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This was a great year of reading, for me, and probably for a lot of us. Covid-19 collectively rocked our world, and it kept us home for weeks on end. Here we are in December 2020, and things are yet to be back to normal. However, blessings have still come our way, not the least of which has been more time to enjoy the simply pleasure of reading. My goal was to read 50 books this year, and, well, thanks to more time at home, my goal was reached.

Here is the list of 50 books I read this year. Most of the titles were books I already owned, some of which had been sitting on shelves for years and moved in boxes several times. We readers know that books can tend to feel like friends, and I simply had never had it within me to get rid of them. However, it was time for me to read the poor little things.

JANUARY

• The Reckoning – John Grisham (Read Aloud with Mr. Sugar Muffin)
• Audacious – Beth Moore
• The Longing in Me – Sheila Walsh
• Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson (bought to read with my daughter)
• The Family Story of Bonnie & Clyde (borrowed from the library of a retired policeman after dinner one evening in their home)

FEBRUARY

• Feeling at Home – Alexandra Stoddard (given to me by a dear friend when we moved across the state of Texas)
• Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie (might have purchased at a neighborhood garage sale)
• Frugal Living Guide – (free Kindle download)
• Praying Your Prodigal Home – Richard A. Burr (bought at a difficult time and let it sit on the shelf for years)
• Wives of War – Soraya M. Lane (Kindle download)

MARCH

• Making Love Last Forever – Gary Smalley (for the marriage category on my list)
• A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini (author I had never read)
• 2 Chairs – Bob Beaudine (bought in the bookstore when we visited Prestonwood Baptist Church)
• 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life – Joyce Meyer (nonfiction category on my list)
• Me and My Big Mouth – Joyce Meyer (because you can’t read too much Joyce Meyer)
• In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day – Mark Batterson (mailed to me from a very good friend who reads great stuff)
• Ten Boys Who Changed the World – Irene Howat (on the shelves since my kids were in grade school)
• Onward – Howard Schultz (because I LOVE Starbucks)
• Cast Iron Cookbook Vol. 2 – Charity Wilson (because I’m always planning to cook more)

APRIL

• The Pearl – John Steinbeck (I think this was another garage sale goodie)
• Texas Conquest – Holly Castillo (purchased at Book People in Austin in the Texas authors section)
• The Dutch House – Ann Patchett (a read-together with one of my daughters)

MAY

• Murder in the Calais Coach – Agatha Christie (in the mystery category on my list)
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (classic category)
• Savor – Shauna Niequest (in the category of started, need to finish)

JUNE

• Twilight Over Burma – Inge Sargent (recommended by a friend whose family served as missionaries in Burma)
• Grace-Based Parenting – Tim Kimmel (just been sittin’ on the shelf for years)
• Texas Blood – Roger D. Hodge (recommended at Blue Willow Books when I asked for books about Texas)

JULY

• The Glorious Prodigal – Gilbert Morris (#24 in a series I started, never finished!)
• One Pan, Two Plates – Carla Snyder (again, planning to cook)

AUGUST

• This Tender Land – William Kent Krueger (gift from one of my daughters)

SEPTEMBER

• The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers – Gary Chapman (because I let it sit on my shelf through my own kids’ teenagers, but I now have a preteen granddaughter)
• Laughing Through the Ugly Cry … and Finding Unstoppable Joy – Dawn Barton (followed this author’s writing progress on Instagram)

OCTOBER

• Bluebird, Bluebird – Attica Locke (bought at Blue Willow Books with Texas Blood
• Choosing the Extraodinary Life – Robert Jeffress (I underlined most of this book!)
• Masterpiece – Francine Rivers (loaned to me from a reader friend)
• The Lost and Found Bookshop – Susan Wiggs (gift from middle child)

NOVEMBER

• Seaside Letters – Denise Hunter (bought at a HUGE book sale in Austin)
• In My Father’s House – Corrie ten Boom (recommended by a friend)
• Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini (national bestseller category on my list)
• Ten Boys Who Didn’t Give In – Irene Howat (just needed to read it and get it off the shelf)
• Sorrento Girl – Dawn Klinge (a talented writer I met through Ruthie Gray’s Instagram course)

DECEMBER

• Hillbilly Elegy – J. D. Vance (our son wanted us to read this one and then watch the movie together)
• Milkweed – Jerry Spinelli (just a book hanging around here from one of the kids’ required reading at school)
• Why Him? Why Her? – Eileen Fisher (given to me by a great friend)
• A Prairie Christamas Collection – Tracie Peterson and others (have had it for years, just waiting to be read)
• The Art of Civilized Conversation – Margaret Shepherd (bought on a bookish afternoon visit to Blue Willow Books)
• 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit – Nicki Koziarz
• A Christmas Memory – Truman Capote (read-together with middle child)

When the challenge began, I made a list in the Notes of my phone, and I gave each title a softly targeted completion goal. Now that year is over and the challenge completed, it’s interesting to analyze how that worked.

My best reading months were in the first quarter, then I was preoccupied with the coming of a new grandbaby in July and August. But, the cooler months of November and December were filled with more time to read – and to knock out the whole list of 50 books I read this year.

Have you enjoyed some good books this year? Were you like me, dragging a stack of forgotten titles off the shelves of what you already owned? Was there a favorite read of the year for you?

Drop a comment below to share. Also, if any of the 50 books I read this year look good to you, please email me and I’ll mail it to you! My email address is: brenda@texasoverfifty.com.

Encouraging a life filled with everyday intentional adventure and a good year of purging the bookshelves,

Here are a few other posts you might enjoy:

5 Great Books for Moms

Books for Dads

How to Read 50 Books in a Year