2020 was a lot. I think that is a safe statement for every person on the planet. Last year, my Year in Review post was singular. This year, I want to cover it in three parts: Reading, Writing, and Personal. We experienced a lot in every arena. To that end, let’s start with the reading aspect of my year.
Filling the Well
The Well, so to speak, was in high gear. There was a lot in and a lot out (we’ll cover the out in my next post). I have never read as many books in one year as I did in 2020. In fact, I read more books in 2020 than in ’18 and ’19, and almost more than in ’17 as well. It was a BANGING year for reading. Here’s a few statistics about my reading this past year:
- 100 books
- 47 Authors
- 87 Audiobooks, 13 Physical and eBooks
- 1 1-Star, 1 2-Star, 11 3-Star, 53 4-Star, 34 5-Star
Top 10 Books
- #10 How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman
- #9 The Morning Star by Debra Dunbar
- #8 Walkaway by Cory Doctorow
- #7 Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
- #6 Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
- #5 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
- #4 Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger
- #3 The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
- #2 The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
And the #1 6-Star Book of the Year is…
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab!
That makes 3 of the last 5 6-Star Books of the Year written by V.E. Schwab. She’s an incredible author, one of my all-time favorites. Addie was a unique book from her, even by her own admission. It was an unbelievable character story unlike any of her previous works. I recommend it to ANYONE, regardless of your genre of choice.
As for the other books, Locke Lamora was outstanding in its construction, clever in its execution, and has me chomping at the bit for the rest of the series. I’m glad a good friend recommended it. Mount Char was a wild adventure ride with an explosive culmination. Nightshade Lounge was so clever and exciting with its pairing of drinks with superpowers; they even made sense somehow. Evelyn was an awesome time loop story that took me a minute to get into but never let go. Beyond the Shadows was the culmination of the Night Angel trilogy and had a surprising climax that was so satisfying. Beneath the Sugar Sky was the highest point of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series to date and really moved me. Walkaway was a thought-provoking generational story coupled with the restructuring of values when food scarcity ceases to exist. The Morning Star was the final book in Dunbar’s Imp series and had a surprising climax as well after a long, creative journey. Lastly, Gaiman’s Marquis was a short story follow up to Neverwhere that was more fun and whimsical than the novel itself.
Audiobooks revolutionized my reading and will continue to be the crux of my reading goals. This year, I do want to read more physical and eBooks and have started off on the right foot by finishing Circle of Ashes by Elise Kova and Lynn Larsh, a book I started four months ago. I’d like to increase that pace. Based on last year’s performance, my 2021 Reading Goal is ANOTHER 100 books. I’ll figure out the stretch goal after that. Now, that’s a book every 3 days. It’s going to be intense, but I’m committed to reading a lot more. It’s going to make me a better reader.
The Full List
Below is the full list of what I read last year. Feel free to move on if that’s not interesting to you. Beyond that, my next post will cover my 2020 reading accomplishments. Be well, everyone, and happy New Year.
