Play Book Tag discussion
Annual Top 10 Lists
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Top 10 List of 2020
I tried Splendid on audio 2-3 different times, and hate the narrator. I guess I'll have to try to read it. I thought Hamnet and Piranesi would rank higher ... (Piranesi not at all .. :( )
AJ wrote: "I have not read a single one of these"I see you are in South Africa, AJ, and most of our lists are very American-centric. (Though you probably know Trevor Noah's book, Born a Crime). Also Anita seems to read literary fiction and nonfiction, which may not be your main genres.
Robin P wrote: "Also Anita seems to read literary fiction and nonfiction, which may . ..."This list is the compilation of ALL the top-ten lists that PBT members submitted. So, it's not Anita's top ten but the PBT group's aggregate top ten.
Newer members of the group may not be aware that the group does this each year.
I've read 7 of the books on these combined lists, but only one of them this year. Crawdads almost made my list this year. I'm afraid Hamnet just didn't sit well with me, Nicole. But, I predict we'll see Piranesi on the list next year. It's popularity is going to pick up.
The only one of my personal top 10 that made the list was Lab GirlBut I don't read most books until a year or more after they come out, and several of my top 10 were "old" books.
I've read five of the top 13 and 5 of the honorable mentions though I only read two, Educated and Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, in 2020. I always like seeing this list every year.
I've read 6 of the top 13 and 3 of Honorable mention.Surprisingly 4 of the Top 13 were on my Top 10 list this year.
3 of the top 13-all 3 were on my top ten this year
I've read 7 of the top 13. And 4 of the Honorable Mentions.This is my favorite list of the year, and I always love the books I read from the assembled experience of this group.
I have not read any of them but If people like them a lot then I will try and read some of them. Can people tell me what some of their favorite books that they have read in life?
I've read six of the top 13 and five of the Honorable Mentions and have at least seven of the combined list on my "really want to read" list.I love seeing how we influence one another's choices. Though we didn't have a runaway favorite like last year's Daisy Jones!
Robin P wrote: ".Also Anita seems to read literary fiction and nonfiction, which may not be your main genres...."
While this list isn't mine and is a PBT compiled top ten, I am very flattered/honored that you know exactly what I read!!
Book Concierge wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Also Anita seems to read literary fiction and nonfiction, which may . ..."This list is the compilation of ALL the top-ten lists that PBT members submitted. So, it's not Anita's to..."
Oh, I'm sorry, thanks for clarifying, I didn't read Anita's introduction carefully to see that these are the group results! They do look rather serious overall.
I have read 12 1/2 of these (got stuck halfway thru The Splendid and the Vile but plan to go back to it) and I have at least 3 on TBR. I read some of them in 2019 or before - Station Eleven and Big Little Lies have been around a while.
Thanks for doing all the compiling, Anita!
The only book I read that made the top ten list is Punjabi Widows. In the honorable mention category I read Born a Crime.This compilation of books makes a good reading list for the remainder of the year.
Of those in the top 10 lists I've read maybe 4 - although only 1 this year. But at least 6 are on my TBR. I tend to read much less current literary fiction or non-fiction than many in PBT.
Sakari- wrote: "I have not read any of them but If people like them a lot then I will try and read some of them. Can people tell me what some of their favorite books that they have read in life?"Hi Sakari! So, I see you are one of our younger members and that you like scary books. I think you are on the right track with Stephen King! My personal favorite was The Stand. I read a lot of him as a teen and never tired of him. Have you read any R.L Stine? He writes for a younger audience, but I used to read his work with my sons, and it gave me the chills.
Another series that I absolutely loved, but isn't scary unfortunately, is by James Herriott. His initial book is All Creatures Great and Small. I devoured this book as a teen, and the other three in the series.
Another book you might like (which I loved and has scary elements) is And Then There Were None.
The only one I read this year that I put in was The Dutch House. A few of the others were four star reads for me, even if I read them in other years except for Big Little Lies which was 5 stars for me back when I read it.Anita, I loved All Creatures Great and Small as a child, but don't remember what I rated it as an adult because I reread it before joining Shelfari I think (or it might have been that year--it was where I sat and waited when one of my kids was having writing tutoring before moving to a brick and mortar public school).
PBS is starting a mini-series this Sunday of All Creatures Great and Small-I have it set to record. I love my PBS~and Masterpiece
Sakari- wrote: "I have not read any of them but If people like them a lot then I will try and read some of them. Can people tell me what some of their favorite books that they have read in life?"Hi Sakari and welcome!
