Thursday, December 31, 2020

Books Read in 2020


Here's my annual "Books I Read" post.


If you're wondering about what sort of order they're in, the book at the top is the most recent book read.  Some are Advance Reading Copies I was lucky enought to receive, so may not be available just yet - but worth the wait!

Mixed in with the books is some "book art" I like.






There were periods of time during the past year when books just were not holding my attention.  


Then there were periods when I needed the escape and would read two books a day.  

And it hasn't been all that unusual for me to read until the sun comes up.

Sleep has been elusive for me during 2020.





I read quite a few books, again this year, about Paris. 


I have done a lot of day dreaming and wondering when we might be able to visit Paris again.  Reading about it is the next best thing.  


Those books, besides being listed here, have also been included in my Paris Reading List -   http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/2018/01/my-paris-reading-list.html






I've highlighted my favorite books read in 2020 in purple.  

Choosing my faves was an almost impossible task, truly.

And probably I would not have done it if not for the fact that I had invited a group of women friends to share their 2020 favorites.

That said, I chose a few figuring if they could do it, by golly, so could I!

That's not to say that tomorrow I might not choose different ones.

And that is simply because I truly loved every book I've included here.

However . . . 

It IS fairly easy for me to say

my most favorite book of 2020 was 

Louise Penny's 
ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE



* * *


 



Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman (which I wish everyone would read)  
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
A Promised Land by Barack Obama




The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis
The Proposal by Tasmina Perry
The Skeleton at the Old Painted Mill by Celia Miles 
The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak




The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
The House of Dreams by Kate Lord Brown
The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson
The Struggle is Eternal - Gloria Richardson and Black Liberation by Joseph R. Fitzgerald








The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson, Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley





The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb
The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor
The Awakening by Nora Roberts
The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers



Lost in Lavender by Lise McClendon
Dead Flat: A Trilogy by Lise McClendon
Bolt From the Blue by Lise McClendon
Blame It On Paris by Lise McClendon



The Frenchman by Lise McClendon
The Things We Said Today by Lise McClendon
Give Him the Ooh-la-la by Lise McClendon
The Girl in the Empty Dress by Lise McClendon



Blackbird Fly by Lise McClendon
Friends From Home by Lauryn Chamberlain
What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton 
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz



Never Far Away by Michael Koryta
The House by the Sea by Louise Douglas
A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
The Searcher by Tana French



Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin
The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville 
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
The Grand Louvre: From the Fortress to the Pyramid by Catherine Chaine



Lost in Paris by Elizabeth Thompson
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
The Last Tiara by M. J. Rose 
The Velvet Hours by Alyson Richman



Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams 
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams 
Watch Her by Edwin Hill 
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester



The French Widow by Mark Pryor
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry 
The Chocolatier by Jan Moran
The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Verant



Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim
Cold Wind by Paige Shelton 
Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb
We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida 



The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane 
The Woman Outside My Door by Rachel Ryan 
The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous 
The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin



Every Now and Then by Lesley Kagen 
Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine 
The Paris Model by Alexandra Joel
The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly 



Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson 
The Lakehouse by Joe Clifford 
The Missing Ones by Edwin Hill
Little Comfort by Edwin Hill



Believe by Julie Mathison 
My Life as a Villianess: Essays by Laura Lippman
All the Missing Pieces by Julianna Keyes 
The Road Not Taken by Susan Rubin 


A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Ten Women by Marcela Serrano
Outsider by Linda Castillo
The Push by Claire McGowan 



The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth 
The Best Part of Us by Sally Cole-Misch 
The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose
The Secret Language of Stones by M. J. Rose



The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins 
Cartier's Hope by M. J. Rose
Tiffany Blues by M. J. Rose
Dark Hollows by Steve Frech 



The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison 
Deep Into the Dark by P. J. Tracy 
The Silence by Don DeLillo 
The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase 


Margreete's Harbor by Eleanor Morse 
Flowers of Darkness by Tatiana de Rosnay 
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Gaughan
Insidious Intent by Val McDermid


Alone Time by Stephanie Rosenbloom
A Week in Paris by Rachel Hore
Do Not Go Gentle, Go to Paris by Gail Schilling
Riddle Island by Steve Hamilton



The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little 
The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley
Summer at Hope Haven by Kristin Harper 
No Woods So Dark As These by Randall Silvis 


