Such an odd year, 2020, yet I had favorites.
Here’s my annual list of (mostly) entertainment that made the year better and brought me enjoyment.
2020 Favorite Books
In my free monthly newsletter, I highlight two books I’ve particularly enjoyed in the previous four weeks.
I just looked at the books I gave five-star ratings on my Goodreads list. I don’t give five-stars very often, so here are the books I particularly liked:
Nonfiction
Becoming Elisabeth Elliott by Ellen Vaughn. I loved this biography so much, I wrote a blog post about it.
The Hunt for History by Nathan Raab. A fascinating account of a man who sells American historical items to collectors. Raab is definitely a historian as well!
The Anne of Green Gables Devotional by Rachel Dodge I wrote a blog post about this wonderful devotional as well. It’s written for both children and adult readers alike. I gave copies of it to the girls in my life.
Historical Fiction (My favorite genre)
The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin (The whole Sunrise at Normandy series is terrific!) Sarah is a friend and I love how intelligently she writes about WWII military people while melding spiritual truth into tough stories.
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. A wonderful counterbalance to the Little House Books. What was it like to be a minority girl on the prairie?
Special mention to books written by Amanda Dykes (lyrical, mystical, historical), Roseanna M. White (the WWI series are terrific), and Laurie R. King (Ah, the clever Mary Russell Holmes!).
Straight Fiction
The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood. A most unusual story of an extraordinary boy who brought together unexpected people.
Afraid of the Light by Cynthia Ruchti. I never really understood what makes people hoard possessions until Ruchti’s insightful novel.
Movies
I didn’t see any new movies in 2020.
We spent the year at home watching all our old favorites.
The entire Monk series–which seems so true to life these days–made us laugh a great deal. 🙂
Favorite Podcast?
I watched little television, didn’t dance much, but I spent a lot of time walking and listening to Podcasts.
Women Worth Knowing–I never miss a Tuesday listening to stories about oft-overlooked Christian women. Cheryl Broderson and Jasmine Allnut do a splendid job of discussing extraordinary women.
I love it. (And they like the same women I admire!)
Online Video
We spent the first week of Shelter-in-Place watching something I’d always wanted to see: All the Bible Project videos on the Bible, Genesis to Revelation.
Three hours a night for five days started us off in the perfect spiritual mindset!
Like everyone else, I watched Hamilton too many times. (Note: I only saw it for the first–and only–time on stage this February.) The music became an earworm I had to extricate every time I watched it!
Educational Opportunities
2020 is the first year–after March–that I haven’t taught a Bible study in most of the last thirty years. So, I became a student, taking a series of classes online and really examining Scripture with excellent teachers.
I wrote about the many opportunities I took here: Thankful in 2020.
Like many others I know, our church and Sunday School has spent weeks in the book of Daniel. That’s been quite an eye-opener and conversation provoker!
The real 2020 favorite activity?
Discussing all of this daily with my husband has been my favorite activity of 2020!
Here’s to 2021!
If nothing else, it will offer new books, new podcasts, maybe a few decent movies, and plenty to talk about.
Happy new year.
Tweetables
Favorite books, videos, teachings, and podcasts of 2020. Click to Tweet
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser says
In this sad benighted year
when so few have claimed to thrive,
I must gainsay what I hear,
for I’m glad to be alive.
The years has not brought wealth or fame,
and, indeed, the cancer’s worse;
I may not make the Highland Games,
but this is pity, not a curse,
for I still have the strength to pray
and sing the praises of the Lord;
even at my rate of pay,
I can easily afford
to give thanks for what I’ve got
and not mourn what I have not.
michelle says
Bravo, Andrew! I’ll hope for another poem at the end of 2021. 🙂
Sarah Sundin says
Wow! I popped over to see what your well-read brain liked this year – and was delightfully surprised to see my own book here! Thank you, Michelle! This means so much to me.
Michelle Ule says
That’s what happens when you write great books, Sarah! 🙂