Books of 2020

It’s that time of year again, folks. A time for deep reflection and much introspection… a time for weighing words and counting pages… a time for looking back to the stories of yesteryear. I’m talking, of course, about our ANNUAL BOOK RECAP! *cheers*

Seriously, this might be one of my favorite posts to write every January! What could be more fun than a blitz of mini reviews, a look at my tippity top favorite reads, and fascinating bookish stats, am I right?

Now, I read quite a bit less than normal in 2020. I think we can all agree it was a weird year, and for various reasons my reading appetite waned at times. But I did get to consume some wonderful stories and even discovered a new favorite author or two.

So! Let’s see if you’ve read some of these—and if your TBR doesn’t grow by the end of this. 😉

---

By the by, this is my fourth year doing this! If you’re curious to see what Past Tracey was reading, take a peek.

Books of 2019 | Books of 2018 | Books of 2017

---

January

The Light Between Worlds // Laura E. Weymouth

sibling bonds // beautiful setting // dealing with the aftermath of being a “chosen one” // emotionally heavy read // 4 stars

The Forgetting // Sharon Cameron

strong & logical heroine paired with a charismatic hero // a walled city // memory loss // so many twists // great addition to the dystopian genre // 5 stars

Mark of the Raven // Morgan Busse

started a bit slow but picked up // dreamwalking assassin // secrets // I liked the political structure // fantasy, romance, and intrigue // DAMIAN! // // 5 stars

Wrath of the Storm // Jennifer A. Nielsen

first audiobook of the year // Roman mythology // convenient magic (oops) // that trial scene was cool though // epic showdown // we need more Radolf // 3.5 stars

---

February

Spindle Fire // Lexa Hillyer

reread // I liked it better this time // Sleeping Beauty retelling // sisters // dark fantasy setting // the concept of faerie tithes is pretty cool // 4 stars

Winter Glass // Lexa Hillyer

sort of a Cinderella retelling // lovely prose // blind heroine // cool magical twists // disappointed by the ending // 3 stars

Invictus // Ryan Graudin

second audiobook of the year // one of my favorite YA books of all time // must reread SOON // time traveling pirates // heists // vibrant characters // whimsy balanced with epicness // fantastic foreshadowing // 5 stars

Golden Son // Pierce Brown

brutal and moving revolution story // trust—built or broken—is a big theme // Sevro’s comeback is awesome // so many character deaths // major cliffhanger // 4 stars

---

March

Whose Body? // Dorothy L. Sayers

mystery (outside my usual genre) // witty characters // missing person + murder // loads of loose ends for Lord Peter Whimsy to track // dialogue-heavy // 3.5 stars

Let the Ghosts Speak // Bryan Davis

ebook // what a genre-bender! // ghosts (duh) // 19th-century Paris // unreliable narrator // fast pace and stirring themes // Joan of Arc // redemption // thought-provoking ending // 5 stars

Oath of the Outcast // C.M. Banschbach

fantasy adventure // gruff clansmen // brother story // capture-and-rescue // Druids // swordplay and swashbuckling action // 4 stars

---

April

The Wish Granter // C.J. Redwine

such a good Rumpelstiltskin retelling // I ship Ari and Sebastian SO MUCH // positively creepy villain // overcoming abusive past // dangerous magic // surprising twists // 5 stars

Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word // Rick Warren

more of a reference book than something to read cover to cover // emphasis on personal application // 3 stars

Morning Star // Pierce Brown

what a rollercoaster // impossible odds and difficult choices // humanity at its worst and its finest // squad goals // brilliant plot // I’m not emotionally ready for book 4 // 5 stars

---

May

The Hazel Wood // Melissa Albert

dark fairy tales woven into the real world // book nerds // the aesthetic of the Hinterland // gorgeous prose // bittersweet // a bit more profanity than I’d prefer // 4 stars

Heaven Came Down // Bryan Davis

ebook // the aftermath of an apocalypse // smart siblings // complex cast of characters // mercy vs. justice // viral contagion // 5 stars

---

June

First Rider’s Call // Kristen Britain

horses // evil awakening in a dark forest // Karigan’s new abilities are cool // bogged down by too many subplots // 3 stars

In the Region of the Summer Stars // Stephen R. Lawhead

Celtic clans // faéry magic // headstrong hero and his motley crew // stealth missions // Madoc the grouchy Druid is my fav // 4 stars

Unraveling // Sara Ella

magic is failing // big Once Upon a Time vibes // spunky heroine // love triangle // lots of fun settings // a bit foggy on the magic rules // 4 stars

Smoke and Iron // Rachel Caine

more squad goals // crazy bold plans to save the corrupted Library from itself // deception // genuine characters // Khalila especially shone in this one // 5 stars

Wicked Fox // Kat Cho

urban fantasy set in South Korea // adorable K-drama-worthy romance // heroine is half-gumiho (nine-tailed fox) // somehow sweet and angsty at the same time // 5 stars

My Lady Jane // Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

absolutely hilarious historical fantasy // Jane is spunky and Very Opinionated // conspiracies and poison and attempted assassination // so many fun deviations from history // 5 stars

---

July

The Traitor Prince // C.J. Redwine

retelling of The False Prince (not Aladdin like I’d thought for some reason) // underdog hero: a prince wrongfully thrown in jail // falls in love with female prison warden // monster fights // shifting loyalties // 5 stars

---

August

Wolf by Wolf // Ryan Graudin

alternate history, post-WWII Germany // girl who can skinshift // motorcycle race // mission: kill Hitler // heartbreaking flashbacks // so much tension // the moreness of people // 5 stars

