2020 was a record-breaking year of books for me. I finished 126, and a lot of them were really, really good.

Typically in my year-end book post, I round up all the books I gave five stars on Goodreads over the course of the year. I'm still going to do that here, but since there are so many of them in the fiction category, I'm also going to highlight my top five fiction books of the year to make it easy for you if you're looking for a quick recommendation.

Favorite Nonfiction

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Growing up in an Irish Catholic family, I heard stories about the Troubles and how it wasn't safe to visit Northern Ireland when my parents were growing up. When I visited Belfast a few years ago, it was eye opening to see what had changed and what hadn't since the cease-fire. This book added a level of depth and color to my understanding of the Troubles that I never had before. It tackles the subject of people who were "disappeared," the hunger strikes by famous IRA prisoners, the rise of Sinn Féin, and leaves you wondering about how things ended. The Troubles wasn't a "war" so the crimes committed during it are not considered war crimes. The book leaves you wondering who should be held accountable, how do families get any sort of justice, and since Northern Ireland is still part of the UK, was it even worth it?

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This audio book ripped my heart out and at the same time left me filled with hope. That's probably a really strange thing to say about a book that recounts Chanel Miller's sexual assault and the trial that followed. But her writing and her reflection on what happened to her is really beautiful and her positivity about in the face of everything she had to deal with just something else to listen to.

Open Book by Jessica Simpson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I honestly can't believe I'm giving a celeb memoir five stars, but this book was really captivating. I listened to the audio version, and something about hearing Simpson tell her own story just really fascinated me. She also got choked up at times during some of the harder parts of her story, and hearing that was really powerful. Yes there's some good celeb gossip (you know I lived for the Tony Romo shade), but this is all around a great book about a celeb, I kind of only new about from the tabloid covers.

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the book we need for our times right now. By sharing his own struggles with racist thoughts and ideas, Kendi never makes you feel like a bad person while reading this book. His tone is approachable and offers practical tips about how we can all strive to be more antiracist. I easily understood his definitions of different forms of racism in society and his practical examples helped illustrate how many racist ideas and policies permeate society and what can be done to change that.

Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA by Amaryllis Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's rare that I find a memoir this griping and hard to put down. After reading tons and tons of fiction books about CIA spies and clandestine operations (see my love of Vince Flynn books), I loved getting an inside look at one real spy's experience in the CIA. From recruitment through her 10 years working on covert missions, I thought Fox painted a picture of both the rush of her missions and the impact her secret life had on her personal life.

Top Five Fiction Books

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was beautifully written and such an incredible story about two people attempting to survive the horrors of Auschwitz. It makes me look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This will definitely go down as one of my favorite books of the year. It is a completely crazy story of a nine-year-old black girl convicted of murdering a white baby...allegedly. Mary stopped speaking for years after the baby was killed, so people could only speculate what happened. A jury convicted her and she was sent to prison. Now she's 16 and pregnant and trying to set the story straight. This book is just such a good, and completely crazy, story and you won't want to put it down.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was un-put-downable. I just needed to know what happened after two women switched plane tickets and boarded each others' flights. One plane crashed. The other arrived at its destination carrying a different person. I stayed up so late to finish this book, and it largely did not disappoint. Fast paced, fun thriller.

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh this book was tragic and beautiful, and half the time I couldn't even believe it was true. One family was ripped apart by World War II and had to fight to survive in countries through out the world. The way the book jumps from person to person and place to place was so compelling and made this book read more like a novel than a family history.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully written and griping book that mixes historical fiction with Malayan and Chinese folklore. When Ren's master dies and leaves him with the task of finding his missing finger so he can be buried "whole," Ren sets off on a mission steeped in loyalty to his former master. At the same time, Ji Lin a teenage girl working two jobs to help her mother pay off her debts finds herself in possession of the missing finger. As the story twists and turns, people in the small community keep chalking up mysterious incidents to a weretiger or "night tiger, and Ren believes it's the ghost of his former master searching for his missing finger. As the two characters' paths overlap, nothing is quite as it seems, and they must make sense of it all before danger befalls them.

