Play Book Tag discussion
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Time to Vote for the Top 10 Books of 2020
5 star books I read in 2020The Dutch House
Ordinary Grace
A Good Neighborhood
The House of Spirits
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Commonwealth
American Dirt
Paula
Orphan Train
The Solitude of Prime Numbers
A great reading year for me!!!
Listed in chronological order--Lab Girl - Hope Jahren
The Water Dancer - TaNehisi Coates
Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler
The Fifth Season (#1 of Broken Earth Trilogy) - NK Jemison
The Wolf in the Whale - Jordanna Brodsky
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - VE Schwab
My least favorite was the classic, Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne. I did this one on audio and it just fell flat.
Sallys wrote: "5 star books I read in 2020The Dutch House
Ordinary Grace
A Good Neighborhood
The House of Spirits
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Commonwealth
American Dirt
Paula
Orphan Train
The Solitude o..."
I read The House of Spirits last year and really liked it! I need to work some more Allende into my line up. Have you read anything else by her?
Shelly wrote: "Listed in chronological order--Lab Girl - Hope Jahren
The Water Dancer - TaNehisi Coates
Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler
The Fifth Season (#1 of Broken Earth Trilogy) - NK Jemison
The Wolf ..."
I LOVED The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Did you read Daisy Jones and the Six? If possible, I loved it even more.
She has a new book coming out in May 2021, Malibu Rising, and you better bet I will be starting that the day it is released!
Sally - 3 of those have been in my top ten. Including Ordinary Grace and Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Dutch House now! Shelly, we have City of Girls in common too.Here's Amy's Top 10 for 2020:
Educated by Tara Westover
Once We Were Brothers – Ron Balsam
City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert
The Choice; Embrace the Possible – Edith Eva Eger
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
On the Come Up – Angie Thomas
Daisy Jones and the Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Dutch House – Ann Patchett
Something Beautiful Happened – Yvette Manesis Corporan
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennet
Had many runners up, and I particularly loved the Thanksgiving Audible You Can Thank Me Later, and the Chanukah Romance, Eight Winter Nights. The absolute worst book, and there were a few, I could go with Ten Thousand Doors in January, Clean Sweep, and the Storm Runner - yuck! I didn't love We Ride Upon Sticks.
Here are my 10 in no particular orderThe Huntress - Kate Quinn
The Samurai's Garden - Gail Tsukiyama
These Is My Words - Nancy E. Turner
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-first Century - Jessica Bruder
Every Note Played - Lisa Genova
Our Souls at Night - Kent Haruf
Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper - Harriet Scott Chessman
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum
Honorable Mentions
Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-made World - Mark Miodownik - one of the best science books I've read
Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome -satirical humor written in 1889
Worst read
The Funny Thing is... - Ellen DeGeneres
Her humor does not translate to the written page. I have read 3 of her books now (all picked up at book sales) and the jokes aren't funny and the situations are silly.
Nicole R wrote: "I have to get to Greenlights. Also, glad to see Truman on your list even though I know you thought it was a bit long!I also liked White Fragility, but I think it will miss my Top 10 because I loved The Color of Law so much more. I read several books to provide insight to BLM and while I enjoyed almost all of them, I don't want them to dominate my Top 10, so I think I will stick with just one.."
I read some really good books this year but only a few great ones. I would put Greenlights as a really good book but not great. It, along with a couple others made the list that I felt were just really good but not great.
I plan on reading more about racism. I was scared at first because of the fear of disagreeing with parts. I think White Fragility was the perfect place to start and look to read more in the coming year.
Truman was a great book. I felt several points were repeated too much. I wanted to say, "I get it. You already made this point. No more examples" But I loved it. I want to read more Presidential Biographies.
Amy wrote: "Sally - 3 of those have been in my top ten. Including Ordinary Grace and Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Dutch House now! Shelly, we have City of Girls in common too.Here's Amy's Top 10 for 202..."
There is This Tender Land again! Moving it even further up the list.
I loved The Dutch House when I read it last year. I liked We Ride Upon Sticks a bit more than you did, but it was not even close to making my list.
