Bookish Lists: My Favorite Books of 2020

Though 2020 has been a difficult and strange year in many ways for a multitude of people, I'm seeking to focus on the happy and good things that happened, especially as I look back and ponder through journal entries and possible blog posts.  One of those things is that I actually read quite a bit more this year than I thought I would!  I thought having a baby would slow my reading down a lot.  And in some ways, it has.  But I'm learning that naptimes are great times to read, if I'm not sleep deprived and there isn't a ton of bottles/dishes/laundry waiting for me.  So, this is my annual "favorite books of the year!" post.  Complete with alphabetizing by author and links if you click on the book title.  Not all of these books released this year, but I did get to read them at some point during the year, so I'm saying it counts.  So, without further blathering:

1) Cry of The Raven by Morgan L. Busse

This is the third book in the Ravenwood Saga and I was so excited to read it!

It's also the first book I read after I had my little girl and I actually read most of it

out loud to her. Getting her started early.

2) Daughter of Light by Morgan L. Busse

I don't typically include two books by the same author and I find it kind of amusing

that the first book is the last one in her newest series and this one is the first book in her

very first series.  But this one challenged me, a lot.  I haven't gotten to read the rest of the series yet, but simply based on this one, I'll have to finish it very soon!  I must know what happens!

3) Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

One of my friends is an avid fan of Nicole's and has told me for a while now that I just

have to read one of her books.  I don't remember how I came to have this one, but I chose to read it on

a whim one day and I was so good!  I am now a believer, Denise!  I haven't gotten to read any others from her, yet.  But this one was beautiful, funny, sweet, and so many other things.

4) Acceptable Risk by Lynette Eason

This book had loads of suspense!  It also included a drug trial, something I found interesting,

being a pharmacy tech.  Plus, I loved Sarah and Gavin!

5) Start With Me by Kara Isaac

There are so many things I could say about this book . . . but I think it all 

boils down to, "you need to read it!"  Truly, I'm a huge fan of Kara's and this book might by my favorite.  Maybe.  I'm terrible at choosing these things . . . .

6) The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano

This book surprised me in so many ways!  I hadn't read anything by this author

since her debut novel and I fell in love with this story!

7) Some Bright Someday by Melissa Tagg

If you enjoy rom-com, even if you just like it, and you haven't read

any of Melissa's books yet my first question is, "why not???" 

8) Storing Up Trouble by Jen Turano

I think one of Jen's books ends up on my list every year.  I just can't help it!  

I love to laugh and her books inspire much laughter in my house!  They're also some 

of my library that I happily loan, so they can elicit laughter in other homes, as well!

9) Hadley Beckett's Next Dish by Bethany Turner

This book was my first from Bethany Turner and it surprised me!  It honestly wasn't

super deep or anything, but it was so funny!  And during a pandemic, you need all the humor

you can find, right?

10) The Best We've Been by Beth K. Vogt

This book is a little outside of my normal scope, being that it's more women's fiction

than romance, but after reading the first 2 books in the series last year, I had to get the last one.  And it was really good in a heart-wrenching, soul-searching kind of way.  A fitting end to the series, for sure.

11) Stay With Me by Becky Wade

Becky has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read My Stubborn Heart and then

reread it before it was due back at the library.  And she has yet to disappoint me!  This book

was . . . you know, just read it for yourself.  That's about all I can say.

12) A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White

This is the final book in The Codebreakers series and I loved it just as much as the 

first 2!  Honestly, I'm pretty sure every book in this series made me cry at one point or another.  But there's so much truth, even amidst the pain and war.  And beauty, especially found by Lily's camera.

What were some of your favorite books from 2020?  Did any of these make your list, too?  Please share!  I'm always looking for more titles to add to my never-shortening TBR list! 

Bookish Thoughts: Some Bright Someday

 

"When you know what you want, it's worth mustering

up the bravery to go after it."

- Lauren

Description:

He’s torn between love and honor...

