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A review by fulltimefiction
2020 on Goodreads by
4.0
The only good that happened in 2020 is that I had time to read. A lot more than I expected. I doubled my challenge from 52 to 120. I read some good books, bad books, but the most important thing is: I enjoyed reading and I missed it so much (having only read 76 books last year).
In 2020 a lot happened. But nothing very positive. Living in Lebanon, this year sucked SO BAD. It's the worst year since the civil war and Covid was a cherry on top. Inflation, banks not giving USD, unemployment, the national currency losing over 65% of its value, the fires, Beirut Blast, the casualties and destruction, corruption, no cabinet for months now, and the list goes on. Since many businesses closed because of covid and many employees were earning half of their salaries, people were barely able to get by.
If you are wondering, book prices skyrocketed too. Seeing the new prices on the new rate simply hurts. Physical books are now a luxury.
My family and I also caught covid (and it was mostly mild). Although I finished my degree this year, I didn't find a good enough job. But a part-time one is better than nothing considering everything that's going on.
Reading wise, I realized how much I'm behind on 2017-18-19 releases. I tried to catch up. Thankfully -and mostly due to audiobooks- I don't have that many books from those years left to read. I don't know about you but I like to read popular books to see if they're worth the hype. Sure we all love to discover hidden gems *coughs* like [b:The Sword of Kaigen|41886271|The Sword of Kaigen|M.L. Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271._SX50_.jpg|65383313] *coughs please read it* but popular ones have more feedback. I sadly don't think 2020 offered many good new releases (that aren't sequels to be clear).
Honestly, this year, especially the last few months were great, Goodreads-wise, for me. I met many new lovely people, also revived my bookstagram (follow me if you want @fulltimefiction -I wouldn't say my account beautiful but I do my best with what I've got /and when I'm not too lazy to take pictures). Moreover, I focused on reviewing more than usual. I know this might not mean much to most of you but I managed to make it to the global best reviewers list and this was wonderful/too good to be true kind of thing. I never thought it's possible for me, I mean it's me, you know? With lots of typos and grammar errors and forgetting the right English words when I need them while writing my so-called reviews. So I want to thank you very much, guys.
I've seen many updating their year on GR each month but I had no idea it’s a thing (and then was too lazy to). I definitely won't wait next year... I gave 4 books only 5 stars this year (what?!!). [b:The Sword of Kaigen|41886271|The Sword of Kaigen|M.L. Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271._SX50_.jpg|65383313], [b:The Shadow of What Was Lost|22878967|The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)|James Islington|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507308087l/22878967._SY75_.jpg|42428433], [b:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362772965l/13581990._SY75_.jpg|19167673] (although this one was the least perfect of the 4), and [b:The Dragon Reborn|34897|The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)|Robert Jordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480096580l/34897._SX50_.jpg|791061] with an average of 3.2... but I managed to pass my personal challenge which was reading 50k pages.
The biggest reading feat was starting [b:Worm|18713259|Worm (Parahumans, #1)|Wildbow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519662877l/18713259._SX50_.jpg|26574170] which will take me forever to finish. But the most difficult part is done.
Since I haven't read many books in early 2020 due to my finals and the internship I was doing, I'll combine the first 3 months.
Jan-Feb-Mar: (total 12 books)
[bc:White Night|91475|White Night (The Dresden Files, #9)|Jim Butcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309552288l/91475._SY75_.jpg|1254936]
White Night, the 9th book of the Dresden Files. It was definitely one of the best in this series.
I also read the manhwa Bastard which is worth mentioning, it's a fun short thriller.
[bc:Bastard|27250890|Bastard|Youngchan Hwang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445459094l/27250890._SX50_.jpg|47299893]
April: (total 19 books)
Lockdown was in full force this month and this left me so much time to read. I didn't waste itlike I'm doing now.
I'd say the best book is the Blade Itself, although it wasn't 5 stars. I haven't read the sequel yet so hopefully, it'll get better.
[bc:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009]
May:
But alas, good reading days don't last long. In May, I was very busy and only managed to read 9 books. The winner of this month is:
[bc:Rebecca|17899948|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386605169l/17899948._SX50_.jpg|46663]
June: (total 4 books)
Another overwhelming month, but I read then the best book of this year:
[bc:The Sword of Kaigen|41886271|The Sword of Kaigen|M.L. Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271._SX50_.jpg|65383313]
July: (total 10 books)
I read this year a very fun YA dystopian trilogy and the second book earned 5 stars (albeit not perfect, I liked it a lot)
[bc:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362772965l/13581990._SY75_.jpg|19167673]
August: (13 books)
I had more time to read this month since finals were over.
