It’s the perfect day for me to turn the blog post over to Margie Bunting. Today is the 16th anniversary of Lesa’s Book Critiques. My first post was on Jan. 6, 2005. Oh, I’ll stop by to read the comments, But, Margie Bunting, a friend, writer, and regular here at the blog offered to share her favorite reads of this past year. I picked today as the perfect day for her post. Thank you, Margie.

Margie’s Favorite Reads of 2020

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m happy to see 2020 go, but I did manage to finish 170 books this year. My focus wasn’t what it should have been, and I was more impatient with books and authors than usual. But reading, as always, continued to be a major joy and solace in my life.

Four of my five favorite books (in no particular order) read in 2020 delighted me because they were so different—difficult to pigeonhole in a particular genre, and something I hadn’t seen (or read) before.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab takes us from late 1600s France to 21^st century New York. Addie makes a deal with the devil to escape from her restricted life, but it comes with a catch—she is forgotten by all who meet her every time they part. Addie learns to cope with this sort of half-life for 300 years until she finally meets the only person other than the devil to remember her from day to day. The characters are well developed and evolving (even the devil) as the thrilling story progresses over two timelines. The author’s prose is elegant and accessible. Highly satisfying.

I guess you could call TJ Klune’s The House on the Cerulean Sea a fantasy, but although most of the characters are “magical youth,” I found it to be a heartfelt human story. Linus is a caseworker who excels at making sure these children are safe and well, but he finds his biggest challenge in a tropical island orphanage with six inhabitants, including a sprite, a gnome, a wyvern, and the son of the devil. Although Linus usually adheres firmly to the rules, he finds himself growing beyond his usual worldview as he learns what makes each of the creatures special, building a family he never expected. Quirky and wonderful.

Speaking of human stories, I was taken by Matt Haig’s earlier book, The Humans, much more than his 2020 blockbuster, The Midnight Library. It probably qualifies as science fiction because an extraterrestrial is sent to Earth to prevent Cambridge math professor Alan from revealing his recent solution to a long-standing theorem. The ET’s planet has unlocked eternal life and other benefits with their own earlier solution and doesn’t want to share those benefits with Earth’s inhabitants. As he impersonates Alan himself, the ET’s prejudices about humans ultimately give way to an understanding of human life, including family bonds, dogs, and even peanut butter! I’ve never read anything else that defines so well what it means to be human. Often funny, always thought-provoking, it’s an extraordinary book.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano follows 12-year-old Eddie, the lone survivor of a plane crash that killed his parents, his brothers, and 190 others. Living now with his aunt and uncle, he has a hard time putting the crash behind him. But he is able to bond with the girl next door, and his school principal is helpful by allowing Eddie to take on some alternative activities. Then Eddie discovers some letters from the victims’ surviving loved ones, and it motivates him to abandon his depression and take some action. The story is told in alternating chapters between the flight and the post-crash years, and several of the victims and their plans and personal situations are highlighted. Characters are beautifully drawn, and the author has a unique voice and expression.

The fifth book, All the Devils Are Here, falls firmly in the mystery category. It’s one of my favorites in Louise Penny’s 16-book mystery series starring Quebec’s Armand Gamache. Penny continues to win awards every year for this superior series which is so much more than a police procedural. In this episode, Gamache’s family members are front and center with him in Paris, and it is a delight. If you haven’t yet read this series, start with Still Life and enjoy!

My other favorites of the year are a bit easier to categorize.

Mysteries:

            Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz. The author continues to impress with the clever follow-on to his earlier Magpie Murders. He invites readers to figure out the mystery’s solution based on their reading of a book-within-a-book. I failed at that attempt, but it was a lot of fun.

            Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams. The latest and one of the best in her outstanding Storyton Hall series, with well-thought-out plots, luxurious descriptions, and a bit of magical realism.  A superior cozy.

            Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen. A delightful and lively historical standalone featuring a penniless young woman from a good family working in Queen Victoria’s household as assistant cook. Replete with threats of blackmail, accusations of guilt, and advances from randy royals.

            Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella. Cady is a Harvard student trying to find meaning in the death of her schizophrenic brother when he attended the same college. She worries she is also mentally ill when she starts hearing voices. A gripping, intelligent, original story.

Contemporary Romances:

            Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn. Meg creates one-of-a-kind journals and wedding invitations. Her world is turned upside down when a customer tells her he found a “mistake” (which she secretly intended) in his wedding invitation and wonders how she knew the wedding would never happen.

             The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. Tiffy and Leon decide to share the same apartment (and bed)—but never at the same time—to save money. For a while they communicate only through Post-its. The main and secondary characters and plots are original, masterfully drawn, and engrossing. I was all in.

Heartfelt, Uplifting Fiction (a favorite BROAD category):

            The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg.  No one else describes small-town Southern life with such pizazz and folksy understanding. This is a kind of sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, published 33 years ago.

            Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan. At least one Colgan book always makes its way into my favorites. Set on a Scottish island, this book is, as always, the definition of comfort food (at least to me). I love spending time with her characters—thank goodness, the author is so prolific!

            The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman (aka Wade Rouse). One of the best of the author’s tributes to his grandmother’s experiences and in one of my favorite subgenres—building a new family. Lots of details about gardens and flowers, and even though I don’t garden, I loved it.

            South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber. Another “building a new family” book, set in small-town Alabama. The two main characters are young women, each with her own troubling past. And there is a magical realism element, as the buttonwood tree is called upon to dispense advice.

            The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin. And yet another . . . Georgia and Jonah, who practice medicine together at a hospital, are as close as family. They put themselves in danger to resolve the situation when the hospital’s evangelical execs tell transgender patients not to return. Compelling.

Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West. Set in a high school, plot points include a popular English teacher with an unorthodox lesson plan, parents who think she should be fired, and a secret Facebook gossip group with an anonymous host. Realistic character portrayals.

            I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos. Ginny’s adult life isn’t what she pictured as a child. Friends have betrayed her, and she has betrayed her brother. Her husband abandons her and their daughter. But it’s a great story, with realistic, believable characters who evolve over time.

            The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley. In London, a wide variety of characters take turns writing about themselves in a journal, which they then pass on to another person. None of them is exactly truthful at first, but they ultimately interact to get to know themselves, and each other, better.

            Postscript by Cecelia Ahern. Young widow Holly’s sister convinces her to share on a podcast the  letters she received posthumously from her husband, which encourages others with terminal diseases to do something similar for those they will leave behind. Deeply affecting and a great story.

A sincere thank you to Lesa and my fellow blog readers who have given me so many great book recommendations this year. Here’s to our continued wonderful reading experiences in 2021!