I was so tempted to just copy the list I made for Kaye Wilkinson Barley’s Meanderings and Muses site when she asked a bunch of her female friends to give her a list of our favorite books of 2020, http://bit.ly/2Jvybk0. However, I went back one more time. And, I realized I haven’t really been fair to one whole sub-genre of books, one that I enjoy. So, more later.
First, I’m going to give you a heads-up about two books you might want to watch for in 2021. Josh Stallings’ Tricky is a Jan. 19 release. After arresting a murder suspect, a maverick cop tries to prove the man isn’t a killer. Oh, but you’ll have to read the book, or at least my January review. There’s so much meat in this book.
In March, you’ll want to pick up SJ Bennett’s The Windsor Knot. Just before her 90th birthday, Queen Elizabeth II turns sleuth when a guest is found dead in one of the bedrooms at Windsor Castle. The queen turns to her assistant private secretary to serve as her legs in this case. I loved this original mystery, and have high hopes for the series. Bennett plans to go backwards in the queen’s reign to reveal some of her other cases. And, she says one model for this series was Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Release date is March 9.
Now, let’s talk about the books of 2020, an excellent year for reading, if not an excellent year for anything else. There were some terrific books that were released in 2020. However, when the library shut down in mid-March, I was stunned. I couldn’t read anything for two weeks. Finally, historical romances pulled me out of that reading coma. None of those books were published this year, so they’re not on the favorites list. But, I have to give thanks for Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons series (yes, the one on Netflix that I am not watching because I’m a history snob), and Sarah MacLean’s Scandal & Scoundrel series. Who knows what I’d be talking about now if it wasn’t for those books?
What I did discover when I went back through my list of books is that cozy mysteries seldom appear on my final lists. Why? Although there were several that I raved about when I read them, when I narrow my choices for the final list of favorites, there are often books that are more memorable. So, instead of narrowing the list this year, I’m expanding it. This is not a top-ten list or a best of list. It’s my personal list of favorites, and there are several cozy mysteries that deserve to appear here. So, the current list is not the same one that appeared at Meanderings and Muses. It’s my current, as of today, list of favorite books that I read that were released in 2020. Alphabetical order by author because I’m a librarian.
Bree Baker’s Closely Harbored Secrets makes the list, not just because it’s fresh in my memory since I just finished it this weekend. This is the fifth in the series featuring Everly Swan, owner of a cafe and tea shop in Charm, North Carolina. Not one of these books has been a disappointment. If you’re looking for a strong cozy mystery series with likeable characters, you might want to try the Seaside Cafe mysteries, beginning with Live and Let Chai. This one, in which Everly becomes the target of a killer, although she doesn’t have what he’s looking for, might be my favorite in the series. The series features strong family history elements, a little woo-woo, and great characters.
Carousels of Paris is by my friend Kaye Wilkinson Barley, with photographs by Kaye and her husband, Don Barley. It’s a gorgeous book of photographs and some background history of the carousels that are dotted around Paris. It’s a beautiful gift book for anyone who loves carousels or unusual sites in Paris itself. Expect the unexpected animals, even extinct ones, on some of these stunning carousels. (And, I’m happy to say I contacted the American Library in Paris, and they corrected their wrong cataloging for this book – smile.)
What is is about the fifth book in a mystery series? The Solace of Bay Leaves by Leslie Budewitz is the fifth in her Spice Shop series, and it’s one of the best in the series. Maybe it’s because, by this time in the series, the amateur sleuth has more confidence. When Pepper Reece’s childhood friend, Maddie, is shot and gravely injured, it’s reminiscent of an unsolved murder that left another friend a widow. For me, the focus of this book was Pepper, an introspective, mature woman who struggles with her insecurities while still trying to improve her relationships and her knowledge of herself.
Harlan Coben’s The Boy from the Woods still stands out for me, although I read it in March. I read for character first, and Wilde, the man who grew up in the woods, and Hester Crimstein, a TV criminal attorney, are both memorable characters. When a teenage girl goes missing, Hester’s grandson lets her know the girl was bullied in school. She drags Wilde into the case, one that leads to a complicated mess involving a powerful family, and secrets. I’d like to see both of these characters again.