| Number | Title | Author | Start | End | Rating |
| 1 | Predator’s Gold | Philip Reeve | 12/30/19 | 01/08/20 | 4 |
| 2 | Infernal Devices | Philip Reeve | 01/08/20 | 01/09/20 | 4 |
| 3 | A Darkling Plain | Philip Reeve | 01/14/20 | 01/16/20 | 5 |
| 4 | The Way of Shadows | Brent Weeks | 01/16/20 | 02/08/20 | 5 |
| 5 | The Coaching Habit | Michael Bungay Stanier | 02/14/20 | 02/14/20 | 5 |
| 6 | How to Say Anything to Anyone | Shari Harley | 02/14/20 | 02/14/20 | 4 |
| 7 | Painless Performance Conversations | Marnie E. Green | 02/14/20 | 02/14/20 | 4 |
| 8 | The Lies of Locke Lamora | Scott Lynch | 01/05/20 | 02/21/20 | 5 |
| 9 | Shadow’s Edge | Brent Weeks | 02/13/20 | 02/23/20 | 5 |
| 10 | Letters to a Young Poet | Maria Rilke Rainer | 02/21/20 | 02/29/20 | 5 |
| 11 | Night Flights | Philip Reeve | 03/03/20 | 03/03/20 | 4 |
| 12 | Beyond the Shadows | Brent Weeks | 02/23/20 | 03/03/20 | 5 |
| 13 | I, Night Angel | Brent Weeks | 02/29/20 | 03/11/20 | 5 |
| 14 | Prince of Gods | Elise Kova | 03/11/20 | 03/11/20 | 4 |
| 15 | Walkaway | Cory Doctorow | 03/03/20 | 03/12/20 | 5 |
| 16 | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Marriage | Stephen R. Covey | 03/12/20 | 03/12/20 | 5 |
| 17 | The Last Necromancer | C.J. Archer | 03/13/20 | 03/19/20 | 4 |
| 18 | Her Majesty’s Necromancer | C.J. Archer | 03/20/20 | 03/22/20 | 4 |
| 19 | Beyond the Grave | C.J. Archer | 03/23/20 | 03/30/20 | 3 |
| 20 | The Case of the Somewhat Mythic Sword | Garth Nix | 03/24/20 | 04/01/20 | 4 |
| 21 | The Librarian | Christy Sloat | 03/31/20 | 04/06/20 | 4 |
| 22 | The Archivist | Christy Sloat | 04/06/20 | 04/09/20 | 4 |
| 23 | The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle | Stuart Turton | 04/11/20 | 04/25/20 | 5 |
| 24 | The Midnight Sea | Kat Ross | 04/25/20 | 05/02/20 | 4 |
| 25 | Blood of the Prophet | Kat Ross | 05/02/20 | 05/06/20 | 4 |
| 26 | Little Free Library | Naomi Kritzer | 05/10/20 | 05/10/20 | 5 |
| 27 | Go Fish | Ian Rogers | 05/11/20 | 05/11/20 | 5 |
| 28 | Queen of Chaos | Kat Ross | 05/06/20 | 05/12/20 | 4 |
| 29 | The Fourth Element Trilogy | Kat Ross | 04/25/20 | 05/12/20 | 4 |
| 30 | An Explorer’s Cartography of Already Settled Lands | Fran Wilde | 05/11/20 | 05/12/20 | 4 |
| 31 | The Indie Author Mindset | Adam L. Croft | 05/12/20 | 05/15/20 | 5 |
| 32 | Every Heart a Doorway | Seanan McGuire | 05/16/20 | 05/16/20 | 5 |
| 33 | Down Among the Sticks and Bones | Seanan McGuire | 05/16/20 | 05/17/20 | 5 |
| 34 | Beneath the Sugar Sky | Seanan McGuire | 05/17/20 | 05/19/20 | 5 |
| 35 | In an Absent Dream | Seanan McGuire | 05/19/20 | 05/22/20 | 5 |
| 36 | The Ballad of Songbirds an Snakes | Suzanne Collins | 05/22/20 | 05/26/20 | 4 |
| 37 | The Last Kingdom | Bernard Cornwell | 05/26/20 | 05/29/20 | 3 |
| 38 | The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps | Kai Ashante Wilson | 06/03/20 | 06/03/20 | 3 |
| 39 | Patchwerk | David Tallerman | 06/04/20 | 06/04/20 | 4 |
| 40 | The Princess and the Goblin | George MacDonald | 06/06/20 | 06/06/20 | 4 |
| 41 | The Princess and Curdie | George MacDonald | 06/07/20 | 06/07/20 | 4 |
| 42 | Inside a Silver Box | Walter Mosley | 06/14/20 | 06/14/20 | 4 |
| 43 | Ulysses | James Joyce | 06/15/20 | 06/15/20 | 1 |
| 44 | A Demon Bound | Debra Dunbar | 06/15/20 | 06/20/20 | 4 |
| 45 | Satan’s Sword | Debra Dunbar | 06/20/20 | 06/25/20 | 4 |
| 46 | Elven Blood | Debra Dunbar | 06/25/20 | 06/27/20 | 5 |
| 47 | Devil’s Paw | Debra Dunbar | 06/27/20 | 07/10/20 | 5 |
| 48 | Imp Forsaken | Debra Dunbar | 07/10/20 | 07/13/20 | 5 |
| 49 | Angel of Chaos | Debra Dunbar | 07/13/20 | 07/16/20 | 4 |
