Category: Book Reviews

Never be without a good book in hand when you add these books to read in 2020 to your reading list!

I realize we are now a month and a half into 2020, but better late than never right?

Ok fine, I owed you a book list about a year ago. I know. Life though, y’all.

Since it has been that long since I’ve shared some of my latest good reads, it does mean I have a pretty good long list of books for ya. If this list doesn’t at least take you into May, then you really need to find another hobby – and that’s coming from an avid reader herself. 😉

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Best Books to Read in 2020

The Unqualified Hostess by Whoopi Goldberg

Yes, I am starting with this book and no, it’s not your typical “reading” book. It is more of a coffee table book, but ya’ll it’s so much more than a coffee table book. My best friend gave me this for Christmas and I immediately fell in love with Whoopi’s entertaining mantra. If you follow me on Instagram and saw me blubbering over it around Christmastime, you know what I mean. In theory it’s an entertaining book, but this is an entertaining book for those of us who don’t set the perfect tables, are a bit quirky and our main goal is to create magic for our loved ones – especially around holidays. I don’t always read every coffee table book I get, but I read every. single. word. of this one within the first few days of having it. I laughed, I cried and I was so damn inspired. So get this for yourself and then give one as a gift too. Trust me, it’s one of the best books to receive. Find it here.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Utterly captivating. That’s the only way I know how to describe this one. Oh my stars, ya’ll. This book sucked me in and made me want to abandon ship and just read it all day. It’s centered around an old Hollywood starlet who is “coming clean” about all her husbands after being reclusive for years. It’s not a “Hollywood” story though. It shows the incredible strength of one woman, how she will go to any lengths to protect her family and how she finally is able to live her truth. Find it here.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

If you’re a reader and you haven’t heard of this book, then go buy it right this minute. If you have heard of this book and have yet to read it, what the heck is wrong with you? Oh honey, this one. This one is a book that is going to stand the test of time. This is one that our grandkids are going to read. It’s a heartbreaking, yet beautiful coming of age story about Kya, the marsh girl, who is so much more than meets the eye. Find it here.

The Guests on South Battery by Karen White

I was finally able to get a little caught up on the Tradd Street series by Karen White. If you’ve read any of my previous book recommendations, you know I love a well written ghost story that isn’t cheesy. Karen White has always done a phenomenal job at doing just that with this series and The Guests on South Battery was no exception. As with other books in this series, there’s an old house in Charleston involved and mysterious folks arriving into town – along with spirits. Find it here.

Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson

I’ve read a few different Joshilyn Jackson books over the past year and this was one of my favorites. 30-something year old Leia returns to her aging grandmother’s home to get her affairs in order. Leia stumbles upon a secret her grandmother had kept for a lifetime that will shake not only her to her core, but the small southern town her grandmother’s family helped to build. Find it here.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

If you love historical fiction, then you are going to eat this book up. This one probably makes it into my top 25 favorite books of all time reading list. It follows the Foss children from Memphis in the late 30’s who are placed illegally into the Tennessee Children’s Home. The children soon realize they must fight not only to stay together, but to stay alive. The book is based on the real-life Georgia Tann scandal. Find it here.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

This book is set in both California and Virginia, spans five decades and shows just how much impact a chance meeting can have not only on one’s life, but on one’s entire family’s life for lifetimes to come. It’s raw, heartbreaking, but humorous and sweet as well. Find it here.

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

I know. I should have read this one long ago, however as many of you know I only discovered Pat Conroy about five years ago. And as any reader of Pat Conroy also knows, his books are deep and moving and sometimes it’s best to space them out. That being said, I don’t think that “deep and moving” is hardly adequate enough for The Prince of Tides. It’s beyond anything else I’ve ever read and is more than a masterpiece. It’s another one that will stand the test of time and is in my top five best books of all time list. The book spans four decades of the Wingo family siblings in the small South Carolina town they were born in. It’s incredibly tragic and beautiful at the same time. There is a movie and it’s a good movie. If you haven’t read the book though, you are missing out. Find it here.

Nine Lives by Dan Baum

A fantastic book for anyone who has a special place in their hearts for New Orleans. Dan Baum tells the story of the people of New Orleans through the lives of nine different New Orleanians who have withstood both Hurricane Betsy in the 60’s and Hurricane Katrina. It shows their ultimate courage, strength and how New Orleans will always rise again. Find it here.

Voodoo Dreams by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Another one set in New Orleans, this is a fictional story of the one and only, Marie Laveau. If you don’t have an interest in New Orleans or Voodoo culture, you won’t like this. If you do have an interest, you will find it incredibly wild and intriguing. Find it here.

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

Don’t let the cover fool you here. Yes, I thought that cartoon type drawing was super cheesy too, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading the book. This one was recommended to me by a friend and I’ve always liked every book she’s recommended to me, but yes, I did doubt her on this one. I shouldn’t have. It was a good one. Once you get started, you’ll find it hard to put down. I think I whizzed through this book in two or three days. It’s set in the south, complete with haunted properties and spirits who are growing dangerous. Find it here.