I would highly recommend Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood - a graphic novel format memoir of growing up in Iran during before and during the Revolution - it was a delight! Yes it is serious but there is also great humor and charm.
I saw one of the books on your shelves is Click Clack Moo which I LOVE! I picked that one up a couple years ago and it makes me chuckle every time I look at it.
Anita wrote: "Thank you to everyone who submitted their top 10 favorite reads for 2020. Like last year, it took four votes to make the top list (3 for Honorable Mention). Unlike last year, we did not have a clea..."Good list! Two were on my top list (including honourable mentions): "Educated" and "Big Little Lies".
Two are on my tbr (Lab Girl, The Dutch House); two are ones I read and really liked in previous years: Born a Crime and Persepolis.
Persepolis! Funny how that came up enough times this year to make it to our list!
One additional I read this year - was good, can't remember what I rated it: "Where the Crawdads Sing".
Two are also on my radar, though not officially on my tbr: The Vanishing Half, The Only Plane in the Sky.
I will soon add our top 13 to our bookshelf.
Book Concierge wrote: "But I don't read most books until a year or more after they come out, and several of my top 10 were "old" books."Most of mine are usually older, or less well known.
Sakari- wrote: "I have not read any of them but If people like them a lot then I will try and read some of them. Can people tell me what some of their favorite books that they have read in life?"Sakari, you can check our bookshelf for this group's top 10 of the decade 2010 - 2019 if you'd like:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
@ Sakari-I would highly reccomend His Majesty's Dragon-and the entire of series of books that comes after
@JoAnne: All Creatures Great and Small aired here during Christmas, it was very sweet. Enjoy!:)
From the Top 13 list, Lab Girl was in my top 10 this year. Educated, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Station Eleven were on my top 10 in previous years.
From the Honorable Mentions list, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and Where the Crawdads Sing were on my Top 10 list this year.
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood and Persepolis were on my top lists in previous years.
I have Hamnet on my TBR.
Second year in a row I haven't read any of the top ten. But, I tend to read older books and I lean towards fantasy and sci-fi. However, Big Little Lies is my January read!
I like this list a lot. I think Educated deserves the repeat appearance on this list. It's really worthwhile reading. This is the first year in which I read the majority (15) of the books mentioned in the poll results. I loved or really liked nearly all of them. That's better than most best lists I've seen. (There is only one I wish I didn't spend time reading -City of Girls.) I'm going to take a look at old top 10 lists to mine for older gems.
I used to always wait a few years to read new books, to save money and to see which books survived the initial marketing hype. But it didn't prevent disappointment. It was really nice this year to read new books fairly early, before building unrealistic expectations. By getting on library waiting lists early, I got nearly all of them for free too.
I read 4 of the top 13 and 2 honorable mentions. I have another 2 on my TBR. Several I want to explore.
I notice that Where the Crawdads Sing is on the list again. I liked it a lot, but this comment from Ron Charles in the latest WaPo book newsletter still came dangerously close to making me spray tea everywhere:"“Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens. This mystery from 2018 just keeps appearing everywhere, and no one knows why. It’s the Ryan Seacrest of novels."
We have an addition to our Honorable Mentions! One of our eagle eyed members (thank you Kimber), noticed that The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet also makes the list. Unfortunately, I use Excel to analyze all the data so if someone leaves off the article (the), I may or may not pick it up. I caught one other title, but didn't see this one!
Thank you so much, Kimber!!
Nikki wrote: ".Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens. This mystery from 2018 just keeps appearing everywhere, and no one knows why. It’s the Ryan Seacrest of novels.."Bwahahahah. I confess that while this book was super readable, I was not a fan, so this absolutely cracked me up.
Joanne wrote: "PBS is starting a mini-series this Sunday of All Creatures Great and Small-I have it set to record. I love my PBS~and Masterpiece"They are????? Oh, I need to record it.
The trailer for it looks good. I want to see it too.
Nikki wrote: "I notice that Where the Crawdads Sing is on the list again. I liked it a lot, but this comment from Ron Charles in the latest WaPo book newsletter still came dangerously close to ma..."OMG - Ryan Seacrest did something on NYE to support front line workers, and I asked "haven't they been through enough?" somebody must like him (and that book, which I haven't read and don't plan to but now I really don't plan to. :)
Anita wrote: "Nikki wrote: ".Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens. This mystery from 2018 just keeps appearing everywhere, and no one knows why. It’s the Ryan Seacrest of novels.."Bwahahahah. I confess th..."
Me too! I can't explain why I disliked Crawdads, saying it was "unrealistic", yet loved This Tender Land, which is actually much more fantastical. I do like stories about people working together, which happens in Land, while the character in Crawdads is usually alone or in not-helpful relationships.