The Rest of the Five-Star Fiction Books

Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This five-star review is for the entire Winter series. I fell in love with the Quinn family over the course of the four books in this series. These are by far some of Elin Hilderbrand's best books. You find yourself cheering for the family as they go through a series of bad stuff -- crimes, war deployments, infidelity and more -- and yet somehow manage to still pull together. Margaret and Kelley, the matriarch and patriarch of the family were some of my favorite characters.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know the author of this book has a problematic history, but this book is beautifully written and pulled me in almost from the get-go. I loved how Kya used animal's lives and mating history to teach herself the ins and outs of human interaction after her family abandons her in the marsh. I didn't see the twist at the end of the book coming, though perhaps I should have. Highly recommend.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'd heard this was a really great book, and I was stuck on the waitlist for a long time. But it was definitely worth the wait, and I tore through it. The book follows the story of Edward, the sole survivor of a plane crash. The story jumps back and forth between Edward in the present day, trying to get over the trauma and Edward on the airplane not knowing what's about to happen.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I knew the basic premise of this book and that it was told from the perspective of two sisters in Ghana -- one married off to a white man and one sold as a slave and shipped to America. But I didn't realize that the threads of this book follow the generations of ancestors of these two sisters on family line dealing with wars and the growing slave trade in Ghana, one dealing with the impacts of slavery in America. This book was beautifully written, and I can't wait to talk about it in book club later this month.

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After meeting Cilka in the Tattooist of Auschwitz, I was curious to learn more about her life. She survived Auschwitz only to be convicted as a Nazi conspirator by the Soviets and sent to a gulag in Siberia. While this story is fictional, the author's note at the end makes it very clear where she took liberties with the story and where she drew on facts in her research. This book was heart-wrenching and yet somehow still hopeful. I loved following Cilka's story and learning more about this tragic history.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Elin Hilderbrand's new book. I read it at the beach, and it was one of those books where I was sad when I was finished because I didn't want to let go of the characters or the story. It was the perfect summer read.

The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was un-put-downable. I just wanted to keep reading and find out who the killer was. This book as dark and at times a bit gruesome, but it was such a fast and gripping read. Definitely the best thriller/mystery/suspense I've read in a while.

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh this book was so twisty and good. An excellent suspenseful thriller that kept me company as an audio book on my long runs. Basically everything you assume in the first part of the book turns out to be totally wrong and you get pulled along on one crazy journey. I am loving the books by these two authors. I hope they write more soon!

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was such a pleasure to read. I've really become a fan of Elizabeth Acevedo this year. This is the story of two girls, one who lives in the Dominican Republic and one who lives in New York, that are sisters but don't know it. When their father's plane crashes they slowly start to uncover family secrets and learn about each other. This book is written in verse, which makes it a fast, yet deeply impactful read.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! It was beautifully written, and so many times while I was reading, I would stop and go, "No....that did not just happen." The book tells the story of two sisters both light-skinned Black women. One chooses to live life as a Black woman, and the other decides to "pass" as a white woman. This book makes you think quite a bit about why anyone should need to pretend to be white.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a delightful, fast and fun read. It's about Bea, a plus-sized fashion blogger who gets asked to be the star of The Main Squeeze (this book's version of the Bachelor/Bachelorette). I love those shows, and this book hit all the right points for. Bea had guys who were villains and completely awful to her. She had suitors that "weren't there for the right reasons." All the while, Bea had to deal with her own insecurities while on national TV, unsure if she even deserved love. This was one of my favorite books of the summer.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this book on my long runs, and it totally made the miles fly by. This book is a complete fantasy that asks you to believe that children can be "peculiar" or have special abilities -- like brute strength, invisibility and even elements of time travel. But because these children aren't "normal," they are outcasts from society and hunted down by others. I got half way through it one one of my long runs and I couldn't wait for the next run to finish the story.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book took me a bit to get into, but once it got going, I just couldn't put it down. The book tells the story of Cassie -- a female firefighter in Austin, TX -- forced to leave her job and move north to take care of her ailing mother that she hasn't spoken to in almost 10 years. She's able to find a job at a new fire station in small town in MA, where female firefighters aren't looked kindly upon. And while she's trying to figure out how to earn the acceptance of her new colleagues, she's also forced to re-examine her relationship with her mother. I loved this author's writing style and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Five stars! What a great, creative, twisty-turny book. I listened to this book on all my social distancing walks around the neighborhood and every time I got back home, I hated turning it off because I just wanted to know what happens next. Aiden Bishop arrives at Blackheath for a celebration, but he finds himself continuing to live the same day over and over as he tries to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. The catch is, each time Aidan wakes up, he's in the body of a different person at the party. Seeing the same events play out over and over from different people's perspectives make it very unclear who you can and can't trust and hard to know what is true. A fun mystery that I highly recommend.

