As I have gone back through the books that I read in 2020, and tried to select those that impacted, entertained, instructed me the most; I don’t feel like there has been too many surprises. But we have only considered two areas, theology/religious and non-fiction. Now I am going to do two more posts about what I read this past year. This one will be the “5 Best Fiction Books”, and next week will be the “5 Best Fiction Series”. Now, it is time for a little true confession, both of these lists contain titles that I can never imagine that I would select for a list like this. They are the kind of books that my wife would select, and I would never take the time to read. After I joined Audible, and I had the opportunity for free books, books that were on sale, etc. – I took the opportunity to get some of these types of books, and I am better off for it.
So here are my five favorite individual fictions books for 2020.
1. See You, Dawn Lee McKenna
“The Forgotten Coast Series” first introduced me to Dawn Lee McKenna, and I fell in love with the stories of Maggie Redmond (sheriff’s office investigator) and all of her family and friends. I guess, I have now read almost everything that she has written, or, even helped write. If I understand correctly, this is the first book that she every wrote, and I did not know what to expect, but it drew me in and I read in almost continuously, and finished it in about two days. The story is powerful. This is not a book that I would have probably read, if not for the author. In fact, I told my wife that she needed to read it, and she asked what it was about. I told her it was a love story, and it was sappy, silly, sad love story — that you just became part of the story. When you read the introductory blurb, you will think I am not going to read that – don’t be afraid, go ahead and read the book. I highly recommend this book, and that you keep a box of Kleenex close. You WILL need it!
2. A Time for Mercy, John Grisham
John Grisham has been my favorite author for a long time. I pre-order every new book that he writes, and it has been a very rare occasion when I am disappointed. I guess I go into the book, believing that it was going to be good.
My wife and I listened to this book on Audible, while driving from Northwest Arkansas to the panhandle of Florida, and it made the journey pass quickly. It wrapped me up in a story that was really good. I understand the turmoil that Jake Brigance faced — was it about winning or losing, guilt or innocence … what was the answer for this situation. There really was no answer to the question.
One side note, if you have read Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, one of the cases that he spends a lot of time talking about; is eerily similar to the story in this book. I don’t know which book was written first, if Grisham drew from the real life story that Stephenson talked about, or not.
The only criticism that I have is, after all the time spend on how the Cofer’s reacted to the death, Jake’s defense of Drew, and their actions and reactions during the trial … there should have been something about how they accepted the verdict and if Jake filed a civil suit against Carl. It just seemed the story never did get complete. I loved the book, and can live with the endings; and will recommend it to others.
3. A Killer’s Wife, Victor Methos
WoW! This is the second Victor Methos book I have read, and I thought the first one (The Neon Lawyer) was good; but this one was even better. I kept thinking that I had this mystery all figured out, and I kept missing the curveballs that the author was throwing. But, there was no way that I was ready for those last two chapters. If you like legal thrillers, I believe that you will really like this. I would recommend this book highly. I listened to it on Audible, but I believe that it would be as good (and maybe a little better) in print or on Kindle.
4. Life and Other Inconveniences, Kristian Higgins
Well, I continue to shatter my comfort zone. This is another book that I have read this year that I would not normally have read. Like most of the others, I really enjoyed it. This was a wonderful story about relationships — how they can be good and bad, messy and painful, and loving and not-so-loving. I liked the flow of the book, and the perspective from the view of the 4 main characters, with some that came in from the lesser characters. I will tell you that I did not like Miller at first, at all! He was just so stinking whiny! But he grows on you. You could not help but like Emma and Riley. Gigi grew on you. Pop, was just sort of what you expected from a protective grandpa. This is another one of those books that I will recommend that my wife reads. I recommend this book to anyone that has ever struggled with a messy relationship, or with grief — but just keep the Kleenex handy. You might need it!
5. The Masterpiece, Francine Rivers
This was the book of the month selection, for our church book club (and I am the only male in the club); and it is not one that I would have chosen. We had just finished Rivers’ book “The Lineage of Grace”, so I would have probably chosen a different author. BUT, I really like this book, almost to the point of not being able to put it down until I finished it. I know that the story was one that we have all read before, that the story line was one that you could expect, and that the climax could seen from very early in the book (although, I am disappointed that they did not tie that loose end together); but it just kept drawing you in.
I liked the difficulty that some had wrestling with faith and Jesus. I liked that some struggled, and then kept coming back. I liked that some attempted to be faithful, even if didn’t seem to be in their best interest. I liked that even those with the hardest shell against God, you could still be broken and brought to him. I liked that all Christians, and those that come to Jesus; are not cut with the same cookie cutter. I like the real life touch of this story.
If you are looking for an easy read, with an interesting and faith-valued story, “The Masterpiece” would be a good book for you.
Well, there is the list for the 5 best fiction books that I read in 2020. It is probably the most unusual list that I have ever done, and I don’t know that there will ever be one like it again. I don’t know though, as much as I enjoyed these – I will read some more.
Look next week for the “5 Best Fiction series” that I read in 2020!
Bill
Hoot's Musings 