Saturday, January 2, 2021

100 Books of 2020

 In 2009, I pledged to read 100 books over the course of 2010. Here's my list of 107 books in case you're interested.


I did it again in 2011 (why not?). Here's my list of 109 books.
The tradition continued in 2012 where I read a whopping 144 books! Here is my list from that year.
In 2013 I kept on chugging along, reading 104 books. Here is my list from that year.
In 2014 I hit my best record yet, reading 152 books. Here is my list from that year.
In 2015 I beat my record, reading 187 books. Here is my list from that year. 
In 2016, I read 166 books, focusing on books I owned but had never read. Here is my list from that year.
In 2017, I read 123 books. Here is my list from that year.
In 2018, I read only 54 books. I spent most of my year driving the kids around, haha! Here is my list from that year.

In 2019, I read 150 books. Here is my list from last year.

In 2020, I read 152 books. My goal was to try to move books out of the house that I'd never read. I read a lot of juvenile fiction to see if they were worth keeping. I kept 76 of the books I read, so I think I did pretty good about moving some out of the house!

  • "Ben and Me" by Robert Lawson (152) (K)
  • "Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia" by Margaret Cousins (151) (K)
  • "Skin Game" by Stuart Woods" (150)
  • "The Post Quarantine Church" by Thom S. Rainer (149) (K)
  • "The Attributes of God" by A.W. Tozer (148) (K)
  • "I, Michael Bennett" by James Patterson (147)
  • "13 Treasures" by Michelle Harrison (146)
  • "Liar Liar" by James Patterson (145)
  • "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker (144) (K)
  • "The Penderwicks" by Jeanne Birdsall (143)
  • "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson (142)
  • "Anne of the Island" by L.M. Montgomery (141) (K)
  • "Bringing Home Elizabeth" by Ed & Lois Smart (140)
  • "Against Medical Advice" by James Patterson (139)
  • "12th of Never" by James Patterson" (138)
  • "The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon" by Crockett Johnson (137)
  • "Camino Island" by John Grisham (136)
  • "The Borrowers Afloat" by Mary Norton (135)
  • "The Applause of Heaven" by Max Lucado (134) (K)
  • "Through the Looking-Glass" by Lewis Carroll (133) (K)
  • "Beach Road" by James Patterson (132)
  • "Barely Legal" by Stuart Woods (131)
  • "Jo's Boys" by Louisa May Alcott (130) (K)
  • "Found: God's Will" by John MacArthur (129) (K)
  • "Jane of Lantern Hill" by L.M. Montgomery (128) (K)
  • "The Moorchild" by Eloise McGraw (127)
  • "Shoot First" by Stuart Woods (126)
  • "Amy Moves In" by Marilyn Sachs (125) (K)
  • "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain (124) (K)
  • "Ice Princess" by Nicholas Walker (123)
  • "Don't Blink" by James Patterson (122)
  • "Four Blind Mice" by James Patterson (121)
  • "Fang" by James Patterson (120)
  • "Max" by James Patterson (119)
  • "Alert" by James Patterson (118)
  • "Now We Are Six" by A.A. Milne (117)
  • "Runaway Pony" by Jeanne Betancourt (116)
  • "The Cabin Faced West" by Jean Fritz (115) (K)
  • "The Magic Finger" by Roald Dahl (114) (K)
  • "Paddington Takes to TV" by Michael Bond (113) (K)
  • "More About Paddington" by Michael Bond (112) (K)
  • "Five True Horse Stories" by Margaret Davidson (111) (K)
  • "The Penguins are Coming!" by R.L. Penney (110)
  • "Lily's Crossing" by Patricia Reilly Giff (109) (K)
  • "Heat" by Stuart Woods (108)
  • "The Littles and the Trash Tinies" by John Peterson (107) (K)
  • "The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur (106) (K)
  • "Imperfect Strangers" by Stuart Woods (105)
  • "High Country Adventures" by Marian Rumsey (104) (K)
  • "Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever" by James Patterson (103)
  • "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" by James Patterson (102)
  • "Maximum Ride: Saving the World" by James Patterson (101)
  • "Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!" by Jean Fritz (100) (K)
  • "Ride a Northbound Horse" by Richard Wormser (99) (K)
  • "The Curious Clubhouse" by Christine Govan (98)
  • "Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig" by Kate DiCamillo (97)
  • "Horrible Harry is Room 2B" by Suzy Kline (96)
  • "Summer Reading is Killing Me!" by Jon Scieszka (95)
  • "The Trouble with Tuck" by Theodore Taylor (94) (K)
  • "Old Cat and the Kitten" by Mary E. Little (93)
  • "Shipwreck" by Gordon Korman (92)
  • "Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner (91) (K)
  • "The Night Crossing" by Karen Ackerman (90) (K)
  • "The Reluctant Dragon" by Kenneth Grahame (89) (K)
  • "The Big Wave" by Pearl S. Buck (88) (K)
  • "A Blizzard Year" by Gretel Ehrlich (87) (K)
  • "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton (86)
  • "Miracle Cure" by Harlan Coben (85)
  • "A Tale of Two Castles" by Gail Carson Levine (84)
  • "Private Paris" by James Patterson (83)
