My 2020 Reading Wrap Up

Before 2021 is also suddenly over, I wanted to use the new year to reflect on what I read in 2020. Despite the many obstacles and challenges that the global pandemic presented to us, it also provided a lot of us with a gift we are rarely given: time. For the first time in a long while I found myself with not a lot to do but a quite a lot of time to fill. When I wasn’t binge watching the entirety of Netflix or mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, I actually manged to pick up a few books. I really enjoyed reading without the distraction and chaos of ordinary life. It definitely provided me with much more opportunity to dwell and reflect on the stories I read. My favourite way to read is to finish a book in one sitting but I can rarely do this around other commitments. I really enjoyed being able to sit and read without constantly eyeing the clock and having to abandon a book mid-page. It’s rare I’ll be given this opportunity again, so I am happy that I made the most of a difficult year.

In total, I read 30 books in 2020. Which is not a lot compared to many reading fanatics, but for me this was a big achievement. I think it’ll be even more impressive and incredibly unlikely that I beat this number in future years unless I can somehow make reading my full-time job!

 

All the Books I Read in 2020:

January

Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic by The British Library (4/5 stars)

February

This Dress Has Pockets by Hannah Swingler (4/5 stars)

March

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (5/5 stars)

May

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (4.5/5 stars)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (4.5/5 stars)

Solitaire by Alice Oseman (2/5 stars)

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (4/5 stars)

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (4.5/5 stars)

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (5/5 stars)

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman (3/5 stars)

June

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (3/5 stars)

My Sister the Serial Killer (3/5 stars)

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (4/5 stars)

August

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (4.5/5 stars)

September

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Illustrated Edition by JK Rowling and Jim Kay (5/5 stars)

October

Blankets by Craig Thompson (5/5 stars)

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (3.5/5 stars)

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (4/5 stars)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (4/5 stars)

Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (3/5 stars)

November

Sheets by Brenna Thummler (4/5 stars)

Fangirl Vol 1: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell, Sam Maggs and Gabi Nam (5/5 stars)

December

With Malice by Eileen Cook (2/5 stars)

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill (5/5 stars)

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (5/5 stars)

Giant Days Vol 1 by John Allison and Lissa Treiman (3/5 stars)

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (3.5/5 stars)

Heartstopper Vol 1 by Alice Oseman (5/5 stars)

Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman (5/5 stars)

Heartstopper Vol 3 by Alice Oseman (5/5 stars)

 

Genres

I think what interests me most about this list is the different genres I hadn’t really read before. Most notable of all is my new-found love of graphic novels. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to discover this passion, but I am so grateful to have found it. I feel like I have discovered a love for reading all over again and uncovered this whole new world of novels that I know nothing about. It has been so exciting to familiarise myself with different kinds of graphic novels and discover what I like. I think most of all they have shown me that you can still enjoy reading even when you cannot stand to read a novel. Graphic novels have added a whole new dimension to how I read, allowing me to appreciate new elements of storytelling beyond the language. I can certainly see myself continuing to explore and venture into this genre even further in 2021 and many years to come.

I think this year more than ever has made me much more aware of diversity in literature. I have found myself wanting to read about characters and cultures to learn and educate myself about lives different to my own. I do not claim this list of books to be anywhere near as diverse as it could be, but I would like to acknowledge that it is more inclusive than the last 3 years’ worth of books I’ve read. And that, I believe, is a step closer to where I would like to see my reading list to be. I still remain to choose stories that interest and intrigue me, however, I aim to support authors and independent publishers from a diverse range of backgrounds. This is something I have always cared about deeply but would like to make a priority in the years to come.

I also feel a much greater sense of freedom in regard to what I choose to read. In my teenage years I think I was more reserved about what I read in fear of judgment from others. However, I feel as though I have reached a point in my life where I no longer care about others’ opinions about what I read, so long as I am enjoying what I read. Because of this, I can definitely see myself exploring even more niche and specific genres. I enjoy reading adult fiction, but I also still really enjoy reading young adult fiction. I also want to read more poetry, plays and short stories as these genres seem to have been neglected in 2020. So I will continue to read whatever brings me joy whenever I want to read it!

 

Authors

As for my favourite authors of the year, Taylor Jenkins Reid truly stands out in this list. Despite reading only two of her novels earlier in 2020, they still live very vividly in my mind. I love her writing style and portrayal of celebrity culture in each of the decades that these novels are set. I don’t think I expected these novels to live up to the hype surrounding them but somehow both still exceeded my expectations. I am so very excited to read Taylor Jenkins Reid’s next novel Malibu Rising in 2021 as I’m sure it will grow on her mastery of storytelling even further than her previous novels.

