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