The cover of Emily Henry’s Beach Read doesn’t do it justice. January Andrews is a romance writer who has had writer’s block ever since her father’s death. Augustus Everett is a bestselling literary author who is her next-door neighbor at a beach house for the summer. He was her rival in college, and she always felt he looked down on her. Now, the two agree to swap writing styles for the summer. He’ll try to write a happily-ever-after story while she’ll try to write a literary novel. They’ll both finish a novel, and they’ll learn something about each other and the writing process. This is meatier than the cover makes it appear as it probes the lives of two writers with troubled backgrounds.
While Craig Johnson’s novella, Spirit of Steamboat, remains my favorite Longmire book, Next to Last Stand may come in second. I still laugh when I think of the final chase scene in this book. The book centers on a painting of “Custer’s Last Fight”, seen in every bar in America. The original was lost in a fire at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1946. Maybe? When Charley Lee Stillwater dies at the Wyoming Home for Soldiers & Sailors, Sheriff Walt Longmire is called in to discover the connection between a piece of a painting and a shoebox containing a million dollars.
Jess Lourey’s novel, Unspeakable Things, was released in January 2020, before COVID, and so early in the year that many may have forgotten it. I can’t forget this coming-of-age story featuring a young girl, Cassie McDowell, a twelve-year-old unreliable narrator. It’s set in a small Minnesota town where young boys are abducted, and returned, changed. And, then one boy is abducted, and doesn’t come back. When you read the Author’s Note in Lourey’s novel, and learn that she was inspired by true incidents from her own childhood, the story becomes even more powerful. This story is so wrong, and so beautifully written. When Cassie says, “Kids are being taken,” a girl her age replies, “I’m not going to let them steal my childhood, though.” It’s a story of stolen childhoods, broken dreams, and loss.
I was torn between two books by Jenn McKinlay. Buried to the Brim is an excellent cozy mystery in her London Hat Shop series. I went with her romantic comedy, Paris is Always a Good Idea. It’s classic McKinlay with one part laughter and one part madcap physical comedy as workaholic Chelsea Martin sets out to revisit the three places where she was happiest, places where she fell in love with different men. Chelsea’s off to Ireland, Paris, and Italy. But, she can’t seem to escape from her arch-rival at work, Jason Knightley, the bane of her existence. Everyone else seems to love him and his humor. Everyone except Chelsea.
Sarah Morgenthaler’s debut novel, The Tourist Attraction, made my July list of Favorite Books of the Year, so far. It’s still on the list. In the fun romantic comedy set in Alaska, a diner owner, Graham Barnett, falls for a tourist despite his normal dislike and hands-off policy. In fact, he is so hands-off he named his diner The Tourist Trap and fights off tourists who try to approach the local moose, Ulysses. But, Zoey Caldwell, who saved all her money for her two week bucket list trip to Alaska, wins over Graham Barnett.
Although Richard Osman is a TV personality in England, The Thursday Murder Club is his debut novel. If you missed it, you should still pick it up. It was on a number of Best of lists this year, as well as Bestseller Lists here and abroad, and deservedly so. Osman introduces a savvy quartet of septuagenarians who are intrigued by cold cases and murder. They meet every Thursday to go over cold cases, but, when a real murder occurs in front of them, they prove equally adept at manipulating the police. It’s a humorous, sometimes laugh aloud story with intelligence and wit. At the same time, it’s bittersweet. The members of the group are all too aware of their own mortality, of the loss of memory of their loved ones, of the time when they themselves might suffer from dementia or illness. Death stares them in the face on a daily basis, so a murder investigation has nothing to scare them.
As much as I love Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache books, they don’t always make my favorites list. All the Devils Are Here may be my favorite in the series. It doesn’t hurt that it opens up in the gardens of the Rodin Museum in Paris, and I’ve been there. Gamache’s whole family is in Paris, awaiting the birth of a baby, when his godfather is struck by a hit-and-run driver, and left in critical condition. What starts as an investigation involving a car “accident” grows to involve the entire family, and a situation that could involve millions of people. It’s a story of family, love, and trust, and, as always in Penny’s books, dark and light, goodness and evil.