Linda C wrote: "Here are my 10 in no particular orderThe Huntress - Kate Quinn
The Samurai's Garden - Gail Tsukiyama
These Is My Words - Nancy E. Turner
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-first Century -..."
The Samurai's Garden and A Woman is No Man are excellent books! Glad to see them on your list. Especially Samurai's Garden as it is a bit older book and might get back on some radars with your suggestion!
Jason wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I want to read more Presidential Biographies."I really enjoy Presidential biographies and have read several. I have some sitting on my shelf and would like to get to one or two next year. I have Nixon, Kennedy, and Washington.
I wish I would have had the foresight to read them in order! I think it would have given an interesting depiction of the progression of the US as a whole. Hindsight is 20/20!
Daisy Jones & the Six - ReidSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Keefe
Real Life - Taylor
The Girlfriend Mom: A Memoir- Alpert
The Friend - Nunez
Love and Other Thought Experiments - Ward
Valentine - Wetmore
What My Mother And I Don't Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence - Filgate
Last Night in Montreal - Mandel
Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City - Moore
Hurricane Season - Melchor
My reading year was awful. It almost feels like cheating to list 10 books when I only will end up reading 35 at best. The only book on my list that I truly loved was Daisy Jones & the Six. The Girlfriend Mom was highly entertaining at a time when I needed that. Valentine was one of very few that actually engaged me.
Please let 2021 be better (a bit worried with the tag options already lol).
I am reading American Dirt now, and it's possible it might bump something else off, but it's not going to be a five star read for me . . .could be a four. It's very well written, but I'm not really drawn to pick it up.
Worst book of the year . . .? I had six two-star contenders, but the award is going to: The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn.
The other books had the disadvantage of being read during the pandemic, so I feel like maybe I would have enjoyed them more IF I enjoyed reading more. The Woman in the Window was sorely disappointing to me . . .I went in with expectations, and they were definitely not met.
John wrote: "Mexican Gothic - Moreno-GarciaThe Nickel Boys - Whitehead
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - McCullers
Cold Sassy Tree - Burns
The Splendid and the Vile - Larson
Circe - Miller
The Grapes of Wrath - S..."
Way to go, John, for posting first AND following the instructions . . .I appreciate the great example you set. Also, LOVE LOVE Steinbeck so very happy to see Grapes of Wrath on your Top 10.
I have sworn off WWII books, but Splendid and the Vile looks like it might be a can't miss . . .
Cora wrote: "Recursion - CrouchThe Institute - King
News of the World - Jiles
."
The Institute and News of the World have both been on my TBR forever. I actually own News of the World. Thanks for the push to get to them sooner rather than later.
Teodora wrote: "The Girl with All the Gifts - CareyThe Unhoneymooners - Lauren
Ninth House - Bardugo
Crooked Kingdom - Bardugo
Mexican Gothic - Moreno-Garcia
.."
So glad to see Rebecca on your list. Mexican Gothic is suddenly popping up for me everywhere . . .so funny because I never heard of it until about a week ago.
Olivermagnus wrote: "This Tender Land - KruegerHave You Seen Luis Velez - Hyde
Silent Wife - Slaughter
Kingdom of Ash - Maas
Helter Skelter - Bugliosi
Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Chambers
Rebecca - du Maurier
B..."
You have some of my faves on your list this year!! I thought Helter Skelter was one of the most unputdownable books ever. Also loved Rebecca and Rules of Civility. Some of my all time favorites there.
Nicole wrote: "I had a very slow and underwhelming reading year this year, ready to move on and start over in 2021. Only four books to contribute this year:The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Twain
Lab Girl - Jahren..."
You are in my club, Nicole. Wishing us both better reading in 2021!!!
Nicole R wrote: "Ninth House - BardugoAlexander Hamilton - Chernow
Normal People - Rooney
The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Haley and Malcolm X
The Eighth Life - Haratischvili
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder an..."
Love how we always share a book or two and have completely opposite reactions to a book or two. Totally loving your non-fiction choices! I thought all four of the ones that made your list were outstanding and was also crazy about your honorable mention of Only Plane in the Sky.
