A Year in Review: All the books I read in 2020
Well, what else was there to do?
The Backstory
2019 was really the year I became heavily obsessed with reading for leisure as an adult. Over the years, I’d always admired good books, and I even dabbled into some during the last couple of years of high school, but once college hit, I focused a lot of my attention on school and sports (collegiate student-athletics is no joke). I was married to school and sports for so long, that reading for leisure was nearly unimaginable.
Flash forward two years after graduation: 2020.
It was a year for fiction; it was a year for escapism, and it was a year for stretching my wings out into the book world. Over the course of one year — 366 days (thanks leap year) — I read 25 books. For many avid readers, they can read 25 books in about 3 months, but for me this was HUGE. Not to mention, besides one book in January, I didn’t pick up another book until COVID-19 had stunted the entire world.
When March came around and I was stuck at home just like the rest of you, I picked up a book and truly never put one down for the rest of the year. I was instantly addicted. So much so, that I made it my goal to read 24 books by the end of the year — 24 books for my 24th year. I finished the 25th book about a week before New Years', so pat myself on the back for good timing.
And so my adventure began…
The Books
Let me preface by saying, not all were great or kept me interested, and in no way was this easy, especially for someone who had only read about 6 books (if that) a year before this. Some took me a month to drudge through, others I read in one or two days. Some I read physical print copies of, others I read on my Kindle (also a great addition for quarantine), and some I even listened to on audiobook.
Nonetheless, 366 days, 25 books, and 11,771 pages later, I give you my list:
When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri
The Institute by Stephen King
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
The Shining by Stephen King
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Misery by Stephen King
Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters
Carrie by Stephen King
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Outsider by Stephen King
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Whisper Man by Alex North
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
A 2021 Sneak Peek
Some of my favorites from 2020 were: all Harry Potter, all Hunger Games, The Insitute, The Shining, Ready Player One, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. A lot of these titles played a significant role in my interest and intrigue in the Fantasy genre. Through searches of similar titles, I’ve been able to sift through both popular and not-so-popular titles in order to gear up my 2021 reading list.
I’m well aware we’re nearly halfway through 2021 (holy…halfway already?!), and so far I’m 16 books into my 25 book goal, that I’m hoping to absolute obliterate by the way; here are a few of the titles I’ve divulged into this year thus far:
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Umbrella Academy, Vols. 1 & 2 by Gerard Way
It by Stephen King
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost (one of my favorite nonfiction books ever)
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Thanks so much for reading! For more information on the books that I’ve read and want to read, find me on Goodreads here. Also follow that link if you want to become friends and talk about books.
