My top 6 books I read in 2020

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This has become my annual post and even though my blogging has been so sporadic this year, I did not want to miss out sharing my “What I read this past year” post for 2020, albeit 7 months later than I would prefer.

I won’t name every book I read or do a mini review on each to save time and space, but I thought I’d touch on my favorites that I read last year!

In total, I read 18 books (and 17 chapter books with my children, but those are not included in this list) in 2020. I read 2 books on history, 6 how-to books, 2 novels, 4 spiritual books, and 4 on families and relationships.

1) When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People by Gary Thomas

Before I read this book, I was a little worried it might lean too heavily towards making things all about me, labeling anyone difficult in your life as “toxic”, and encouraging you to heedlessly cut people out of your life. But this book was nothing like that. Yes, it talked about what defines a “toxic” person or relationship and talks about having to sometimes walk away from that, but it also covers our response towards people who treat us badly, how we can still pray for that person, and how sometimes letting the laws of sowing and reaping do its thing is actually the loving thing to do. I felt convicted for my bad reaction to toxic behavior from others. And I felt freedom to not let that control me and to continue following after Christ. And I feel like I have a deeper understanding of Jesus through this book - you can still love people, but they don’t have to control you. You can still pray for those who’ve hurt you, but their actions don’t have to cripple you. This book covers toxic relationships from coworkers, spouses, parents, and other family members and also covers being toxic to yourself - that chapter in itself was soooo good!

2) Create a Better Brain through Neuroplasticity: a Manual for Mamas by Debi Pearl

This book was so interesting and packed with amazing information. The author talks about how babies and children’s brains develop and what helps and hinders brain growth. She covered parental interaction, loud vs. soft music, movies and screen time, outside and open-ended play, and homeschooling. She also talked about the brain-gut connection, addiction, autism, and how you can rewrite your brain by what you choose to think. This is one of those books I hope to read again because there was no way I could glean all the information and wisdom from it’s pages through one reading. This was probably the best book I read in 2020.

3) Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical answers for complex questions and deep wounds by Chris Brauns

If you deal with people who sin and mess up and hurt you (i.e. if you’re a human) you need to read this book. It was so biblical, convicting, and encouraging! I really appreciated how the author didn’t just say “Forgive everyone and all your problems will go away”, but he walked through what forgiveness actually means. You can’t forgive someone who hasn’t asked for it. (Though you can definitely let go of anger and still love that person). And forgiving someone does NOT mean that some/all of the consequences of their sin go away. I really appreciated reading this!

4) The Vaccine-Friendly Plan: Dr. Paul’s safe and effective approach to immunity and health from pregnancy through your child’s teen years by Paul Thomas, M.D. and Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D.

In this book, the author clearly walks you through each type of vaccine that the CDC recommends for each age, helping you decide what’s best for your family instead of just doing whatever your doctor says to do. I liked that this wasn't an anti-vaccines book, but a well-informed guide, giving parents the tools to make the best choices for their children. He talked a ton about limiting toxins in your baby’s life by spacing out aluminum coated vaccines, eating real foods that don’t contain chemical additives, and using less plastic. I hope to buy this book for a reference as I appreciated his balanced approach to health and taking care of the immune system.

5) Starry Night: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber

This was a simple, sweet Hallmark-style Christmas romance following Carrie Slayton, an upcoming reporter who’s pursuing a career-changing chance to interview the survivalist Finn Dalton, then falls in love and must choose between bettering her career or chasing her heart.

I had been looking for a simple, PG Christmas novel to read last December and this one was perfect! Kind of a random favorite to be on this list, but I really enjoyed reading it!

6) Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

What an incredible book! Nancy opens your eyes to not only how life-changing gratitude is, but how essential it is to the Christian life. There should be no such thing as an ungrateful Christian! She unpacks the power of a thankful spirit, reminding us of how many blessings we have in our lives - from the “normal” things we give thanks for like health, salvation, or a good job, to “simple” things like soap, toothpaste, and warm clothes, to things that we’ve been spared from, to trials that we’re going through. She ends the book with a 30-day challenge and devotional, giving things to try like thanking specific people, daily writing out a list of things we’re thankful for, and challenges us to let our gratitude and joy spill out to others around us. The big thing I’m taking away from this book is daily writing out the things I’m grateful for - no specific number each day, just whatever pops in my head. And learning to thank God for even the hard things in my life.


Have you read any good books lately? Drop them in the comments below!