  • "Voices After Midnight" by Richard Peck (82)
  • "Popular" by Tindell Baldwin (81) (K)
  • "The Hand That Feeds You" by A.J. Rich (80)
  • "Behind Closed Doors" by B.A. Paris (79)
  • "Worst Case" by James Patterson (78)
  • "39 Clues: Beyond the Grave" by Jude Watson (77)
  • "The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre" by Gail Carson Levine (76)
  • "Harvesting the Heart" by Jodi Picoult (75)
  • "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell (74) (K)
  • "Avalon: Secret of the Unicorn" by Rachel Roberts (73)
  • "Bed-Knob and Broomstick" by Mary Norton (72) (K)
  • "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain (71) (K)
  • "The Boxcar Children: Bus Station Mystery" by Gertrude Chandler Warner (70) (K)
  • "Babe: The Gallant Pig" by Dick King-Smith (69) (K)
  • "Baseball Fever" by Johanna Hurwitz (68)
  • "Anne of Avonlea" by L.M. Montgomery (67) (K)
  • "30 Days to Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs" by Bruce Wilkinson (66)
  • "And the Angels Were Silent" by Max Lucado (65) (K)
  • "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne (64)
  • "Abracadabra: The Magic Mix-Up" by Eve Becker (63)
  • "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery (62) (K)
  • "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Treasure of Illustrated Classics) (61) (K)
  • "The Adventures of Buster Bear" by Thornton W. Burgess (60) (K)
  • "The Princess Tales: Volume 2" by Gail Carson Levine (59)
  • "All In" by Mark Batterson (58) (K)
  • "The Princess Tales: Volume 1" by Gail Carson Levine (57)
  • "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss (56)
  • "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll (55) (K)
  • "We Were There at the Boston Tea Party" by Robert N. Webb (54) (K)
  • "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine (53) (K)
  • "The Amazing Harry Houdini" by Tanya Savory (52) (K)
  • "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" by Gail Carson Levine (51)
  • "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame (adapted by Nicole Vittiglio) (51)
  • "10 People Who Discovered America" by Bruce Black (50) (K)
  • "The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee" by Tom Angleberger (49)
  • "20 Questions" by Jana Shugart (48) (K)
  • 'The Sword in the Tree" by Clyde Robert Bulla (47) (K)
  • "The Firework-Maker's Daughter" by Philip Pullman (46) (K)
  • "Alexi's Secret Mission" by Anita Deyneka (45)
  • "Abraham Lincoln" by Anne Colver (44) (K)
  • "Meet Abraham Lincoln" by Barbara Cary (43) (K)
  • "As Far As I Can See" by Kate McMullan (42)
  • "The Adventures of George Washington" by Mickie Davidson (41) (K)
  • "Attaboy, Sam!" by Lois Lowry (40)
  • "Serafina and the Black Cloak" by Robert Beatty (39)
  • "Little Men" by Louisa May Alcott (38)
  • "There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom" by Louis Sachar (37) (K)
  • "The Explorer of Barkham Street" by Mary Stolz (36) (K)
  • "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson (35) (K)
  • "The Maze of Bones" by Rick Riordan (34) (K)
  • "Freckle Juice" by Judy Blume (33) (K)
  • "Swimsuit" by James Patterson (32)
  • "Cold Paradise" by Stuart Woods (31)
  • "Little Women" (adapted by Lucia Monfried) (30) (K)
  • "Little Women" (adapted by Bethany Snyder) (29)
  • "All Alone" by Claire Huchet Bishop (28) (K)
  • "More Stories Julian Tells" by Ann Cameron (27)
  • "Amy and Laura" by Marilyn Sachs (26) (K)
  • "Nine True Dolphin Stories" by Margaret Davidson (25) (K)
  • "Al Capone Shines My Shoes" by Gennifer Choldenko (24)
  • "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" by D.A. Carson (23) (K)
  • "The Marvelous Land of Oz" by L. Frank Baum (22) (K)
  • "Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine" by Jay Williams (21) (K)
  • "The Winter Room" by Gary Paulsen (20)
  • "The Magic Whistle" by Martha C. King (19) (K)
  • "Moonshadow of Cherry Mountain" by Doris Buchanan Smith (18) (K)
  • "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum (17) (K)
  • "Eight Twenty Eight" by Ian & Larissa Murphy (16)
  • "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges (15) (K)
  • "Emily Makes a Difference" by JoAnn Grote (14) (K)
  • "Ugly" by Robert Hoge (13) (K)
  • "Left by Themselves" by Charles Paul May (12) (K)
  • "The Hangman's Ghost Trick" by Scott Corbett (11) (K)
  • "The Gray Ghosts of Taylor Ridge" by Mary Francis Shura (10) (K)
  • "Save Me a Seat" by Sarah Weeks (9)
  • "Name Above All Names" by Alistair Begg & Sinclair B. Ferguson (8) (K)
  • "Winter's Secret" by Lyn Cote (7)
  • "The Books of Elsewhere: The Strangers" by Jacqueline West (6)
  • "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn (5)
  • "Dramarama" by E. Lockhart (4)
  • "Walls Within Walls" by Maureen Sherry (3)(K)
  • "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child" by John Gottman (2)
  • "Laura's Luck" by Marilyn Sachs (1)

