2020 books

 So, everyone agrees 2020 was a disaster, right? Yeah. Classic dumpster fire.

Of course, it interfered with my ability to focus on reading.  How could I let myself escape while others were suffering? There but for the grace of god go I? Trudging forward . . .

In 2020, I read . . . 11 memoirs, 8 other nonfictions, 2 books of poetry, and the rest were all varying types of fiction. I listened to more audiobooks than ever, eclipsing the number of physical books I read.

I've marked my favorites with stars.  This list is in order from January 2020 to the end of December.

                                            

Based on a True Story by Norm MacDonald, 4 stars (out of 5), this is the mostly-true memoir of a comedian. 

My review: Dude is crazy. 

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz, fiction, 4 stars.
Synopsis: "Forty years ago in the small town of Fogg Lake, "The Incident" occurred: an explosion in the cave system that released unknown gases, causing peculiar effects on its residents, such as strange visions and ominous voices. Not wanting the government to get involved, they chalked it up to the hallucinogenic effects of mushrooms. Little did they know these effects would linger through the generations...."

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston, fiction, 5 stars.
Synopsis: "Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way."

Deep Water and Other Stories by Kathryn Trattner, fiction, 5 stars.
My review: This book of fantasy-genre short stories is an excellent example of this talented up-and-coming author's abilities. She composes fairy tales, mythological creatures, and fantastical stories in a poetic, lyrical style all her own. 

In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston, fiction, 5 stars. This book continues the honey badger shifter drama.

Me, Myself, and Why? by MaryJanice Davidson, fiction, 5 stars.

Synopsis: "This is an outrageously funny novel about a highly unconventional FBI agent, a rather odd serial killer, a best friend on the edge, a gorgeous baker. . . and oh, yeah, love."

Golden in Death by JD Robb, fiction (mystery), 4 stars. This is #50 in the In Death series.

Teaser: "Pediatrician Kent Abner received the package on a beautiful April morning. Inside was a cheap trinket, a golden egg that could be opened into two halves. When he pried it apart, highly toxic airborne fumes entered his body―and killed him."

Gwendy's Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "Something evil has swept into the small western Maine town of Castle Rock on the heels of the latest winter storm. Sheriff Norris Ridgewick and his team are desperately searching for two missing girls, but time is running out to bring them home alive."

Final Girls by Riley Sager, fiction (thriller), 4 stars.

Teaser: "Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls."

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager, fiction (thriller), 4 stars.

Teaser: "Fifteen years ago, summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her three cabin mates snuck out of their cabin in the dead of night. The last she--and anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips."

Vox by Christina Dalcher, fiction (dystopian thriller), 5 stars. 

Synopsis: "Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.  On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed to speak more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial—this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her."

My review: This book enraged me. This is a look at what could happen if a dumbass president created new laws based entirely on wackadoodle religious beliefs and moral superiority. This is also a call to action for American citizens. Vote vote vote.

**Alone in the Wild**  by Kelley Armstrong, fiction, 5 stars.  This is #5 in the Rockton series.

Synopsis:  "Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always something to worry about. While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms."

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with. We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder." My review: Good story overall, but I was able to predict the twists.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, fiction (thriller), 5 stars.

Teaser: "No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind."

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, fiction (apocalyptic), 4 stars.

Teaser: "An unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined."

Hideaway by Nora Roberts, fiction (romantic suspense), 4 stars.

Teaser: "Caitlyn Sullivan, a daughter of Hollywood royalty, was already a star at ten, but still loved to play hide-and-seek with her cousins at the family home in Big Sur. It was during one of those games that she disappeared." 

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, fiction (suspense), 5 stars.

Teaser: "There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming--until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . ."

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin, fiction, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are ruthlessly ambitious high-flyers working in the lucrative world of Wall Street finance where deception and intimidation thrive. Getting rich is all that matters, and they'll do anything to reach the top.  When they are ordered to participate in a corporate team-building exercise that requires them to escape from a locked elevator, dark secrets of their team begin to be laid bare."

