I love to read.
That probably isn’t very surprising, but nevertheless, it’s true. And during 2020, I branched out in some of the books I read and in some of the movies that I watched. So this post is devoted to some of my favorite book & movie discoveries of 2020.
So without further ado….my top 3 books:
1. Skyward, by Brandon Sanderson
I had heard a lot of good things about Brandon Sanderson and this year, I finally decided to try out one of his books. Skyward blew me away. The personalities of the different characters, the conflict in their relationships, and the way the emotions were portrayed was very gripping and well done. And the plot as a whole was really fun.
Plus, Doomslug. I mean how can you not like a book with a character named Doomslug?
2. Prophet, by Frank Peretti
This is an old book, but still excellent. The plot was complex but not quite as hard to follow as Piercing the Darkness, and the characters felt deeper and more realistic than in other books I’ve read by Frank Peretti. This is easily my favorite Christian read of the year.
3. The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
I wasn’t expecting to love this book. I thought it would be cliche + boring + predictable and I don’t know where I got that idea, because it was none of those things. The main character had a really intriguing and funny voice, the plot was gripping and exciting, and the character relationships were so well done. This was my top Middle Grade read of the year.
Honorable Mention: Echo Island, by Jared C. Wilson
Again, I wasn’t expecting too much out of this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot twist was mind-blowing, and even though the characters were a little cardboard cutout, I still enjoyed reading about them. The ending was also really well done.
I didn’t totally agree with the theology, but I did think the author’s beliefs were really well integrated into the story and explained….so I can’t really complain about that 🙂
Runners-up included Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson, Runaway King and Captive Kingdom by Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Winter King by Christine Cohen, and King’s City by Jessica Marinos.
I also watched a few new movies in 2020 (I don’t watch a lot of movies, so this list won’t be quite as extensive, but the ones I did watch were really enjoyable).
1. The Giver
I watched this movie like 5 times this year.
I still love it. It really captures the flavor of the book and left me with something to think about. Some of the scenes were heartbreaking, just like in the book, but they were vitally important to the plot. And the climax was an improvement on the book, in my opinion–the ending isn’t quite so unresolved.
Plus, the acting was really good.
2. Little Women (2019)
I loved this movie. The acting, the personalities of the characters, the additions made to the book, it was all really fun. I definitely enjoyed it more than the original (please don’t kill me). Even though I didn’t reallyyy care for Laurie this version. It was still really cool.
3. Inside Out
This was such a fun kids’ movie, and it almost made me cry. I teared up (BING BONG *sobs*). It was also a really cool idea of how emotions work together, and I liked the subtle messages and ideas communicated (like which emotions was charge in various people’s minds. Super insightful).
Honorable Mention: Christopher Robin
This movie was so. so. cute.
Highly recommend. I loved Winnie-the-Pooh as a kid, and this movie was very nostalgic and had a lot of funny lines.
No runners-up because these were easily my favorites (and tbh I barely watched any other movies this year, and didn’t really love the ones I did watch, so yeah.)
So there you have it….my top 3 (well actually 4….shhh) book & movie discoveries of 2020.
What were some of your favorite things about 2020?