S.C. Perkins’ Lineage Most Lethal is the type of mystery that gets forgotten on these lists. However, the second of her Ancestry Detective Mysteries was even better than her solid debut. When I first reviewed this book, I raved about genealogist Lucy Lancaster’s confidence in herself. “I don’t apologize for loving learning and information. I’m smart, I’m good at my job, I work hard, and I’m proud of it.” Lucy is researching family for a hotel heiress when a dying man asks her to “Keep them safe”, whatever that means. However, her grandfather, who was in intelligence in World War II, understands the clue of a pen, and the link to a small group of spies. Perkins’ characters are great! But, I urge you not to read the flap of the book, and to start with the first in the series, if you can. It’s Murder Once Removed.
Jason Pinter’s Hide Away has made all of my lists this year because of the protagonist, Rachel Marin. I appreciate complex women, and they don’t come more complicated than Rachel Marin. She and her two children were once victims of a horrendous crime. Now, she tries to fly under the radar, living in a new community in Illinois. But, when the former mayor’s sudden death hits the headlines, Rachel steps up, convinced the woman did not kill herself. The local detectives won’t believe everything she tells them, so she turns vigilante to get justice for another woman.
Once again, Deanna Raybourn blends history and rumor, atmosphere and secrets into a remarkable novel. She’s a gifted storyteller, who creates one of the eeriest moments in literature when Veronica is momentarily alone in an alley. However Raybourn’s true gift is in her creation of characters with their flaws and eccentricities and strengths. She can write of Scotland Yard, the royal family, Jack the Ripper, and combine all those elements into a compelling mystery. But, she can give us strong, independent characters such as Veronica Speedwell and Stoker. Raybourn brings Veronica Speedwell and Stoker back in an exciting mystery set at the time of the Whitechapel murders, Jack the Ripper. A Murderous Relation has so many connotations in this masterful story of family secrets and masquerades. And, the sexual tension left over from the last book, A Dangerous Collaboration, hangs over the relationship between Veronica and Stoker. No matter what their emotions, they’re always there to defend and protect each other.
It’s hard to know if Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway by Michael Riedel would have made the list any other year. However, it’s the only nonfiction book on the list. When I read this book, it was also the only time I ever stayed up late to finish a nonfiction book. I seldom even do that with fiction. Singular Sensation takes us to Broadway in the 1990s in a gossipy, behind-the-scenes account of the people, particularly producers and playwrights, who created memorable shows. At a time when Broadway is dark, it reminds us what we’re missing with live theater.
While this isn’t the end of the list. Nora Roberts’ The Awakening tops my list for the year. The Awakening, the first in the Dragon Heart Legacy series, was perfect for me since I love Ireland so much. It’s fiction, fantasy, and a story of family, both those of blood and chosen families, families of the heart. It’s a book about choice, choice of family, choice of duty. When Breen Kelly travels to Ireland, she feels as if she’s come home. She doesn’t know she was born there, to her Irish father and American mother. And, she doesn’t know her connection to Talamh, a beautiful world of magick, a country where she’s in danger. But, Talamh itself needs Breen Kelly, and she’ll have choices to make. Nora Roberts brings her love of Ireland to this novel, the first in (probably) a trilogy of danger, love and magick.
Katharine Schellman’s The Body in the Garden is the third debut on the list. It came out in April, just in time to be forgotten due to COVID. With libraries and bookstores closed, and people still in shock, this appealing historical mystery was overlooked. Newly widowed Lily Adler teams up with a navy captain and an heiress from the West Indies to investigate a murder that Lily overheard. She was willing to leave the investigation to the authorities until she learned they had been paid to drop the case. Set in London 1815, this is an intriguing story of class, race, and society.
I always knew this mystery would make the final list of the year. I can’t speak highly enough about Sarah Stewart Taylor’s The Mountains Wild. I read this book twice, interviewed the author, talked with her for a virtual event, and raved about it to anyone who would listen. Taylor launches a new series featuring Maggie D’Arcy, a Long Island homicide cop who heads to Ireland twenty-three years after her cousin Erin disappeared there. It brings together a cold case, a police investigation, multiple time lines, and a love letter to Ireland.
