Five Star Reads and Farewell 2020

Talking about books and reading is one of my favorite things to do. So, to end this year on a positive page (ha! get it?!), I'd like to share with you all my Five Star Reads for 2020: 

 

KIND OF COPING: AN ILLUSTRATED LOOK AT LIFE WITH ANXIETY by Maureen Marzi Wilson (graphic novel/comics) - Love her comics!

 

ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King (nonfiction/writing) - I've lost count of how many times I've read this and/or just picked it up for inspiration.

 

THE OTHER PEOPLE by C. J. Tudor (thriller/mystery) - My favorite of this author's books!

 

WHEN YOU SEE ME (Detective DD Warren #11) by Lisa Gardner (mystery/thriller) - This series just keeps getting better and better.

 

ALONE IN THE WILD (Rockton #5) by Kelley Armstrong (mystery/thriller) - My favorite series by Armstrong.

 

BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN by Diane Chamberlain (historical fiction) - This makes three Five Star Reads in a row for me by Chamberlain.

 

HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS by Katherine Center (fiction/romance) - So glad I stepped outside my usual genres and gave this a try!

 

THE CLOSER YOU GET by Mary Torjussen (thriller/mystery) - Whew!

 

THEY WENT LEFT by Monica Hesse (historical fiction, young adult) - Wow. Just wow.

 

DEVOLUTION: A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE RAINIER SASQUATCH MASSACRE by Max Brooks (horror) - This was like reading one of those found-footage horror movies I so enjoy.

 

THE SHADOWS by Alex North (horror/thriller) - Another winner by the author of THE WHISPER MAN.

 

WE ARE ALL THE SAME IN THE DARK by Julia Heaberlin (mystery/thriller) - Get ready to be thoroughly absorbed in and by this slow burn story.

 

PLAYING NICE by J P Delaney (thriller/mystery) - Couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

 

DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker (thriller/mystery) - Hang on tight for this ride!

 

THE BRILLIANT LIFE OF EUDORA HONEYSETT by Annie Lyons (fiction/contemporary) - Loved it. Just loved it. 

 

FIGHTING WORDS by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (realistic fiction, middle grade) -This is an important read and should be available to all children. 

 

HIS & HERS by Alice Feeney (thriller/mystery) - Will keep you guessing!

 

THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton (mystery/historical fiction) - I keep describing this to people as Game of Thrones meets The Terror.

 

THE CANYON'S EDGE by Dusti Bowling (adventure/survival, middle grade) - Another well-worth-it step outside of my comfort zone for this (mostly) novel-in-verse. 

 

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig (fiction/fantasy/contemporary) - This won the Goodreads Choice in Fiction for 2020 and deservedly so. I plan on re-reading and marking many, many passages. 

 

(I didn't receive any kind of compensation for these reviews. I just enjoy sharing the book love!)

*****

 

Dusti Bowling's THE CANYON'S EDGE, mentioned above, doesn't really have anything to do with 2020, but the following passage brought to mind this past year and the one to come: 

 

"I've survived this last year.

I've gone half as long as the creosote bush.

I can go another year.

But I want this year to be different.

I don't want to survive the next year

as I did the last year.

I want to live the next year.

 

I can come back."

 

*****

 

Have you read any of these books? Plan to? Any fantastic reads you want to share? Have any reading goals for 2021? (I'm planning to keep my usual goal of 80 books for the next Goodreads Challenge. It's a stretch but definitely doable!) 

***** 

All of us here at The Shellshank Redemption 

wish all of you out there 

a new year 

full of happiness, 

health and hope!!! 

What's on Your Apocalyptic Bookshelf?

"If I had known the world was going to end, 

I would've brought better books." 

(Dale, from the TV show, "The Walking Dead")

Besides making me laugh, this line got me thinking - what books would I want with me if the Super Flu hit or the zombies ruled or the whole deserted island thing happened?

Surprisingly, the woman who waffles over pretty much everything - including whether or not to have waffles for breakfast - knew right off the three books on her apocalyptic bookshelf, followed quickly by two more additions. 

