A little late for this post, but I had it on my drafts for a month, so, here it is. 2020 was an absolute clusterfuck but somehow, I managed to read 40 books which the majority of which I greatly enjoyed. Here is the list with my favourite books in no particular order; these are the ones that kept me company in hospital stays, long long nights and the hard weeks in between. I mean, something good had to come out from this year, right?
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This book was a revelation for me. I had absolutely no idea what it was going in but my best friend’s prompting “Read it, duck, you’ll see why it’s brilliant”. Reader, I read it. It was brilliant. From the writing to the characters to the way it was going back and forth to the past and the present, it was a beautiful, brilliant journey.
– CW: this book deals with a pandemic and describes some ugly and terrifying situations, so venture carefully.
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
I’m late to the Earthsea stories, I know but this book climbed to my all-time favorites and I heart it with that special love I have for Le Guin’s books.
She-Wolves by Helen Castor
You wanna learn some history about badass almost British Queens from the 1100s? Wanna see how women were considered emotional and bitchy when they showed some actual character seven centuries ago? Wanna read about the ridiculous sharing of lands between the countries as marital gifts between Kings? Do you wanna see how often a King spend his life at the barracks to hold onto those lands? Do you wanna have fun with despicably rich people’s problems? If you answered yes in any of these questions, this non-fiction book is for you.
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
An exploration of the dynamics between family bonds and justice when they come face to face in the form of serial murders and cleaning blood stains. I read this book in one seating and by the time I finished it, it had made my day. I had fun and enjoyed it immensely.
G
ods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Oh! This book was a delight! I love books that explore relationships (of any kind) between gods and mortals. This book, didn’t take a completely unexpected turn plotwise but it was fun to read and I liked the glance into the Mexican culture of 1920s.
Cain by Jose Saramago
Yeah, me and books that criticize gods (of any kind) had quite the talk this year. This book was unexpectedly funny while at the same time explored some questionable concepts about the Old Testament. Well, Cain was always a favorite for a reason. ?