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20 Favorite Books from 2020

2020 was a spectacular reading year for me. Books provided a MUCH needed escape and sense of accomplishment in an extremely strange year.

2020 was also a year that further demonstrated my preferences in books and solidified my reading habits. During the second half of the year I kept track of books here on the blog - those lists might interest you.

I’m trying to be more like Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett - collecting books for my future excellent library!

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” - Jane Austen (Pride & Prejudice)

20 Favorite Books from 2020

Reading and the Homeschool Parent

Being a homeschooling parent has intensified my desire to read. It has shown me the need to be a reading role model for my children - and, the more we learn in our homeschool the more I feel I need to know.

I believe it is essential to carve out time to read - both reading aloud and reading on your own. The more you make reading a part of your daily life, the more your children observe and imitate.

What started as my desire to build good habits in my children has turned into a bit of an obsession for me - I’m never without a book and would much rather read than watch television

20 Favorite Books in 2020

A few reflections from my reading year:

  • I had a goal of reading more classics this year. I accomplished that with Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice. (I also read Dracula, but that didn’t make it into my top 20.)

  • We continued to read aloud in our homeschool (you know I now just have a 16-year-old left at home), and Rocket Boys was one of our favorite books this year. Reading this book led to learning more about the space program, watching some documentaries, and also building the LEGO Apollo Saturn V rocket!

  • I discovered a new author this year - Julie Berry. Her book Lovely War is technically young adult, but I LOVED it. I wouldn’t hesitate to hand this one to your teens, especially if they like mythology.

  • I wanted to learn more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer - I especially enjoyed My Dearest Dietrich, which focused on the little-told story of Bonhoeffer’s love interest, Maria von Wedemeyer.

  • I listened to many audiobooks this year, and Americanah was probably the most engaging audio of the year - plus I just LOVED the story.

I loved each and every book on this list and hope you might be able to add some to your list, too!

You can always follow me on Instagram and Goodreads to keep up with my reading. I love to share what I’m reading and talk books in general.

Do you have a book to recommend to me from 2020?

I’d love to add it to my list!

20 Favorite Books from 2020

November 2020 Reading Recap

Thank you, 2020.

If nothing else, it’s been a great year to READ!

When people ask me why I read so much I tell them it’s good therapy. No matter what is going on in the world around me, I can jump into a book and learn something, escape, laugh, cry - essentially lose myself for a bit.

Looking back, since May of this year I’ve been able to diversify and expand my reading selections.

I got a bit distracted in November - reading more fiction than I would normally like, but I think I have a few good suggestions for you anyway!

November 2020 Reading Recap at Homegrown Learners

Best Books of November

Hands down, Memorial Drive was my favorite this month.

This is a memoir - telling the story of a young woman whose mother was killed in 1985 on Memorial Drive in Atlanta. (especially significant for me because my first job interview in Atlanta was on Memorial Drive, for a teaching position in the school system where this author attended school). My husband also grew up in Atlanta.

Even without an Atlanta connection, however, I think you will find this book poignant, eye-opening, challenging, and thought-provoking.

The author, Natasha Trethewey, is a former Poet Laureate of the United States. Her writing is simply beautiful. From the very first page I was drawn in by her writing style - and I didn’t put the book down until I finished it three hours later.

A Book That Surprised Me

Our in-person book club chose Dracula in October. I must admit, I was less than thrilled, but thought I would give it a shot.

I was pleasantly surprised! I learned quite a lot and found that it made great companion reading for Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice (which are part of my son’s curriculum this year).

I love it when a book provides insight into cultural references we have now, and there were many of those in Dracula. When I finished the book I felt as if I had really accomplished something!

Put this book on your TBR because I think you’ll enjoy it very much.

Love That Historical Fiction

Before The Crown was also a great read (listen) for me this month.

If you are a fan of Queen Elizabeth, definitely check this one out. It chronicles the relationship of Elizabeth and Philipp before they are married - very interesting!

I think coupling this with The Gown would be much fun.

You Can Skip This Book

I had heard so much about this book, and the premise was intriguing to me.

This was an audiobook, and usually, a good narrator can somewhat redeem a bad story, but not in this case.

The Midnight Library fell flat for me. I was put off by the main character’s suicide attempt in the beginning, and her searching for the “perfect life” throughout the book felt self-indulgent and petty.

A Reading Observation

Increasingly I am finding that books on the “bestseller list” or ones that are recommended by large mainstream media outlets just don’t appeal to me. And, as I was posting about this on my Bookstagram account I found that I wasn’t alone.

Last month (November) it struck me that many of the books I had read did not align with my worldview. This has never bothered me quite as much in the past, but as I feel more assaulted by media in 2020 I don’t want to feel assaulted by my books, too.

One of the books I read - The Love Story of Missy Carmichael - was a sweet book that I was tempted to fall in love with, but then one of the main characters chose to have an abortion and it was so normalized in the storyline. This is disappointing to me.

I appreciate authors like Carla Laureano - the author of a book I read this month and loved - The Solid Grounds Coffee Company - because she is a Christian author who writes lovely romances, but the characters are making choices consistent with my values.


If you’d like to see more detailed reviews of all of these, come visit my Bookstagram - I usually write a couple of paragraphs about each book.



Do you have a favorite book to recommend to me?

I’d love to hear what you’re reading, too!