[bc:The Dragon Reborn|34897|The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)|Robert Jordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480096580l/34897._SX50_.jpg|791061]
September: (22 books)
Honestly, there's no "best" this month. There's a tie between 3 books ([b:The Duchess Deal|33259027|The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)|Tessa Dare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490030736l/33259027._SY75_.jpg|53979944], [b:Emerald Blaze|49053880|Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy, #5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576862167l/49053880._SY75_.jpg|61763682], [b:Shadows of Self|16065004|Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435053013l/16065004._SY75_.jpg|21855448]). And each of these is different in a way. Needless to say the book with the most work behind and best construction is Shadow of Self.
But I'm choosing this book because it introduced me properly to historical romance, a genre I read more of in the following months because it's very fun and light. Sometimes it's just what a person needs, a mindless entertaining book without taking it very seriously.
[bc:The Duchess Deal|33259027|The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)|Tessa Dare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490030736l/33259027._SY75_.jpg|53979944]
October: (16 books)
One of the few nonfiction I read this year, I didn't even listen to audios most of this year because I was listening to it and the place I reached was very slow. Luckily, once it picked up, it became so much better.
[bc:Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption|8664353|Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption|Laura Hillenbrand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327861115l/8664353._SY75_.jpg|12946965]
November: (12 book)
I simply love this series, they are such comfort reads for me. I know whenever I need a good book, the Dresden Files won't disappoint. That's why I'm taking my time.
[bc:Turn Coat|3475161|Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11)|Jim Butcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304027128l/3475161._SY75_.jpg|3516480]
I need to mention this audiobook because it was the best audiobook (narration wise) I read this year.
[bc:Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine|31434883|Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine|Gail Honeyman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493724347l/31434883._SY75_.jpg|47327681]
December: (11 books)
If it weren't for the writing, another wheel of time installment would’ve been the best of this month but sadly I really struggled with Shadow Rising. So the title goes for:
[bc:The Great Alone|34912895|The Great Alone|Kristin Hannah|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501852423l/34912895._SY75_.jpg|56275107]
It was a very pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I’m going to end up liking this book so much.
In 2020 a lot happened. But nothing very positive. Living in Lebanon, this year sucked SO BAD. It's the worst year since the civil war and Covid was a cherry on top. Inflation, banks not giving USD, unemployment, the national currency losing over 65% of its value, the fires, Beirut Blast, the casualties and destruction, corruption, no cabinet for months now, and the list goes on. Since many businesses closed because of covid and many employees were earning half of their salaries, people were barely able to get by.
If you are wondering, book prices skyrocketed too. Seeing the new prices on the new rate simply hurts. Physical books are now a luxury.
My family and I also caught covid (and it was mostly mild). Although I finished my degree this year, I didn't find a good enough job. But a part-time one is better than nothing considering everything that's going on.
Reading wise, I realized how much I'm behind on 2017-18-19 releases. I tried to catch up. Thankfully -and mostly due to audiobooks- I don't have that many books from those years left to read. I don't know about you but I like to read popular books to see if they're worth the hype. Sure we all love to discover hidden gems *coughs* like [b:The Sword of Kaigen|41886271|The Sword of Kaigen|M.L. Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271._SX50_.jpg|65383313] *coughs please read it* but popular ones have more feedback. I sadly don't think 2020 offered many good new releases (that aren't sequels to be clear).
Honestly, this year, especially the last few months were great, Goodreads-wise, for me. I met many new lovely people, also revived my bookstagram (follow me if you want @fulltimefiction -I wouldn't say my account beautiful but I do my best with what I've got /and when I'm not too lazy to take pictures). Moreover, I focused on reviewing more than usual. I know this might not mean much to most of you but I managed to make it to the global best reviewers list and this was wonderful/too good to be true kind of thing. I never thought it's possible for me, I mean it's me, you know? With lots of typos and grammar errors and forgetting the right English words when I need them while writing my so-called reviews. So I want to thank you very much, guys.
