2020 Reading Wrap Up

Hey, all! 

I know this is going up quite late -- especially in comparison to my later years of blogging. However, here we are! This year was quite a good year for my reading. However, the books that I read -- the good majority of them -- were romance. I'm not mad about it, but I definitely read more than I usually would read in a given year. This year was my year for romance, particularly historical romance. I've broken down my read genres for the year (marking down the number of historical romance reads as well), so if you're a stats person, that's for you (and me). 

This year was hard. I'm not going to sugar coat it because I'm pretty sure it wasn't the greatest for anyone. This year, a lot of things happened. I'm very sure that you're aware. However, this year and the events that occurred were pretty unprecedented... and my mental health took a dive. I was hella depressed and my anxiety was the worst it's been since I was 18-19. I'm fine, truly, but I had to learn new ways to cope and I found new things that really helped me stay in a better headspace -- or at least escape for a while. One of those things was romance novels. I love them. They're so nuanced, there's something for everyone, and doing a deep search and experimental dive into the different writing styles, subgenres, and tropes in the romance genre was so invigorating and so incredibly fun. 

Since my first romance novel of the year, I've found so many new favorite authors and even more books and authors that I want to read in 2021. Stay tuned for that. 

I also solidified my preferences for adult content in the literature I consume. While I still love a YA novel, I've found that I've really begun to veer towards the adult content that I never thought I'd love. Examples are Victoria Schwab (also a YA author), Jay Kristoff (another author who writes YA), Talia Hibbert, and many more authors with titles that I have yet to explore. Stay tuned for more adult novels in 2021! They're so much fun!!!

Below is my breakdown of all the books I've read in 2020! I've read 138 full -length novels, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, manga, etc. 

Which of these books have you adored? Are you interested in reading any of them in 2021? 

* ~ for review

January

1. Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
2. Steven Universe: Just Right (Volume 4) by Rebecca Sugar
3. Steven Universe: Find A Way (Volume 5) by Rebecca Sugar, Grace Kraft, and Rii Abrego
4. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord*
5. Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams*
6. Sadie by Courtney Summers
7. Little Bird: The Flight for Elder's Hope by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram
8. Ark by Veronica Roth
9. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 2 by Bisco Hatori
10. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 3 by Bisco Hatori
11. What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner
12. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
13. Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez
14. Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav
15. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 4 by Bisco Hatori
16. Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
17. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
18. Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts #1) by Sara Wolf*

January Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

February

1. Circe by Madeline Miller (reread via audio)
2. Beyond the Shadowed Earth by Joanna Ruth Meyer*
3. Beezer by Brandon T. Snider (Audible exclusive)
4. Their Eyes Were Watching God 
5. Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy by Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo, and Louisa May Alcott
6. [DNF] Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin*
7. Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz*
8. Go With the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
9. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
10. Stargazing by Jen Wang

February Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

March

1. Obsideo (The Illuminae Files #3) by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman
2. Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle
3. Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi
4. Shadow Me (Shatter Me #4.5) by Tahereh Mafi
5. Defy Me (Shatter Me #5) by Tahereh Mafi
6. Reveal Me (Shatter Me #5.5) by Tahereh Mafi
7. House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas
8. Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum*
9. [DNF] Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco*
10. Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices edited by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed*
11. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
12. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
13. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
14. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
15. Anna K by Jenny Lee

March Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

April

1. Room by Emma Donoghue
2. Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
3. Boss Man Bridegroom by Meghan Quinn
4. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
5. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
6. The Alien's Ransom by Ella Maven
7. Beach Read by Emily Henry 
8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
9. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
10. A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole
11. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
12. Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert
13. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
14. Theirs For the Night by Katee Robert
15. The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
16. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
17. His Bride for the Taking by Tessa Dare

May

1. Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey*
2. A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
3. Once Upon A Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare
4. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
5. How to Catch A Viscount by Tessa Dare
6. A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
7. A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane
8. Why Don't You Dance by Raymond Carver
9. A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare
10. Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare
11. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
12. Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare

May Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

June

1. The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
2. Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert*
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru 
4. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru 
5. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 3 by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru 
6. Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi, written by Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Tochi Onybuchi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Liara Tamani, Renee Watson, and Rita Williams-Garcia
7. The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty
8. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
9. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
10. The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole
11. [DNF] The Never Have I Ever Club by Mary Jayne Baker*
12. Fake It For Daddy by B.B. Hamel
13. The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragon #3) by Katie O'Neill
14. Kat & Juju by Kataneh Vahdani

June Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

July

1. (reread) Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
2. Dreams from Many Rivers by Margarita Engle
3. An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands
4. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins
5. Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
6. [DNF] The Lost City by Amanda Hocking*
7. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall*
8. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
9. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
10. Riden's Chapter (Pirate King #1.5) by Tricia Levenseller
11. Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
12. (DNF) Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
13. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
14. Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

July Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

August

1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
2. King of the Libertines by Pam Godwin
3. What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuinston
4. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
5. The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare
6. Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2) by Tessa Dare
7. A Kiss at Midnight (Fairy Tales #1) by Eloisa James
8. Storming the Castle (Fairy Tales #1.5) by Eloisa James
9. When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
10. [DNF] The Summer We Found Baby by Amy Hest*
11. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

August Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

September

1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
2. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
3. The Switch by Beth O'Leary*
4. Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams*
5. The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

October

1. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
2. Love in the City by Jen Morris*
3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
4. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
5. [DNF] Simmer Down by Sarah Smith*
6. Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
7. The Girl the Sea Gave by Adrienne Young
8. All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne*
9. Her Accidental Highlander Husband by Allison B. Hanson*
10. One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks
11. The Duke & I by Julia Quinn
12. The Duke & I Epilogue II by Julia Quinn
13. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
14. The Viscount Who Loved Me Epilogue II by Julia Quinn

September & October Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

November

1. An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
2. An Offer From A Gentleman: The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn
3. Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks
4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
5. Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn
6. Wrapped Up In You by Talia Hibbert
7. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
8. One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

November Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

December

1. Work For It by Talia Hibbert
2. My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh
3. The Roommate by Rosie Danan
4. Loveless by Alice Oseman
5. The Prince & the Troll by Rainbow Rowell
6. The Princess Game by Soman Chainani
7. Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Genre Break-Down:

• Nonfiction: 2
• Graphic novels: 16
• YA romance: 2
• Adult romance: 64
• Historical romance: 33
• YA mystery: 1
• Adult horror: 1
• Manga: 3
• Classic:  3
• YA fantasy: 20
• Adult fantasy: 8
• YA contemporary: 5
• Short stories/novellas: 7  
• Poetry: 2
• Adult contemporary: 4
• Middle grade: 1

Number of Pages Read:  40,351

Number of Books Read: 138

Number of Books DNF'd: 6

My 2020 average rating: 3.5 stars

Shortest Book: Riden's Chapter (12 pages)

Longest Book: House of Earth and Blood (803 pages)

Average book length: 292 pages

  

Most popular: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (2,756, 561 readers on Goodreads)

Least popular: Steven Universe: Find A Way (Volume 5) by Rebecca Sugar, Grace Kraft, and Rii Abrego (168 readers on Goodreads)

Highest Rated: The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O'Neill (4.58 stars)

Thanks for tuning into my reading wrap up and thank you for sticking with me this year. I know I've dropped the ball when it comes to reviewing and updating this blog, but I promise that I will do better in 2021!

Happy reading & Happy New Year (late)!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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