I have only read 70 books in 2020, and none in December, which surprises me because it was a perfect year to read as there was so little else to do. As one of my friends said to me, when the pandemic first began, “Quarantine is an introvert’s paradise.”
Yet, I found myself involved in many other things than reading, such as preparing lovely meals, walking in the woods, and caring for my family. And so, I wrap up my reading year with these brief highlights:
Read alongs:
Malicroix by Henri Bosco, translated by Joyce Zonana
Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara
The Makioka Sisters by Juni’chiro Tanizuki
The Booker International Prize 2020:
Joining the International Booker Shadow Jury as we read for the International Booker Prize 2020.
Reading Challenges:
Spanish Lit Month, hosted by Stu this July
German Lit Month, hosted by Caroline and Lizzy this November
Japanese Literature Challenge 13, hosted by myself from January through March
Women in Translation Month, hosted by Meytal
20 Books of Summer, hosted by Cathy
1920 Club, hosted by Kaggsy and Simon
Edgar Award nominations for Best Novel:
- Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
- Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
- The River by Peter Heller
- Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland
- Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee
Top Ten Books of 2020:
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- The Bell In The Lake by Lars Mytting
- The Power of The Dog, trilogy by Don Winslow
- The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
- Malicroix by Henri Bosco
- The Other Name by Jon Fosse
- The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
- The Makioka Sisters by Juni’chiro Tanizuki
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
- Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara
Looking forward to:
I am eager to begin the Japanese Literature Challenge 14 with many of you (all are welcome!) in January. Let’s take the next month to read Breasts and Eggs by Meiko Kawakami, which won the Akutagawa Prize and is highly praised by Haruki Murakami. We can discuss it at the end of January, which gives us time to read and discuss it.
I believe I will also take some time to revisit some old favorites. If there ever was a time to read for comfort, this Winter May qualify. I would like to reread Possession by A. S. Byatt, The Crimson Petal and The White by Michel Faber, Watership Down by Richard Adams. I would also like to read more Russian literature, of which I have quite a stack.
And, you? What were your favorite reads of 2020? What do you look forward to in 2021?