I've seen many updating their year on GR each month but I had no idea it’s a thing (and then was too lazy to). I definitely won't wait next year... I gave 4 books only 5 stars this year (what?!!). [b:The Sword of Kaigen|41886271|The Sword of Kaigen|M.L. Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271._SX50_.jpg|65383313], [b:The Shadow of What Was Lost|22878967|The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)|James Islington|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507308087l/22878967._SY75_.jpg|42428433], [b:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362772965l/13581990._SY75_.jpg|19167673] (although this one was the least perfect of the 4), and [b:The Dragon Reborn|34897|The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)|Robert Jordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480096580l/34897._SX50_.jpg|791061] with an average of 3.2... but I managed to pass my personal challenge which was reading 50k pages.
The biggest reading feat was starting [b:Worm|18713259|Worm (Parahumans, #1)|Wildbow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519662877l/18713259._SX50_.jpg|26574170] which will take me forever to finish. But the most difficult part is done.
Since I haven't read many books in early 2020 due to my finals and the internship I was doing, I'll combine the first 3 months.
Jan-Feb-Mar: (total 12 books)
[bc:White Night|91475|White Night (The Dresden Files, #9)|Jim Butcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309552288l/91475._SY75_.jpg|1254936]
White Night, the 9th book of the Dresden Files. It was definitely one of the best in this series.
I also read the manhwa Bastard which is worth mentioning, it's a fun short thriller.
[bc:Bastard|27250890|Bastard|Youngchan Hwang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445459094l/27250890._SX50_.jpg|47299893]
April: (total 19 books)
Lockdown was in full force this month and this left me so much time to read. I didn't waste it
I'd say the best book is the Blade Itself, although it wasn't 5 stars. I haven't read the sequel yet so hopefully, it'll get better.
[bc:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009]
May:
But alas, good reading days don't last long. In May, I was very busy and only managed to read 9 books. The winner of this month is:
[bc:Rebecca|17899948|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386605169l/17899948._SX50_.jpg|46663]
June: (total 4 books)
Another overwhelming month, but I read then the best book of this year:
[bc:The Sword of Kaigen|41886271|The Sword of Kaigen|M.L. Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271._SX50_.jpg|65383313]
July: (total 10 books)
I read this year a very fun YA dystopian trilogy and the second book earned 5 stars (albeit not perfect, I liked it a lot)
[bc:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362772965l/13581990._SY75_.jpg|19167673]
August: (13 books)
I had more time to read this month since finals were over.
[bc:The Dragon Reborn|34897|The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)|Robert Jordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480096580l/34897._SX50_.jpg|791061]
September: (22 books)
Honestly, there's no "best" this month. There's a tie between 3 books ([b:The Duchess Deal|33259027|The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)|Tessa Dare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490030736l/33259027._SY75_.jpg|53979944], [b:Emerald Blaze|49053880|Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy, #5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576862167l/49053880._SY75_.jpg|61763682], [b:Shadows of Self|16065004|Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435053013l/16065004._SY75_.jpg|21855448]). And each of these is different in a way. Needless to say the book with the most work behind and best construction is Shadow of Self.
But I'm choosing this book because it introduced me properly to historical romance, a genre I read more of in the following months because it's very fun and light. Sometimes it's just what a person needs, a mindless entertaining book without taking it very seriously.
[bc:The Duchess Deal|33259027|The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)|Tessa Dare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490030736l/33259027._SY75_.jpg|53979944]
October: (16 books)
One of the few nonfiction I read this year, I didn't even listen to audios most of this year because I was listening to it and the place I reached was very slow. Luckily, once it picked up, it became so much better.
[bc:Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption|8664353|Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption|Laura Hillenbrand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327861115l/8664353._SY75_.jpg|12946965]
November: (12 book)
I simply love this series, they are such comfort reads for me. I know whenever I need a good book, the Dresden Files won't disappoint. That's why I'm taking my time.
[bc:Turn Coat|3475161|Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11)|Jim Butcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304027128l/3475161._SY75_.jpg|3516480]
I need to mention this audiobook because it was the best audiobook (narration wise) I read this year.
[bc:Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine|31434883|Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine|Gail Honeyman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493724347l/31434883._SY75_.jpg|47327681]
December: (11 books)
If it weren't for the writing, another wheel of time installment would’ve been the best of this month but sadly I really struggled with Shadow Rising. So the title goes for:
[bc:The Great Alone|34912895|The Great Alone|Kristin Hannah|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501852423l/34912895._SY75_.jpg|56275107]
It was a very pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I’m going to end up liking this book so much.