BEST BOOKS OF 2020
Well somehow I lost track of time and it's been 3 months since I've written a post. Whoops. I'm not surprised though. I got super busy with school, work, and applying to PhD programs (again). I did a decent amount of reading, but not a lot. Graphic novels were definitely my saving grace. Somehow, someway, I actually completed by Goodreads reading goal of 50 books. Right now I'm sitting at 80 books completed this year. I might finish a couple more books, but I'm sure those will just be rereads.
Without further ado, here are my favorite books from this year. This list will only include books that I read for the first time, so no rereads (despite the fact that rereads were probably my favorites). So in order from least to best, here are my top ten books of 2020!
10. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
9. Only When It's Us and Always Only You by Chloe Liese
I read two books by Chloe Liese and what I enjoyed about her books is that there is always a main character with some sort of disability, whether it's being deaf, autism, chronic pain, etc. and I thought that kind of representation was incredibly great. I don't often think about how most books portray able-bodied characters so this definitely made me more aware that I should be more diverse with my books in that aspect as well. She is an OWN author, having autism spectrum disorder so I think it's great she is able to write such inclusive books.
8. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
This was a quick contemporary read that fit the mood in the summer. The concept was interesting to me and I think the author did a good job of executing it. I don't tend to go for strictly women's literature, but I was a fan of this book.
7. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
I got this book in an OwlCrate box and I'm glad it was included. It took me a while to pick this book up because the timing just never seemed right, but when I was able to get into it, I couldn't put it down. The entire concept behind "bone houses" was cool to me and I'm a sucker for books that have a main girl and guy going on a journey. I could visualize everything in my head as I was reading it and for some reason it was giving me Chronicles of Narnia movie vibes in the way it was projected in my mind.
6. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
This is the second book in the "From Blood and Ash" trilogy (the first book which is higher on this list). As far as sequels go, this was a decent sequel. It was definitely more character driven than plot. It had the feel of a filler episode if that makes sense. Overall I had a good time reading it, I just wish there hadn't been so much smut in it. When I say there was far too much smut, I mean like having sex in the middle of a battlefield of no damn reason.
5. Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Anyone who knows anything about my reading tastes knows by now that I really love Jennifer L. Armentrout's books despite them being so similar to one another and following a formula. This was book two in "The Harbinger" trilogy which is a spin-off of the "White Hot Kiss" trilogy. The book was fast-paced and everything I needed from a JLA book. I can't wait to read the final book because hot damn was that cliffhanger a lot.
4. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
This was the first book I read in 2020 and it absolutely blew me away. I received it in an OwlCrate box and pushed it off before deciding on a whim to pick it up and I'm glad I did. I know this book was hit or miss for a lot of people in the bookish community but I personally loved it. I'm not familiar with the 12 princesses tale that it's based off of, so I can speak to it as a retelling. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the worldbuilding more than I anticipated. It had a spooky vibe to it without it being too much of a horror book, which I appreciated. I just might have to reread this one in 2021. This is one of the few books I did review outside of a wrap-up post, so you can read that review here.
3. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
God damn does Jennifer L Armentrout know how to get me out of a reading slump. Was this book predictable? Yes. We’re the characters identical to her other ones from other books? Yes. Does she essentially take the same story and twist it a little each time? Yes. But damn it if it doesn’t still capture my attention and draw me in each time. The mythology of this tale really drew me in because so much of it is veiled until the end when you start to put the pieces together of what this world actually is. This book is also special to me because I have a signed copy of it and I've always wanted a book signed form JLA since she is one of my favorite authors.
2. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
I liked this book way more than I know I should have. I think I read this book in like 4 hours or something ridiculous like that. A lot of people didn't like this book because they thought it was similar to "The Cruel Prince". I can see where they might pick up those similarities, but to me this was its own thing. I randomly bought this book in a bookstore without knowing anything about it, just liking the cover, and I'm glad I did. I don't care what people think about this book, it was the right book for me at the time and I enjoyed it. I'll probably reread it in 2021 and see if I still like it or if it was a situational thing that made me like it.
1. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
I enjoyed this book a lot. Like a lot a lot. I thought about rereading it but I decided to hold off until 2021 so it would count towards my 2021 reading goal. From the get-go the worldbuilding was amazing. Was there perhaps a bit too much worldbuilding? Maybe. I know that turned people off this book but I personally enjoy good worldbuilding as it helps my visualize everything in my brain. It was by no means a perfect book, but it was an excellent book. The last quarter of the book really blew me away and I can't wait for the sequel despite the fact that the book read like a stand-alone to me. I wasn't sure if I would like this book because I enjoyed her ACOTAR series but I hated Throne of Glass, so I'm glad this turned out good for me.
Well, those were my favorite books of the year. Putting together this list, I was surprised that I was able to come up with ten books I truly enjoyed that weren't rereads. This year was a pretty good reading year which surprised the hell out of me. I would love to know what you guys thought of the books on this list if you've read any of them!
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