Mid Year Wrap Up

In January I set myself the goal of reading 30 books in 2020 as I wanted to double what I read last year. I thought it was enough of a challenge without it being unachievable. I also found Booktube around the same time and watching all these people wrapping up 70-100 books for the year I started to feel a little disheartened at my goal.

I was also feeling inspired as they were recommending all these amazing sounding books and I was suddenly desperate to read all the books.

By the end of January I hadn't turned on my TV once and I had read 15 books. I had rearranged my living room so I had a little reading book under the stairs and I had fallen back in love with reading although I never really fell out of love with it, I had just stopped prioritising it.

I've also expanded the genres I read, having bought and read my first graphic novels in January.

Now it's a few days into July and I've read 102 books and DNF'd 4, I still rarely put on the TV but I'm addicted to booktube and bookstagram, so much so that I started a bookstagram account last month and have decided to start a blog.

So what have I been reading? Well a bit of everything, I'm trying to catch up on cult favourites that I missed, I've found that I love middle grade and graphic novels, I've just started reading manga, YA and fantasy are my go to genres but I want to read diversely and widely.

My 10 favourites of the year so far then:

1.Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman

Oh it's just the cutest, I'm pretty cynical and not a romantic person at all, not had a meaningful relationship for nearly 10 years and this just made me melt. The art is fantastic and the story is so real and relatable and I'm looking forward to more from Nick and Charlie but also want to read more from Alice Oseman.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I know, I told you I was working my way through a blacklist of cult favourite las and somehow this had passed me by but oh my goodness I love her writing, again the story is great, everyone always talks about the book but I very rarely hear people talk about the plot which I think is such an interesting concept.

3. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Queer, weird, gross, found family, disease, yes yes yes! Again I'm looking forward to reading more from Rory Power

4. Frostheart by Jamie Littler

The first middle grade on the list, I read this straight after Wilder Girls and was a great light story, another found family, some adventure all set in the Arctic on a ship. It was another heartwarming tale and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

5. Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

A classic which in all honesty I bought because of the prettiness of the edition which was from Mina Lima and this story has so much more than Disney would have you believe. I am so glad I read this, it was one of my favourite Princess films growing up and I am so glad that the original story is even better!

6. Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

Another graphic novel, it's queer, it's witches, it's werewolves, it's badass grandmas and it's people falling in love and being accepted and the art is amazing.

7. The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

Oh this is such a warm and cosy read, it's a middle grade but adults need to read this too, I loved it so much, I can't say much more than that there is just so much love in this book

8. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Can they be a favourite author if you've only read one of their books? This has made us to the top of my favourite of all time books, it's 800 pages and yet wasn't long enough. This was my first adult high fantasy and confirmed that yes fantasy is my favourite genre and yes I can read long adult fantasy without getting lost or bored. I will very soon be starting her Bone Season series as her writing is so easy to read and her world building is fantastic

9. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta This book was everything, told in verse which is something I have been surprised by how much I absolutely love this form of story telling. It was so powerful and will stay with me for a long time yet.

10. Fortuna Sworn by KJ Sutton

Did I think in 2019 that dark faerie fantasy romance was something I needed in my life? No, not at all. However in 2020 having read this and the sequel Restless Slumber I desperately need more. Sutton writes brilliant slow burn romance, she rips your heart out, she makes you laugh, she makes you cry. Another new favourite author.

There are so many others that I've loved and I could gush about but I'll leave it at this for now.