2020 did one thing that could be seen as a silver lining in what is otherwise a dumpster fire of a year, it gave us time. Time to sit and think, dwell on our life, binge watch television or finally read that book we have been staring at on our nightstand. I set a goal of 30 books each year to read and honestly, I may reach that goal one out of three years, but I still set it! I really just want to read 20 books, but I find that if I set my goal or 30, I will read around 25-27 books, so I technically go past my goal. It’s just a simple way that I trick myself, which is easier than it should be. With 2020 I made the decision to read some NEW books that I had never even heard of to try and get a little more culture than normal. Most of the books I pick up have been on shelves for as long as I have been alive, sometimes longer! So, this was going to be a treat for me to jump into more modern styles of writing. Turns out, I ended up reading mostly books I already had in my back log. I researched a lot of books that were going to be released in 2020, made a list of the ones that were best sellers or the ones that I felt would be a good fit for me, and I fell short of reading any of them! So, I decided to give you a chance to check them all out. Below is a list I put together through all of my research into, the best books of 2020! Do better than me, read them.  

*To see an entire list of best of books released in 2020, check out goodreads choice awards.  

The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero 

Rick Riordan is the R.L Stine of my kids’ generation. It seems he is always pumping out books that fly off the shelves and as someone who has read is fair share of Riordan books, I can see why. Okay, so these books are for middle school aged children but to be honest, a good story is a good story and sometimes it is nice to pick up smaller, easy to read book to fly through and give yourself the confidence to reach that 30 (come on its 20) book challenge! The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero is the final instalment of this newest series by Riordan. It continues the story of the Greek god Apollo in his most recent incarnation as a teenage kid on earth.  

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars 

This is one that I still plan on reading this year (I promise). To Sleep in a Sea of Stars was written by Christopher Paolina and has already won itself some awards. It is a science fiction story set on a new planet being discovered by Kira Navarez. Kira finds an ancient alien relic while surveying this new planet and after her initial excitement, she quickly becomes terrified as a nightmare of situations unfold. This story sounds like it is right up my alley and I am delighted to say, this is next on my list this year.  

Ready Player Two 

When Ernest Cline released Ready Player One back in 2011, it grabbed my attention in a way that no book ever had before. I could not stop reading it and since my first read, I have read this book once a year, every year. I know, why would I read a book I have already read when I have so many books I want to get to and so little time to do so, it’s just that good, plain and simple. When it was told that the sequel would be released, I had mixed feelings. On the one had I was excited to step back into the world of the Oasis, but on the other hand I know that it is next to impossible to recreate that feeling of excitement when discovering something for the first time. I let the fear control me this time as I have yet to crack this sequel open. The reviews have not been the best (or the worst), but I feel that this story is simply overshadowed by its predecessor. Taking place just days after the first book ended, Ready Player Two brings us back into the life of Wade Watts. Wade discovers a new easter egg hidden within the vault that promises to take the Oasis to the next level, but not without a quest first of course.  

The Vanishing Half 

Set in the fictional town of Mallard, La., The Vanishing Half is about twin girls of color who decide to run away from the violence and oppression that exists in this 1950s world. The small town they are from prides themselves on their “light skin” and does its best to showcase how “elite” they are. When the girls finally make the decision to run away, one of them makes the choice to live her life as white and due to this vanishes from her sister. This is the second book published by Brit Bennett and she does a fantastic job of giving multiple layers to the characters and creating a feeling of emotional attachment from the reader. One book that actually made its way into my goal of 2020, this is a great read especially for the time we are living in today. Anything that can force someone to see things from another point of view and create an overall sense of love and sorrow, is a winner in my eyes.   

There were many other books published in 2020 that deserve a read; however these are the main ones I took a look at and felt earned a place on my “to read” list of 2020. Anyone looking to branch out and possibly grab something from modern day literature would benefit from reading these books. That is why I chose these, due to the fact of my personal feelings for the one I read, the authors I trust and the one I desire to read the most.  

Written exclusively for our company by Jacob Ruble

Source –Coolmambo.com