Last week I shared my list of 20 books I read in 2020 and earlier this week my husband shared his list. Today, Grace is sharing her list of 20 books a college student read in 2020.
I am a college student as most of you probably know. However, I do not read what a typical college student reads. Actually, a lot of college students probably don’t read much, and I understand why. I still like to read and make sure to find time to read. And today, I have found time to share it with you, and I hope you still find it interesting.
I read a wide range of books. This is partly because I love reading and I love history. I am also an English major, which leads to an interesting collection of books that I have to read for school.
This is not a list of favorites. It is just a list of 20 books that give an insight into what type of books I read. Next week, I hope to share my favorite books of 2020.
20 Books a College Student Read in 2020
The Unknowns by Patrick O’Donell was my first read of the year. I did love this and appreciated it as it was a Christmas gift. It also allowed me to reflect on when I visited Arlington National Cemetary.
Spain in Our Hearts by Adam Hoshschild was also a Christmas gift, and I loved it as it was so well written and on a piece of history not really taught in America.
Every Man a Hero by Ray Lambert was great to see a medic on D-Day and his own thoughts on the war.
Black Pioneers was a book I read for an English class research paper. I did it over Black Cowboys as I love the old west and Black cowboys are forgotten in history books and westerns. I read several on this topic, but this was one that read all the way through.
Blood and Ivy was fitting for a college student because it was about a murder at a college so many years ago.
Dot.Con was such a comedic relief book as it is a compilation of replies to scam emails, which creates great humor. You could also watch Veitch’s video’s on Youtube to see some of the emails he has done, some of which are in the book.
Letters and Papers from Prison by Bonhoeffer was a lengthy read but taught me a lot about Bonheffer and his family as this was just a narrow connection of what he did and thought.
Operation Columba: Secret Pigeon Service was another fascinating read of animals in World War II.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was kind of an impulse buy so that I could read it after a surgery I had. I did not read the Hunger Game books when the first came out. I waited a while. I could see why people liked them, but they were not my favorite. I think I liked this book was better than the original trilogy just because I became more invested in these characters even though they were dark.
The Great Pearl Heist. Often real life is crazier than fiction, and this is the case in this book. I guess if you like Oceans 11 and such, you may enjoy this real heist story.
Knowing God by J.I. Packer has been talked about in many friends groups, but I just have not picked up until this year. I enjoyed it, but I had read a lot similar and maybe slightly better done. However, I did enjoy it and can now know where people are coming from when discussing this book.
From the Deep Woods to Civilization by Eastman was one of the books I read for my Native American Lit I class. I enjoyed it. It was my favorite one I read for the class.
I also read American Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa, which had a mix of short stories, fiction and nonfiction.
Dracula was another read for school. I did not really enjoy it, but now I have read this classic.
The Awakening was another interesting read for a literature class. I find classmates talk about Chopin, and I have enjoyed some of her short stories. This had great descriptions and such, but I never did fall in love with any of the characters as some of my classmates did.
Madison Park was a recommendation from my mom, and I enjoyed it. It has so many inspirational quotes and stories that are good to learn from.
Dorothy and Jack was a recommendation from a friend and worth my time. A great book for those that love C.S. Lewis or Dorothy L. Sayers.
To Win Her Heart I read in a day. It was a sappy romance. I was not feeling well, and hey it helped me through the day and night. I stayed up way too late to finish it, especially since I already knew who was in love with who.
The Hour of Peril taught me more about the Pinkerton’s and also an assassination attempt on Lincoln. It was definitely worth me buying it at a used bookstore last year.
Top Gun: An American Story. I stole this from my dad’s TBR pile. I have longingly stared at it in his pile since he got it last year, and I finally kidnapped it over Christmas Break to read. It was a great memoir.
What an interesting variety of books, Grace! Thanks for sharing.