Eighteen books, twenty if you count the two I told you to watch for in 2021. It’s twice the size of my usual favorites list. But, there were so many quality books this year, it was hard to narrow it down. And, just think of the books I missed! These are the ones I read, and loved, ones that were published in this never-to-be-forgotten year of 2020. Thank heavens there were wonderful books this year, or the entire year would have been a loss.
Here’s to the books of 2021!
Great list of books, Lesa!
And I agree with you that 2020 has been a stellar year for really good reads.
Although I read 65 fewer books than in past years, my top 2020 list of books has double the number of titles.
More than half the books you listed are also on my list.
Here’s to hoping that 2021 will bring another great selection of books to enjoy!
It’s hard to narrow down the list, Grace, when there were so many good ones! And, it’s nice to know so many of the books are also on your list! I hope you’re right. Here’s to great books in 2021 as well!
Lesa, I forgot to add in my original post that despite reading a lot of cozy mysteries (65% of books read) very few titles make it to my favourites list each year. In 2020, only 2 books out of 16 books on my list were cozies. Not sure why this is, but I see that you have a similar experience this year,
In looking back, Grace, I see that it happens to me every year. I get to the end of the year, and don’t pick cozies for the list. However, some are memorable, and should be here.
Lesa, I am glad you add Closely Harbored Secrets to your list, I have enjoyed the previous books and have an ARC but was not able to read it before the release date. Another book to look forward to reading in early 2021 for me.
Grace, I just don’t know why WordPress does some of the things it does, but it’s better than Blogger. For instance, I wanted to respond to your comment about Closely Harbored Secrets, and there’s no Reply button. Maybe because I replied to you? Who knows. Anyways, I’m really happy with this series, and you’re going to enjoy the new one when you get a chance to read it.
Lesa, I had the same problem a few days ago with not seeing a REPLY button after several comments. Not sure if it’s because of WordPress but we’ll make it work. It sounds like the switch away from Blogger is worth this minor inconvenience.
Terrific list. “History snob”? Yes! Me too. I hate anachronistic stuff like that, no matter what critics think, But then, critics and I are often on very different wavelengths, Will tell Jackie that you put the Nora on top of your list, as she is waiting for that to come in at the library.
One thing about this year – the large majority of books I read were ebooks, I’m pretty sure. When I hear about a new book by a favorite author, or when I read a review that makes something sound interesting, I check it out on Amazon, not for the readers’ opinions (though I do glance at them) so much as general plot and a look at the writing in the first chapter. Then I will check my library (online of course) to see if they have the book, or if it is on order, If it is available on Kindle I will take that first, as I can just download it without leaving the apartment. If not, I’ll put the regular edition on hold and pick it up at the local branch when it comes in. One of the few benefits of the pandemic is that the library has done away with due dates on returning books (still three weeks on ebooks), If it is an older book and the library doesn’t have it, I’ll check ABE to see if I can get a reasonably priced used copy.
I still had trouble reading earlier in the year, but that has changed in the last couple of months. I still need to go back through my fiction and non fiction lists to come up with my list of favorites – I agree with you on Bests vs. Favorites – but the Longmire will definitely be on mine too.
After reading the books, Jeff, I have a hard time even with the concept of the show on Netflix. There’s so much that just doesn’t fit the actual history. (sigh) Some things I can accept. But, there’s too much there.
Please do tell Jackie that I loved Awakening. I hope she gets it soon!
I think 2020 changed reading habits for so many of us. I hate that I’m forced to read .PDFs for Library Journal, but that’s how it goes. And, I have read some excellent books that way. Funny, though, I think almost all of the books on this list were actually in paper form. I know the two forthcoming ones were not, though. But, looking through the list, I know I read almost all the others in paper.
Great list.
Thank you, Dru! Hope you’re doing okay. 2020 was not good to you. I hope the year ahead is better.
Great list. I actually read more books this year than I usually do – close to 300. And like Jeff I read more ebooks. And even though I read a batch of light fluff books that weren’t particularly memorable, I also read some really good ones.
Wow! Close to 300! Almost a book a day, Sandy. Light fluff, or outstanding. You’re reading. That’s what counts. And, sometimes those light fluff books pull us through.
