My 2020 Reading List, Revealed!

At long last, the books I read in 2020! I'll give a few of my overall top recommendations and then break them down by category. You can find my lists for previous years here: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013.

I have to say, 2020's reading list is proof to me that middle grade fiction really is my jam. There were so many incredible reads. Middle grade books are set in such a pivotal time of life that really gets at the heart of what it means to be a human, and there are some amazing stories out there. If you don't usually think of reading children's books, give some of these a whirl this year! In fact, I usually put this category at the bottom of my reading list out of habit, but I'm bumping it up to the top this time because there are so many outstanding reads that it's hard to know where to start. And if you have kids, there are so many here they will love.

Oh, and I only include books on this list that I read on my own. There are too many other children's books to count, so I don't include any books that I just read with my kids. (But if you want a brilliant series recommendation for kids--all of mine ages 3-12 love it--try Dory Fantasmagory!)

Top Recommendations

Song for a Whale, by Lynne Kelly

The Line Tender, by Kate Allen

Seacrow Island, by Astrid Lindgren

The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate

Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell

A Man on the Moon, by Andrew Chaikin

Best Man, by Richard Peck

The List of Things that Will Not Change, by Rebecca Stead

Middle Grade

• Song for a Whale, by Lynne Kelly (Amazing read about a girl who is deaf. Beautiful)
• Best Man, by Richard Peck (Absolutely loved this one. Wonderful treatment of gay marriage, although that's not the focus of the book. Funny, touching, thought-provoking)
• The List of Things that Will Not Change, by Rebecca Stead (All of her books are stunning and this is no exception; also an incredibly poignant treatment of gay marriage. So good)
• Lalani of the Distant Sea, by Erin Entrada Kelly (So so good! Read all of her books; she's one of my favorite authors)
• The Line Tender, by Kate Allen (Oh boy, this one got me. Amazing!)
• Seacrow Island, by Astrid Lindgren (Loved this one! I need to move to or at least vacation on a Swedish island now. This one is a light, happy read and brilliantly written)
• Mio, My Son, by Astrid Lindgren (Fantasy; also good)
• Counting By 7s, by Holly Goldberg Sloan (Sad but wonderful book)
• Walking Miss Millie, by Tamara Bundy (Loved this one!)
• The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson (Re-read; very good; about girl in foster care)
• Mac B., Kid Spy: Mac Cracks the Code, by Mac Barnett (Always excellent! Check out the whole series if you haven't yet. Every single one makes me laugh)
• Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech (Re-read; great book)
• The Boy on the Porch, by Sharon Creech (Excellent)
• The Castle Corona, by Sharon Creech (Fantasy; excellent)
• Replay, by Sharon Creech (Great book)
• The Unfinished Angel, by Sharon Creech (Also good; very different style from her others)
• Not If I Can Help It, by Carolyn Mackler (Protagonist has sensory processing disorder; very well done)
• Because of the Rabbit, by Cynthia Lord (Really good)
• Paper Wishes, by Lois Sepahban (So good. About Japanese internment camps)
• A Place to Belong, by Cynthia Kadohata (Really good. Tells about what happened to Japanese-American families that were repatriated to Japan after WWII)
• Refugee, by Alan Gratz (Really good)
• In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, by Bette Bao Lord (About a Chinese girl moving to NY with her family)
• Rules, by Cynthia Lord (Fantastic book! Protagonist's brother has severe autism, and she grapples with how it impacts her own life)
• Journey of the Pale Bear, by Susan Fletcher (Based on a true event but with an imagined backstory; lovely book)
• A Whale of the Wild, by Rosanne Parry (Liked this one)
• The One & Only Bob, by Katherine Applegate (Great! Sequel to The One & Only Ivan)
• Skunk and Badger, by Amy Timberlake (Great story; beautiful illustrations by Jon Klassen)
• Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom, by Louis Sacher (A new Wayside book! This is not a drill, folks! First one in 25 years)
• The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer L. Holm (Not amazing, but it's a funny read that most kids would enjoy)
• The Third Mushroom, by Jennifer L. Holm (Same; it's a sequel)
• The Torchbearers: A Darkdeep Novel, by Ally Condie & Brendan Reichs (We like these; they are a little scary/intense for the younger crowd; billed as "dark fantasy" but not too dark since it's aimed at MG kids)
• Keeper of the Lost Cities 8.5: Unlocked, by Shannon Messenger (This one isn't a true novel in the KOTC series. The format is a little hard to explain; I got bored by it but my daughter enjoyed it)
• Land of Stories (volumes 1-6), by Chris Colfer (These are fantasy books and are a great read. Storybook world exists but in a different dimension. It never struck me as the most amazing writing, but the stories are really interesting and engaging and make up for any of the writing gaps.)

Nonfiction

• Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Loved this one!)
• A Long Way Home, by Saroo Brierley (This was really really good! Reads like fiction but it's a wild true story)
• A Man on the Moon, by Andrew Chaikin (Absolutely loved this one because I love space! Seriously so good and thorough, but you need to like space)
• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann (Wow; really good and sad and eye opening about this part of history)
• Silence Is a Scary Sound, by Clint Edwards (Funny! Parents will appreciate)
• I'm Sorry, Love, Your Husband, by Clint Edwards (Very funny! Better than the previous one)
• Thunder Dog, by Michael Hingson (Super interesting! About a blind survivor of 9/11 and his guide dog)
• Arctic Homestead, by Norma Cobb (This one's crazy about homesteading in Alaska; I really liked it [and Dave did too] even though the narrator seems to be slightly unreliable)
• How to Raise an Adult, by Julie Lythcott-Haimes (Highly recommend this one! Especially first half)
• A Mother's Reckoning, by Sue Klebold (Written by mother of one of the Columbine shooters; very moving)
• Finding Gobi, by Dion Leonard (Simple but interesting)
• Helen Keller: A Life, by Dorothy Herrmann (Extremely thorough; I learned a ton and it was interesting, but only a book to grab if you really want to learn about the topic)
• Duped, by Abby Ellin (Fascinating premise but got really tired of this one and skimmed. Skip!)
• Odyssey of Hearing Loss, by Michael Harvey (Marginally interesting, but it mostly focused on hearing loss in the older population and that wasn't my primary interest)

Fiction

• The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate (One of my favorites this year!)
• Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens (Can't believe it was my first time reading this, but it was awesome!)
• Cilka's Journey, by Heather Morris (Really well done; I didn't know anything about gulags before; companion novel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz)
• The Golden Tresses of the Dead: A Flavia de Luce Novel, by Alan Bradley (I love Flavia de Luce books! Start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie if you haven't read them.)
• The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett (I enjoyed this but didn't love it as much as everyone else)
• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman (Really good)
• The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah (Liked this one)
• To the Land of Long Lost Friends, by Alexander McCall Smith  (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency; these are always an enjoyable read if you like the series.)
• Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate (This book is so well written and absolutely engrossing, and also absolutely devastating. As a mother of young children, it broke my heart. I had to skim a few spots because it was so painful, especially knowing it was based on historical events.)

YA

• Let the Sky Fall, by Shannon Messenger (Huge thumbs down. Disappointing because I liked KOTC.)
• Peak, by Roland Smith (About Mt. Everest; Madeline and I enjoyed this one.)
• The Silence Between Us, by Alison Gervais (About a deaf teenager. My feelings: It wasn't love, it wasn't hate, just indifference)