Well, it’s that time of year again! Everyone is sharing their “Best Of” lists for all sorts of things: movies, albums, books, etc. I barely saw any movies this year (gee, who’s surprised?) and I didn’t listen to a bunch of NEW music this year (I seemed to mostly stick to the same five or six playlists and dozen or so artists I know I love this year — comfort listening is a thing!). BUT I did read a decent number of books, both new releases for 2020 and older releases. And so I figured I could share my favorite reads for the year. I have two “top 3” lists: one for 2020 new releases, and one for books that were released in previous years but I read for the first time this year.

So, without further ado, here are my FAVORITE READS OF 2020!

New Releases:

House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: If you read my full book review (found here) for this book, then this will come as no surprise to you. If you know me on Twitter, it won’t be a surprise to you either. I love this book so much I cannot express it with words! I have now read it three times in a span of two months! It’s slightly embarrassing, but that’s ok! I love what I love, and I love this book with all my heart and soul and sinew and bone and atom of my being.

Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott: Again, if you read my full book review of this one (found here), you aren’t remotely surprised by this. I was pretty sure that this was going to be TOP favorite of the year before I ended up reading House in the Cerulean Sea, and being forced to revise that assumption. But it is definitely a very close second. I like a good space opera, but it had been quite awhile since I’d read one, and after reading THIS one, it kicked off a renewed need to read ALL THE SPACE OPERAS. I cannot wait for the sequel to this book!

The Body in the Garden by Katherine Schellman: This was such a great historical mystery book from a debut author who is also a delight on social media. I loved the main character, I loved the side characters, I was kept guessing through the whole book, and it was just so much FUN. (You can find the review for this one here.) I love mystery novels so much, and this one is pretty high up the list of my overall favorites now. I am so excited for the sequel coming out in July!

Previously-Released Books:

Artemis Fowl: Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer: Oh man, what can I say about this book?! I love the Artemis Fowl books, but I hadn’t ever finished the series the first time around, so one of my goals for this year was to finish reading all the Artemis Fowl books. And this one, book seven of eight, is DEFINITELY my favorite. I could not stop laughing through the whole thing! It was just too hilarious for words! I loved it so much, and Nathaniel Parker’s narration in the audiobook is just too perfect! For my full rant about the Artemis Fowl series, check out this post: “Fowl By Name, Foul By Nature.”

Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson: I didn’t read as many nonfiction books I had initially planned on this year, but I read a decent handful that I absolutely LOVED. (Including Disney’s Land by Richard Snow and Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt), but this one was definitely my favorite nonfiction book of the year. I love a really in-depth history book, and I am endlessly fascinated by the story of T.E. Lawrence and the movie Lawrence of Arabia. This book was SHOCKINGLY good, and filled with so much fascinating history that I would never have learned otherwise.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire: This book came out in 2019 and I had started last year but ended up putting it aside because I was so busy with other things. It took me quite awhile to get back to it but I’m so glad I did! I already knew I loved Seanan McGuire because of her Wayward Children novella series, but this book is just NEXT LEVEL. (I wrote a review here!) I am still enormously upset that it didn’t win the Hugo Award this year. It was so phenomenal and heart-wrenching and intense and beautiful! Just UGH! GO READ IT NOW! (She is reportedly working on a sequel but there are no details yet, and just… *flails*)