Favorite books. I thought I’d just do this chronologically, but I wanted to start with the two books I’d put at the top of my list.
I read these two back to back.
Anne Youngson, Meet Me at the Museum. I’ve always loved epistolary novels, and this one lived up to the hype. Charming and delightful.
Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club. Best first mystery of the year. Just so much fun.
Ling Ma, Severance. Either a perfect book for 2020 or one to avoid at all costs. A pandemic has killed most of the people with a few survivors left in New York. A downer? Perhaps, but kept me turning the pages.
Blake Crouch, Recursion. a twisty thriller about time travel and memory.
Stephen King & Bev Vincent, eds. Flight or Fright: 17 Turbulent Tales. A collection of scary stories about air travel. Some good things here, by King and Richard Matheson, among others.
Nick Petrie, Tear It Down. Peter Ash in Memphis fighting drug gangs. I liked this a lot better than the next one, set in Iceland, which I thought stretched all credibility way beyond the breaking point.
Joe Hill, Full Throttle and Strange Weather. First two collections of horror and other tales – short stories in one, novellas in the other – by Stephen King’s oldest son. I didn’t like his most recent collection as much as these two.
Julia Spencer-Fleming, Hid From Our Eyes<. Even though this isn’t the best in the series, it’s good and I hope we won’t have to wait another six years for Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne’s next case.
John Scalzi, The Last Emperox. Third in his fun Interdependency science fiction trilogy. Start with the first.
Linda Castillo, Fallen. Latest Kate Burkholder.
Lawrence Block, ed. The Darkling Halls of Ivy. As the title suggests, these mysteries are set in academia.
Val McDermid, Out of Bounds and Broken Ground. I liked these better than the newest (also read this year) in McDermid’s Scottish Cold Case squad series about Insp. Karen Pirie. She’s an excellent writer.
Carl Hiaasen, Squeeze Me. We all can use a laugh these days, and Hiaasen delivers one of his best in some time, including a President whose Secret Service nickname is “Mastodon.”
Craig Johnson, Next to Last Stand. Lesa has already written about the latest Walt Longmire. Great stuff.
Joe R. Lansdale, More Better Deals. You cannot go wrong with the bard of East Texas, who delivers again.
S. A. Cosby, Blacktop Wasteland Another outstanding first mystery, about a black mechanic who needs money, so returns to his previous job as the best getaway driver in the East.
Thomas Perry, Eddie’s Boy/b>. Latest in his BUTCHER’s BOY series had me turning the pages furiously and finishing it in a few short hours, as this former hitman has to find out who is after him after 40 years. The body count piles up as the pages fly by in one of the best thrillers of the year.
Wow, that was more than I expected. I’ll check my non fiction list later,
Jeff, great list!
I agree with you about Tear It Down (Petrie),. And I enjoyed the latest Longmire and the long-awaited return of Clare/Russ in Hid From Our Eyes. The Thursday Murder Club has been on hold at my local library for months, and I have heard good things about this debut mystery, as well as Blacktop Wasteland . But will be anticipated reads for me in 2021.
Isn’t it great, Grace, to start your 2021 list with books you’re already anticipating? I have to read Hid From Our Eyes. I read all the others in the series, and just didn’t take the time yet to read this one.
I’m going to have to check back at your list. I had Meet Me at the Museum home when it first came out, but people were waiting for it, and I took it back to the library. I need to try it again. Like you, I loved The Thursday Murder Club. There are books on your list I mean to read sometime, and others I won’t pick up, as with any list. It’s a great list, and I’m going to pick and choose. Thank you for sharing it, Jeff! I love the interaction already on this post!
I read several of the books on your list. My favorite of those listed was PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. It was a great escapist read. I also hope there are more Richard Osman books in the future.
And I really loved MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM. I am looking forward to Anne Youngston’s new book coming out.
Most of my favorite reads came out at the beginning of the year. I would say my most favorite was THE WIDOW OF ROSE HOUSE by Diana Biller.
As far as mysteries, THE BOOK OF CANDLELIGHT by Ellery Adams hands down. I have not been disappointed in any of the books in the series.
My favorite historical fiction books were VINEYARDS OF CHAMPAGNE by Juliet Blackwell and AND THEY CALLED IT CAMELOT by Stephanie Thornton.
