I finished up my final book of 2020 on Wednesday which makes 75 total for the year. I’ve loved being able to share books with everyone this year and the below five are ones I couldn’t stop thinking about and recommending to others.
1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo I truly loved this book, it has everything you could ask for in a story and will keep you captivated and invested throughout. Evelyn Hugo was the it girl of Hollywood for decades, and now that she’s getting older she want to tell her whole story. She hires a young writer to write the book and keep her legacy alive, and we get to listen is as she recounts her decades in Hollywood and life since the spotlight.
2. Verity If Gone Girl is one of your movies that you see playing on TV and can’t pass by, you have to read this book. An author named Lowen is hired to ghost write a book in a very popular series after the author is in a car accident and isn’t able to finish. She moves into the Crawfords’ home to go through the notes Verity made for the book and tries to piece everything together. While looking through the notes however she discovers a lot more than she intended to.
3. The Alice Network If you’re a historical fiction fan, any Kate Quinn is mandatory reading, but The Alice Network was my favorite. The book follows Eve during WWII as she becomes a spy in France, and shows the incredible contributions these women made to the war. The timeline then shifts to 1947 where an American girl Charlie is searching for her cousin who she lost contact with during the war.
4. Talking to Strangers The irony is not lost on me that this was one of my favorite books in a year where 75% of my days I only speak to my husband and cats. What this year did bring however was a change in how we all communicate and interact with coworkers, friends, family and everyone else around us. Throughout the process of learning how to navigate these new communication standards I referenced lessons learned in this book multiple times.
5. Normal People The perfect cuddle up with a blanket and read in one sitting love story. The book follows Connell and Marianne from high school to college and all the life and love lessons they learn along the way. Disclaimer: this is not your happy romcom story, and you might cry, but you will fall in love with this couple. The book was also made into a show on Hulu for when you finish but still want more.