Joanne wrote: "PBS is starting a mini-series this Sunday of All Creatures Great and Small-I have it set to record. I love my PBS~and Masterpiece"Another one, eh? I thought there was one before, and sure enough it was from 1978-1980; and, yes, that's been a good 40 years. I don't know who it was that watched it, but it might have been my mother.
Nikki wrote: "I notice that Where the Crawdads Sing is on the list again. I liked it a lot, but this comment from Ron Charles in the latest WaPo book newsletter still came dangerously close to ma..."I love the book, but I agree that's funny. It's probably because it kept popping back up to the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List. I don't know if it's a record, but it's been on the list since 2018. According to B&N, it's now at #6. Every time it makes a new list, sales pop up again. I imagine it must annoy other authors.
I imagine that some of you view this book the way I viewed Little Fires Everywhere. It was so hyped up, it was annoying. I built up my defenses toward the book before I even read it. When my bookclub picked it last year, I decided to re-read it and I liked it better.
Crawdads is beautiful on audio. It was one of my "comfort books" (re-reads) last year when I was under stress. I could imagine that I was on the water, connected with nature. I can pretend to be an outdoors type (while in real life, I hate the bugs).
Karin wrote: "Joanne wrote: "PBS is starting a mini-series this Sunday of All Creatures Great and Small-I have it set to record. I love my PBS~and Masterpiece"Another one, eh? I thought there was one before, a..."
I watched it! I remember watching it while my daughter was a baby and that would have been around 1980. I also read all the books. They are based on true experiences although James Herriot is a pen name.
Five of the top 10, were in my current top ten list. I guess that makes me kind of a ‘with it ‘for the year. I feel like I was somehow on the pulse. Maybe it’s because I take so many of your suggestions seriously. And read what you all tell me is not to be missed. So thank you!
AJ wrote: "Anita wrote: "AJ wrote: "Having just finished Educated I have now read one of the top 10."YAY! Did you like it?"
I think it is a difficult book to "like". It is so hard hitting. ..."
Good point . . .like is not the best word. But I was very impressed by the writer and her fortitude.
Thanks again, Anita, for doing this list. It gives me so much joy every year-end!
Is The Vanishing Half supposed to be on here twice? Or just an error?I already planned to read Hamnet, Lab Girl, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Educated.
But now I'm intrigued by The Dutch House, Recursion, and Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland so I will probably add those to my TBR.
Tessa (FutureAuthor23) wrote: "Is The Vanishing Half supposed to be on here twice? Or just an error?I already planned to read Hamnet, Lab Girl, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Educated.
But now I'm intrigued by The Dutch House, R..."
Great catch! Vanishing Half was originally an honorable mention, but at the nth hour it garnered an extra vote. I moved it up, but forgot to take it off the honorable mention list.
So, I'm shelving these right now. Just added in the tag, and was shocked to see all the other tags disappear for that book that I used to add in the new tag!!!! (I did notice some odd things last year with tags disappearing... I think it was also when I was doing the top 10?)
The only way to add a new tag (as far as I know) is to use a book on the shelf to start with. If it's a book that already has tags, I'm going to need to pay closer attention to what the other tags were in case they disappear!
Luckily, I noticed before saving so I took a screenshot and could add back in the tags that were already there.
And the shelving of the 2020 top 10 is done! https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
I don't add in the honourable mentions, but if there are ties, of course there are times when more than 10 are often added in. So, this year there are 13.
One interesting tidbit I noticed: Station Eleven was on our top 10 in 2014. It disappeared all the years in between, then came back in 2020 to make the top 10 again!
And it's Sunday night and I forgot to shelve the December books. I will do that next weekend (hopefully I will remember with more time to get it done!).
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Station Eleven (other topics)Station Eleven (other topics)
Educated (other topics)
Educated (other topics)
Where the Crawdads Sing (other topics)
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Without further adieu,
Tied for first (and second) place:
Educated (tied for 5th in 2019)
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Tied for 3rd-6th place, we have:
Daisy Jones & The Six (1st in 2019)
Lab Girl
Recursion
The Dutch House (tied for 5th in 2019)
And rounding out our top ten (well actually top 13), the remaining titles all tied:
Apeirogon
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Station Eleven
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
The Vanishing Half
This Tender Land
Honorable Mention
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Big Little Lies
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood (tied for 8th in 2019)
City of Girls
Hamnet
How to Be an Antiracist
My Dark Vanessa
News of the World
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Where the Crawdads Sing (tied for 2nd in 2019)