My review: I never want to be an investment banker.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, fiction (suspense), 4 stars.

Teaser: "Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets."

My review: Solid thriller with ghosts.

Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston, fiction, 5 stars. Continuing the honey badger shifter series.

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs, fiction, 5 stars. This is #12 in the Mercy Thompson series.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, fiction, 4 stars.

Synopsis: "A Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend."

Small Potatoes by Sarah Hunt, nonfiction, 2 stars.

Synopsis: "Enjoy the misanthropic musings of humorist Sarah Hunt as she takes you through a journey of essays about the minutiae."

My review: This book was not what I expected at all. It was very short, with large font and larger spaces. The author did write some interesting life stories, but the overall book felt abbreviated and pointless. There was no meat and no flow.

Eyeshot by Taylor Adams, fiction (thriller), 4 stars.

Teaser: "James and Elle Eversman are a young couple travelling through the Mojave desert on their way to a new life. When their car mysteriously breaks down they are stranded in the middle of nowhere without much water and no cell-phone reception.  A mile away a deadly sniper has them in his cross-hairs. They are pinned down behind their broken-down car, surrounded by open ground in all directions. There’s nowhere to run and no one to help them. How can they possibly survive?"

Montana Sky by Nora Roberts, fiction (romantic suspense), 4 stars.

Synopsis: "When Jack Mercy died, he left behind a ranch worth nearly twenty million dollars. Now his three daughters—each born of a different mother, and each unknown by the others—are gathered to hear the reading of the will. But the women are shocked to learn that before any of them can inherit, they must live together on the ranch for one year."

I'm Your Huckleberry by Val Kilmer, memoir, 4 stars.

Synopsis: "Legendary actor Val Kilmer shares the stories behind his most beloved roles, reminisces about his star-studded career and love life, and reveals the truth behind his recent health struggles in a remarkably candid autobiography."

Hidden Salem by Kay Hooper, fiction, 4 stars. This is #19 in the Bishop/SCU series.

Dot Con by James Veitch, nonfiction, 4 stars.

Synopsis: "Dot Con is the story of what happened when James Veitch decided to play the scammers at their own game providing a hilarious showcase of the conversations he orchestrates with online imposters." 

**My Dark Vanessa** by Kate Elizabeth Russell, fiction, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer."

My review: Completely absorbing and disturbingly intense. Extremely well-written. 

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich, fiction, 3 stars. This is #25 in the Stephanie Plum series.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, nonfiction, 4 stars.

Synopsis: "Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased."

My review: Informative and interesting.

Troublemaker by Leah Remini, memoir, 5 stars.

Synopsis: "The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching thirty-year-plus association with the Church of Scientology."

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier, fiction, 5 stars.

Teaser: "This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years . . ."

Where Have All the Boys Gone? by Jenny Colgan, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "A hilarious romance about a woman who trades in the comforts of city life in hopes of finding love in a small Scottish town in the middle of nowhere."

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him. But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married."

My review: This story kept my attention. Talk about an unreliable narrator!

Wild Irish Heart by Tricia O'Malley, fiction, 3 stars.

Teaser: "An ancient book, a power untouched, and a heart unloved lead Keelin O'Brien from her graduate studies in Boston to a small village on the coast of Southern Ireland. Determined to unearth the secrets lying hidden in the enchanted waters of the cove, Keelin has little time for a surly Irishman who infuriates her during the day and haunts her fantasies at night."

My review: Cute story, amateurish writing.

Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace, poetry, 5 stars.

Dragon Actually by G. A. Aiken, fiction, 3 stars.

Book Love by Debbie Tung, comic memoir, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Bookworms rejoice! These charming comics capture exactly what it feels like to be head-over-heels for hardcovers. And paperbacks! And ebooks! And bookstores! And libraries!"

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung, comic memoir, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Sweet, funny, and quietly poignant, Debbie Tung’s comics reveal the ups and downs of coming of age as an introvert."