| 50 | The Naughty List | Debra Dunbar | 07/16/20 | 07/20/20 | 4 |
| 51 | Kingdom of Lies | Debra Dunbar | 07/18/20 | 07/20/20 | 4 |
| 52 | Exodus | Debra Dunbar | 07/24/20 | 07/26/20 | 4 |
| 53 | A Thousand Years of War | Robert Brooks | 07/26/20 | 07/27/20 | 4 |
| 54 | Beyond the Dragon’s Gate | Yoon Ha Lee | 07/28/20 | 07/28/20 | 4 |
| 55 | Queen of the Damned | Debra Dunbar | 07/26/20 | 07/30/20 | 4 |
| 56 | The Morning Star | Debra Dunbar | 07/30/20 | 08/01/20 | 5 |
| 57 | Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | Jules Verne | 08/01/20 | 08/06/20 | 3 |
| 58 | Etherwalker | Cameron Dayton | 08/06/20 | 08/09/20 | 4 |
| 59 | The Destroyer | Michael-Scott Earle | 08/09/20 | 08/14/20 | 4 |
| 60 | The Ash-Born Boy | V.E. Schwab | 08/15/20 | 08/15/20 | 5 |
| 61 | The Near Witch | V.E. Schwab | 08/14/20 | 08/15/20 | 5 |
| 62 | New Beginnings | V.E. Schwab | 08/15/20 | 08/16/20 | 4 |
| 63 | Second Chances | V.E. Schwab | 08/16/20 | 08/17/20 | 4 |
| 64 | Last Wishes | V.E. Schwab | 08/17/20 | 08/18/20 | 4 |
| 65 | The Everyday Angel Collection | V.E. Schwab | 08/15/20 | 08/18/20 | 4 |
| 66 | Society of Wishes | Elise Kova | 03/11/20 | 08/19/20 | 4 |
| 67 | Imager | L.E. Modesitt Jr. | 08/18/20 | 08/29/20 | 4 |
| 68 | Imager’s Challenge | L.E. Modesitt Jr. | 08/29/20 | 09/12/20 | 3 |
| 69 | The Library at Mount Char | Scott Hawkins | 09/12/20 | 09/19/20 | 5 |
| 70 | Talon | Julie Kagawa | 09/19/20 | 09/23/20 | 4 |
| 71 | Rogue | Julie Kagawa | 09/23/20 | 09/26/20 | 4 |
| 72 | Soldier | Julie Kagawa | 09/26/20 | 09/28/20 | 4 |
| 73 | Legion | Julie Kagawa | 09/28/20 | 09/29/20 | 4 |
| 74 | Inferno | Julie Kagawa | 09/29/20 | 10/02/20 | 5 |
| 75 | Something Strange and Deadly | Susan Dennard | 10/02/20 | 10/12/20 | 4 |
| 76 | A Dawn Most Wicked | Susan Dennard | 10/13/20 | 10/16/20 | 5 |
| 77 | A Darkness Strange and Lovely | Susan Dennard | 10/17/20 | 10/17/20 | 4 |
| 78 | Art Matters | Neil Gaiman | 10/13/20 | 10/17/20 | 5 |
| 79 | Strange and Ever After | Susan Dennard | 10/17/20 | 10/20/20 | 4 |
| 80 | Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman | 10/20/20 | 10/23/20 | 3 |
| 81 | How the Marquis Got His Coat Back | Neil Gaiman | 10/23/20 | 10/24/20 | 5 |
| 82 | Ever the Hunted | Erin Summerill | 10/24/20 | 10/25/20 | 4 |
| 83 | Ever the Brave | Erin Summerill | 10/05/20 | 11/01/20 | 4 |
| 84 | Once a King | Erin Summerill | 11/01/20 | 11/04/20 | 4 |
| 85 | Ruined | Amy Tintera | 11/04/20 | 11/07/20 | 4 |
| 86 | Avenged | Amy Tintera | 11/07/20 | 11/08/20 | 5 |
| 87 | Allied | Amy Tintera | 11/08/20 | 11/09/20 | 5 |
| 88 | The Bird and the Sword | Amy Harmon | 11/09/20 | 11/12/20 | 4 |
| 89 | We Ride Forth | Robert Brooks | 11/21/20 | 11/30/20 | 5 |
| 90 | The Queen and the Cure | Amy Harmon | 11/12/20 | 12/03/20 | 4 |
| 91 | Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge | Paul Krueger | 12/03/20 | 12/04/20 | 5 |
| 92 | The Sleeper Awakes | H.G. Wells | 12/04/20 | 12/07/20 | 2 |
| 93 | Nightblade | Garrett Robinson | 12/10/20 | 12/11/20 | 3 |
| 94 | The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue | V.E. Schwab | 10/06/20 | 12/15/20 | 6! |
| 95 | Mystic | Garrett Robinson | 12/11/20 | 12/18/20 | 3 |
| 96 | Darkfire | Garrett Robinson | 12/18/20 | 12/22/20 | 3 |
| 97 | The Nightblade Epic First Trilogy Set | Garrett Robinson | 12/10/20 | 12/22/20 | 3 |
| 98 | Reboot | Amy Tintera | 12/22/20 | 12/23/20 | 4 |
| 99 | Rebel | Amy Tintera | 12/23/20 | 12/29/20 | 4 |
| 100 | Prince of Thorns | Mark Lawrence | 12/29/20 | 12/31/20 | 3 |
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG