ever as well. Abbi Waxman is such a great author and I’ve loved everything she’s written. I’m sorry you didn’t care for it as much as I did.
Reads and Ramblings says
Wow!131! I’m jealous!
I read so many amazing books in 2020… my favourite has to be Their Eyes Were Watching God
I’m so excited to read Midnight Library- it’s next up on my tbr! Xx
Stephanie Whitman says
Ahh! I’m honestly quite proud of myself for reading so many books. When I began the year, I assumed I’d only get to around 30, but then I just began to fly through them (I also read 2 at a time… one physical and one audiobook and I happen to read really quickly as well). It was a special reading year, to be sure. I hope you LOVE The Midnight Library. That one was incredibly special for me. I have a full review article on it coming soon.
Sarah Mark says
I love posts like these because there are a lot of books that I haven’t come across before. I absolutely loved The Switch and Midnight Sun took me back to my teenage years.
Stephanie Whitman says
Those were certainly two that I thoroughly enjoyed – for such different reasons haha! I’m hopeful that you’ll get a chance to check out some of the others that made it to the top of my list 🙂
Jennifer Prince says
That’s so many! More than 2 books a week. Love it!! I forgot about the Tom Hanks book, but I remember you mentioning it a while back. I need to read that one – it sounds like a fun one!
Stephanie Whitman says
Yes indeed! I always read two at a time, which makes it easy to get through so many each month. My goal was 10 a month and I definitely surpassed that on several occasions. It was fun to challenge myself – but at a certain point, it wasn’t a challenge anymore. It was just… how I read 🙂 Waiting for Tom Hanks is such a great book. Totally adorable. I certainly recommend it for anyone who loves 90’s romcoms!
Carrington | Chaos and Coffee says
These are all such great books! I definitely found a few I’m adding to my list for the next time I go to B&N! Xx.
Stephanie Whitman says
That’s awesome to hear! I also highly recommend purchasing from Bookshop.org or checking out your local bookstores to help support those smaller businesses 🙂
Neely Moldovan says
I think my two favorites from the year were in five years and the girl he used to know. I loved both so much!
Stephanie Whitman says
In Five Years was an excellent book! That actually made it onto my list of favorite audiobooks. It’s a great story and the magical realism was such a unique touch.
Stephani says
That is so amazing that you read 131 books last year!! Wow! Haha I think the last book I read was a parenting book like 2 years ago!! 😬😬
Xo, Steph
Stephanie Whitman says
I can’t imagine my life without books. Reading is the ultimate form of self-care for me and it has also expanded my mind! I love curling up with a good story 🙂
Lizzie says
Yay! Your blog looks amazing! Also, II cannot believe you read that many books!! That’s almost one every 3 days! Incredible!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Stephanie Whitman says
Thanks so much! 🙂 Haha I read two at a time and also happen to be a really fast reader, which helps. I make sure to prioritize reading because it’s what I love – hence the direction my blog has taken, of course!
Sarah Lindner says
At least there was something good about 2020, lol! Looks like you enjoyed some good reads! xoxo, Sarah
Stephanie Whitman says
Actually, while it may seem selfish, 2020 was one of the best years of my life. Personally and career-wise. I know it was a really challenging year overall, but a lot of good came from it as well. I’m thankful for that, since I know so many others who did not have the same experience.
Lauren says
Last year I did not make time for reading. It is something I want to try and do it more this year. Thank you for sharing your list of books.
Stephanie Whitman says
I hope you get a chance to! Reading is such a special experience. It helps expand your mind, calm you, and gives you an escape!
I'm All Booked Up says
The Infernal Devices series is our favorite. We also enjoyed Scythe.
Stephanie Whitman says
The Infernal Devices is excellent! I was glad I got to read them this past year. I plan to read The Mortal Instruments this year and I’m really looking forward to it!
Lizzie says
Totally saving this so I can go through each of these! I wanted to read more in 2020 but you know haha! Definitely going to male more time this year.
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Stephanie Whitman says
That makes me so happy to hear! I hope it gives you some inspiration for what to read in the coming year!
Rach says
I love that you shared your favorite books in 2020! You are giving me ideas to add to my 2021 reading list. For sure already added some of the books you shared to my list. There’s quite a few books I love but the one that stood out is In Five Years by Rebecca Steele.
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Stephanie Whitman says
Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! I hope you do get a chance to read some of my favorites here. I know we sometimes have really similar taste when it comes to contemporary novels! In Five Years is a great one. That made it into the category of “favorite audiobooks!”