Normal People? Maybe you could bump that for the Levy . . .just kidding!!
Here are my top 10 reads of 2020A Town Like Alice
Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society
What Alice Forgot
Anxious People
Where the Crawdads Sing
Moloka'i
Gift from the Sea
Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment
The Nightingale
Lonesome Dove
5 star books I have read this year, and I am including a few rereads because there have only been 4 for new reads, thanks to Poll Book Tally, etc, etc. For some of them, the audiobook brought them up this high, but this is my list (minus one 5 star re-read, since we are allowed only 10). As for Ian Doescher, his fusion of Shakespeare with Star Wars is very well done, and the audiobooks are as well.Song Yet Sung - James McBride
The Dutch House - Ann Patchett
Deacon King Kong - James McBride
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Harriet Ann Jacobs
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily a New Hope - Ian Doescher
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: The Empire Striketh Back - Ian Doescher
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: The Jedi Doth Return - Ian Doescher
The Help - Kathleen Stockett
Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
Anita wrote: "Daisy Jones & the Six - ReidSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Keefe
Real Life - Taylor
The Girlfriend Mom: A Memoir- Alpert
The Friend - Nunez
Love and Other Tho..."
I did not care for Last Night in Montreal - it only got 2 stars from me. Now I need to read your review, Anita!
Anita wrote: "Daisy Jones & the Six - ReidSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Keefe
Real Life - Taylor
The Girlfriend Mom: A Memoir- Alpert
The Friend - Nunez
Love and Other Tho..."
There is Love and Other Thought Experiments again...I really thought I would get to that one a couple of months ago and I just never did for some reason. I am flagging it for an early 2021 read.
And I am not surprised you didn't like A Woman in the Window! I have not read it, but it just doesn't seem like your type of genre. lol
Anita wrote: "Normal People? Maybe you could bump that for the Levy . . .just kidding!"Hahaha! I will take that under advisement ;)
Rose wrote: "Here are my top 10 reads of 2020A Town Like Alice
Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society
What Alice Forgot
Anxious Peo..."
I LOVED the Nightingale when I read it several years ago. It is a book that I still think about often.
I wasn't crazy about Hannah's next book, The Great Alone, but I am hoping that her book that comes out this year, The Four Winds, will be an improvement.
Karin wrote: "5 star books I have read this year, and I am including a few rereads because there have only been 4 for new reads, thanks to Poll Book Tally, etc, etc. For some of them, the audiobook brought them ..."Deacon King Kong is one that was on my list, then off, then back on, and I think I just took it off again last week.
Going to give it another look. I am hoping to start back up my BLM reading, which took a backseat to my holiday books. I know I am starting with Caste followed by The Fire Next Time, but a fiction book with strong BLM themes after that may be good timing for Deacon.
@Nicole -- Evelyn Hugo topped Daisy Jones for me, but Daisy Jones is also fantastic. I did the dead tree version, and would recommend people do the audio of Daisy Jones, I have a feeling the music would come through more on the audio.
Perusing these lists for destinations for Fly the Friendly Skies Challenge--Persepolis
Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Say Nothing
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
The Splendid and the Vile
A Man Called Ove
Molokai
Born a Crime
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
I am putting Say Nothing (Ireland), Erotic Stories (India), and Splendid and the Vile (London) on my list of destinations.
Shelly wrote: "Perusing these lists for destinations for Fly the Friendly Skies Challenge--Shelly, you won't regret Say Nothing or Splendid & The Vile-both outstanding reads
Nicole R wrote: "Karin wrote: "5 star books I have read this year, and I am including a few rereads because there have only been 4 for new reads, thanks to Poll Book Tally, etc, etc. For some of them, the audiobook..."Well, it got 5 stars after being rounded up, but I did not like the first part and if it weren't for a discussion and how much I liked Song Yet Sung, I'd have discarded it. I am not the only one who felt this way who ended up giving it 5 stars. If you know Dosha (formerly from Shelfari) she felt similarly and also ended it giving it 5 stars.