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

Another one by Joshilyn Jackson, this one explores three often hot topics of the south: religion, football and racism. Arlene must return home to Alabama after being away for a decade. She’ll soon discover what she thought happened wasn’t all of what happened. Find it here.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

This one came out in the 90’s but it’s a goodie. It was a new book to me and while it took a little while to really get into it and understand what was going on, when I closed the book at the end, it was one of those “How do I go on with my life after reading this book?” It starts in ancient days and goes all the way through present day, well present day in the late 80’s. It’s a riot, but it’s also a testament to the beauty of really living. Find it here.

Cemetery Road by Greg Illes

When Greg Iles wrapped up his Natchez Burning trilogy, it was also another moment of “How do I go on?” He came through for me though with Cemetery Road. Set in a small Mississippi town, it packs it all in: corruption, heartbreak, long kept secrets and one man willing to set the record straight. Find it here.

Now it’s your turn. Hit me with your latest good reads in the comments so I can add them to my own 2020 reading list!

Still need more books to add to your list? Here’s some of my past reading lists if you’re new around here:

Latest Good Reads No. 1

Latest Good Reads No. 2

Latest Good Reads No. 3

The Best Southern Books

More Favorite Southern Books

The Best Ghosts, Witches and Such Books

It’s been too long since we’ve talked good books!

We went to the beach over spring break a few weeks ago and for our family, that means we read. A lot. We also play on the beach, ride bikes and eat good food, but there’s a whole lot of reading done as well.

This list of my latest good reads contains books from that vacation as well as just the usual reading I do at home. I always try to have a book on my nightstand that I’m reading. Having a book to escape to after dinner and before bed really helps to keep me from constantly going through all the things in my mind that need to be done. It makes me less stressed and more calm – for the most part, anyway. 😉

Let’s begin! If you’re new around here, I’ll also include links at the end of this post to previous posts containing more of my favorite books.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Latest Good Reads No. 3

That Summer by Lauren Willig

That Summer

After I read The Forgotten Room that was authored by Karen White, Lauren Willig and Beatriz Williams, I knew I wanted to read more of Willig and Williams’ work. I was already an avid Karen White fan. Well, this book by Lauren Willig, That Summer, did not disappoint. It is set in England and goes back and forth between present day and the 1850s. The main character, Julia, has just inherited a house from an aunt and it was all a complete surprise to her. She stumbles onto a painting hidden behind a false panel in an armoire, which makes her dive deeper into the history of the house and the family she barely knows. I love books that take you back and forth between past and present, connecting the dots over time and that’s exactly what this one did – great read! You can find That Summer here.

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

The Family Plot

Oh man, do I love Cherie Priest! As you guys know, I love a good ghost story. That’s exactly what The Family Plot is and it was great. I first discovered Cherie Priest when a friend suggested I read her Eden Moore series (which is amazing!). She has other books as well, but they didn’t intrigue me as much as the Eden Moore series had. When I found out she had written a new book that was about an old house, ghosts, family secrets AND that it was set right here in Chattanooga – I couldn’t get my hands on it fast enough! I read through this baby in just a little over a day. It was that good. If you love old houses, are an architectural salvage junkie and aren’t scared by a good ghost story, get this book now! She also leaves the ending somewhat open for a sequel – fingers crossed!

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen

This is one of those good southern books about a girl who is just trying to find her place in the world. When I got this book, I didn’t realize it but the author actually wrote for the local Chattanooga newspaper. Apparently, I have a thing for local books and authors. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen is set in a small north Georgia town in the 1970s and centers around Catherine Grace Cline, a preacher’s daughter who has one thing in mind and that’s getting away from that small town. However, she ends up realizing sometimes what you think you want isn’t actually that at all. If you like Fannie Flagg books, then you’ll probably like this one too!

Sea Change by Karen White

Sea Change

Of course, there has to be a Karen White book on this list. 🙂 I think I’m thisclose to having read every single book of hers. This one though, it quickly made its way to one of my favorites of hers. Sea Change is another book that goes back and forth between past and present, but in the same location. It’s set on Saint Simons Island in Georgia during both the present day and the early 1800s. Ava and Matthew have just gotten married and moved to his family’s home on the island that has been there for centuries. What Ava doesn’t realize though is that she has been on the island before – both in her current life and a past one. This one is so so so good, guys!! If you haven’t already, add it to your list!!

The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg

The Whole Town’s Talking

This book totally has an unexpected ending. In fact, I don’t know that the ending was like anything I had ever read before and I’m convinced its something that only Fannie Flagg could come up with. The Whole Town’s Talking follows the birth of a small town in Missouri from it’s creation to its end. And much of the book is set in the town’s cemetery. It’s not a ghost story though, it’s about lives and people and how we all effect each other and grow and change alongside each other. It’s a really good feel good book. You can find it here.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

The Peach Keeper

This is the second book by Sarah Addison Allen that I’ve read and it was another good read. The Peach Keeper takes place in a small town in North Carolina. When an old house is restored, a skeleton is discovered and sets in motion a chain of events that will lead Willa, one of the main characters, to discover that her family has some secrets and that she must also face her own issues she’s been putting aside. Find this book here.