A Long Way Down by Randall Silvis
Walking the Bones by Randall Silvis
Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis
Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams 



One Night in Paris by Juliette Sobanet
All Girls by Emily Layden 
The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell
The Heat Wave by Kate Riordan 



All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand 
Dance Away With Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam 



One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan
Hidden Lake by Ruhi Choudhary 
The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor
The Last Piece by Imogene Clark 



Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst 
The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan 
Their Last Secret by Rick Mofina 
Hideaway by Nora Roberts


The Shore House by Heidi Hostetter 
The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson 
The View From Here by Hannah McKinnon 
The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman 



Hide Away by Jason Pinter
Someday in Paris by Olivia Lara
Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed 
Whale Day by Billy Collins



Beach Read by Emily Henry
Seven Days in Summer by Marcia Willett
What You Don't See by Tracy Clark 
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury



The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin
Enchantment, The Life of Audrey Hepburn by Donald Spoto
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman 



Force of Nature by Jane Harper
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Dry by Jane Harper
Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau



Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay 
The Alchemist's Illusion by Gigi Pandian
The Elusive Elixir by Gigi Pandian
The Masquerading Magician by Gigi Pandian



The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian
The Lost Gargoyle of Paris by Gigi Pandian
The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman
Grace's Table by Sally Piper




The Bride by Wendy Clarke 
Carpe Glitter by Cat Rambo
A Tender Thing by by Emily Neuberger
The Missing Sister by Elle Marr 




Before the Ruins by Victoria Gosling 
The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby 
The Safe Place by Anna Downes 
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis 





The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan 
The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King
Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King 
Touchstone by Laurie R. King



The Beauty of Broken Things by Victoria Connelly 
Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer 
Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett 
The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards 



The River Home by Hannah Richell 
Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger 
The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake
South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber 



The Paris Hours by Alex George 
The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O'Neal 
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner 
Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews 



Dead Man's Mistress by David Housewright
Like to Die by David Housewright
What the Dead Leave Behind by David Housewright
Stealing the Countess by David Housewright



Unidentified Woman #15 by David Housewright
The Devil May Care by David Housewright
The Last Kind Word by David Housewright
Curse of the Jade Lily by David Housewright



Highway 61 by David Housewright
The Taking of Libbie, SD by David Housewright
Jelly's Gold by David Housewright
Madman on a Drum by David Housewright



Dead Boyfriends by David Housewright
Pretty Girl Gone by David Housewright
Tin City by David Housewright
A Hard Ticket Home by David Housewright



From the Grave by David Housewright 
The Moon Always Rising by Alice C. Early 
All the Breaking Waves by Kerry Lonsdale
Perfectly Famous by Emily Liebert 



Side Trip by Kerry Lonsdale 
The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis 
Golden in Death by J. D. Robb
Blood and Brume by Maki Morris



A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke 
Crooked River by Preston & Child
It Started With a Secret by Jill Mansell 
Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay



The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman 
On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe 
The Boy From the Woods by Harlan Cohen 
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles 




All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig , Karen White
The Vacation by T. M. Logan 
Lake Life by David James Poissant 
The Vineyards of Champagne by Juliet Blackwell



The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland
The Housekeeper by Natalie Barelli



The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton
Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle 
Lost Tomorrows by Matt Coyle 
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman 


Black Heart by Anna-Lou Weatherley
The Stranger's Wife by Anna-Lou Weatherley 
Last Day by Luanne Rice 
Cosy, The British Art of Comfort by Laura Weir







3 comments:

Kathy Reel said...

Wow, Kaye! You read a lot of books in 2020! I love how you read an author and immediately continue to read her/his other books. I counted 17 for David Housewritht. So glad you read Jane Harper's books, as I've loved every one of them so far. Also, I noticed that you read The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase. I haven't read that one yet, but I do have it. I have read Eve Chase's Black Rabbit Hall, and it's one of my favorite books. If you haven't read that one, I so hope you do.

Lesa said...

What I love about your list is that you spaced it with artwork about books. It makes it so much more interesting than a list of books. I love to see what you read each year. Sending love, my friend, and wishes that we all have a better 2021, with more sleep and more good books. Love you, Kaye!

Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Muses said...


Thanks, guys!

Sending love back your way.

Here's to a better, happier, more peaceful 2021.

Love you both, oh sisters mine, to the moon and back.

Xxoo