I was also partial to HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA by Hazel Prior, THE GUESTS OF AUGUST by Gloria Goldreich, LOST AT SEA by Erica Boyce and A HAPPY CASTASROPHE by Maddie Dawson.
Thanks for sharing your favorites.
Thank you, Sharon. I only read the first book in Ellery Adams’ series. I loved it, but, for some reason, just never picked up the next one. That’s a series I need to go back and read. Oh, wasn’t Vineyards of Champagne good? I haven’t read the other books you mentioned, but I’m glad you shared your favorites. Lists! I have new titles for lists.
Lesa and readers.
I am copying and pasting the my top 2020 fiction reads from my FB feed.
No additional comments, except for the debut reads.
Top Reads of 2020
After sharing my 2020 Goodreads challenge summary in another post, I was surprised to see that I had given 16 books (out of 117 read) a 5-star rating. By comparison, I only gave 1 or 2 books a 5-star rating in each of the previous 3 years when I read close to 180 books/year. I am glad to see there were so many stellar reads that gave me some joy in this crappy year that was 2020.
Three books were from debut authors, 11 books were the latest in a series.
TOP MYSTERY FICTION READS
Below The Fold, R. G. Belsky
The Key Lime Crime, Lucy Burdette
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard, Ellen Byron
What You Don’t See, Tracy Clark
Blind Vigil, Matt Coyle
Til Death, Annette Dashofy
The Ninja’s Blade, Tori Eldridge
Bleak Harbor, Bryan Gruley
Come and Get Me, August Norman (debut) A thriller set in the US midwest with a strong female protagonist.
Bleeding Blue, Brian Shea
Hid From Our Eyes, Julia Spencer-Fleming
Dark August, Katie Tallo (debut) A thriller set in rural Ontario from an Ottawa writer.
The Mountains Wild, Sarah Stewart Taylor
Winter Counts, David Heska Wanbli Weiden (debut) The voice of the Native American protagonist drew me into the story as well as the South Dakota setting.
Grace, I was happy to see a couple titles on your list that came close to my favorites, but just didn’t make it. And, very happy to see The Mountains Wild, one of my favorites, on your list as well. Thank you for sharing your list!
Terrific list, Grace! I have read and enjoyed some of these, and found a few to add to my TBR list, Thank you.
Kaye, I am glad you found some titles to add to your TBR list. I also enjoyed the various top reads from you and your friends on Meanderings and Muses.
Some favorite non fiction this year:
Deborah Feldman, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots. Terrific book, even better Netflix mini-series.
Wendy Lesser, Scandinavian Noir: In Pursuit of a Mystery. This is about the booksrather than the television shows, starting with Sjowall & Wahloo in the ’60s, also Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo, among others.
Heather Lende, If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name: Notes from Small-Town Alaska. I sure wouldn’t want to live there, but it is interesting to read about her life.
Arlene Alda, Just Kids From The Bronx: Telling It the Way it Was – An Oral History. Short interviews with celebrities who grew up in the only borough of NYC that is on the mainland of the United States (fun fact). Very interesting.
Laura Lippman, My Life as a Villainess: Essays.
Otto Friedrich, City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s. Behind the scenes in the movie industry, mostly.
Hilary Mantel, Mantel Pieces: Royal Bodies and Other Writing From the London Review of Books. Book reviews and essays, some autobiographical.
David Sedaris, The Best of Me. Sort of a “greatest hits” I enjoyed revisiting though I’d read most of them before.
Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager, The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives. Not really that, but interesting interviews about their lives with books, librariies, reading, etc.
Jeff, Heather Lende’s blog posts in the last months have broken my heart. Haines, Alaska had too much rain. Mud slides resulted, and homes and lives were lost. It makes me cry to read her posts, even the ones about Christmas.Covid and then this has hit them hard. I don’t read as much nonfiction as you, but her books have always touched me.
Jeff I read the Heather Lende book. I really enjoyed it too.
Oh, Lesa! What a treat to make your list, esp with such excellent company! Your LJ review of Solace was a great boost, both to sales and to me personally, and I am so glad that you’ve enjoyed Pepper and her journey.