That’s it for this round!

If you’ve got any book suggestions, please leave them in the comments. That’s how I’ve found so many of some of my favorite books!

If you want more book suggestions, then you can click the links below:

Latest Good Reads No. 1

Latest Good Reads No. 2

The Best Ghosts, Witches and Such Books

The Best Southern Books

More Favorite Southern Books

I have found there is a direct correlation between my stress level and whether or not I am reading a good book.

Chances are, if I’m reading often, I’m so much less stressed and usually sleeping better. If I’m not reading as often, then I’m way more easily stressed, not sleeping as well and usually getting far more headaches.

I love to fall into a great book.

The problem is that I don’t always allow myself to read as much as I would like to. Since the holidays though, I’ve been making it a point to always have a good book nearby and have zoomed through five since the end of December.

And they were so good. 

If you’re an unashamed, freak flag flying book nerd like me and always on the hunt for your next good read, here are the books I’ve most recently read. Hope you love them too!

Latest Reads

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

First, I went on a Karen White binge.

Spinning the Moon by Karen White

Spinning the Moon is actually two novels in one book – In the Shadow of the Moon and Whispers of Goodbye, which are Karen White’s first novels. Karen White became a favorite of mine with her Tradd Street series, so I wanted to give some of her other books a whirl, and oh my stars, she does not disappoint! I literally read through both of these stories in a matter of days. It was holiday vacation, so I had ample time to read, but still I don’t know if I would have been able to put the book down if it hadn’t been vacation.

The first story, In the Shadow of the Moon, is about a woman named Laura who inadvertently discovers she can travel through time and finds herself in Civil War era Georgia on the same plantation that she had actually bought in the future. I’m usually not one for time travel stories, but this one proved me wrong – it’s sooooo good. She has to fight to keep the future from changing and in the process falls in love as well.

The second story, Whispers of Goodbye, is set after the Civil War in Louisiana. No time traveling in this one, but Catherine, who has lost her husband and son, finds herself traveling to Louisiana to help her sister who has written for her, but discovers the sister is missing when she arrives in Louisiana. Not only does she have to figure out what’s happened to her sister, but there is also a web of family secrets to untangle.  Like I said, you get both In the Shadow of the Moon and Whispers of Goodbye in Spinning the Moon and the book is still less than $10.

A Long Time Gone by Karen White

Many small town girls dream of chasing their dreams in a big city. In A Long Time Gone, Vivien left after high school to do just that, but a decade later, she finds herself going back home to try and put back together the pieces of her broken life. However, home isn’t how she left it. Her grandmother who raised her is no longer there and when a storm hits and lightening strikes a tree’s roots, exposing a body, Vivien is left trying to sort out fact from fiction in her family’s past. What she doesn’t realize is that while diving into her family’s history, she also finds herself.

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig

I was a little skeptical of The Forgotten Room at first because it had not one, but three authors. While I love Karen White’s work, I wasn’t so sure I would love it when paired with two other authors. I had nothing to worry about – The Forgotten Room is amazing. The story follows three generations of women who are all connected not only by blood, but also by this forgotten room that each woman has stumbled onto in some way in the past, but never passed down the knowledge of what happened in that room to her daughter. Because the book follows three different generations, it is set in three different time periods – the late 1800’s, the 1920s and the 1940s. The Forgotten Room holds a secret that unlocks the mystery, secrets and questions that each woman has carried with her.

Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter

Whoa. This book was very much one of those “suck you in and can’t put it down one of books” for me. It was actually suggested by one of you guys on one of my last book posts and I’m so glad you mentioned it! It is filled with emotion, heartache, mystery and dark family secrets. The book is set in Alabama and the main character is Althea who is on a search to discover why both her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother died on their 30th birthday. The clock is ticking for her, because her 30th birthday is in less than three weeks and she doesn’t want the same fate her mother and grandmothers got. The search takes her all the way into the Alabama mountains in the 1930s only to discover how far the men in her family are willing to go to preserve the family’s reputation. Burying the Honeysuckle Girls is definitely a favorite of mine and I can’t wait to see what else this author will do. P.S. This book is also only $5 on Amazon.

And coming up next on my reading list…

The Guests on South Battery by Karen White

Karen White’s fifth book in The Tradd Street Series is finally out and I’m so excited to read it! If you love a good ghost story that’s steeped in history and not far fetched, then you will love The Tradd Street Series. Start with the first book though, The House on Tradd Street, and work your way through the series. I promise that you won’t be disappointed!

And as always, I want your book suggestions! Leave me your favorite latest reads in the comments! 

You might also want to see..

More Favorite Reads

Favorite Southern Books

 *This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on one of those links and buy something, I may receive a small commission, but you won’t pay a dime more.