I think we can all agree that 2020 has largely been a crap year. Back in March when stay-at-home orders first started going into effect, I don't think I could have imagined, we'd still largely be living under quarantine now.

But with vaccines being rolled out and the hope that comes with them, I wanted to focus my year-in-review post, not on everything we lost this year (and there was so much), but on the small bits of positive that helped buoy me through the past 9 months. 

January and February

Oh the end of the blissful before times, before we knew our world was about to be turned upside. That was the last time I was out of the country -- escaping the cold winter for a lovely Jamaican getaway with friends -- when I thought my biggest worry was how turbulent the flights were. 

It was also the last time I shared a condo rental with friends for our annual ski trip. 

I also started a new job in January and got my last haircut. 

March through May

The big positive from the early days of the pandemic was buying our first home. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. We closed and moved in two days before DC shut down. We went from a one-bedroom apartment in a big building to a three-bedroom townhouse in a small community. Our new front door opened directly to the outside. We no longer needed to get on an elevator or potentially interact with other people when leaving our place. We had two floors, which gave us much-needed space for all the new time we'd be spending at home.

We were able to celebrate closing in our favorite happy hour spot in our old neighborhood.

While we weren't really able to check out any of the spots in our new neighborhood, I found myself quickly getting to know where everything was on my long walks and runs. I learned the neighborhood must faster than I probably would have otherwise since there was literally nothing else to do.

I feel like these were the months where you started to see people's creativity in the face of adversity. People found ways to stay connected to the people that mattered the most in their lives. And yes, maybe that ultimately led to an overabundance of Zoom happy hours or game nights, but it just reminded me of the importance of keeping up those connections. 

June through September

Summer brought the opportunity to do more things because the weather was warmer and some of the very strict restrictions in our area had started to lift a bit.

My summer is normally packed with activities from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and it was honestly a really nice change of pace to not have every weekend booked this year. I took advantage of that to find new-to-me places to explore and discovered lots of parks for picnics with friends.

My husband and I also celebrated our one-year anniversary in June. I had hoped to take a big fun trip for that, but since travel wasn't really in the cards, we booked an AirBnB about 90 minutes away from us and enjoyed a weekend of kayaking, wineries and relaxing at the lake.

We actually visited a lot of local wineries this summer. It felt like one of the few safe things to do that let us be outside and get together with one or two friends.

We also explored a lot of parks and did plenty of hiking and biking. There are so many great parks within an hour or so drive of DC, and I would have never taken the time to visit them in the normal times.

I also spent a lot of time at the beach, including some day trips just to get a change of scenery.

And of course, I used all the many daylight hours to do a lot of running -- completing my first ever running streak and kicking off marathon training.

Pandemic summer was far from ideal, but I got to experience so many new places that I don't think I ever would have otherwise. If there's one thing I want to take from this time, it's to be better about exploring more new semi-local things. There is so much in this area, and this summer, I really only scratched the surface. 

October through December

Pandemic fall has offered far fewer positives than summer, probably because we're all bracing ourselves for a long winter. But I did run a virtual marathon at the end of October, which was one heck a big accomplishment for me. And I was reminded of how lucky I am to have the friends and family that I have willing to sit outside for a lot of hours, while I ran by them once every hour or so.

I know we're all still trying to figure out how to make the best of the rest of the winter ahead. I hate winter, but I'm digging out my warmest clothes and investing in some better winter gear. If the only way to see people is to be outside, I want to make sure I'm as prepared as possible.