Nicole R wrote: "Karin wrote: "5 star books I have read this year, and I am including a few rereads because there have only been 4 for new reads, thanks to Poll Book Tally, etc, etc. For some of them, the audiobook..."I am listening to Deacon King Kong now. It has 28 chapters and really only started to get interesting to me around Chapter 20. At the moment, I would rate it about 3.5, but maybe that will change.
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek - RichardsonVirgil Wander - Enger
A Gentelman in Moscow - Towles
The Nickel Boys - Whitehead
The Little Paris Bookshop - George
The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared - Jonasson
Iron Lake - Krueger
Love in the Time of Cholera - Marquez
Pompeii - Harris
Worst book: A Pizza My Heart - Hunter
Robin P wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "Karin wrote: "5 star books I have read this year, and I am including a few rereads because there have only been 4 for new reads, thanks to Poll Book Tally, etc, etc. For some of th..."I read it in print, so have no idea how good the narrator is, but it did gradually move up for me. I don't know what page you are on since I have returned the book, but it didn't move up to five stars until near the end.
So far (with "Girl, Woman, Other" being the absolute stand-out for the whole year): Girl, Woman, Other - Evaristo
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies of a Silicon Valley Startup - Carreyou
The Binding - Collins
Under the Banner of Heaven - Krakauer
Into the Wild - Krakauer
The Library Book - Orleans
Into the Planet - Heinerth
Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow - Townsend
EDITED 3/1/21 to add Hollowpox
KateNZ wrote: "So far (with "Girl, Woman, Other" being the absolute stand-out for the whole year): Girl, Woman, Other - Evaristo
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies of a Silicon Valley Startup - Carreyou
The Binding - ..."
I'm glad to see a mention of Girl, Woman Other. I have it coming up soon on audio. .
Nicole R wrote: "Jason wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I want to read more Presidential Biographies."I really enjoy Presidential biographies and have read several. I have some sitting on my shelf and would like to get t..."
I love history. I have recently thought about reading Presidential biographies in order. I have read a JFK biography, The Reagan Diaries, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, 1776, and Truman Not all are actually biographies, but cover large portions of President's lives. I think I will start but it will probably take over a year to finish.
Jason wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "Jason wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I want to read more Presidential Biographies."I really enjoy Presidential biographies and have read several. I have some sitting on my shelf and wo..."
Jason, I am reading Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington right now-I won it in a give away and probably would not ever have thought to pick it up, but it is really good
Nicole R wrote: "I want to read more Presidential Biographies."I really enjoy Presidential biographies and have read several. I have some sitting on my shelf and would like to get t..."
Nicole, I really enjoyed Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris - and was disconcerted to find out it was book 2 of a trilogy. I have yet to read the others, since I am not much of a non-fiction reader, but this book really kept my interest. You should give it a try, but I imagine it would be better if you read them in order LOL.
Checking out Theodore Rex now! Thanks for the rec!
The Synapse Sequence - GodfreyLovecraft Country - Ruff
The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind - Ford
The Nightjar - Hewitt
Lone Traveller: One Woman, Two Wheels and the World - Mustoe
2020 was "Sh*t"
I will aggressively seek and read more books in 2021
"Synapse Sequence" was a legitimate top ten, creative and engaging.
"Lovecraft Country" wasn't the horror I expected, was also unexpectedly an anthology/short story collection, but had engaing characters. I'll be looking into more by Ruff.
"The Girl" was a fun urban fantasy and "The Nightjar" a Victorian-ish urban fantasy. Neither would be top ten material in a better year, but I enjoyed them so that's enough.
"Lone Traveller" was a dated bicycling travel memoir but it got me excited for my (cancelled) spring road trip, so I look at it now with a bit of nostalgia.
Worst:
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
It's the final nail in the coffin for the slowly dying Dresden Files series. It was a good run, RIP.
Darci wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle-TurtonI'm in it now. It's all going to depend on the ending but I am thoroughly intrigued!