Another author that has the largest presence on this list with 6 books is Alice Oseman. I think I first bought Solitaire and Radio Silence after they were recommended to me back in 2017 and I cannot believe it has taken me 3 years to get round to reading these! I absolutely adore Alice Oseman’s characters more than any other author I’ve read. I think as a young author she is an absolute inspiration to any aspiring teenage writers and such a brilliant role model for diversity and inclusion for all humanity. Radio Silence and Heartstopper are definitely my favourites of her work that I’ve read so far. I am very much interested to see how Alice Oseman’s writing has grown in her latest novel, Loveless, which I very much hope to read at some point in 2021 (as well as Heartstopper Volume 4, of course!).

Other authors on this list include Nina LaCour, whose books I began reading for the first time in 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed We Are Okay and hope to read more of Nina LaCour’s work in the future. Additionally, Rainbow Rowell is also worth mentioning considering I picked up two of her graphic novels this year. I love her witty dialogue and the sunny tone of her books. Her graphic novels have reminded me how much I enjoy her stories and have encouraged me to read more.

 

Top 5 Books I Read in 2020

Without further ado, here my 5 favourite books that I read in 2020. These are in in the order I read them in 2020, as opposed to the order of how much I loved them. I couldn’t possibly rank them against each other because they are all so different and I love them all! You can find reviews for all of these books on my blog.

First of all, Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I loved the transcript form of this book, I loved the themes, I loved the structure of the plot, I loved the characters, I loved the setting. I can’t think of anything I disliked about this book—which is why it has to be in my top 3 books. I think this book is particularly memorable because it was the first novel I had read in a long time. I seemed to have fallen into a bit of a reading slump in 2019 and this seeped into the beginning of 2020. I remember perusing bookshop shelves pre-COVID-19 and simply not feeling excited about reading anything. I felt lost and had no idea what I wanted to read. Then one day, towards the beginning of March, I was scrolling through my TBR on goodreads and stopped at Daisy Jones and The Six. It was first time I felt anything resembling a desire to read so I ordered it immediately. When it arrived, I remember laying on my bed in my student house and read the whole thing cover to cover. I started around lunchtime and the streetlights had turned on outside by the time I finished. It was the first day off from university work I’d given myself for months and I remember feeling such a relief as I was reminded what it felt like to enjoy reading again.

My second favourite book of the year is We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. This was such a beautifully simple story but it brimmed with an incredibly powerful emotional charge. Something about this book really touched me and I couldn’t put it down. I just about remember reading this one mid-lockdown in the garden in the middle of the heatwave in May, but I was so engrossed that I completely forgot where I was. It has really stuck out amongst the flurry of novels I read in this month.

My third favourite book of 2020 is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It’s no secret that this book is fantastic. It’s clever, intricate and nuanced. It was not an easy read and at times I found it extremely difficult to stick with, which is why I want to include it in my favourites. This book was entirely out of my comfort zone and it took me many weeks to get through. And yet, I found the story so fascinating by the end. It felt like an achievement to turn the last page but at the same time I immediately missed reading it. It kept me thinking for weeks afterwards and will be remembered as a masterpiece in many years to come.

My fourth favourite book of the year is Blankets by Craig Thomas. This book had to be mentioned in this list as it the first graphic novel I read and the one which led to me reading all the other graphic novels that I read this year! I think time truly stopped whilst reading this book. I was utterly transported to this land of snowy landscapes and felt all the pain and love on every page. It is such a mesmerising piece of work and it genuinely blew me away. I remember finishing this book in one sitting and wondering whether a minute or a month had passed. I didn’t want it to end and it left me with a slight book-hangover—which is always a good sign!

Finally, my fifth favourite book of 2020 must be Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. I should probably choose a specific volume…but I loved them all equally and they are *technically* speaking all one book! I personally think Heartstopper showcases Alice Oseman’s talents more than any of her novels. It is so sweet and wholesome and cute. I laughed, I cried, but I mostly just grinned like an idiot from volume 1 to volume 3 non-stop. I flew through these at an alarmingly fast rate between Christmas and new year! I often find this time of the year particularly underwhelming after the build up to Christmas, but Heartstopper certainly helped to fill this void in time and ended 2020 perfectly.

Goals for 2021

I don’t usually like setting goals as it often feels like setting myself up for failure! I also think I’ve touched on what I plan to read in 2021 somewhat already. My current Goodreads goal for 2021 is 20 books (although maybe it would be more appropriate to make it 21 books considering it is 2021). Although 10 less books than last year, I think this will still be a big challenge considering I now have a full-time job which limits my opportunity for reading books in one sitting considerably!! But I plan to read many more graphic novels this year which should definitely help. I don’t want to pressure myself to read a certain number of books as I generally like to just read when I feel like it, but I hope a target might encourage me to read rather than gravitate towards the television all the time! As mentioned earlier, I don’t want to limit myself to genres but rather follow whatever I’m craving at the time! But I’m excited to find out what surprises me and which books will become my new favourites.

Thank you for reading if you made it this far!! As always, feel free to follow me on Goodreads for updates on what I’m reading throughout the year. I hope 2021 will be a good reading year for you all!