I'm grateful that we can end this year with the promise of a vaccine. While getting back to normal is still a ways off, there's at least a light at the end of the tunnel, and that brings me hope for 2021.

Friends, I can't even believe this is a blog post I'm writing. But hey, it's 2020 so maybe I shouldn't be surprised that I had a completely random injury/medical situation spring up out of nowhere. 

I have a frozen shoulder. 

What's a frozen shoulder? 

It's an incredibly painful condition that drastically reduces (or in my case basically eliminates) all range of motion in the shoulder joint. 

What causes it? 

Who know!? No seriously, my orthopedic doctor said there can be sometimes a link between diabetes or thyroid issues and frozen shoulders, but since I have neither of those things, I'm one of many mysterious cases where this just happens for no reason. 

What the heck happened?

That's a great question and honestly, I don't know. Sometime back in August, I realized it really hurt to tuck my arm under my head in bed. I used to read laying on my shoulder, and I just couldn't anymore. My arm would not move that way. 

That was weird, and kind of alarming, but I thought maybe I just overdid a workout or something. 

Well, the condition didn't improve. In fact, things got worse fast. Suddenly I couldn't really reach up over head anymore. And then I couldn't reach across my body. I yelped in pain one night on the sofa when I quickly turned to point at something out the window and hot flashes of pain and numbness flowed down my arm. 

The last, and perhaps most annoying, movement that disappeared was the ability to reach behind my back. It's a good thing we're in quarantine and I'm living the sports bra life because I physically cannot perform the movement necessary to fasten a regular bra. 

So yea, I'm in lots of pain and I'm incredibly frustrated. 

So how do you fix that?

Another great question.

In positive news, frozen shoulders typically resolve on their own. In negative news, it can takes as long as one to two years. Sometimes physical therapy can help. So I had my first PT session last night. My doctor warned me it would hurt, and he wasn't kidding. 

So now, I get to start every day with torturous stretches and exercises to try to force my joint to become unstuck. A couple of the exercises I can manage OK, but two of them literally bring tears to my eyes because my arms just can't move the way I need it to. 

I have to stick to this routine for 30 days and then we'll reassess. 

My doctor also offered me a cortisone shot to help with the pain and inflammation. I turned it down for now because I wanted to see if PT would help (and because I like to avoid needles at cost because they make me pass out). However, if in 30 days I'm not feeling great about how PT is going, I'll probably revisit that as an option. 

Of all the injuries I've had over the years, this is not the worst or the most debilitating, but it might be the most annoying in daily life. I've been frustrated every time I find a new movement I can't do, like picking up a dumbbell off the floor to put it away yesterday caused pain, but it didn't the day before. Opening the blinds in my living rooms is not something I can do with my right arm anymore because it involves reaching overhead and applying slight pressure to a piece of fabric. Simple every day tasks now either cause pain or force me to figure out a different way to do them. 

In the grand scheme of things, this is hardly the end of the world, but it's frustrating and it's so on brand for 2020.

I was in a pretty major reading slump at the beginning of the month, mainly tied to election stress. It was hard to focus on literally anything other than CNN. 

In order to shake the slump, I picked up a lot of lighter books and more fast paced books. I returned to and finished the Blue Heron series, which are basically Hallmark movies in book form. I also enjoyed a couple of good mystery/thrillers. My goal was nothing too heavy and nothing that would make me think that hard, and I largely succeeded in getting myself out of the reading slump by the end of the month.

Five Stars

Open Book by Jessica Simpson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I honestly can't believe I'm giving a celeb memoir five stars, but this book was really captivating. I listened to the audio version, and something about hearing Simpson tell her own story just really fascinated me. She also got choked up at times during some of the harder parts of her story, and hearing that was really powerful. Yes there's some good celeb gossip (you know I lived for the Tony Romo shade), but this is all around a great book about a celeb, I kind of only knew about from the tabloid covers.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was un-put-downable. I just needed to know what happened after two women switched plane tickets and boarded each others' flights. One plane crashed. The other arrived at its destination carrying a different person. I stayed up so late to finish this book, and it largely did not disappoint. Fast paced, fun thriller.

