Top 11 Books I’ve Read in 2020 and 2021

I’ve read a lot of good books this decade so far. Here’s a look at my top eleven favorites thus far (I couldn’t narrow it down to ten!)

Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein – I read this one in 2020. It’s based on Shakespeare’s play Hamlet but from the perspective of Ophelia, Hamlet’s love interest. It has some nice twists and turns, and is a fresh take on the tragedy.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner – I read this one in 2020. This YA novel is about Robin Hood…but with a nice twist: Robin’s really dead and Maid Marion is really the thief with a heart of gold.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson – I read this one in 2020. This YA sci-fi novel is about a young outcast who wants to become a pilot…just like her traitor father. Can she fulfill her dreams? Save the planet? Read to find out!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman – I read this one in 2021. This novel is truly funny and touching, and I don’t want to give too much away. Just know it’s about an attempted bank robbery and an ensuing hostage situation gone…wonky in the best ways possible.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab – I read this one in 2021. This adult fantasy jumps back and forth between past events and the present. Addie has lost everyone’s memory of her. She leaves a room, no one remembers who she was or that anyone was there. Until one person remembers. But Addie’s nemesis, a god who answers after dark, has plans for them both.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North – 2021 is when I read this. This is an adult science fiction novel. Harry lives a full life and dies, only to be born and start his life all over again. Is he crazy? Or are there others just like him…with deadly agendas?

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten – 2021 is the year I read this one in. It’s almost YA, but I think they categorized it as adult. Anyway, it’s a bit of a Red Riding Hood retelling. Every second princess is sent into the woods to the “wolf.” None have ever returned. But Red is a bit…different. And the wolf is perhaps not so bad after all.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – 2021. This is adult science fiction. The protagonist of the story wakes up with no memory of who he is or where he is, but he knows a lot of science. That’s all I’m telling you. Don’t read reviews, don’t read the jacket description, just read the book. You will be happy going into this one ignorant. Trust me.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson – 2021. This is YA mystery novel, the fourth book in a series, but it stands alone and you don’t need to know anything about the other three to get what’s going on here. Years ago, four teen camp counselors were murdered at a campground. The crime was never solved. Enter Stevie Bell, a promising young sleuth who solved the infamous Ellingham murder and kidnapping case. Can she pull it off again?

A Dance With the Fae Prince by Elise Kova – 2021. Adult fantasy. It sounds like it would be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it’s more a take on Cinderella. Kaitria is sold off to be married to a mysterious man who won’t let her see him. And it turns out he has a very good reason…a magical one. Love and adventure ensue.

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg – I read this one in 2021. I would call it NA (new adult), even though most agents/publishers don’t recognize it as a category. This fantasy novel is about a young woman who is assigned to learn magic from an eccentric magician whose medium is paper. With a unique magic system and sympathetic characters, this adventure that ensues is certain to thrill.

Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg – I read this one in 2021 as well. Again, I’d call it new adult. It’s about Elise, an unregistered spellbreaker who is a bit of a Robin Hood in her own right…until she is caught by a powerful spellmaker. A murderer is on the loose, killing magicals and stealing their remains, which are called “opuses”, really just spell books. It’s a very exciting first book in a duology.

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What are some good books you’ve read lately? TELL ME!

Keep your nose in a book,
Beth