It's that time of the year again. 2020 has been a stressful year for many.
I was able to beat my
original plan of 24 books to expand to 30 then to 36 and finally 40 books.
I was hoping to read
more and write more this year, but 2020 had other plans for me. My freelance
writing career took a leap and my reading progress varied and slowed but still
I finished over 36 books, with about 3 or 4 more open.
So here's my list of
the best books I read in 2020, not arranged in any order whatsoever!
It's one of those rare
occasions where you find the sleuth working in field related to you.
That and I've been going
over the idea of making the main character of my cozy mystery novel a social
media guru. Then comes Sarah E. Burr and her fashion blogger Coco to serve me a
5-star read.
"Stacy
Lockner was killed with an eighty-thousand-dollar teapot."
This is the first book
in the Trending Topic series and I can't wait to see what Sarah will do in the
coming books.
What
We Bury
by Carolyn Arnold
What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold is the 10th book
in the 
Detective Madison Knight Mystery series and my first read in that
series. I loved it.
It's fast-paced,
exciting, and kind of like reading a CSI novel.
Madison is hell-bent on
bringing a killer to justice. She vows "to
protect and serve the city of Stiles meant something to her down to her
marrow."
Amari
and the Night- Brothers by B.B. Alston
The
main character is a black girl, something you don't see often. She's smart,
she's flawed, she's funny, she's beautiful; she's amazing.
The
author literally throws a ton of trouble in her way but she acts as herself and
she flourishes.
"What if I told you that living among us are all
the things we've come to pass off as myth? Dwarves and sphinxes, mermaids and
oddities you could see with your own eyes and still not believe – these and
countless more dwell in our towns and walk our streets. One might be your
neighbour or even your favourite teacher."
Amari and the Night Brothers is by all means a 10-star read.
The Body Lexicon by Kathy Steinemann
I
read another book in this series The
Writer's Lexicon in 2018 and loved it.
Here's a quick quote from The Writer's Lexicon:
“A groaning heart paints a different picture than a
cartwheeling one. In each case, a single word tells how the protagonist is
feeling.” (From examples on replacing “pounding”)
The Body Lexicon offers synonyms, word variations, ideas, writing
prompts, colors, and everything you can thing of related to each part of the
body.
Currently
writing my book review of The Body Lexicon so stay tuned and keep
checking my book
reviews page.
This
middle grade story is literally about three mean characters. And it's
surprisingly awesome, hilarious, and a must-read.
"For the first time in his
life, Ebenezer was sad that he didn't have a family of his own. It would have
saved so much time and energy if he could have just fed one of his children to
the beast."
It
also includes several fun illustrations, in case you're not visualizing enough.
An
absolute 5-star read.
The
Case of the Broken Doll by Alison Golden
I started the Detective
Graham Mystery series one night when I was overwhelmed. Little did I know
that I'd fly through three books!
The Case of the
Broken Doll was my third
read in the series and I couldn't put it down. Unlike the rest, this was
more of a cold case from Detective Graham but it was just WOW.
"People don't just vanish into thin air, Marcus.
I know the world is a strange and mysterious place, but I'm still a big fan of
cause-and-effect when it comes to explaining what people do and why."
Amazing
writing, plot, mystery; amazing everything!
A
10-star read.
How
My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months by Patric Morgan
I've
gathered much info in that time but still enjoyed reading How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7
Months. It offers lots of actionable tips and ideas plus Stewart gives
examples from his own writing and blog.
I
believe it's available for free via the writer's website.
Note: This is a non-fiction read.
I'd
almost forgotten I'd read this book in 2020. It's been a long year I thought I read
it sometime in 2019 but great that it was last year so I can include on this
list.
Like the Madison Knight book, it's fast paced and both books share a mystery or punned-book-title.
"Humans were much like wild animals, feeding of
the carcass of misfortune, sucking it bone dry for their own advantages,
whatever those may be."
The
Brandon Fisher books are a lot like the TV series Criminal Minds and less about
the forensic details in CSI and Madison Knight.
That
said, this is a must-read. If I had to pick between Brandon Fisher and Madison
Knight, I'd go for Brandon Fisher.
Death
at the Café by Alison
Golden
Death at the Café is the first book in the series, introducing Reverend
Annabelle, whose curiosity turns her into a sleuth.
"Where are we going?"
"Baker Street."
"Home of Sherlock Holmes," Mary added,
joviality returning to her voice.
"Perhaps he can help us with this confounding
turn of events!"
Another
5-star read.
On
Borrowed Crime by Kate
Young
When the sleuths are bookworms from a book club, count me in.
Young kept me guessing the whole time and when I finished I was breathless!
"Digging
into these types of cases shines a great big spotlight on the one holding the
shovel. Those responsible won't like it."
Young
has a lot to live up to when she writes other books in this series and I look
forward to reading them.
It
seems I've read way too many mysteries in 2020. But who can blame me when there
are so many amazing authors out there and of course blog tours and ARC copies?
:D
But
I've been enjoying reading mysteries and thrillers lately. I've also been
postponing working on my first cozy mystery novel. I have a completed first draft
but lots of work that needs to be done.
As for what I'm planning to read in 2021, I've compiled
a list. It's by no means comprehensive and I still have some leftovers
from my 2020 list but new year means new books to read.
What were your favorite books from 2020?
Let me know in the comments below.
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