I recently asked all of you on Instagram what your favorite books were from 2020. I don’t know if it’s because we were stuck inside for most of the year, but it looks like you all found some amazing books to read. After reading through your recommendations, I am truly inspired to start reading more this year and definitely want to start with these.
Below are some of your favorites categorized into different genres for you to sift through and see which book you might want to read next. I loved seeing all of the historical fiction recommendations you sent me. I love a good story that’s based on or documents real events. I am truly blown away by so many of these stories I never new existed. I am especially interested in the autobiography of Edith Eger. I highly recommend reading that summary listed below.
I noticed that a few of your recommendations were ones that I’ve read before and actually included in my post on my favorite books for book club. If you’d like to see those, you can click here.
I hope this helps you find your next read and maybe even your new favorite book for this year. If you find any book that peaks your interest, simple click on the name or images below to shop!
Historical Fiction
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler by Stephanie Dry and Laura Kamoie:
This book is derived from thousands of letters and original sources that authors, Dry and Kamoie, use to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before. They go passed just her life as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal and go into who she was as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett:
This book follows the stories of two light-skinned black twins who run away from home at sixteen years old. As the years go by, they begin to lose touch with each other, yet still remain intertwined. One sister, Desiree, marries a dark-skinned black man, while the other sister, Stella, lives her life passing as white. Their stories explore the intricacies of identity, family, and race in a provocative, but compassionate way.
This book traces the descendants of two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, who are born into two separate villages in Ghana. The girls’ lives follow different paths. Effia marries a rich Englishman and moves to Cape Coast Castle, while Esi is captured and sold into slavery. Their parallel stories are traced throughout generations of their descendants and show the contrasts and similarities of their lives. It gives an intimate picture of African and African American experiences in the aftermath of enslavement.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah:
This book follows the story of two french sisters, Vianne (Rossignol) Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol who resist the occupying Nazi forces during WWII. As the Nazi’s continue to invade, Vianne follows the rules, but Isabelle joins the French resistance movement and adopts the codename Nightingale. It’s a beautiful yet heart-wrenching story based in one of histories darkest times.
Fiction
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo:
This book is so unique in that it is a novel, in verse. In other words it is written in the style of slam poetry. The author, Acevedo, wrote this book in dedication to those who lost their lives on American Airlines Flight 587 bound to the Dominican Republic that crashed into Queens, New York. It follows the story of two girls who share the same father, but have no idea the other exists. When their father dies on a plain crash to the Dominican Republic, they soon find each other in the process of grieving their loss.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig:
This story takes place in a universe where a library exists that holds two books written from the lives of each individual person. One tells the story of your life as it is, but the other tells of a life you might have lived had you made different choices. The main character, Nora Seed, finds herself faced with the decision to possibly change her life for a new one and, along the way, must decide what it is that makes life truly fulfilling and worth living.
Autobiography
The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger:
This book tells the incredible true story of Edith Eger and her survival of WWII. Edie was an extremely gifted Jewish ballet dancer, but instead of competing in the Olympics as she hoped, she and her family were taken to Auschwitz. While there, her parents were killed and she was forced to dance for Nazi officer, Dr. Josef Mengele for his cruel entertainment. Edie and her sister survived only to be sent on a death march to Gundskirchen Lager where they were part of only 10% to survive. They were later found alive amongst the corpses by American soldiers. Her story of survival is one that will touch and break your heart at the same time.
Mystery/Thriller
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn:
This story follows an alcoholic women who obsessively watches her neighbors through her window. One night she believes she witnesses her neighbor being murder, but can’t be quite sure what she saw considering she was drunk at the time. The suspense is one that will keep you turning to the next page for hours on end.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins:
This book follows Lydia Pérez who lives a fairly comfortable life as a local bookstore owner in the Mexican city of Acapulco. However, after her husband publishing an article on the head of the drug cartel, Javier, their lives become in great danger. Lydia and her son, Luca, are forced to flee for their lives to the United States where Javier can’t reach them.
This story takes place on a remote island off the coast of Ireland where a high society wedding is being held for TV personality, Will Slater, and magazine owner, Julia Keegan. The night of their wedding, everything seems to be going perfectly to plan until someone winds up dead. If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie novels, you will love the lavish destination, detailed character development and psychological suspense of this book.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides:
This story follows Alicia Berenson as she seemingly lives a perfect life. But, when her fashion photographer husband comes home late from a shoot one night, Alicia shoots him five times and then never speaks another word. Her refusal to talk captures the attention of the public and turns a domestic tragedy into something far greater. As the mystery as to why she killed him unravels, the story makes twists and turns that you would never expect.
Christian
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer:
In this book, Pastor John Mark Comer documents his transformation from a stressed out, drained church leader who was caught up in the business of the day-to-day to a fulfilled man who made time for God and his family. This book gives such incredible and practical ways of slowing down and putting the important things first in your life.
As you can probably guess from the title. This book is incredible for learning how to set up your own boundaries, the importance of doing so, and how to overcome the various conflicts that come with boundaries. No matter your life’s circumstances, everyone needs boundaries and this book is a great tool in learning how to set them in a healthy way.
Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind by Bill Johnson:
In this book, Pastor Bill Johnson gives powerful and practical teachings revealing how you were designed to bring Heaven to Earth and how it all starts with your thought life. As Christians, we are transformed through the renewing of our minds and this book locks in on the importance of having a transformed mind and changing the way you think so that we may access a Heavenly and supernatural lifestyle.
This book is one of the top new releases from this past year and is so relevant to where our world is at today. Author, Thaddeus Williams challenges the reader to discover what the Bible and the example of Jesus have to teach us about justice and how we can apply it to the social injustices occurring today.
Romance
The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin:
This book tells the love story of Cecily and Grant. Cecily meets grant one night at a bar. They have an immediate connection, but Grant tells Cecily he is preparing to leave his current job to move overseas. Regardless, they fall hard for each other. They part ways, but, shortly after, Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Cecily uses her investigative reporting skills to try to find him, but along the way is confronted with the truth and wonders if what they had was real and if it’s even possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be.
I’m sure many of you have seen the movie, but I’ve heard that the book is even better! If you don’t know the story line, this book follows the love story of Nicholas Young and Rachel Chu. Nicholas decides to bring Rachel home to meet his family, but neglects to tell her that they are the richest family in Singapore. Her presence causes quite a bit of tension throughout the family as they ridicule and undermine her for not being part of their lavish culture and eastern ideals.
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