Hello everyone!
Thankfully it is no longer 2020, but it is time to reflect on my reading for the year. Due to spending so much time indoors with my books, I achieved a lot as far as reading goes in 2020. In fact, I read 179 books! Here are some of my favorite reads of last year.
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My First Read
Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together by Andrea Tsurumi
Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together by Andrea Tsurumi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this story about sea creatures coming together to clean their home. The quirky crab who brings them all together through their awesome baking skills takes the cake. 😉
My Favorite Romance Read (…aside from my #1, most recent read, & my comfort read!)
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My most anticipated read of 2020, this was everything I wanted and more. Lucie and Tristan are both exceptional characters who undergo major development. This is a bit of a slow burn with some explosive erotic romance in the second half of the book. I loved the cameos from historical figures and LGBTQ+ representation. 💜 I normally write my full blog post right away, but I need some time to absorb how lovely this one was.
EDIT: I do want to share that I’ve seen some criticisms since finishing this novel, noting that a villain in this is a gay character who was spurned by another character romantically, and how this trope is problematic. I definitely can see that, though it didn’t occur to me during reading. I’m still on the fence about how I feel regarding this, as a lot of the arguments on Twitter I’ve seen surrounding this basically have argued the bisexual character isn’t “bi enough” anyway which is just fucking gross. 😕 I think this was more of a jealousy trope, in this situation, than homophobia. I also want to note this is not the main villain. But if this is content that would upset you, you may want to skip this book.
My Favorite Book Club Pick
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I actually haven’t watched much of Bojack but I devoured this one. I genuinely liked all of the stories, and most of them made me laugh. One made me cry quite a few times. I genuinely enjoyed and related to this one.
My Favorite Children’s Read (…aside from my favorite reread!)
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Absolutely excellent – a powerful YA read that challenges the reader to embody anti-racism. One of the most important books I’ve read, and I will be recommending to the kids I work with.
My Ultimate Quarantine Comfort Read
Unsolicited Duke Pic by Nico Rosso
Unsolicited Duke Pic by Nico Rosso
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was exactly the light-hearted novella I needed tonight. I bought this one for 99¢ on Kindle because I love Eva Leigh (a pen name of this author’s wife) and her Union of the Rakes series, and this one promised a backstory for one of the characters. (Though you definitely don’t need to read the series to appreciate this book at all.) Also, the title is hilarious. This went beyond my expectations of something quick and fun for a sexy, compelling read with two characters who communicate their feelings and desires while navigating a classist society and their power dynamics within it. I also loved the diverse cast and wanted to read even more about them!
My Favorite Audiobook (…aside from my favorite memoir!)
How to Be Single and Happy by Jennifer Taitz
How to Be Single and Happy: Science-Based Strategies for Keeping Your Sanity While Looking for a Soul Mate by Jennifer Taitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is more about creating a happier, less lonely life than about being single, which I appreciated. It focuses on DBT and mindfulness techniques. Not all of the techniques resonate with me (my asthmatic ass hates concentrating on breathing – can someone please acknowledge this lol??) but most of them did. The author includes examples from her own experiences and those of clients and friends.
My Favorite Memoir
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an amazing book. Chanel’s voice will stick with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially fellow victims of sexual assault. Empowering and real. I listened to the audiobook on 1.3x.
My Favorite Indie Read – Romance
If We Ever Meet Again by Ana Huang
If We Ever Meet Again by Ana Huang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a sweet read that threw me back to my own college romance. While the massive cast of side characters was too much for me to keep track of, I loved Farrah and Blake’s romance. The woman-focused love scenes in this one are 💯 – in bed, at least, Blake is a feminist king despite his young age. Shanghai/China/the other locations visited in themselves were their own characters – major parts of the story. I am not happy with the plot twist that keeps the HEA from happening in this book, but I connected with the characters enough that I am excited for the second part of the duology! Thank you to Ana Huang and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review. Look for my full review at bitchbookshelf.com on June 23.
My Favorite Indie Read – Non-romance
The Paris Affair by Susanne Dunlap
The Paris Affair by Susanne Dunlap
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED this book despite never having read the first two in the series – and now I want to. But even more than that, I want a Book 4! The characters, both real historical figures and fictional, were wonderful, and I was a SUCKER for the romantic tension. Theresa is such a fun narrator and I want to revisit this series ASAP. Look out for my full review at https://bitchbookshelf.com on October 11! My thanks to the author, publisher, and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
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My Favorite Reread
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So here’s the deal: I’m going to be honest from now on. When people ask me my favorite book, I won’t name this adult novel or that classic. Yes, I love those too. But since I was nine, Ella Enchanted has been my favorite.
This is a middle grade read, and even as an adult it has it all: beautiful prose, a badass heroine, a feminist plot, whimsical magic, memorable secondary characters, amazing world-building, and a sumptuous romance. Char is my ideal man to this day, about twenty years since my first of many reads. And Ella is still one of the most relatable heroines.
While this is a book for kids in late elementary/middle school, the language is stunning. I learned so many words on my first read in 1999: desolate, corrosive, chicanery… The author introduces these SAT words so seamlessly.
If you like middle grade, fantasy, fractured fairytales, and/or romance, you need to read this book.
Favorite quotes:
Why did he think it was fine to talk about me as though I were portrait instead of a maiden?
If I thought of a joke, I wanted to try it on him. If I had a serious idea, I wanted his opinion.
I trust you to find the good in me, but the bad I must be sure you don’t overlook.
I hadn’t loved him as long, perhaps, but now I loved him equally well, or better. I loved his laugh, his handwriting, his steady gaze, his honorableness, his freckles, his appreciation of my jokes, his hands, his determination that I should know the worst of him. And, most of all, shameful though it might be, I loved his love for me.
My Final Read
The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell
The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wrote a blog post about my top ten books I read this year and published it today, and this one should have made the list. I need to sleep on it before going into my full, gushing review, which will be on https://bitchbookshelf.com. My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
My Absolute Favorite Read of 2020
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an excellent romance. I laughed, I cried, I fanned myself, I highlighted every hilarious reference to the awful final season of GoT. One of the best romances I have read this year and I am excited for more from the author!
Despite everything, 2020 was an excellent reading year for me. These books all come highly recommended from yours truly.
