Book Club: 1/3 of 2020

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Somehow it’s May and we’re over 1/3 of the way through 2020. It feels odd because half of that has been spent quarantined in our homes but I’ve clearly made the most of it by continuing to read as many books as possible. My goal for the year is 52 books which obviously equals one per week.

By the end of April, I had read 18 books, which keeps me one ahead of my goal. If you follow me on GoodReads, you’ll be able to track real time which books I’ve read, I’m reading, want to read or even my progress in certain books.

Or you can just check the list below and here I’ll rank from best to worst too:

1. In Five Years (Rebecca Serle) — really loved this one and didn’t expect the twists and turns!
2. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird (Josie Silver) — this one tugged at my heart, if you know me, you know why — plus I love Josie Silver!
3. You Were There Too (Colleen Oakley) — didn’t expect the ending for this one!
4. Evvie Drake Starts Over (Linda Holmes) — loved this one much more than I thought I would!
5. The Holdout (Graham Moore) — outside of my usual genre but I couldn’t put it down! Read it in 24 hours and loved it!
6. Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens) — I put this off for too long because I’d heard other people say the writing was bad and didn’t make sense but I honestly loved it! Highly recommend!
7. Maybe in Another Life (Taylor Jenkins Reid) – I’ve loved all of Taylor’s books so this was no surprise to me, it kind of reminded me of a book I read last year called How to Walk Away.
8. More Than Words (Jill Santapolo) — I waited on this book to be released because of how much I loved The Light We Lost but while it was good, I think my expectations were just too high. Nothing could compare to her prior book.
9. American Royals (Katharine McGee) – I’m all in on anything “royals” but I didn’ t love the cliff hanger on this one. Fortunately for you, I read it on January 1 so if you read it now, you’re much closer to the next book coming out!
10. Say You Still Love Me (K.A. Tucker) — this was good, I liked the story of friendship more than the love story.
11. The Guest List (Lucy Foley) — this was pretty predictable but I’m a sucker for all things Ireland so I got it for my first Book of the Month subscription. If you want to sign up, do it here (I’ll earn a free book and you’ll get your first one for $9.99!)– they also have other books on discount and I love how they’ve helped people out during COVID-19.
12. My Favorite Half Night Stand(Christina Lauren) — this made me LOL at parts but the outcome was predictable
13. Normal People (Sally Rooney) — this was on Obama’s 2019 reading list and they’ve made a movie now that you can watch on Hulu. I liked it but it took me far too long to read it.
14. Winter in Paradise (Elin Hilderbrand) — I need the rest of the series. I read this while in Grand Cayman and I just wanted to read them all to see if it left me fulfilled.
15. Ask Again Yes (Mary Beth Keane) — similar to Normal People for me… took me a long time to read it.
16. The Hating Game (Tessa Bailey) — this didn’t feel realistic to me but maybe I’ve just never been in a working situation like this one
17. Love Her or Lose Her (Sally Thorne) — this one it a little more risque than anything I read but the backstory was good
18. The Confession Club (Elizabeth Berg) – I felt like there was just a little something missing from this one, like a few more chapters could have pulled it all together. Or maybe I forgot bits and pieces since I was reading as I fell asleep or something… not sure. It was definitely my least favorite.

I just started Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. So far, I’m very into it. For my BOTM pick for May, I selected Big Summer (Jennifer Weiner) and added on A Good Marriage  (Kimberly McCreight). Looking forward to those arriving soon!

Since I’m still working full time (while also keeping a toddler at home) my reading is limited to just before bed but some nights I try to sneak in a long bath and read for an hour or so which can get me quite far in a book. Highly recommend. It might be my favorite form of self-care.

Any good books to add to the list for the rest of 2020?