---

September

No books completed this month. 😢

---

October

The Icarus Aftermath // Arielle M. Bailey

space opera meets Greek mythology // found family // ensemble cast with lots of banter // oh, the feels // spaceship battles and espionage // I’m adopting Mikon, please and thanks // 5 stars

Experiencing the Presence of God: Teachings from the Book of Hebrews // A.W. Tozer

nonfiction // great food for thought // how to step into and practically experience God’s presence every day // 4 stars

Warriors Against the Storm // various authors

so much action and heart squeezed into this anthology // I’m so honored to be a part of this fundraiser for Mary Weber // powerful characters standing against the odds // monsters, storms, magic, outer space // 5 stars

---

November

King’s Warrior // Jenelle Schmidt

third audiobook of the year // cozy fantasy adventure // a princess, warrior, squire, child, servant, and bard go on a quest // dragons // a magical sword // 4 stars

The Fellowship of the Ring // J.R.R. Tolkien

2nd time reading it // the kind of book that deepens with age // the greatness of small heroes // light in the darkness // the Mines of Moria bit is my favorite part // 5 stars

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before // Jenny Han

fourth audiobook of the year // fluffy and amusing // not sure who I really ship? // easy read // 3 stars

Stories That Sing: Havok Season Two // various authors

anthology of flash fiction // it’s pretty fun that every story is inspired by a song // ranges from quirky to heartfelt to high action // 4 stars

---

December

Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making // Andrew Peterson

nonfiction // one of the best books on creativity I’ve ever read // deep, thoughtful, conversational // captures the beating heart of why art (in all forms) is so important, especially as believers // 5 stars

The Story Hunter // Lindsay Franklin

tying all the threads of this trilogy together // some happy reunions // caves and captives // searching for story strands // my heart hurts for Diggy // 4 stars

Takane & Hana, Volume 1 // Yuki Shiwasu

my first (and only) manga of the year // high school girl accidentally falls for a businessman // bunch of cute one-shots // fun and fluffy // 5 stars

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix // J.K. Rowling

Harry’s kind of a jerk (mostly understandably so) // I hate Umbridge // all the foreshadowing culminates in the last 100 pages // THAT ENDING *sobs* // 5 stars

---

Top Ten Reads

Ack, ranking them is HARD, because I loved many of the books I read this year, and all for very different reasons. But… okay, here we go.

1. Invictus // Ryan Graudin
2. Wolf by Wolf // Ryan Graudin
3. The Wish Granter // C.J. Redwine
4. The Forgetting // Sharon Cameron
5. Adorning the Dark // Andrew Peterson
6. My Lady Jane // Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
7. Morning Star // Pierce Brown
8. Wicked Fox // Kat Cho
9. The Icarus Aftermath // Arielle M. Bailey
10. Let the Ghosts Speak // Bryan Davis

2020 Reading Challenge

My friend Cassia and I put together a reading challenge for the year… and somewhere in the second half of 2020, I forgot we were doing this. Oops. 🙃 But let’s see how many I can check off anyways! (Successes are bolded below.)

1. Set in the 1920s // Whose Body?
2. Published the year you were born // fail
3. By an author of 20+ books // Let the Ghosts Speak and Heaven Came Down (Bryan Davis, 30 novels), In the Region of the Summer Stars (Steven Lawhead, 40+ novels), Smoke and Iron (Rachel Caine, 50+ books)
4. Siblings // The Light Between Worlds, Spindle Fire, Winter Glass, Oath of the Outcast, Heaven Came Down
5. Set in Canada // fail
6. At the bottom of your TBR // First Rider’s Call
7. Winner of last year’s Goodreads awards // fail
8. Male MC (I’ll list only the ones that had a MAIN-main male character; not those who shared POV equally with a female) // Invictus, Golden Son, Whose Body?, Let the Ghosts Speak, Oath of the Outcast, Morning Star, In the Region of the Summer Stars
9. Co-authored book // My Lady Jane
10. Translated // Takane & Hana, Volume 1

Well, seven out of ten’s not bad, especially considering I forgot about the challenge!

Reading Stats

Total books read: 35

Pages read: 12,515

Shortest book: Warriors Against the Storm, 169 pages

Longest book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 800 pages

Average star rating: 4.4 (pretty typical for me)

Rereads vs. new reads: 2 vs 33 (apparently I did next to no rereading!)

Number of audiobooks: 4

Genres of 2020

*This sort of thing is tricky… Because is Wolf by Wolf fantasy or historical? Is Let the Ghosts Speak fantasy, mystery, historical, or even supernatural? What even is a genre?!

Authors of 2020

Most-Read Authors

These all tied for two books each…

• Bryan Davis
• C.J. Redwine
• Lexa Hillyer
• Pierce Brown
• Ryan Graudin

Favorite New-to-Me Authors Discovered in 2020:

• Ryan Graudin!!! (Are you surprised? 😛)
• Andrew Peterson
• Arielle M. Bailey
• The ladies behind My Lady Jane

Most Anticipated Books of 2021

• Into the Heartless Wood // Joanna Ruth Meyer // January 2021
• Calculated // Nova McBee // February 2021
• My Contrary Mary // Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows // June 2021
• Shadow // Kara Swanson // July 2021

Honorary mention: The Dying of the Light // Mirriam Neal // released December 31st, 2020!

---

Okay, talk to me, bookdragon! Find any shiny new books to add to your hoard? Ready to flail about any of the titles on My list? What were some of YOUR favorite reads last year?