Skip to main content

A Look Back at 2020

2020. It felt more like a decade at times. I know people would love to forget about 2020, leave the past in the past and just move on but it was an extraordinary year in terms of reading. On January 1st 2020, I set my personal reading goal for the year: 100 books. I thought to myself, “I read 130 books last year but I am going to be much busier this year so 100 books is a totally reasonable and achievable goal.” As it turned out, I went into quarantine in March which led to me reading all the time. I hit my 100 books goal sometime around the end of July. Due to quarantine, I read a total of 153 books in 2020, a little more that 150% of my initial goal.

Reading Statistics

Books Read: 153 books

Pages Read: 51,070 pages

Average Pages Per Book: 333 pages

Average Pages Read Per Day: 139.54 pages

Average Rating: 3.2 out of 5 stars.


Out of all the books that I read and reviewed this year (My 2020 Reviews), I wanted to share my top ten books of 2020. In order to narrow down the list to only 10 books, I made the decision to have only one book from a series. Otherwise I would have three or four books that are all a part of the same series taking up spots on this list when there were so many books that deserved those spots.

Number 10: The Dangerous World of Butterflies

The Dangerous World of Butterflies is a look at the scientists, smugglers, and law enforcement officials that are obsessed with one of the world’s most beautiful and delicate creatures. This book made the list because of how unique and thought provoking it is as I would have never expected to read the words international criminal and butterflies in the same sentence.

Number 9: Save the Date

A wholesome and chaotic comedy! Save the Date is on this list because it is one of the many books that I read this year which made me happy. My favorite thing about this book was the portrayal of the main character’s family. Save the Date is the perfect book to read after a long and tiring day. 

Number 8: Strange Angels

Strange Angels is probably the darkest book on this list. After all it features all kinds of supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves and ghosts. Strange Angels makes this list at #8 because of how fast paced the action in the book is. In fact the whole series is filled with fast action as well as many twists and turns. A wonderful book for fantasy/horror fans. 

Number 7: Rapture

When I sat down to make this list, I was honestly surprised to see the Rapture was this high on my list. But then after thinking about it I realized that it deserves this spot because it is a nearly flawless ending to a series that could have ended in so many different ways. A satisfying ending is precious and Rapture delivers a wonderful ending to the Fallen series.

Number 6: An Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason

A story of star-crossed love, betrayals, spies, and mistaken identity. What’s not to love? An Assassin’s Guide to Love and Treason is at #6 on this list because it is a unique and well-written piece of historical fiction. I do not usually read historical fiction because I don’t like it as much but I really enjoyed this book.

Number 5: The Language of Butterflies

A humorous and thorough overview of butterflies and their importance in our lives. The Language of Butterflies is most aptly described as a butterfly biography and it's on this list because I learned so much from it. A must read for anyone who is interested in learning more about butterflies. 

Number 4: The Supervillain and Me

The perfect read for lovers of rom-coms and superheroes! The Supervillain and Me is a simple and mostly lighthearted story filled with secret identity shenanigans and I had to include it on this list because it is a dream come true for me since I love superheroes and rom-coms.

Number 3: Breaking Sky

Breaking Sky is a high flying thriller with even higher stakes. It is an amazing book that not only has fast paced action and a unique story but also great character development. I couldn’t bear to have this book any lower than #3.

Number 2: Front Lines

Picking a book for this position was the hardest for me. Not because I was having a hard time picking between which book is better between this one and the next but because every single book in the Front Lines series is amazing. So the tough part was picking between Front Lines, Silver Stars, and Purple Hearts. I was able to eliminate Silver Stars but then I was at a loss because Purple Hearts is a teeny tiny bit better than Front Lines but it is also the last book in the series while Front Lines is the first. As you can see I ultimately chose to go with Front Lines because it is the first book in the series and you would have to read the first book in order to appreciate the other two. Front Lines is an amazing story of an alternate universe where the US drafted men and women for World War II. The characters are strong and well developed, the pacing of the story is perfect, the action seems so realistic, honestly I could go on forever. I recommend it to everyone. 

And now for the best book of 2020: drumroll please...
....
....
....
....

Number 1: The Stories of Ibis

The Stories of Ibis is a hidden gem that I discovered and I have not been able to stop gushing about it ever since. It is a story that follows a human storyteller who has been abducted by Ibis, an android. Ibis tells the human, seven stories about the development of artificial intelligence from the 20th century to the 21st century. The stories told by Ibis are wonderful, the overall arc of the book is perfect, and the way that Hiroshi Yamamoto has fit everything together is amazing. If I was only allowed to recommend one book, it is whole-heartedly this one. It is the best book that I have read in the past 5 years, if not in my whole life. 

Putting this list together was harder than I thought it would be but I also had a lot of fun looking back at all the books that I read this year. Here’s to another year of extraordinary reading and discovering hidden gems!

Comments

  1. It's amazing speed of reading.. Unbelievable.. And you wrote summary of every book after reading.
    Congratulations for achieving the goal of more than 150 %...!!
    Now I am very curious to know your goal of this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much!

      My goal for this year is once again 100 books. I am definitely going to be busier this year even with the social distancing so I don't think I will have as much time to read.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

The Dangerous World of Butterflies by Peter Laufer

Peter Laufer used to believe that butterflies and flowers are an analogy for tranquility. He needed an answer for a persistent question and as a journalist he was tired of war and the horrible things in the world, so on a whim Peter Laufer said he was going to write about butterflies. Little did he know that an American lady living in Nicaragua would take him seriously and invite him to her little piece of land to begin exploring the world of butterflies. Peter Laufer had no idea what a treacherous world he was about to step into.  The Dangerous World of Butterflies is this story of exploration. Peter Laufer discovers collectors, criminals, and cops all obsessed with these tiny and miraculous creatures. He explores the roles of butterflies in history and different cultures’ mythology and art. He stumbles into stories of organized crime, ecological devastation, and a growing list of endangered butterflies. Your garden, the creatures in it, and the world will not look the same to

Life of Pi by: Yann Martel

A cargo ship sinks in the Pacific and all that remains is one lonely lifeboat. The lifeboat's crew is: a hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, an orangutan, a Bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker, and Pi, an Indian boy. As the crew members begin to assert their places in the food chain, Pi has to focus on getting to the top and how to deal with a Bengal tiger that grows hungrier by the day. Will Pi survive an impossible journey? At the mention of Life of Pi  most people begin to gush about how amazing the movie was and how much they loved it. Followed by their shock at the fact that I haven't seen it yet. My reason? My general experience has been that reading the book is a more enjoyable experience than watching the movie. The book is usually richer in terms of content, context, and backstories. I didn't want to spoil the experience of reading the book by watching the movie. Life of Pi  sat on my to-read list patiently waiting and I finally go to it when an extra cr

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

According to Kate's friends at school and at church, Kate has always been a good girl. Maybe too good. But little do they know about the secret that she carries. This summer Kate is a counselor at Cumberland Creek, a Christian camp. Surprisingly, this summer Matt is also a counselor, but he isn't the nerdy kid he used to be. Matt is flirty and he has his eyes on her. Kate used think that life was black and white. Turns out life may not be that simple... I picked up Things I Can't Forget  because it was by Miranda Kenneally. I had really enjoyed Catching Jordan , Stealing Parker , and Racing Savannah  (all by Miranda Kenneally), so I picked it up. I was a bit apprehensive to read it because of the fact that Kate is a church goer. I expected a lot of messages of faith, and things like that. But Miranda Kenneally kept it to a minimum. Another reason I liked Things I Can't Forget  was because I got to see Kate transform and grow up and mature. I would give Things I C