Best of 2020 — Books

My top 10 picks from the over 190 books I read last year. PLUS the books I'm proudest of having read.

You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me! In no particular order.

PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Crime and Punishment

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I got through this with the help of the Close Reads Patreon episodes.  Generally riveting but not my favorite.  However, it was something I thought I'd never read so I'm happy I read it.

 

 

2020 BEST BOOKS

For the Life of the World

by Alexander Schmemann

Any Christian can get a great deal of insight and inspiration from this wonderful book. He looks at the connection between daily life and the sacraments and liturgy of the church. As a result, we are repeatedly drawn into fresh realizations about how present God is in everyday life ... and how connected that is with the liturgy.One of the most inspirational books I've ever read. 

(Full review here.)

So You Want to Be a Wizard

Diane Duane

Nita and Kit find a book that unlocks their power to be wizards. They wind up on a dangerous quest to defend good against the evil Lone Power. This is a book for kids and those parts are standard. However, Duane's world-building is stellar and that is what elevates these to the level adults can enjoy. The second half blew my mind.

(Read reviews here.)

Lincoln's Battle with God

by Stephen Mansfield

Throughout his life, Lincoln fought with God. ... On the day he was shot, Lincoln said he longed to go to Jerusalem to walk in the Savior’s steps.What was the journey that took Abraham Lincoln from outspoken atheist to a man who yearned to walk in the footsteps of Christ?

 

An even-handed telling of Lincoln's faith journey. Yes, he had one.

(My full review here.)

Miss Buncle's Book

by D.E. Stevenson

A light and delightful story about Miss Buncle who is greatly in need of money and so writes a book about the people in her village. This book causes a great uproar as people see themselves in the mirror and react with outrage or thoughtfulness, often in ways that mimic the book and changes people's lives ... including Miss Buncle's.

The Splendid and the Vile

(A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz)
by Erik Larson

Erik Larson looks at Churchill's ability to lead and inspire when things seemed hopeless, which is to say during the time before the Americans finally entered the war. He does a fantastic job of making you feel you understood those struggles, those times, and those people. By the last third of the book I was fully invested in the people and the story. In fact, I had tears of joy about the victory celebrations.

When Books Went to War

by Molly Guptill Manning

I am used to the image (probably from movies) of a WWII soldier pulling out a book to read in a spare moment, any time, anywhere. However, I didn't realize the huge effort that went into helping our soldiers' morale stay high by providing those very books. This book tells that story.

(My full review.)

Chicken Every Sunday

(My Life with Mother's Boarders)

by Rosemary Taylor

One of the boarders who ate Mother's chicken every Sunday summed it up when he said, "I was told that in your house I'd have good food and some fun." They all had fun, and they all became part of the family. 

 

When Books Went to War kept mentioning this as one of the top books the troops liked and read aloud to each other in gales of laughter. I can see why. It kind of feels like Cheaper by the Dozen but is funny in a different way. It also touches on more adult themes, albeit in completely acceptable, subtle ways because this being told through the author's childhood memories and understanding. It makes you feel as if you are in on the jokes from an adult's view.

(My review here.)

Tuyo

by Rachel Neumeier

Ryo has been left as a sacrifice in the hopes that their enemy will  allow the rest of the warband to escape into the wilds of the forest. So we start with Ryo waiting for his fate and wishing he could take back his angry words to his older brother, who’d made the painful decision to leave him. While also hoping that he doesn’t disgrace himself by buckling in the face of torture and trying to prepare himself for the upcoming encounter. However, in the event, he isn’t remotely ready for who he ends up facing…— Good Reads review 

 

I loved this old school fantasy set in a wonderfully imagined world. It was fresh, imaginative, and original.

The Square Emerald

 by Edgar Wallace

At one point Edgar Wallace was one of the top-selling mystery authors in England. His books often have ridiculously complicated plots and big twists. 

 

What a delight this was. Edgar Wallace often writes strong, intelligent women as side characters or, in the case of a favorite of mine - Angel of Terror - villainesses, but here we have a true female detective driving the story. In fact, this was very female-centric because the villain is also a woman.

(Read reviews here.)

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture

Inspired by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), this series's commentary is composed solely of very readable pieces of the Church fathers on the scriptures. This is an ecumenical venture with editors coming from Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish backgrounds.

 

 I've been using the one on the first half of the Book of Psalms and one on the Gospel of Mark. Both are extraordinary commentaries.

 (More info here)