How is it half way through 2020? Today I’m sharing what I consider the best books of 2020 (so far). These are all books I read this year not necessarily books that came out in 2020. Through the end of June I read 41 books. I’ve read some amazing books this year but I realized I’ve had a hard time giving 5 stars to books. I thought a lot about it and these are the top 10 in no particular order. I’ve linked the reviews that I’ve already posted on the blog.
Some Stats
I started keeping an excel spreadsheet with some data of the books I read so today I wanted to show a summary of these books for the first half of the year.
This is a summary of all the books read by month:
Here is a summary of the author’s race (I am focusing on diversifying my reading):
I clearly have a lot to do regarding authors diversity so I am focusing on that for the second half of the year. My goal is for BIPOC to be at least 40% of the total books I read.
Top 10 Books
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Are you tired of me talking about this book? If you’ve been following my blog you know I loved this book and I can’t recommend it enough. This was a read with Jenna pick.
Genre – Contemporary Fiction
Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
If you want to make God Laugh
I am so happy I found a new favorite author in Bianca Marais. I can confidently say this will be one of my favorite books of the year.
Genre – Contemporary Fiction
Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
The Vanishing Half
I am not a huge fan of literary fiction but this book was powerful and I can’t recommend it enough. This was GMA’s Book Club pick for June.
Genre – Literary Fiction
Rating – 4.5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Dear Edward
I was nervous about reading a book centered around a plane crash but this book was so heartbreaking but hopeful. This was a Read with Jenna pick.
Genre – Contemporary Fiction
Rating – 4 Stars. Check out my review here.
The Guest List
Aaron and I both loved this thriller set at a wedding in Scottland. It has a great atmosphere and I didn’t see the twists coming. This was one of Reese Witherspoon book club picks for June/July.
Genre – Thriller
Rating – 4 Stars. Check out my review here.
The Nightingale
Why did I wait so long to read this book? This is a must read for historical fiction fans.
Genre – Historical Fiction
Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Long Bright River
This book was great in audio book format! Set in Philadelphia and addresses topics like addiction and police corruption. I loved it!
Genre – It is technically a thriller but I consider it more a family drama
Rating – 4 Stars. Check out my review here.
The Last Flight
Another great thriller that both Aaron and I loved! I read this book so quickly because I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended.
Genre – Thriller
Rating – 4.5 Stars. Review coming soon!
I’m Still Here
One of my favorite non-fiction books I’ve read this year! I recommend starting with this book when choosing from anti-racism books to learn about how to better be an ally.
Genre – Non-Fiction
Rating – Read NOW! Check out my review here.
Such a Fun Age
I technically read this last year but I re-read it again in 2020 for my book club and loved it. This is a great book for a discussion. This book is included in my Summer Reading guide.
Genre – Contemporary Fiction
Rating – 4.5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Two Amazing Sequels
These two books are 5 star reads but they are sequels to other books so I am putting them in a separate category.
Wild at Heart
The Simple Wild is one of my favorite romances so I was so excited to read this book and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I love Calla and Jonah.
Genre – Romance
Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
The Happy Ever After Playlist
I loved The Friend Zone so I couldn’t wait to read Sloan’s story. This is not as heartbreaking as The Friend Zone but I loved it so much. I read it last year and re-read it via the audiobook earlier this year.
Genre – Romance
Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Do we have any similar favorite books of 2020? Let me know in the comments!
Love that you’ve marked the halfway point in the year with your favorite books so far and included your data! Thanks to your spreadsheet template, I’m also tracking my book stats and becoming more intentional about choosing diverse authors. Thank you for sharing your love of reading with the world!