31 Books I Read in 2020 (Part 1)

I’ve officially exceeded my book reading goal for this year (thank you, COVID-19), so I’ve had to up my numbers. On Instagram, I did a poll to find out if you wanted a mid-year book list and 97% of you said you would like that. Here are the books I’ve read so far this year. I did not list any as DNF (did not finish), though at least three came very close. As you will see, the range of genres is pretty broad, even in the fiction/nonfiction realm but I wanted to keep the list simple. Reviews for my favorites will come later :)

I use a combination of Libby (free library app - you just need a library card!) and Kindle Unlimited (use this link to try it free for 30 days!)  to read so that I don’t collect more books than I already own and spend more money that I should probably save. I’ll link the books below (affiliate links that help us keep Maple Alps going!) as well so you can grab your copies easily. You can find some other favorites of mine in my Amazon Storefront as well, and keep your eyes out for part 2 of my 2020 books in January.

For the second half of the year, I plan to add some foreign language books (I have a few German ones on my shelf I’ve been meaning to get to) and some more nonfiction and memoirs. I haven’t gotten to more because I’m on a loooooong waitlist to get some of them. By the way, if you want to be friends on Goodreads, you can find me here! I finally updated my account.

Happy Reading!

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Nonfiction

// 1. “Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals” by Rachel Hollis (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love” by Tim LaHaye (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Scatterbrain: How the mind’s mistakes make humans creative, innovative, and successful” by Henning Beck (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “The Little Book of Hygge” (The Happiness Institute Series) by Meik Wiking (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 7. “Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave” by Joanna Gaines (get your copy on Amazon here) // 8. “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover (get your copy on Amazon here) // 9. “Becoming” by Michelle Obama (get your copy on Amazon here)

Christian Nonfiction

// 1. “How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals About Personal Growth” by Henry Cloud (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2 . “Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely” by Lysa TerKeurst  (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “God’s Smuggler” by Brother Andrew (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “The Insanity of God” by Nik Ripken (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “More or Less” by Jeff Shinabarger (get your copy on Amazon here)

Historical Fiction

// 1. “Egypt’s Sister: A Novel of Cleopatra” (The Silent Years #1) by Angela Elwell Hunt (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Harvest of Gold” (Harvest of Rubies, #2) by Tessa Afshar (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Land of Silence” by Tessa Afshar (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “A.D. 30” (A.D. #1) by Ted Dekker (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “A.D. 33” (A.D. #2) by Ted Dekker (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “Becoming Mrs. Lewis” by Patti Callahan (get your copy on Amazon here)

Christian Fiction

// 1. “The Negotiator” (O’Malley, #1) by Dee Henderson (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 2. “The Guardian” (O’Malley, #2) by Dee Henderson (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 3. “An Heiress at Heart” (Love’s Grace, #1) by Jennifer Delamere (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 4. “A Lady Most Lovely” (Love’s Grace, #2) by Jennifer Delamere (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 5. “A Bride for the Season” (Love’s Grace, #3) by Jennifer Delamere (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 6. “Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey” (Sensible Shoes #1) by Sharon Garlough Brown (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 7. “Redemption” (Baxter Family Drama Redemption Series #1) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 8. “Remember” (Baxter Family Drama Redemption Series #2) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here)

Non-Christian Fiction

// 1. “The Enlightenment of Bees” by Rachel Linden (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 2. “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens (get your copy on Amazon here)
// 3. “Wolf Hollow” by Lauren Wolk (get your copy on Amazon here)

Top 6 Reads of 2019

2019 was the year I rekindled my love of reading. I have the feeling I read more in 2019 than I have in a long time - even more than in 2017, which was the last time I did a top reads post. With everything that has been going on in our lives, I had to make an intentional decision to read more. Most every evening, when 7pm comes around, my devices go away, and a book comes out. Of course, if I’m reading on my iPad or Kindle, that stays out, but the point is that I read. No Instagram scrolling. No Facebook messages. No Netflix or Hulu. I read. And I’ve loved it. I’ve devoured books. I’ve put books back that I wasn’t feeling (I feel life is too short to read a book for fun that isn’t interesting to you…). I’ve listened to books on commutes. Books. Books are great - I’ve always thought so.

I know you want to get to my top reads, but I totally have to share this story: when I was young, I was an avid reader. I’d even read in the car - in the dark! I’d wait until we were under street lamps to get the next sentence in. My parents swear to this day that it’s the reason I had to get glasses. If it was - it was worth it (but let’s be honest, that was not the reason. Haha!)

I only chose 6 books again, even though I read a lot more than 6. Actually, my book reading goal for 2020 is at least 24 books, so maybe I’ll have a larger list for you next year. Ready?
(By the way, you can find even more of my favorites on my Amazon page here!)

