Amy's Favorite Books of 2020

 

Here are the best books I read in 2020. (These are not books that were necessarily released in 2020.) As of today, I’ve read 90 books (including 54 audiobooks) this year. That’s a new record number of books for me! This isn’t surprising considering all the extra time spent at home in the time of COVID-19. I’ve needed the escape offered by a good book more than ever.  I also started but chose not to finish another 13 books. 

The most interesting aspect of my Favorites list this year is that 4 of them are by one author, Amy Harmon. I had never read her novels before this year but she is an amazing storyteller with a very diverse repertoire of genres! I considered condensing her best novels into one slot on my list but, since I gave them each 4-1/2 stars (when only 8 novels of all those I read this year attained a rating that high), I decided they each deserved their own slot on my Top 10. Incidentally, I read another 7 of her novels this year which were all enjoyable too!  Don't miss my favorite audiobook narrator of the year at the bottom!

To read my full review of any books listed below, just click on the title.

 

MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF 2020

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, fantasy: Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers an unusual story from his own life described in a library book and is, understandably, thrown for a loop. This brilliant novel follows Zachary through a magnificent adventure and is told via multiple shorter stories within a larger story. This novel is wondrous, magical, charming, enchanting, and creative. Erin Morgenstern has outdone herself in conceiving this concept and successfully creating a world which is completely imaginary and real at the same time. This book about stories includes several significant themes and symbols (and textures, tastes, and scents to tingle all the senses). But the main theme is impermanence—how good stories always include change, as does life. I cannot remember the last time a book got under my skin like this one did. After listening to the audiobook from my public library, I purchased it on Kindle so I could read it again!

THE OTHERS IN MY TOP 10:

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon, historical fiction/fantasy: After the death of her grandfather, Anne goes to Ireland to spread his ashes in the loch, per his wishes, and finds herself mysteriously sent back in time to 1921 in the midst of Ireland’s struggle for independence.  The characters were enchanting and the setting was atmospheric. I’d never read anything about this time in Ireland’s history and the perspective was educational. The story was so romantic, poetic, and heartfelt.  The ending was just right. I loved it!

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate, historical fiction: This novel tells two tales set in Louisiana: the first from 1875 told by an 18-year old girl born into slavery and the second from 1987 told by a 27-year old woman in her first year of teaching English at a school for disadvantaged children. Both women’s stories are compelling and self-sufficient. However, the thin link between them grows a little thicker with the telling until the reader is finally rewarded with the connections at the end. I learned about the Lost Friends news column which was an opportunity for separated slave families to reunite or learn about their relatives’ situations. The novel was full of adventure and heart-filled spirit.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, fiction: This is a heartbreaking family drama centered around three siblings of Pakistani heritage, raised in London. Their family had suffered great loss during their childhood.  The story is told in five segments, each from a different person’s point of view.  The structuring of this novel was very well done.  Each point of view moved the overarching story forward but also enlightened previous segments.  All of the points of view were interesting and educated me about lives and cultures very different from my own. The pacing was perfect. The ending was one of the most stunning endings I’ve read. 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, post-apocalyptic: It’s 20 years after a deadly pandemic. The disease spread at an astounding rate and killed patients the same day symptoms appeared. Most people on Earth were dead within a month. The novel spotlighted the lives of a few survivors in order to give the reader a rich impression of their pre- and post-pandemic realities. The author focused her story not on the disease itself but on the survivors. And it was a more hopeful view of the world than many other pandemic novels. I appreciated this since I was reading it while living through a pandemic. It made me think a lot about the uncertainty of our future and what I would do in a post-pandemic world that looked totally different than my world today.  The story had many different layers.

Making Faces by Amy Harmon, fiction: Everyone in town is surprised when Ambrose, the handsome star high school wrestler, decides to join the Army instead of taking advantage of wrestling scholarships. He and four friends go to Iraq but only Ambrose survives to return home, with physical and mental scars. Meanwhile, Fern has had a crush on him forever and is not bothered by his altered face and, with the help of her cousin/best friend, tries to get past Ambrose’s barriers. I adored the characters and their interactions. The skeleton of this story was exactly what I predicted. But the muscles and sinew Harmon attached to the framework were so impactful and touching. She masterfully illustrated ways that people might deal with tough situations. It was a heartwarming and sincere tale.

The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon, fantasy, young adult: Lark, unable to speak since a young age, lived with her father. Her mother had been able to make predictions and was killed by the king when Lark was young because “gifted” people were not allowed to live.  Since then, Lark had been trying to grow and thrive in her stilted existence. However, once she crossed paths with the new, young king everything changed. While this novel had much in common with many fantasies set in a kingdom , this one had imaginative scenarios, fabulous pacing, and loveable characters that kept me hooked.

A Different Blue by Amy Harmon, fiction: Blue Echohawk, a senior in high school, is simply trying to stay afloat with the help of her tough-girl persona. She’d been abandoned by her mother at two years old, raised by a kind man until she was 11, and had been living with the man’s neglectful half-sister ever since. A new teacher joins the school staff and begins to help build her confidence. I adored the characters and the believable situations and the mysteries. It was a feel-good story about acceptance—both from others and yourself—which included so much sexual tension in the second half that it felt like a fun beach read.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, fiction: This novel described the harrowing journey to America made by Lydia and her 8-year-old son, Luca, after they barely escaped execution by a drug cartel which killed their entire family in Acapulco, Mexico.  It was tough to read at times. It illuminated the way cartels are destroying central American cities, convincing migrants to head for presumed safer conditions in America. If they were to stay in their hometowns, they would face being killed or forced into working for/being slaves to the cartel leaders. This was very eye-opening, gripping, and suspenseful.

The Dry by Jane Harper, mystery: Aaron Falk, an Australian federal agent, travels to his small home town in an arid region of the country to attend his former bet friend’s funeral. But, because of Falk’s past troubles and because of unusual circumstances surrounding his friend’s death, Falk ends up staying in town to assist the local police chief with his investigation.  This novel grabbed me from the start and never let go. I had to know what happened in both the past and the present.

 

BEST AUDIOBOOK NARRATION

January LaVoy narrating Hideaway by Nora Roberts, women’s fiction: LaVoy was outstanding. She had SO many individual character voices and even excelled at male voices! I was so impressed. Her acting was great but her repertoire was truly stunning. I appreciate her talent!

If you're hungry for more, here are my favorites from 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Also don't miss Lynnie's Favorites of 2020! We have two favorites in common--The Starless Sea and The Book of Lost Friends!

--Amy