Linda C wrote: "Here are my 10 in no particular orderAnne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
I hesitate to re-read childhood favorites but Anne holds up, they're all great.
I read 67, which was over my goal of 52. Maybe that's why I had a lot of 5 star books this year, it was very hard to cut it down to 10! Born a Crime - Noah
Never Have I Ever - Jackson
Where the Crawdads Sing - Owens
Boy's Life - McCammon
Small Great Things - Picoult
Big Little Lies - Moriarty
A Painted House - Grisham
Finding Dorothy - Letts
Artemis - Weir
Language of Flowers - Diffenbaugh
Very close and hard to cut:
Hangman's Daughter - Potzsch
The Dutch House - Patchett
Dark Matter - Crouch
Evvie Drake Starts Over - Holmes
Long Road to Mercy - Baldacci
Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - Richardson
The Likeness - French
There were more but I had to cut it down for this list!
I also had a number that were just OK, none were horrible. However, there are so many wonderful books that I hate wasting time on some that I find to be only OK. I finished them for the challenge though.
Those included:
Fly on the Wall - Hillerman - I expected something different
Mackenzie's Mountain -Howard - just a little too chic for me
Austenland - Hale
Crazy Rich Asians - Kwan
Anita wrote: "Daisy Jones & the Six - ReidSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Keefe
Real Life - Taylor
The Girlfriend Mom: A Memoir- Alpert
The Friend - Nunez
Love and Other Tho..."
The Woman in the Window was very nearly the worst book of the year for me. I agree that it was very disappointing. Probably didn't help that I read it right after what ended up being my favorite book of the year.
Adding my vote to The Woman in the Window for the worst of the year award. And given I read a cheesy cowboy romance during Polls, that’s saying something ...
KateNZ wrote: "Adding my vote to The Woman in the Window for the worst of the year award. And given I read a cheesy cowboy romance during Polls, that’s saying something ..."LoL-Kate, my cheesy cowboy book was also better than the one I mentioned as worst of the year!🤠
I heard such good things about The Woman in the Window! Obviously I was reading the wrong reviews. Lol.
I really liked "The Woman in the Window" myself. 4 stars, I think. I think a lot of people are getting tired of that kind of book, though.
Apeirogon - McCannHamnet - O'Farrell
Piranesi - Clarke
The Yield - Winch
Red Pill - Kunzru
The Glorious Heresies - McInerney
A Children's Bible - Millet
Hands down Apeirogon was my favorite book of the year, and one I will read again. Based on my "reading" this year, I'm surprised I came up with 7.
Worst book of the year, in terms of just sheer pointlessness would have to be Welcome to Night Vale, but in terms of just sheer disappointment it's a tie between
Burnt Sugar
The Glass Hotel
I have so many comments on so many books ... I'll settle with - glad to see so many favorites on these lists. The year I read Malcolm X I was alone in listing it as a top 10 so happy to see it got attention this year.
Thrilled to see Apeirogon on so many lists (for some reason I feel like I invented this book, LOL). So deserving, and also deserving of the Booker ... so yeah, that happened.
Love seeing "Lamb" by Moore continue to delight and that other people loved Hamnet (which was so much better than most the Booker noms this year.)
And Nicole ---- Yes, yes and yes.
Worst Book(s) - I literally could not decide between Starless Sea by Morgenstern and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Harrow. They were both in the exact same genre (a genre I typically enjoy!) and I didn't like either of them. Loathed would be a better descriptor. Starless Sea was a HUGE disappointment for me, and I was physically angry that Doors of January wasn't better when it had so much potential.
Oh-oh, I was planning to read Ten Thousand Doors soon but I was disappointed in Starless Sea (after loving The Night Circus)
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Switching Hour (other topics)The Boston Girl (other topics)
Miracle Country (other topics)
The Matchmaker's List (other topics)
The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)
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I do have one book on deck that may have me reshuffling my Top 10. I will be listening to A Girl Is a Body of Water on my drive back to CT at the end of the month (squeezing in a second "international" read under the wire) and I hear that it is excellent.
But, I couldn't resist procrastinating today by putting my list together!