My Best & Worst Reads of 2020

I don’t think i’ve ever posted a post about what my favourite and least favourite reads of a year have been, and i don’t know why. I read and watch so many bloggers talk about what they loved and hated about the previous years reading, and i figured this year i want to look back on what i’ve read, what i loved and what i didn’t.

I will preface this post by saying that these are my opinions. No i will not be talking about the best and worst rated books of 2020, every book i’m about to talk about is my own opinion.

I ended up with quite a few five star books in 2020, with 21 five star reads i have plenty to choose from for my favourite books of the year. There have definitely been a few books of the year that have truly stuck with me. I tried to experiment a little more in 2020 with my reading and try some books i wouldn’t have previously.

There are a few books that i enjoyed, and definitely were five star reads, however don’t live up to be one of my favourite books of the whole year. These are some i probably haven’t spoken about a huge amount, such as One Italian Summer by Keris Stainton. I adored this book and read through it in just a day. It’s fun, with a lot of humorous moments with some darker undertones that i think Keris is wonderful at writing.

Camp by L. C. Rosen was also a book that i very much appreciated reading this year. I have fond memories of reading it in the garden during the first lockdown, and that mixed with the wonderfully diverse story made the whole reading experience great.

I have thought a lot about what books i’ve adored in 2020, and what books i would say are my favourite books, but there are two particularly that have stuck with me throughout the year. These are books that have made me invested in series and characters long term, which rarely happens when i’m reading.

Firstly, i adored A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I didn’t think this book, or even this genre would be anything i’d be so invested in. And i won’t lie about the fact i picked the book up purely because it was popular. But i fell completely in love with the characters, story and how fast paced the plot was. For a fantasy, i found it incredibly easy to follow and was invested from the start. Not only did i love this first book of the series, i instantly read the second and went to pre-order the third. Something which i never do with a series. I cannot wait for the third book, A Vow So Bold and Deadly to release later on in January.

The other book that i found to stay with me throughout the year was A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. A few years ago i read Becky’s debut novel in the Wayfarers series, and loved it. The characters are incredibly and the world building feels so real. So when i had time in lockdown i picked up the second installment in the companion series. At the time it was a novel that i enjoyed, but wasn’t making a huge impact on me, and as the year has gone on, i’ve thought a lot more about the story, characters and generally the reading experience and it has sat firmly at the top of my best books of 2020 list.

I do want to talk a little bit about the downsides of reading last year for me, but i don’t want to dwell on it for too long. I had no one star ratings in 2020, which i feel like is quite an achievement. However i only had one, two star rated book which was Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith. I recieved this book in exchange for a review from the publisher, and considering it was a book i was incredibly excited about, it didn’t hit anywhere near where i wanted it to. I found it offensive and generally very flat. By far this was my most disappointing read of 2020.

There are a couple of books that i did not give a star rating that i have very mixed opinions on that i did not enjoy. For example, i read the first three volumes of Saga in 2020. I found the first volume interesting, however there are a few parts to the story i found uncomfortable and unneccesarily in there. I borrowed the other volumes from a friend so i wouldn’t have to invest more money in to this story, and i just didn’t like it. The story is fun and without some of the problematic elements i might have got on board with it.

So that is a very small view in to what i loved and didn’t love this year. Obviously there are about eighty books inbetween these that i had mixed feelings for, but overall it was an ‘okay’ reading year. I enjoyed what i read and definitely found a couple of books that will make it to my favourites shelf.

What’s the best book you read in 2020?