The Stand by Stephen King  (Oh, the irony!)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Any of the Calvin and Hobbes collections by Bill Watterson

Yes, I know - the smart thing would be to choose books about surviving, but since I'm pretty sure I wouldn't last all that long anyway, I'd rather go down reading some of my all time favorite books. They all have a depth and a heart that draw me back to them over and over. The characters are old friends yet the stories offer something new with each re-read. All of the books ground me yet take me somewhere else - a plus when you're hiding from vampires or werewolves or whatever is roaming around out there waiting to eat you.

What books would be on your "end of the world" bookshelf and why?

My Favorite Reads of 2011

I could talk about books all day long (Just ask my husband. Or the tortoises.) And I love a good list. So, you can imagine how much I love this time of year, with its numerous and varied "Best of" lists regarding books and reading. Some of my favorite lists are ones by friends and fellow bloggers - personal recommendations go a long way with me. To that end, I thought I'd share some of my favorites - new ones, not re-reads - of 2011. (Keep in mind, there are still a few weeks left in the year so I may need to add a few titles later on.)

[Just a reminder from last year's post: This is purely my own opinion. It's a random ordering. I started a lot of books but stopped after the first few pages. I read a lot of books I thought were okay or that I liked/really liked but didn't love. This list is for the books I couldn't stop thinking about for various reasons days after I was done reading.]

MY FAVORITE READS OF 2011 

BETWEEN GEORGIA by Joshilyn Jackson

THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING by Joshilyn Jackson

THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE by C.J. Box

ALLISON HEWITT IS TRAPPED by Madeleine Roux

LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner

I AM THE MESSENGER (YA) by Markus Zusak

ICE COLD by Tess Gerritsen

THE BOTTOMS by Joe R. Lansdale

THE HOMECOMING OF SAMUEL LAKE by Jenny Wingfield

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S. J. Watson

BLOOD WOUNDS (YA) by Susan Beth Pfeiffer

11/22/63 by Stephen King

EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS (YA) by A.S. King

PRAYERS AND LIES by Sherri Wood Emmons *

(* I'm still reading this one but I already know it's going to make the list!)

Go ahead and leave your thoughts on these books, or any others that made your favorite reads list, in the comments section. I'm always on the lookout for a great book. ( I know, I know, I'm doing the Off The Shelf Challenge but still...)

My Favorite Reads of 2010

The end of the year brings lots of things - holiday clean up, resolutions, extra weight gain, higher bills, and, of course, those "Best Of" lists.  I'm a sucker for a good list.  I often suffer from list lust.  So, here is one of my very own - MY FAVORITE READS OF 2010.*

[* This is purely my own opinion.  This is a random ordering.  I started a lot of books but stopped after the first few pages.  I read a lot of books I thought were okay or that I liked/really liked but didn't love.  This list is for the books I couldn't stop thinking about for various reasons days after I was done reading.]

MY FAVORITE READS OF 2010 

SAVING CEE CEE HONEYCUTT by Beth Hoffman

THE POSTMISTRESS by Sarah Blake

BLACKLANDS by Belinda Bauer

BEFORE I FALL (YA) by Lauren Oliver

SHOOT TO THRILL by P.J. Tracy

THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON by Kate Morton

THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom

STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens

MOCKINGJAY (YA) by Suzanne Collins 

TRASH (YA) by Andy Mulligan
BACKSEAT SAINTS by Joshilyn Jackson
GODS IN ALABAMA by Joshilyn Jackson
THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD by Dave Zeltersman
THE SCHOOL OF ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS by Erica Bauermeister
FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King
ROOM by Emma Donoghue
UNDER THIS UNBROKEN SKY by Shandi Mitchell

Please feel free to leave your thoughts on these books, or any others that made your favorite reads list, in the comments section.  I'm always on the lookout for a great book, and hey, it's never too late to start the 2011 list.

Happy New Year!