2020 felt strange. It was by turns too busy and too erratic, and my reading reflected that.
January: 8 books July: 8 books
February: 9 books August: 9 books
March: 6 books Sept.: 7 books
April: 5 books Oct.: 11 books
May: 8 books Nov.: 5 books
June: 6 books Dec.: 10 books
As you can see, it seems like when the pandemic first hit here and kids were sent home from school for virtual learning in March, my reading fell off. That is not unexpected. I’m not sure what was going on in June that dropped my reading, but at the end of the year, November was the most stressful at work in terms of workload. December was still stressful for other reasons at work, but I had more days off that month to read and just relax.
Here are some other reading stats I compiled because I was curious in this year of COVID-19 and political unease.
# of Books Read: 95
# of Books Reviewed: 91 (some will be reviewed in 2021)
# of Audiobooks: 17
# of Kids books: 34 (this is where I spent a lot of time with my reluctant reader)
# of Nonfiction: 11
# of Adult Fiction: 23
# of Memoir: 7
# of Poetry: 24
Some of these numbers will include books that crossover into another genre or category. For instance, some memoir were also poetry, while others were audio as well as fiction.
Now, for what you’re all probably curious about — My favorite books from 2020.
Not all were published last year.
I picked my top 2-3 in each category (but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have other books that I considered top books)
Top Kids Reads in 2020:
Katt vs. Dogg by James Patterson and
Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O’Connor, which we both wanted to continue reading past her bed time to solve the mystery. Our review is here. “What I love about this series is the harder words that she has to sound out.”
Top Nonfiction:
America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs, published by National Geographic. Our review is here. I said that this “is a love story for our nation.”
Top Memoir:
Memorial Drive by Natasha Tretheway is a riveting “tale of healing and reconciling the past. Trethewey relies not only on her memory but on her mother’s own writing, testimony, and recorded phone conversations. I was emotionally wrecked by this memoir.” My review is here.
Who’s Your Daddy by Arisa White, which actually will be published in 2021, but my pre-ordered book came quickly and I couldn’t wait to read it. This is a “journey into the poet’s past as she reconciles the abandonment of her father and her struggles with connecting to others. The poetic memoir is beautiful and the landscapes within it (emotional and physical) are tumultuous and heartbreaking.” My review is here.
Top Fiction:
Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Buchanan is a book that surprised me this year. It started off slowly, and I typically don’t read this time period, but as Buchanan built the world of the Druids in Britannia, I became more captivated. It’s like the book wove a spell over me. The book depicts a “struggle for survival amid a world of secrets and lies, political gains and losses, and magic.” My review is here.
The Deep by Alma Katsu is a gothic tale aboard the Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic. This novel is atmospheric and has ghosts. How can you go wrong with this tale? “Katsu has a wide cast of characters in this novel, but she balances them very well against the historical details, and the suspense is palpable.” I also loved that the ocean played a major role in this tale and became a character all its own. My review is here.
My final pick in this category is actually a tie:
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, which surprised me because it “pays homage to Austen in a way that many other variations don’t. She understands the Austen characters and their motivations, but in creating her characters and their motivations they are not talking to us as Austen’s characters but fans of Austen’s words, her thoughts, her dream.” It also doesn’t hurt that Richard Armitage narrated this audiobook. My review is here.
Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl edited by Christina Boyd is a collection of short stories that skillfully depict the inner thoughts and character of Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet in a variety of modern and historical periods and situations. These stories hit it “out of the park with a range of angst, love, prejudice, and pride.” My review is here.
Top Poetry:
Raising King by Joseph Ross demonstrates the strength of compassion and empathy as a way forward in building a community that will no longer tear at its own foundations and rise up. My review is here.
Girls Like Us by Elizabeth Hazen explores female identity, speaking to the harmful tropes and labels of society. It is a “map in the darkness …” on a road to healing. My review is here.
My Name is Immigrant by Wang Ping is ripe with ghosts who haunt these pages. The collection “haunts, sings, rages, and breathes.” My review is here.
The poetry selections were tough for me this year, because I originally had 8 collections on my list. I pared it down to these three.
What were your favorite reads from 2020? I can always use recommendations (or can I?)
Source: Publisher
Veronica and the Volcano by Geoffrey Cook, illustrated by Gabrielle Shamsey for review.
The Adventures of Taxi Dog: Maxi and the Bark in the Dark by Bill Kroyer, illustrated by Todd Dakins for review.
As Close as I Can by Toni Stern for review.
Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues by Joana Starnes, Amy D’Orazio, Katie Oliver, Karen M Cox, Jenetta James, Beau North, J. Marie Croft, Christina Morland, Lona Manning, and Brooke West which I purchased.