Leslie, What a treat to read Solace! Thank you for sharing Pepper with readers. I know you’re heading in a different direction with your forthcoming book. Good luck!
Oh, how I LOVE seeing Carousels of Paris on this wonderful list – Thank You!! (and thank you for the correction at The American Library of Paris. Something I haven’t told you – they’re keeping copies in their permanent collection. I’m jazzed and honored and tickled pink).
I also look forward to your lists. Always.
Since we like so many of the same books, I’m not surprised to see that we share some faves this year.
And, as usual, you’ve given me a few title to look into which is always fun.
Love YOU! to the moon and back.
xxoo
Kaye, I suspected they were keeping at least one copy in their permanent collection. We librarians don’t catalog for no reason (smile). I’m so pleased to know that, though! It deserves to be on the list. It is one of my favorite books of the year.
I love you back, Kaye. And, I love Carousels of Paris!
Lesa, I very much enjoyed reading your list of favorites for this year. Several are on my Kindle right now, but they are unread as yet. I decided not to do a ‘Top 10′ list this year as I honestly re-read so many books. However, Louise’s book was my very favorite of 2020. I did enjoy several series in their as-yet-published-entirety – Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton books, David Baldacci’s Memory Man series and Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock books. I started and stopped many, many books, but my final total is about normal. Here’s hoping for 2021 being better in whatever way is best for each of us. My daughter and her fellow nurses at her hospital got their first vaccine shot this morning. That was a relief to my heart. Out with 2020 and on with 2021! Hope all have some fabulous reads in the new year.
Oh, Kay. I’m sure that was a relief to know your daughter and the other nurses received their first vaccines today! Let’s hope those vaccines continue to roll out. Of course, a couple states HAVE to do it differently, but at least people are starting to get the vaccines. I hope it helps with this new strain that’s just starting. I so agree with you about moving on to 2021. Today is our last day of work this year, and I took down all the calendars an hour ago. One of my co-workers said we should just burn the 2020 one. Thank you for saying you enjoyed the list. As I said, I got stuck for a couple weeks when we first closed down in March – just such shock! I had worked just about ceaselessly at libraries since I was 16, so it came as a shock not to be going to work.
Now, on to 2021!
Lesa, Jeff and Grace,
Thank you for sharing your lists! I am working my way through some of the series listed so I am glad to see these later titles on favorites lists.
2020 was a great reading year. It is always hard to narrow down the list of favorites, but I enjoy doing it.
My list of favorites for 2020 is here https://clearwaterdaybook.blogspot.com/2020/12/my-favorite-reads-of-2020.html.
Happy New Year!
You’re welcome, Gretchen! There will be some more lists appearing on my blog. Several of the regulars on Thursdays have agreed to put together their lists. I’ll be sharing those here as well.
Now, I’m heading to your blog to read your list!
Gretchen, thank you for sharing your list, and I hope you find some interesting reads.
I have read 4 of the books on your list, not just in 2020.
I really enjoy reading both the Seaside Cafe and Daisy’s Tea Garden mystery series.
Love your list, Lesa! I’ve read 8 of those books, have one here from the library ready to read, and 3 on hold.
I’m looking forward to your list, Margie!
Lesa, I always love seeing your yearly favorites list, so full of great reads. I wish I could read them all, but I’m too slow of a reader. 2020 was a really slow reading year for me, but it was an exceptionally great year for books. I’ll be putting out a list soon, and three of your picks are two of mine, too. Louise Penny’s, Jess Lourey’s, and Kaye’s books are so wonderful. The Thursday Murder Club and Mountains Wild are in my short stack of 2020 books still to read. I hope to fit in some more of your picks, too, Lesa. Take care, my friend.
Kathy, I can understand why 2020 was a slow reading year for you. 2020 was not an easy year for you. You have a couple terrific books ahead with The Thursday Murder Club and The Mountains Wild. I hope you enjoy them! And, as Janet Rudolph says, may 2021 rest easy on you. Sending hugs, my friend. You take care as well.
THREE on the list have now bumped to the top of my TBR list for January! Thank you!
Gotcha, Connie! You’re very welcome. I hope you enjoy them!