A thread of all the books I've read in 2020

RATING SYSTEM

5 stars - this book is excellent/an all-time favourite
4 stars - a great book I'd highly recommend
3 stars - I enjoyed this book but didn't love it
2 stars - this book wasn't for me
1 star - no idea why I finished this book but I did

CONTENT WARNINGS

These are very important to me, both as a reader and a reviewer.

Character counts are limited on Twitter so I will place "[DM for content warning]" in place of listing them as I would normally do on my blog and Instagram. Please do DM me.

1. A Ladder to the Sky by @john_boyne - 5 stars
You will hate the central character in this book but won't be able to put the book down. Compulsively readable.
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Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8JkVCEg5Ju/ 

2. Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss - 4 stars
Audiobook. I thought this book touched on a lot of interesting themes: familial relationships, British history, obsession, abuse and cults. Not sure Moss's depiction of working-class families was reliable.
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3. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh - 5 stars
This would make a great book club book because there is so much to unpack and discuss.
Too much for a tweet. Reader, I loved it.
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4. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami - 4 stars
Weird and wonderful. Great for fans of magical realism. A short read that was delightfully unpredictable. Beautiful illustrations.
Warning: you might never look at a library in the same way ever again.

5. After Dark by Haruki Murakami - 4 stars
If you've ever pulled an all-nighter, you will know how strangely time moves through the night. This book illustrates this brilliantly with a good dollop of magical realism.
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Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/B79WTb0gQAa/ 

6 & 7. My Brother's Husband (VI & VII) by Gengoroh Tagame - 5 stars
Other reviewers have told me this is an excellent depiction of what it means to be homosexual in Japan.
I loved the characters, their relationships with one another and the depictions of food. Excellent manga.

8. LoveStar by Andri Snær Magnason - 4 stars
A great dystopian novel set in Iceland.
Magnason forces the reader to think about the negative side of technology and consumerism. Super powerful and wacky in places, but ultimately very clever.
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/B74FpDtAIRh/ 

9. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout - 2 stars
Audiobook. I came very close to DNFing this book but the audiobook was so short that I persevered. It was a deeply uncomfortable read about an abusive mother-daughter relationship.
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10. Saturdays at Noon by Rachel Marks - 4 stars
This book felt like a warm blanket. It made my heart sing, ache and rejoice at various moments.
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Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2910345401
Thank you to @NetGalley @PenguinUKBooks @MichaelJBooks #gifted

11. Hieroglyphics and Other Stories by Anne Donovan - 4 stars
A brilliant short story collection from one of my favourite Scottish authors.
Personal favourites from the collection:
Hieroglyphics
All That Glisters
Me and the Babbie
Away in a Manger
A Change of Hert
Zimmerobics

12. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee - 3 stars
Loved that this book told a lesser-known story of Chinese people living in 1890s Atlanta. A lovely light read but felt bombarded with characters.
Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2931569391
Thank you @LittleBrownUK @PiatkusBooks #gifted

13. The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao, written by Martha Batalha and translated by Eric M B Becker - 4 stars
Loved the setting (1940s Rio de Janeiro). I really enjoyed the quiet rebelliousness of Euridice.
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Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rj6YTKPWC/ 

14. The Lido by Libby Page - 3 stars
A feel-good book about community, connectivity and mental health. I loved Rosemary and felt the depictions of anxiety (content warning) were on point

15. The Butchers by Ruth Gilligan - 4 stars
1990s Ireland, BSE crisis. This genre-defying novel is Gilligan's best yet. An excellent multi-viewpoint novel. There is A LOT in this book. It is un-put-downable.
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Thank you @NetGalley @AtlanticBooks #gifted

16. Inside Broadmoor by Jonathan Levi and Emma French - 4 stars
Audiobook. A detailed study of the history and current form of Broadmoor, the high-security psychiatric hospital in Crowthorne.
Ideal for those interested in the relationship between mental health and crime.

17. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen - 3 stars
Mixed feelings on this one. The writing was superb and I flew through the first half but the second half dragged.
It was, all-in-all, a very messed up story and you will want to shake the characters.
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18. The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford - 4 stars
This was a lovely piece of historical fiction. It was a bit of a slow burn for me but I found myself becoming drawn in by the characters and I was in tears by the end.
Full review: https://bit.ly/2UKZXKP 

19. Promising Young Women by Caroline O'Donoghue - 4 stars
This is an excellent read in the era of #MeToo . Extremely powerful! This was uncomfortable to read at times but I think it is a great piece of contemporary fiction.
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20. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur - 3 stars
I devoured this poetry collection. Some pieces were extraordinarily beautiful, while others didn't speak to me in the same way.
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21. There There by Tommy Orange - 5 stars
A fabulous book exploring the Native American Indian experience. A future classic. I devoured it and then was devastated when it ended.
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Full review: https://bit.ly/2yVfVe4 

22. Summary Justice by John Fairfax - 3 stars
A decent storyline which was centred around a courtroom drama. It was fast-paced and easy to read (very accessible writing style).
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23. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 3 stars
Audiobook. An extremely personal memoir which is written in the form of a message from father to son. Extremely visceral and powerful language. Would suggest reading the physical book.
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24. Did You See Melody? by Sophie Hannah - 3 stars
This was predictable in many ways but I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Sophie Hannah's writing (as her books were my favourites for a while). This felt like comfort reading for me.
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25. The Tipping Point by Enki Bilal et al - 2 stars
My favourite in this collection was Naoki Urasawa’s ‘Solo Mission’ but I could take or leave the other pieces so it was a disappointing collection.

26. Atomcat by Osamu Tezuka - 3 stars
A light-hearted piece of manga which was easy to read.

27. Kakushigoto by Koji Kumeta, tr. Kevin Gifford - 3 stars
Found this to be an interesting insight into what being a manga artist in Japan is really like. I particularly loved the depictions of the father-daughter relationship.

28. No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg - 2 stars
Audiobook. An important message but I was disappointed to find this book was simply a collection of speeches. It became extremely repetitive and lost my interest.

29. The Man Who Didn't Call by Rosie Walsh - 4 stars
A fabulous piece of contemporary fiction. I got completely wrapped up in this fictional world and I was gutted when I finished the book. Excited for more from this author.
[DM for content warnings]