AaaaaaaAaaaAAAaaaahhhhh!
Definition: a word that many would use to
describe 2020 AD.
2020
was a year of many things. For me, it was a great year for reading. I mean,
sure I didn’t reach all my goals, but who did this year? What’s really
important is the books I did end up reading.
Right
before the shutdown, I had a hunch I should check out a bunch of books, so I
grabbed a whopping giant called Words of Radiance. Best choice I made. I
got to hold on to it for, like, three months. I still ran out of library books
before quarantine lifted, so I reread a bunch of others on my shelves.
Even
after the library opened, they extended the check out time and cancelled all library
fines. For a while, I had been doing curbside pickup only, so it was October
before I went back into a library, which is really sad. But I’ve frequented the
bookstore. A. Lot. You should see my shelves. I had to reorganize at least
three times.
Goal:
1 Book 700+ pages
Words
of Radiance by
Brandon Sanderson—1,084 pages. Hey, look, I did it! Picked this one up just in
case right before my library closed due to COVID. My impulses were good for
once. There were several times I wanted to throw the book across the room, but it
was so heavy that never happened. Most of the time, I rested it on my lap or on
the arm of the couch. #mywristhurts Such a good book! Kaladin is my son, and
nobody can change my mind. (He’s also younger than I am, so asdfghjkl. What is
this?!?!)
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson—1,243 pages.
Somebody stop me. Just kidding! I love Sanderson’s work. I still haven’t
figured out the connections between the Cosmere books, but oh my goodness, I
just enjoy all the characters and all the quips. The only problem: I have to
wait until November—probably longer—for the sequel.
Goal:
3 Classics
What
are classics? I read zero of them. Unless you count The Lord of the Rings and
The Once and Future King. Then I technically met this goal? Unless you count
each of series as a single book. It’s not quite clear…
Goal:
5 Books from Places I’ve Been
Nothing
but Sky by Amy
Trueblood—Lincoln, Nebraska; Springfield, Missouri; and Chicago, Illinois. My
first book of the year! I feel like I’m not the right person to evaluate it
though. On the one hand, I enjoyed the historical research that went into this
book, but on the other hand, I just wasn’t a fan of the romance. Or the blurb
on the back. It basically gives away the whole plot.
Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk—Nottingham,
England and Acre, Israel. My brother would probably be disappointed in this
book because it makes Richard the Lionheart look like a jerk, but each
character is so well developed. And the writing style is super engaging. But I
hate all the characters. Argh! I wouldn’t actually recommend this one.
The
Light at the Bottom of the World
by London Shah—London and Cambridge, England. I don’t know if this one counts
because it’s a sort of futuristic dystopian London where the Earth is flooded
and everybody lives underwater. So cool! But the locations of the old city (our
current London) are so accurate, I must mention it. And it’s such an amazing
book! Underwater sci-fi is one of my favorite things.
Mr.
Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan—San Francisco, California. Not so much a story about the city
but the bookstore within it. The main character also goes to New York City and
Nevada at one point. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, especially the tone
of voice the narrator uses, giving me a better sense of Clay’s emotions about
accidentally working for a book cult.
Beneath
Wandering Stars
by Ashlee Cowles—El Camino de Santiago, Spain. Technically the Camino is an 800
km walk across Spain, and I’ve only walked 260 km of it. This book is easily
one of my new treasured books for the way it includes the perspective of an
Army brat and the pilgrimage with all its difficulties and beauties.
Goal:
5 Graphic Novels
Pandora
Hearts by Jun
Mochizuki—This series is actually a reread, and wow, is it creepy or what? It
made a whole lot more sense the second time around though, especially since I
was already used to the style and knew about the plot twists. I actually quit
around book eight because it was just too dark.
Divinity by Matt Kindt—This one was
really good! I need to explore more Valiant comics to get a better feel for who
all the characters are. From what I’ve read so far, I’ve enjoyed every bit of
it. I particularly liked how this series explored not just space but from the
perspective of cosmonauts from the USSR instead of astronauts from the US.
Harbinger by Joshua Dysart—Didn’t enjoy
these nearly as much as the Divinity books, but they’re by Valiant
comics and set in the same universe. So they helped me understand more of the
characters who show up in Divinity, though not all of them. They’re just
too gory for my taste.
Almost
American Girl by
Robin Ha—Stunning cross-cultural experience. A stand-alone memoir about a
Korean American who moves to Alabama. Though I have a very different background
than the author, I found I could really relate with her story.
A
Silent Voice by Yoshitoki
Oima—My sister watched the Anime and was trying to get me to watch it with her,
but I prefer to read books first. My library only had the first three volumes,
but we did watch the Anime together. I cried. Twice. That’s high praise coming
from me!
Wolf
Children: Ame & Yuki
by Mamoru Hosoda—I’d seen this one several times in my library and only added
it to my list after it was recommended as a fantasy novel featuring a good
mother figure. I thought that was pretty cool, so I gave the book a chance. I
ended up really enjoying it! A story about a young mother as she raises her
children, I found the mix of fantasy and realism rather enjoyable.
Goal:
5 Novels in Verse
Other
Words for Home
by Jasmine Warga—Recommended to me by a dear friend, this one probably wouldn’t
have been my first pick. But it’s so, so good! (Thank you, Nicole!)
White
Rose by Kip
Wilson—I’ve actually read another book with a similar plot, which is listed as
a German classic: Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada. Though they take
place in different cities and feature different people, both are based on the
true stories of German nationals who didn’t agree with what the Reich was
doing, so they secretly distributed pamphlets to stir up the people. I
particularly liked the style of White Rose, though the story didn’t resonate
with me as much as expected.
Unbound by Ann E. Burg—I listened to
this one as an audiobook, so I didn’t get to see the poetry in action, but it
was a nice change all the same. Such a beautiful story about what it means to
be free, what it means to learn, and what it means to live independently.
Enchanted
Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings
by Margarita Engle—Heartbreaking yet beautiful. I learned more about the Cold
War and Cuba’s relationship with America and the Soviet Union. Based on the
author’s experiences as a child.
Goal:
1 Book Published Before 1800
Nope.
Overall:
15/20 Types of Books
Other
Notable Books
100
Days of Sunlight
by Abbie Emmons
Salt
to the Sea by
Ruta Sepetys
The
Murderbot Diaries
by Martha Wells (series, books 1-4)
The
Art of Feeling
by Laura Tims (reread)
Ender’s
Game by Orson
Scott Card (reread)
The
Someday Birds by
Sally J. Pla (reread)
Ella
Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
by Mark Dunn
The
Outsiders by S.
E. Hinton (reread)
The
Lord of the Rings
by J. R. R. Tolkien (reread)
York trilogy by Laura Ruby
Of
Myth and Monster
by the Phoenix Fiction Writers
The
Ten Thousand Doors of January
by Alix E. Harrow
Return
of the Volon by
L. Nicodemus Lyons
The
Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan
by Sherry Thomas
The
Court of Miracles
by Kester Grant
The
Naming by Alison
Croggon (reread)
Here’s
to another book-filled year. Can we get fewer disasters though? Please?!?!
***
Let’s
chat! Did you meet your reading goals for the year? What were some of your
favorite books? Do you have enough on your shelves for another shutdown
the zombie apocalypse?
Similar
posts: 2020 Reading Resolution, 2019 Books in Review, and 2019 Reading Resolution