Favorite children's authors: Marilyn Sachs, Mary Stoltz, Gail Carson Levine, Thornton Burgess, Roald Dahl

Favorite theology reads: "Name Above All Names" by Alistair Begg & Sinclair B. Ferguson, "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges, "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" by D.A. Carson, "The Post Quarantine Church" by Thom S. Rainer, "The Attributes of God" by A.W. Tozer (148)

Classics I finally read and LOVED: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, "The Marvelous Land of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, "Little Men" by Louisa May Alcott, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll, "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery (and all the rest in the series that I've read), "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain, "Bed Knob and Broomstick" by Mary Norton, "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell

Favorite kids books: "Ben and Me" by Robert Lawson, "The Cabin Faced West" by Jean Fritz, any Paddington books by Michael Bond, "Lily's Crossing" by Patricia Reilly Giff, "Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!" by Jean Fritz, "Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner, "The Night Crossing" by Karen Ackerman, "The Big Wave" by Pearl S. Buck , "A Blizzard Year" by Gretel Ehrlich, "Babe: The Gallant Pig" by Dick King-Smith, "We Were There at the Boston Tea Party" by Robert N. Webb, "All Alone" by Claire Huchet Bishop, "Al Capone Shines My Shoes" by Gennifer Choldenko

Favorite adult authors: James Patterson, Stuart Woods, Mark Batterson, D.A. Carson, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Max Lucado, Jodi Picoult, John MacArthur, A.W. Tozer

Chapter books read out loud with the kids: "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" by Gail Carson Levine, "Mr. Cooper is Super" by Dan Gutman, "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt, and "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo

How did you do this year? What were some of your favorite books and authors??

1 comment:

Ken Loyd said...

Amanda, I'm delighted to look down this list and see the wonderful variety of books you've enjoyed in 2020. Also, thanks partly to you, I've read around ten books in this list this year, and quite a few more over the years. I'm currently reading a fascinating book by Louis L'amour. In it, he recounts his life-long love of BOOKS. It's entitled "The Education of a Wandering Man." He lived a nomadic life of adventure, traveling the world for many years. But he invested his time in books and reading, and enriched his own experience to better be able to share it in his own writing later. One of his chapters begins with this quote from Will Durant: "A book is a friend that will do what no friend does-- be silent when we wish to think."