BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2020
2020 has been an incredible year for reading! So far I’ve read 74 books, out of which I rated 12 of them five stars and 31, four stars. The best book I’ve read this year is a toss up between Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon.
BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2020
The Labyrinth of the Spirits, which is the last book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. Zafon’s writing is utterly magical and completely transported me to 1950’s Barcelona. Runner-up goes to Katherine Arden’s The Girl in the Tower.
NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO
I’ve seen a lot of buzz around Lucy Foley’s newest thriller, The Guest List. I’m also keen on reading Emily Temple’s The Lightness and Jenny Offill’s Weather.
MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR
I couldn’t be more excited for Lindsay Ellis and her first novel, which has a pub date of July 21. You can find my review of Axiom’s End here. In terms of anticipated releases that I haven’t read yet, I’m eager to get my hands on a copy of the new V.E. Schwab book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
One Day in December by Josie Silver was a letdown. I had high expectations after reading so many positive reviews, but the story itself seemed rather lackluster and I didn’t buy the insta-love between the two main characters.. Also, Silver’s writing felt clumsy and more tell than show.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Definitely The Pisces by Melissa Broder. I went into the story with virtually zero expectations other than the knowledge that the story included a merman. It’s also the book that left me the most conflicted afterwards on how I felt; what did I just read? Was it absolutely brilliant or a hot mess? Either way, The Pisces was one of the most original and unputdownable books I’ve read this year.
FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR
I’m completely biased since I’ve been a long-time fan of her video essays, but Lindsay Ellis takes the cake for favorite new author. If you haven’t done so already, please pre-order her debut novel Axiom’s End! Favorite new-to-me author would be Carlos Ruiz Zafon (RIP, may his memory live on in his books).
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH
Err… None? Maybe Connell from Normal People even though I think a relationship with him would be pretty depressing? I like reading books about flawed individuals, which I guess doesn’t make for good boyfriend material.
NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER
I love a strong female protagonist like Vasya from the Winternight trilogy and Nella from The Miniaturist. My favorite character though would have to be the shape-shifting alien from Jeff VanderMeer’s Borne.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY
So many books have made me bawl my eyes out… The Hate U Give, In Five Years, Voices from Chernobyl, Where the Crawdads Sing, Normal People, The Organ Thieves.
BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield was a lovely read that made me feel very cozy and content.
FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION
EMMA, EMMA, EMMA! Specifically the 2020 version directed by Autumn de Wilde. It is easily one of my favorite movies of all time, let alone film adaptations. If you haven’t seen it already, please do yourself a favor and watch it right now!
FAVORITE POST YOU HAVE DONE THIS YEAR
My blog is just over three months old, so I’d have to say my very first post is probably my favorite for sentimental reasons: March Reads (posted April 3, 2020). Happy to be part of the book blogging community!
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende has a gorgeous cover. I’ll admit that 75% of the reason why I bought the book was for its stunning cover art.
WHAT BOOK DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR
Aside from the books I mentioned before, I need to finish reading all of the ARCs that publishers have sent me (in no particular order): Medusa’s Daughters by Theodora Goss, Ship of Fates by Caitlin Chung, Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson, Savage Legion by Matt Wallace, Vanishing Falls by Poppy Gee, Elegy for the Undead by Matthew Vesely, and To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.
Seize the Book 
OMG! I just posted today about Shadow of the Wind and how I hadn’t heard of it before, and Mei-Mei @ Jedi by Knight said she loved it too. Now I’m hearing about it here too, I guess I’ll definitely have to read it! ^.^
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It’s incredible, I’m sure you’ll love it! The other books in the series are amazing as well.
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