Sucker Punch by Laurell K Hamilton, fiction, 3 stars. This is #27 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series.

**This Is Going to Hurt** by Adam Kay, medical memoir, 5 stars.

My review: This book was hilarious. Real stories from a former OBGYN in England.

Shadows in Death by JD Robb, fiction, 5 stars. This is #51 in the In Death series.

Generation Friends by Saul Austerlitz, non-fiction, 5 stars.

Synopsis: "A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Friends, published for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the show’s premiere, including brand-new interviews with the series creators."

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard, fiction (thriller), 4 stars.

Teaser: "At the age of twelve, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker the Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.  Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man--the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family's killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim's not just interested in reading about the Nothing Man. He is the Nothing Man."

Action Park by Andy Mulvihill, non-fiction, 4 stars.

Description: "The outlandish, hilarious, terrifying, and almost impossible-to-believe story of the legendary, dangerous amusement park where millions were entertained and almost as many bruises were sustained, told through the eyes of the founder's son."

**Don't Look For Me** by Wendy Walker, fiction (thriller), 5 stars.

Teaser: "One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn't be put back together. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. She doesn't want to be found. Or at least, that's the story. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?"

My review: This book will keep you guessing right to the end.

**Into the Drowning Deep** by Mira Grant, fiction, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.

Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost."

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "A woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?"

To Drink Coffee With a Ghost by Amanda Lovelace, poetry, 3 stars.

The Chain by Adrian McKinty, fiction (thriller), 4 stars.

Teaser: "It’s something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it’s a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her again is to follow her instructions exactly: pay a ransom, and find another child to abduct. This is no ordinary kidnapping: the caller is a mother herself, whose son has been taken, and if Rachel doesn’t do as she’s told, the boy will die."

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together."

Happily Ever After by Debbie Tung, comic memoir, 5 stars.

Synopsis: "A collection of comics about married life, specifically an introvert married to an extrovert."

Idiot by Laura Clery, memoir, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Now, in her first-ever book, Laura recounts how she went from being a dangerously impulsive, broke, unemployable, suicidal, cocaine-addicted narcissist, crippled by fear and hopping from one toxic romance to the next…to a more-happy-than-not, somewhat rational, meditating, vegan yogi with good credit, a great marriage, a fantastic career, and four unfortunate-looking rescue animals."

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix, fiction, 3 stars.

Teaser: "Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.  To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination."

My review: Gross and unsatisfying.

**Solutions and Other Problems** by Allie Brosh, illustrated memoir, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life."

My review: This book was worth the wait. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I want to gift it to everyone I know.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, memoir, 5 stars.

Synopsis: "Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned."

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, memoir, 4 stars.

Synopsis: "From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction."

My review: Interesting, funny, and offbeat.

On Writing by Stephen King, memoir, 5 stars.

Teaser: "Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery."

My review: I read this book because I've always thought Stephen King was an interesting dude. Loved it. 

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, memoir, 5 stars.

Teaser: "A tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that, despite its profound flaws, gave the author the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms."

A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost, memoir, 5 stars.

Synopsis: "From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump."

The Awakening by Nora Roberts, fiction, 5 stars.

Teaser: "When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars."

Shifting Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter, fiction, 4 stars.

Teaser: "Somedays, Jena Crowe just can’t get a break. Work at her diner never ends, her two boys are bundles of energy, and she’s pretty sure her oldest is about to shift into something furry or feathery. Added to that, changes seem to be coming to the tiny town of Cambio Springs—big changes that not everyone in the isolated town of shapeshifters is thrilled about."

**Where the Forest Meets the Stars** by Glendy Vanderah, fiction, 5 stars.

Teaser: "In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again."

My review: This is the best book I've read in a long time. It combines just the right amount of magic and wonder with science and family dynamics.

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger, fiction (thriller), 4 stars.

Teaser: "A gripping thriller about the delicate facades we create around our lives."

Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich, fiction, 4 stars. This is #27 in the Stephanie Plum series.