I tried writing this over the weekend and for some reason (I do not know what I did!) I lost everything. Fortunately I didn't get very far, but I had a nice intro I cannot remember because... out on the paper, out of mind or something like that. Anyway, without further ado, here are the books that I loved in 2020 - in no particular order, I do not think I'd be able to make a top in order because it's hard to compare books like that. Overall, 2020 was a mediocre reading year (3.1 stars average).
Starting with the best non-fiction books I read last year. Both books have an amazing structure and they avoid doing what some non-fiction books do a lot: they do not repeat themselves endlessly! I read somewhere that usually non-fiction books are just an author's entry ticket to fancy talks and conferences, which is probably why some non-fiction books could be summarized in an article. This is not the case for these two:
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, PhD. I finished this book last month and I will write a review of it soon because it is one of those books that everyone should read. It's a big book, quite stuffy, yet the information is easily approachable and for someone who does not like sleeping, it really taught me why it is important to sleep and have a good sleep, not only a few hours. I loved it.
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Remi Eddo-Lodge. Another great book that should be read by everyone. I kinda wrote a review of it on my previous blog - I will soon move the review on this blog.
Next on my list, two dystopian novels, also quite similar - some people become empty vessels in both of them.
Never Let Met Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I saw the film many many years ago before knowing it was a book. But that did not affect my enjoyment of the story even though I imagine it's more fun to go into this book not knowing, as things seem so normal yet there's that eerie feeling in the air that things are not what they seem. It's a slow book, do not imagine a YA dystopia. I do not think I can talk about this book without revealing stuff. So just read it! I want to rewatch the film again and write about the two of them together.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This book! Ah, scared me. It was hard to read because all I could think about is how this could become reality very easily. I also wrote a review of this one on my previous blog and I will bring it on this blog soon.
Before we jump into the genre that brought me the most joy last year (the rest four books are in that genre, or variations of it), let's talk about these two books that kinda have nothing in common (it wasn't my plan to combine books until now, but it's how the top went):
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. I cried. I cried a lot. It reminded me of my teenage years. It's a coming of age character driven book and it's simply beautiful. I wrote a review of it on my previous blog, I will move it on this one in the future.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. This is a small book, a quick read, but not necessarily a light read. The author has a talent to bring out all these uncomfortable parts of society - especially in the Japanese society. It's a heavy feeling kind of book. It's about a woman who is happy, the problem is she doesn't fit society's idea of how a life should be and all the society pressure determines her to try a "normal" life. Maybe I will write a review of it, although I am not sure how. I started another book by Sayaka Murata last year but it was, yet again, dealing with uncomfortable themes and I had to stop (I was on my honeymoon), but I will pick up that book again. // I own this book but I also received it for review.
And now, probably the most enjoyed genre of the year for: mystery thrillers. Proper thrillers, just a mystery, maybe a crime novel (by the Queen of Crime) and everything remotely close to this genre. I pretty much loved them all.
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. Liane Moriarty was probably my favourite author discovered in 2019 - only read one book, was impressed, so I had to read another book of hers in 2020 too. And I loved it again! Moriarty has a way of creating real beautiful and imperfect characters. Unfortunately I did not write a review of this book and I am not sure it would be possible for me to write one. It's really hard to talk about Liane Moriarty's books. It's a slow burn kind of book, so don't expect a thrilling mystery. I was intrigued, but it might not be for everyone. What happened at that barbecue? We try to piece everything together while we learn more about the characters and their backstories.
Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison. If a slow burn mystery is not for you, then how about a multiple POV mystery with unreliable narrators? Oh, this one is simply addictive from the first line! Sometimes the couple who seems to have it all, has more issues than you can imagine. Then one day the wife disappears leaving behind only one note: do not look for me!
And let's end with two more mysteries! I realized that in the modern sense of a thriller mystery I only have one book (Lie to Me), as Truly Madly Guilty is hard to describe as a genre, it's definitely a mystery but the focus is a lot on the characters as humans and the relationships between them.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. This is a minimalist mystery. The writing is minimalist, the images created are fantastic though. It's more similar to Truly Madly Guildy than an usual mystery thriller. It's about humans and the relationships between them. And I won't talk more about it because I already wrote a review of it here!
Nemesis by Agatha Christie. And how else to end this top if not with a crime mystery from my favourite author Agatha Christie? To be honest, I read more Agatha Christie novels last year and most of them got a 5 star rating from me, but since I am only picking 10 books for this top, I went with Nemesis because I love Miss Marple. (I also reread And Then There Were None, which is my absolute favourite Agatha Christie novel!) In Nemesis, Miss Marple received a letter from a recently deceased friend (who we met in another novel, but you can totally read this one without the context of their friendship) who urges here to solve an old crime, but he does not give her any more details. It was such a fun read. All of her books are fun and I cannot wait to read her autobiography this year!
And now, for the honourable mentions - which I will mostly only mention and not go into details regarding the stories inside (you can always check my Goodreads reviews):
In the category of manga/graphic novels, we have:
There Are Things I Can't Tell You by Edako Mofumofu, a one shot yaoi manga (one shot - just one volume, yaoi - boy love) that deals with internalized homophobia. There were a lot of feelings and the art is amazing. // Received for review.
The Old Geezers (Vol 1) by Wilfred Lupano and Paul Cauuet, an European graphic novel like only French can do: charming, witty and a lot of fun. French comics are something very dear to my heart. I absolutely love the art and the humour. And I wish the other volumes get translated fast! // Received for review.
For non-fiction/self-help category we have:
Moon Bath: Bathing Rituals and Recipes for Relaxation and Vitality by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear, a non-fiction book about baths? Oh, yeah, baby! I love bubble baths. I grew up with bubble baths, my mum took a bubble bath every Sunday (no exception), my grandma took bubble baths with grandpa... so, it runs in the family, people! We love our bubble baths and Moon Bath was written for me! It shares bathing rituals, but also talks about moon phases, journaling prompts and other relaxation rituals.
The Vagina Book: An Owner's Manual for Taking Care of Your Down There by Thinx - if you have a vagina, you need this! It's an amazing book talking about everything: menstrual cycle, menopause and more! It also includes essays about sex ed, sexual workers and more.
Category is: Books for Kids! I only have one book because my other kids favourites are quite sad as books and I wanted to only share this one because it brought me a lot of joy and we need more joy in 2021! If you really want to know about the sad ones, check out A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story by Caren Stelson, illustrations by Akira Kusaka (it's about the bombing of Nagasaki, the art is gorgeous and the art made me cry) and The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrations by Khoa Le (it's about poverty and the illustrations can be framed).
But let's talk about my favourite of 2020: Your House, My House by Marianne Dubuc. THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH FUN! It will entertain kids for hours - it entertained me for hours! It's pure joy. The story? It's Little Rabbit's birthday. The fun? You can see what Little Rabbit's friends and their families are doing in their countries and on each pages things are changing - and you get little details that have nothing to do with the main story, but tell a story of their own. This book is a gem!
And last, but not least - the category is: Memoir, More or Less:
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig. I had to mention this book one more time, right? It kept me company while I was going through my I-hate-everything-but-especially-capitalism-and-social-media phase, so I had to. I wrote a review of it here.
And the book I finished in the last day of the year: Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes. Part memoir, part self-help book, this was a really nice read (and I listened to the audiobook, read but Shonda herself). I love how honest she is and how she doesn't mind that you might disagree with her opinions. It's quite inspiring.
That's all, dear readers. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, but as I said it was a pretty mediocre year. Hopefully 2021 will be better, although I already DNFed two books - almost instant 1 star and yesterday finished another 1 star read. It's only January, so no panic!