Reading in 2020

 

BOOKS READ IN 2020

Here, in reverse chronological order, are the books I read in 2020.  You might think that this year would be a bumper year for reading, given all the extra time we spent at home through the year, but actually, much of the time, I didn't really feel inspired to read. Still, I managed to get through a fair number of books, a little below my goal of 100, but not much.  Here are some stats (because I'm like that):

Books re-read: 22

Crime novels: 18

SF/Fantasy/Distopia: 14

Audiobooks: 7

Teen/Young Adult: 15

Children's books: 15

Non-fiction: 4

Favourite Books of the Year are underlined below (and in the collage above) (and as usual, only chosen from among books that were new to me - re-reads don't count in the favourites list)...

• 95: Dreams from my Father, Barack Obama (NF)
• 94: Mr Churchill's Secretary, Susan Elia MacLean (crime, audio)
• 93; The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Abbi Waxman (audio)
• 92: Legacy of the Dead, Charles Todd (crime)
• 91; Normal People, Sally Rooney (audio)
• 90: Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart (re-read)
• 89: Thornyhold, Mary Stewart (re-read)
• 88: The Moonspinners, Mary Stewart (re-read)
• 87: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michelle Richardson (audio)
• 86: The Giant's House, Elizabeth McCracken
• 85: Dash and Lily's 12 Days of Christmas (YA)
• 84: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, David Levithan & Rachel Cohn (YA)
• 83: An Expert in Murder, Nicola Upson (crime)
• 82: Search the Dark, Charles Todd (crime)
• 81: The Girl with All the Gifts, M R Carey (SF/F/Dis)
• 80: The Librarian, Salley Vickers
• 79: The Library of Lost and Found, Phaedra Patrick
• 78: Sorry for the Dead, Nicola Upson (crime)
• 77: The Secret Island, Enid Blyton (chn)
• 76: Overstory, Richard Powers
• 75: Wings of Fire, Charles Todd (crime)
• 74: A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens (audio)
• 73: Venetia, Georgette Heyer (re-read)
• 72: Educated, Tara Westover (audio, NF)
• 71: The Power, Naomi Alderman (SF/F/Dis)
• 70: Kingdom of the Blind, Louise Penny (crime)
• 69: Hillbilly Elegy, J D Vance (NF)
• 68: Song of the Dolphin Boy, Elizabeth Laird (chn)
• 67: The Dutch House, Ann Patchett
• 66: The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom (audio. NF)
• 65: A Test of Wills, Charles Todd (crime)
• 64: Kick, Mitch Johnson (chn)
• 63: Big Sky, Kate Atkinson
• 62: The Last, Hanna Jameson
• 61: Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
• 60: Rose Cottage, Mary Stewart
• 59: Morning Star, Pierce Brown (SF/F/Dis)
• 58:Golden Son, Pierce Brown (SF/F/Dis)
• 57: This Rough Magic, Mary Stewart (re-read)
• 56: Debts of Dishonour, Jill Paton Walsh (crime)
• 55: My Brother Michael, Mary Stewart (re-read)
• 54: The Boy Who Hit Play, Chloe Daykin (chn)
• 53: Stormy Petrel, Mary Stewart (re-read)
• 52: The Singer's Gun, Emily St John Mandel
• 51: Open Road Summer, Emery Lord (YA, re-read)
• 50: The Names they Gave Us, Emery Lord (YA, re-read)
• 49: The Map from Here to There, Emery Lord (YA)
• 48: The Start of Me & You, Emery Lord (YA, re-read)
• 47: A Piece of Justice, Jill Paton Walsh (crime)
• 46: Goldenhand, Garth Nix (SF/F/Dis, Re-read)
• 45: Abhorsen, Garth Nix (SF/F/Dis, re-read)
• 44: Lirael, Garth Nix (SF/F/Dis, re-read)
• 43: Sabriel, Garth Nix (SF/F/Dis, re-read)
• 42: The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
• 41: Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor (SF/F/Dis)
• 40: Wonder, R J Palacio (chn, re-read)
• 39: One of Us is Next, Karen McManus (YA, crime)
• 38: Blood from a Stone, Donna Leon (crime)
• 37: Watership Down, Richard Adams (re-read)
• 36: The Wyndham Case, Jill Paton Walsh (crime)
• 35: The City in the Middle of the Night, Charlie Jane Anders (SF/F/Dis)
• 34: Secrets of a Sun King, Emma Carroll (chn)
• 33: Toffee, Sarah Crossan (YA)
• 32: The Golden Cage, J D Oswald (SF/F/Dis)
• 31: Call of the Wild, Jack London
• 30: Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer (chn)
• 29: Pig Heart Boy, Malorie Blackman (chn)
• 28: The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill (chn)
• 27: Warlight, Michael Ondaatje
• 26: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, C A Fletcher (SF/F/Dis, YA)
• 25: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Toshikazu Kawaguchi
• 24: The Wolf and the Watchman, Niklas Natt och Dog (crime)
• 23: Tales of Terror, Chris Priestly (re-read, chn)
• 22: Skellig, David Almond (re-read, chn)
• 21: Unsheltered, Barbara Kingsolver
• 20: The Heroine's Sister, Frances Murray (re-read)
• 19: Summer of the Dragon, Elizabeth Peters (re-read)
• 18: Tom's Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce (chn)
• 17: Unwind, Neal Shusterman (YA, SF/F/Dis)
• 16: Auggie & Me, R J Palacio (chn)
• 15: Heart of a Samurai, Maggie Preus (chn)
• 14: The Collini Case, Ferdinand von Schirach (crime)
• 13: A Pinch of Magic, Michelle Harrison (chn)
• 12: Tiger Heart, Penny Chrimes (chn)
• 11: The Rose Cord, J D Oswald (YA, SF/F/Dis)
• 10: History of the Rain, Niall Williams
• 9: The Venetian Masquerade, Philip Gwynne Jones (crime)
• 8: One of Us is Lying, Karen McManus (YA, crime)
• 7: Transcription, Kate Atkinson
• 6: Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield
• 5: Clock Dance, Anne Tyler
• 4: Doctored Evidence, Donna Leon (crime)
• 3: Bitterblue, Kristin Cashore (SF/F/Dis, YA, re-read)
• 2: Fire, Kristin Cashore (SF/F/Dis, YA, re-read)
• 1: Graceling, Kristin Cashore (SF/F/Dis, YA, re-read)