So 2020 was the year I had so many plans and like the rest of us, those plans went askew and then most of those plans simply went away, never to be seen again.
I did get to do a couple of things on my list and one of them was being intentional about reading new to me authors. And some of them were debut authors and some have got wonderfully long backlists. I’m happy to say that I have found new favorite authors to add to my favorite author’s list! Oh, the fun!
Here is the new to me authors I read this year:
- Carrie Stuart Parks
- Melissa Ferguson
- Carla Laureano
- Rachel Hauk
- Katherine Reay
- T.I. Lowe
- Melissa Tagg
- Tari Faris
- Suzanne Woods Fisher
- Terri Blackstock
- Bethany Turner
I was plenty busy making new fictional friends this year and to help add some fun to what has been a crazy year, I decided to make a little summary of the best books I read this year and please note that the books in this list are not solely based on the new to me authors this year. It’s based on all the Christian Fiction books I’ve read this 2020.
The Most Swoon-Worthy Book:
This is such a hard category but there are two books that were tied in their swoon-worthiness.
Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter features Grace and Wyatt. Grace the inn owner falls for secret service agent Wyatt and boy are their sparks!
In Under Scottish Stars, by Carla Laureano, Malcolm and Serena also have sparks that just bounce off the page. And it’s set in Scotland–seriously, you can’t get any better than that!
Both are the swooniest books for 2020. And I’m pretty sure they will remain high on my all-time favorites list for a long time!
The Funniest Book
Bethany Turner, a new to me author this year had me chuckling along most of the way through this smart, sassy, funny book. The Hugh Grant reference early in the piece reeled me in and kept me glued to the story!
The Book that Made the Biggest Impact on Me
Stay With Me by Becky Wade, stayed with me for months. I don’t normally find that God meets me in books, but he met me in this one. This powerful story of repentance, forgiveness, and what it means to be a Christian really captured me and forced me to look inwards. Oh and the romance (it’s pretty swoon-worthy as well folks) was the icing on the cake!
The Solid Ground Coffee Company was impactful for very different reasons. See my review when you click on the title link. But this book had me crying for something I didn’t know was missing in my life – seeing my cultural heritage in a fictional character in a book.
Most Intense Book
There were a few books I read this year that could have got this title, but this series just kept me glued to the pages. I read all three books in about 2 days! It was one, wild ride that I could not put down. If you like the Fugitive movie, you’ll like this series!
Best Book of 2020
This was the hardest book to pick, but I loved Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe from the first line to the very end! It was also my first Carla Laureano book and I mean you can’t go wrong with a pastry chef, a pilot, a solid conflict with no easy resolution, characters of depth, and romance to make your heart flutter!
Finally, I get to finish two book series I started this year as all the books have come in. It’s time for a Susan May Warren book binge. I can’t think of a better way to end the reading year! If you haven’t picked up the Montana Marshall Series or the Global Search and Rescue Series, don’t waste time. The books I’ve read in each series so far have been great!
How has your reading year been? What’s your favorite book this year?