Four Stars

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the last two books in the Blue Heron series first, and decided I should go back and start at the beginning. The Best Man introduces us to Faith Holland, one of the many Holland siblings that own and work at Blue Heron vineyard. Faith was set to marry her high school sweetheart until he shared that he was gay -- on their wedding day. The book follows Faith as she tries to move on from her heartbreak. Like all the books in the series this is a light and fun read.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading this book right around the election, which certainly made me in anxious person. It took me a little bit to get into the book -- see anxiety -- but once the story got going, I got pulled in quickly. I really enjoyed this book and it didn't end up where I thought it would. Not as great as Beartown, but a really enjoyable Backman book.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really fun read that followed the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and Watson as they solved a mystery on their college campus. It was the book I needed to pick up after what felt like several slower and heavier books.

Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm sad to see this trilogy come to a close, but also glad to finally know what really happened to Russ and Rosie and their respective families. After three books, I felt largely satisfied with how many of the characters' storylines wrapped up. The only one that I didn't totally buy was the ending for Cash. It seemed too unbelievable. I also loved the surprising guest appearance at the end of the book when Margaret Quinn from Hilderbrand's Winter Street series showed up on the island.

Anything for You by Kristan Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After struggling to read because of election anxiety, I needed to dive into something that was familiar and fun and light. Enter another book in the Blue Heron series by Kristan Higgins. You don't need to read these books in order, though I sort of wish I had. This story follows Connor, a chef and owner at the popular O'Rourke's pub. The book opens with his long time fling rejecting his proposal, and then jumps back in time to follow the characters from high school to modern day. Fast, easy and fun read. I'm planning to finish out the series in the coming weeks.

Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read these books out of order, which doesn't much matter except for maybe this one and the last book. Certainly nothin was spoiled, it was just I knew the outcome of some of the events already, so it held a bit less intrigue at parts. But still a good heart-warming story, which is what I needed.

Broken by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm enjoying diving back into the older Will Trent books and finding out how he became the investigator he is in the more recent books. This book took us back to Grant County, where Dr. Sara Linton used to work and dug into a mysterious death and one of the officers involved. This was a good audio book and kept me on my toes.

Three Stars

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This came highly recommended as a good book to escape the pandemic with, but at times I found it a little slow. In fact, I set it down for a while and picked up a different book because I needed a break. I eventually came back to it and found it did pick up a bit, but ehhh I don't know, this wasn't for me.

The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved reading the books in the Blue Heron series, they really pulled me out of my reading funk, but this one wasn't quite as good as the others. I'm not sure if I just couldn't get into the main character's story for a while or if it was because it was just too far fetched, but I only felt meh about this one for the first half of the book.

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It's been over a month since I ran the Marine Corps Marathon virtually. Since then, I've been taking a much needed break from running. 

If you've been reading along all pandemic, you'll remember I did the RW RunStreak in the summer from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July, running at least 1 mile each day, and then right after that jumped immediately into marathon training. 

I was feeling the running burn out pretty strongly. So this break is much needed. 

For now, I'm enjoying life not on any sort of training plan. 

I've run a grand total of three times since the marathon. 

Instead, I've gone on lots of walks, and jumped back into pretty regular strength training. It's a nice change of pace, and I'm really enjoying mixing things up.

I kind of hate that I'm going to lose a large chunk of the endurance I built up over marathon training, but I just have no motivation for running right now. And with no races anywhere on the horizon, it seems silly to push myself to run. 

I'll have plenty of time to rebuild endurance when I'm excited about running again. 

I plan to spend the weeks between now and Christmas exploring some of the virtual workout options that have sprung up as a result of covid. Variety seems fun to me right now, so that's what I'm going to stick with. 

And I've found that as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, getting outside of the house during daylight hours is essential to my sanity. I've been going for nice long walks over much lunch break, and I've really come to appreciate the fresh air, the less intense movement, and the time away from my computer. It's a nice way to break up my day as my options for doing any sort of outside activities start to diminish. 

So that's my plan for now -- strength training and long walks. I'll reevaluate things again when the New Year rolls around or as soon as my running motivation comes back.