10 books I want to read by the end of 2020

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Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a Freebie and I’ve decided to compile a list of the books I want to read by the end of the year.


Recursion by Blake Crouch

Memory makes reality.

That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. 

Starsight (Skyward #2) by Brandon Sanderson

All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she’s a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.

Spensa is sure there’s more to the story. And she’s sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars–and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself–and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

Circe by Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.

Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.

The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge #0) by Ken Follet

It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages, and in England one man’s ambition to make his abbey a centre of learning will take the reader on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by N.K. Jemisin

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She’s got five.

But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

The House in the Cerulian Sea by T.J. Klune

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks (Village of Primm #2) by Julie Valerie

A wife, mother, and aspiring filmmaker clings to the pursuit of perfection only to have fate play with every plan she’s made in this quirky, contemplative, and empowering novel.

Holly Banks is on a desperate mission to have it all, but nothing in life goes according to plan. She’s quickly learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, especially when the women of Primm, her new neighborhood, seem to have it together all the time.


What are some books you’re hoping to read by the end of the year?

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45 Responses

  1. Great list! The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is one of my favourite novels and I loved Circe, too–I hope you enjoy them! I’ve heard so many good things about The House in the Cerulean Sea, I need to get to it this year, and I like the sound of The Guest List.

  2. Dianthaa says:

    Yes, hello, I am here to tell everyone that they should read The House in the Cerulean Sea as soon as possible. It is so sweet and comfy and perfect for this mess of a year.

  3. I really couldn’t recommend the Wayfarers series enough. I really hope you enjoy it! 😀

    I also have both Skyward and Starsight on my TBR – I can’t believe its taken me so long to get round to them as Sanderson is one of my favourites!

  4. The House in the Cerulean Sea is defintely something I wanna read this year still as well. I’ve heard so many great things about this book. <3 I've also a novella by Becky Chambers on my tbr, so I'm quite curious about her other books as well. And Frederik Backman!

  5. Marg says:

    Circe was so good! I listened to it a couple of years ago! One day I will read the author’s other book! Maybe this year!

  6. Davida Chazan says:

    I really enjoyed Us Against You. I take it you read Beartown already, right? Because this is the sequel.

    • stefitabak says:

      Yes, Beartown is one of the most heartbreaking novels I’ve ever read so I’m taking my time with the sequel, I need to recover hehe 😀

  7. I’ve read several of these including House in the Cerulean Sea, Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, and Circe. All wonderful.

    I have a big author party going in Paris, after the pandemic, and I’d love to have you stop by and join in. All our favorite writers are there. Join us here!

  8. Juli says:

    The Guest List and The City We Became are both in my TBR for the second half of the year too! Circe was so good!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’ll be following yours.

  9. Juli says:

    The Guest List and The City We Became are both on my TBR for the second half of the year, too. Circe was so good!

    Thank you for stopping by on my blog. I’ll be following yours.

  10. Epsita says:

    I loved Circe! I want to read The House In The Cerulean Sea too!

  11. Recursion is brilliant. I hope you like it!

    Lauren @ Always Me

  12. TracyK says:

    I would like to read something by N.K. Jemison and Long Way to a Small Angry Planet sounds very interesting. Nice list and thanks for stopping by my blog (Bitter Tea and Mystery).

  13. Greg says:

    I love the Long Way To A Small Angry Planet- it’s one of my favorite books. And Circe is one I want to read. I thought Recursion was really good too. Hope you enjoy all these!

  14. I´ve read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and I loved it. I´ve bought Circe , too. I know of Sanderson and Backman but I haven´t read any of their books. very interesting list!

    thak you for stopping by on my blog!

  15. Vee_Bookish says:

    I feel like I should read Circe, everyone else has! I’m dabbling in adult fiction a bit more lately.

  16. Rachel Wuest says:

    I loved Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, I hope to read Recursion by the end of the year too! I liked Circe okay, but I’m in the minority as most people love it! – Rachel x

  17. I want to read Us Against You this year, too. I really enjoyed Beartown. I hope we both get to read it.

  18. I read The Guest List earlier this year and really enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy it!

  19. The Evening and the Morning sounds interesting. I think the book I’m most looking forward to reading by the end of 2020 is Skyhunter, because I love Marie Lu’s books.

  20. I’ve read Recursion and enjoyed it! I also want to read Circe, I loved Song Of Achilles

  21. I feel as though I’ve had Circe on my TBR forever. It’s one of those books that seems to get pushed aside for others for some reason. Great list.

  22. Good luck with reading these! I have about 50 books I need to read by the end of the year. I know I won’t get to all of them.

  23. verushka says:

    Oh hello new books for me to check out! This is a very cool idea for a lsit!

  24. Stefani, I hope you enjoy your reading for the rest of the year – Looks like you have some great reads planned. 😃

  25. Angela says:

    What a great list! Recursion was amazing, as was The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet! And I didn’t know about the Pillars of the Earth prequel!

  26. The Guest List is a fantastic read as is her other book The Hunting Party.

    Enjoy your books, thanks for sharing you great list!

  27. Tina says:

    You have some books I am interested in too. I like Backman with the excpetion of My Grandmother Said she’s Sorry. Couldn’t get into that one. I’m on hold at the library for The Guest List and I love Ken Follet!

  28. Ugh. I own Recursion and Circe, as well. I really need to pick up both of those. And I thought Us Against You was very good. Good luck getting to these!

  29. I haven’t read any Brandon Sanderson yet but I feel like I need to at some point! I see his name come up a lot as a really good author!

  30. Nice list! I loved Circe, The House on the Cerulean Sea, and Recursion. I need to read Us Against Them — I really liked Beartown! Good luck reading all these by the end of theyear.

  31. Natalie says:

    The cover for Starsight is INCREDIBLE! Happy reading xo

  32. Madge says:

    Great list! I just finished Circe a few days ago and it’s one of my favorite books of this year. I also loved The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet when I read it. I hope you enjoy all of these 🙂

  33. Aastha Sharma says:

    I see some of the books which I also want to read, at the first chance

  34. Great list! I really enjoyed Circe, Recursion, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and The Guest List.

  35. Good list! I’ve read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and it’s really good. i hope you like it!

  36. Great picks. I did the Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020 a while ago and also had Ken Follet’s Kingsbridge #0 on there. So looking forward to that.

    My TTT this week is about debut novels.

  37. Love this, i have a few i want to read off your list but need to buy them first!

  38. carol says:

    Great list! I loved The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and thought The Guest List was pretty good.

  39. I’m hearing such great things about The Guest List. I was just watching a Booktube video earlier today and she was raving about it. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

  40. I like this list! You have a nice range of genres here – I also want to read The City We Became before the end of the year. Also The Guest List has been intriguing me and I’m not usually a fan of thrillers!

  41. I’ve wanted to read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet for a long time, but I still haven’t gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I’ll read it by the end of the year too 😀

  42. I was sure I had commented on here but for some reason the internet must have “eaten” it. 😉

    I did a similar list a couple of weeks ago Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020 and listed Ken Follet’s latest book, as well. Can’t wait.

    Thanks for visiting my TTT about debut novels earlier.

  43. Great list! It reminded me that I still need to read Starsight as well. And I’m also looking forward to The Evening and the Morning 🙂

  44. Leslie says:

    So many great books on here. the House in the Cerulean Sea was a 5 star for me!!! I also want to read The City We Became! Great list!

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