Lucas Danby has always regretted the decisions that caused his dishonorable discharge from the military—and he’s never stopped trying to redeem his honor. He's spent the past decade taking on dangerous short-term missions as an elite private soldier—the only part of his life that's ever gone right. But the high-risk work never cures his shame. Now he’s stuck stateside, mentoring a new recruit. Worse, he's sick of lying to the people he cares about most—including the woman he’s secretly loved for years.

She can’t escape her house of memories...

Jenessa Belville should be happy. She's the hometown girl everyone loves, after all. But she’s also the last Belville left—and if she had her way, she'd leave the name and all its painful memories behind. Which is exactly what she hopes to do once she sells Belville Park, the massive estate she inherited from her parents. First, though, she needs to restore the property’s once-glorious gardens. But on the same day she puts up the “For Sale” sign, she discovers three children hiding in the caretaker's cottage, thrusting her into the unexpected role of temporary guardian.

Fighting for their future means healing from the past...

Struggling to mentor a young man with scars nearly as piercing as his own, Lucas offers to help Jenessa restore the Belville grounds. Though drawn together by a trio of kids who tug on their hearts and the sparks they can’t deny, past secrets and current sorrows threaten to pull them apart. Only the brightest love and hardest sacrifice can turn the house Jenessa never wanted into the home she and Lucas have always longed for.

 

About the Author:

Melissa Tagg is the Christy and Carol Award-winning author of swoony and hope-filled small-town contemporary romances, including the Maple Valley series, the Walker Family series, the Where Love Begins series, and the Enchanted Christmas Collection. She’s also a former reporter, current nonprofit marketing strategist, and total Iowa girl.

Melissa has taught at multiple national writing conferences, as well as workshops and women’s retreats. When she’s not happily lost in someone else’s book or plugging away her own, she can be found spoiling her nieces and nephews, watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next fictional hero. Connect with Melissa at melissatagg.com.

My Thoughts:

Melissa Tagg has long been one of my favorite authors and I was super excited to read this newest book!  I don’t read much rom-com, so her books are a little different from my usual taste, which I think is part of why I enjoy them so much.  They overflow with laughter, romance, beautiful descriptions and settings, along with plenty of “awww” moments.  To say that I enjoyed this book is a little underwhelming.  I truly loved getting to read Lucas and Jenessa’s story and am now pondering how long it would take me to read all of her previous novels again.

Setting and dialogue are two things that make or break a book for me, and this story has both in droves!  Ms. Tagg creates such beautiful places with her words and I always end a Maple Valley story longing to visit in person . . . I so want to meet these curious and lovely people who take up residence in my mind and heart while I’m reading!  I don’t think I can choose a favorite of all of Ms. Tagg’s books, but I can say that I really love this group of friends she’s placed together.  From Marshal and Mara’s book (Now, Then, and Always) to waiting for what will hopefully be Sam’s story at some point, I’m so enjoying getting to know this unique group of friends.  And I have to laugh out loud quite often at the great banter and dialogue between them!

"Personally, son, I happen to think a weather faith is a good faith.

It means you've been through a storm and back.  Or maybe you're still

in it - still fighting.  Maybe your belief if battered and weak.

But that just means you're in a prime place for a rescue.

For a miracle."

- Arthur G. Flagg

If “wearing your heart on your sleeve” could take physical form, I think Ms. Tagg’s books would be hers.  Between the covers of each of her books are, without fail, broken people struggling, grasping, wrestling . . . to find hope, to find God.  The stories are progressions of a lesson learned and it’s apparent that in at least one aspect of it, the author learned from personal experience.  I so appreciate how real fiction can be at times and how beautifully she shares hope and peace, amidst the trials and difficulties she puts the characters through.  

Side note: the kids in this story just pull on your heart so much!

Overall, I would highly recommend this story!  And am even now plotting a reread at some point soon. :) 

As always, thanks for stopping by!  There are several more quotes I'd love to share, but I don't want to risk spoiling anything! 

I'm not sure I'll manage another post before Christmas, so just in case, I truly hope your Christmas is beautiful and filled with the people you love!

Amazon

Goodreads