Lindsey says
131?? That’s incredible, congrats on an amazing reading year! So many of these are on my TBR pile and it’s definitely making me realise I want to shift gears and get my reading really moving, there’s so much I want to read. Great wrap up – and I hope this year is just as good for you!
Stephanie Whitman says
I think I shocked myself with that particular number as well! Considering I originally planned on 30 – it came as a surprise to fly through so many during the year. I hope you get a chance to check out some of the ones that interest you most!
Nia says
This is a great list, Stephanie! So many books I didn’t read last year. This is perfect to build my list for this year 🙂
Stephanie Whitman says
That makes me smile! I definitely want to inspire others with the books I loved most. I hope you get a chance to check some of them out!
Gemma Jayne says
This is a brilliant list and wow to how many books you read in 2020! I struggled last year and this year my goal is to get back into reading! But without being able to go browse a bookshop right now I always struggle to find books online but this is perfect and I have already saved some to my list 😊
Stephanie Whitman says
Ahh I guess I never really felt a loss there because I’m a library snob. I don’t tend to buy books until I’ve already read them – so bookshops were more of a calming setting or aesthetic thing for me than anything else. I do miss wandering through the library though! However, it’s great that we have so many opportunities to find reading lists and recommendations online!
Greta says
I finally finished Midnight Sun and it was so good! I also loved Lauren Graham’s book!
Stephanie Whitman says
I’m so glad you liked Midnight Sun! It was such a fun throwback and honestly, I liked it even better than Twilight. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.
Annie says
I love your taste in literature! The only one I’ve read on this list was midnight sun and I finished it in two days haha. Thanks for these awesome recommendations, I want to check out more of the books you like, we seem to like a lot of the same books!
Stephanie Whitman says
Aww thank you 🙂 I hope you get a chance to check out some of my other recommendations. It’s awesome to find a kindred spirit when it comes to reading!
Jenny in Neverland says
Oooh I like the way you did this post with monthly favourites as well. There are soooo many books here I want to read so thank you for making my TBR even longer! x
Stephanie Whitman says
Yes! I wanted to narrow it down because I read 131 books last year and honestly…. SO MANY FAVORITES came out of that. Trying to just keep it around 30 top picks was tough, but I did it haha!
Tanvi Rastogi says
We follow each other on Goodreads so get a headsup on what you are reading and what you enjoyed. I will be checking out some of these books that I haven’t read it.
❥ tanvii.com
Stephanie Whitman says
I’m glad you’re able to see some of my updates there. I’ll admit that I use the platform mostly for my own personal gain, just for tracking the books I read, my reviews, etc. so I don’t see much of what others share. But thanks for paying attention!
Caitlin says
I love how this post is organized with a list and visual of each book! It’s sad, but sometimes I do choose a book by its cover haha. Last year I didn’t read as many books as I would have liked but I enjoyed almost every book that came with my Book of the Month Club membership!
Stephanie Whitman says
Thank you! I began adding covers to my book wrap-up posts for that very reason. I know some people are intrigued by the cover, rather than what the book is about, so I wanted to catch the attention of everyone in that way!
Kyla @ Kyla's Library says
I read Renegades by Marissa Meyer last year too and loved it, it’s such an interesting spin on superheroes and villains!
Adaleta Avdic says
I am saving this post since I’d love to add these to the list. I AM READING THIS YEAR. Out of curiosity, I’d love to know what you do with the books once you’re done with them? Maybe we can exchange books on a consistent basis? I’m just throwing ideas out since I have already spent a lot buying the books so far this year since I joined 2 book clubs!
Marlene says
Bookmarking this. I need some more books for this year and haven’t read these!!
Ana Palombini says
I admire your reading habits so much l I can’t believe you managed to read all theses books in a year, wow! I love reading as well and it is part of my life since I was a kid. My dad used to fall asleep in bookstores when I was young because I spent hours upon hours selecting books to buy. It’s so good to dive into a good story. I just finished Memoirs of a Geisha this week, ave you had a chance to read it? I was so fascinated. Now I need a new book to start so I am glad I found your list. Will definitely look into one of your choices. thanks for such a thoughtful book recommendations list.
Stephanie Whitman says
Thank you so much for that! I’ve always adored reading and even when I was little, I would check out as many books as I could from the library and then finish them all in a matter of days. I couldn’t gobble them up quickly enough, according to my mom! I definitely lost my intense desire to read immediately following high school and in my early 20’s, but I’m grateful that I’ve gotten back to my “old ways” in the past couple of years. It’s been wonderful to discover so many books. I haven’t even heard of Memoirs of a Geisha before, but I’ll definitely look into it! 🙂