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1. The Mark of the Lion Series By Francine Rivers

Okay, so I suppose this is technically three books, not just one, but this series was so hard to put down! I was gifted the first in the series for my birthday. It was so good that once I was done, I was seriously tempted to pick them right back up and start again. I figured I should let some time go by before doing that though. Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors and I know I’m behind to the party, but this series was fantastic. It challenged my faith in such a positive way, and I’ll definitely be revisiting this series. (I bought these one at a time, but you can even get a boxed set!)

2. Pax By Sara PennyPacker

Even though I don’t teach language arts anymore, I couldn’t resist checking this book out. I love a good middle school book. A sweet story of a fox and his boy that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend - especially if you love a good tear jerker. I also learned a lot about foxes! (Get your copy here)

3. Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People By Bob Goff

Wow wow wow. Such. A. Good. Book. This book moved me to tears, and it was so hard to put down! It challenged me, it entertained me, and it really made me think twice about how to love others. And really desire to do so. A definite must-read. (PS: I read the first book from Bob Goff, Love Does, and talked about it in my 2017 reads! Get your copy of Everybody Always here!)

4. Capital Gaines: Smart things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines

Going off my theme of continuing books from 2017, since I read the Magnolia Story then, I read Capital Gaines now. As expected, I finished the book wanting to quit everything and follow my dreams. I guess I don’t have to quit everything to follow my dreams, but you know what I mean. Worth the read - and it’s a quick one! (Get your copy here)

5. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

I actually started this last summer, and finally finished it this year - took a while, but not because it was not interesting! This is an older book from 2007 and it talks about the possible complications (and solutions to them) that can arise when children are alienated from nature due to several reasons. As someone who works with children, and someone who wants some one day, this was definitely an interesting read and I could totally resonate with it. (Get your copy here)

6. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believe the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis

I didn’t want to read this book just based on the reviews I read on it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the content! The author told stories from her life connected to lies she believed in her past and how she overcame them. It was full of tough love, which we all need sometimes. I can’t wait to read the sequel. (Get your copy here)

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What were some of the best books you read in 2019? I'd love some recommendations for 2020!

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My Top 6 Reads of 2017

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Since I was a child, I have loved reading. I remember getting so car sick when reading on the road, but taking a book regardless and consuming as much as I could before nausea set in. If it was night, there was less nausea, but less light and I'd wait for the stop lights and street lights to illuminate my page so I could get a few more sentences in (I know I wasn't the only one to do there! Where are my bookworms at??). Unfortunately, over the years the time to sit down with a book has become less. This last year I was a little more intentional about my book reading and then it occurred to me that I've never shared any book recommendations on the blog. I've had several people ask me about some of my favourites, so I decided to change that this year.

Because I have such a long commute, audiobooks have been my constant companion. Driving and reading when one is in the driver's seat is not ideal, so I get a good hour and a half of books read to me each work day. I don't mind. Audiobooks also allow me the freedom to use my eyes on other things, like my crochet projects and the muffins in the oven. 

While I have so many favourites, I decided to only share my top six from the year 2017. I chose six because that was the first number that popped into my head.

1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Okay, yes, this was kind of late and I missed it while it was more trendy, but oh boy was this a good one! I read it way back in February - twice - and I can't even tell you how many people I recommended it to. I even made my poor husband listen to it on audible. But guys. It was great. It confirmed my minimalistic desires and served as a practical tool as I had already been cleaning out all of my things! Life was good, but got even better after this book. (Get your copy here!)

2. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

Who doesn't love a little bit of Chip and Joanna Gaines? I listened to the audiobook and it was pretty much amazing - mostly because Chip and Jo read it. It made their story come alive, and I came away from it wanting to quit life and start businesses. I didn't, of course, but it was definitely motivating. (Get your copy here)

3. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

I laughed, I cried, it moved me. Also read by the author, it was the true story of Nabeel Qureshi and his journey to Christianity. Amazing. (Get your copy here!)

4. David Livingstone: Africa's Trailblazer by Janet and Geoff Benge

Another true story about David Livingstone that I actually read because I was teaching it in school. I think I enjoyed it more than the kiddos did though, and that's why it made it into this list! In case you haven't noticed, I love true stories. There is so much inspiration found in watching the lives of others. (Get your copy here!)

5. Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work by Timothy Keller

If you've ever wondered what the purpose of work is or how you can stay true to your values while advancing in your field of expertise, this is the book for you! Keller offers deep insight and surprising advice and answers relevant questions about our work! By the end of this book, you'll be walking a little taller and striving for excellence, discipline, creativity, integrity and creativity when it comes to your work. (Get your copy here!)

6. Love Does: Discover A Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff

This book. This book is great. Bob Goff tells unbelievable stories and experiences from his life and you just feel as if you're sitting with him in a coffee shop as shares valuable lessons he's learned in life. I was moved to do things because, well, love does. (Get your copy here!)

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What were some of the best books you read in 2017? I'd love some recommendations!

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