Wow! Here we are, the last Tuesday of the year. Today’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) topic is “Favorite Books of 2020,” but it’s been a tradition of mine, before I even had this blog, to put out my list of favorite books I read (for the first time) on January 1st. Especially since one year, I read my favorite book of the year on December 31st. So… I’m going to tweak the topic a bit and do Favorite 2020 Releases. And as of today I’ll read no more 2020 releases so this list doesn’t end up changing in the next three days.
This week was actually difficult! If you’ve read my monthly wrap-ups for this year, then maybe you’ve noticed that this has been an awful reading year for me. This has begun to turn around, but over the course of this year, I didn’t request a lot of ARCs and didn’t read a whole lot of new books. But these were the new releases I think stood out to me the most this year. While they are in order, it’s possible that tomorrow I might shuffle some of these around. Or put a couple different ones in.
10. The Kingdom of Back – Marie Lu. This is the story of Mozart’s sister, Nannerl. She wants to be remembered in a world where girls are supposed to grow up, get married, and be forgotten. It’s different than any of her other stories, but it has beautiful descriptions and made me tear up at the end.
9. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins. Am I the only person who gets Suzanne Collins the author mixed up with Susan Collins the legislator? Anyway, this is the story of President Snow when he was a teenager. How does a good person go bad? This book explains. It also tells the origin of the song “The Hanging Tree” which I loved.
8. Jo & Laurie – Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz. I first heard of this book when the Penguin Teen Tour, featuring Astrid Scholte, Melissa de la Cruz, and Marie Lu, came to Denver. I tried reading Little Women as a kid and got bored after the first page, so I initially wasn’t excited about this book. Then I got to read a sample of this on Bookish First and I wanted to read it. I ended up listening to it on audiobook on a road trip between my house and my in-laws in Arizona and it was good enough to make my top 10 this year.
7. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab. This book was cleverly done, and heartbreaking at times. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of this book.
6. Between Burning Worlds – Jessica C. Brody and Joanne Rendell. This year, it’s somewhat hard to tell whether a book would have done better on this list if I hadn’t read it in the middle of a pandemic. Sky Without Stars was #3 on my list of favorite 2019 releases. This book came out towards the beginning of the pandemic. I was planning on meeting Jessica Brody at The Tattered Cover towards the end of March, but the book signing was cancelled and there was a Zoom book launch I attended instead. I loved returning to this world, but it seems like reading books took longer this year than last. Including this one, which I loved.
5. The Best Laid Plans – Cameron Lund. On the other hand, I have to wonder if, looking back on 2020, I think on The Best Laid Plans so fondly because this is a feel-good book in a year that a lot of us weren’t really feeling so good. Four of the top 5 books on this list this year are pretty much that – they leave me with feel-good vibes and hope.
4. Today Tonight Tomorrow – Rachel Lynn Solomon. Oh how I loved this book! I started reading this before the pandemic started shutting everything down, and it was initially my “hot tub book.” I would go to the gym, swim, then get out of the pool and read this book. But then the pandemic closed the gym, so no hot tub. But I did make it a priority to read this book, and I loved it.
3. Skyhunter – Marie Lu. This is the only book in this year’s top five that doesn’t end on a hopeful, happy note (what do you expect, this is a Marie Lu book in the middle of a duology). Would it have ranked higher in another year? Possibly. But I’ve already pre-ordered Skyhunter 2 (even though it doesn’t have a title or a cover yet) and will do a reread before the second book comes out next September.
2. A Sky Beyond the Storm – Sabaa Tahir. I think A Sky Beyond the Storm is the perfect metaphor for 2020. It’s been horrible for so many people, but at the end of the storm, there may be some blue sky. This tetralogy had the perfect ending.
1. Chain of Gold – Cassandra Clare. In a year that I barely made my Goodreads reading goal, Chain of Gold is the only book I’ve reread already. And I’m going to read it again before March 2nd, when Chain of Iron comes out. Now, I said that Skyhunter was the only book that didn’t have a hopeful ending. If you’ve read this book, you may be thinking how was this hopeful? There was a fire, and then the epilogue… anyway, I’ve read the Shadowhunter Found Family Tree, and I know that things will work out. I love how this book ends though.
I’m so glad there’s only 10 weeks until Chain of Iron comes out. A few days ago, I started rereading The Infernal Devices, and plan to read all the Shadowhunter books and stories from Ghosts of the Shadow Market that take place between Clockwork Angel and Chain of Iron. I don’t own a copy of The Bane Chronicles or Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, which is why I won’t be reading those stories. If you’re wondering what order these stories come in, there is a Shadowhunter timeline you can use as a reference.
So there’s my top ten list of 2020 releases. There are a couple books I’d really like to include, and might have, had I written this list on another day.
What books did you come up with? I have a feeling I’m going to have to expand my TBR this week!
Next week we’re going to talk about my “Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021.” I may end up having to cut that “first half of” out of my list though. I only have one unread book on Netgalley right now. I stopped requesting books because I was having a hard time reading so many books.
I think it’s kind of funny that you mix up Susan Collins and Suzanne Collins. I’m sure there are lots of other people who do the same thing. 🙂
My post.
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books That Would Make Great Gifts
The first time I was like… “wait, what?” Usually now I think the author’s name first, then I realize that they’re two different people, and I make a joke about the legislator and The Hunger Games or something. It’s kind of tragic that their names are so close.
I’ve been meaning to read The Kingdom of Back for awhile now. Hopefully I’ll get to it next year. I’ve been really curious about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue too. It sounds so good! 🙂
2021 will hopefully be a great year for books! I hope you get the chance to read both of them (and many more) next year.
Finding out that Jo & Laurie exists set off a search for how that would even work and questioning of whether or not my daughter and I would like it. We read Little Women last December and she really liked it, but she wished Jo & Laurie would have ended up together. I think we’ll just have to read it and see what we think. Thanks for the eye-opener!
Kristi recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Top Reads from 2020
I think you and your daughter would like it! The book is more about the writing of Little Women (which as an author, I loved) but I think anyone who loved Little Women but wanted Jo & Laurie together will like this book.
Addie LaRue is one I’m hoping to get to in early 2020!
I hope you like it!
Everyone seems to love Little Women and I have yet to finish it! I don’t even know how many times I’ve tried. I decided that my last attempt was going to be the one but then I realized that the copy I had bought at a library sale was only the first half of the book! Foiled! I still haven’t cared enough to try again. I do like Little Men though. I’ve read it several times.
I keep reading good things about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue too. I need to get on the wait list at the library for that one.
Happy New Year!
I should try reading Little Women again. I didn’t really give it a chance when I was younger, and I may have been too young for it. Chain of Gold/The Infernal Devices and some courses I’ve been taking on Victorian Britain have got me interested in reading more from that time period, so maybe I’ll get around to it in 2021.
Great list! I need to try the Ember in the Ashes series, I’ve heard so many good things.
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Best books of 2020!
I read the first three books in four days, I think. And they’re huge. 🙂
I need to read Addie LaRue. I own a copy though!!!
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Best of 2020: 13 Books I Loved
That’s always a good start, right? It’s easier to read a book you own than one you have to wait for the library for.
I’m very keen to read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Best Laid Plans looks like something I’d really like as well.
Bree @1girl2manybooks recently posted…Top 10 Tuesday 29th December/My Favourite Books Of 2020
I hope you get the chance to read them in 2021 and love them!
I am very interesting in checking out Skyhunter. I hope you have a good New Year’s!
You too! And I hope you like Skyhunter as well.
I haven’t read any of these, but JO & LAURIE sounds really good. I love LITTLE WOMEN, so I’ll definitely be checking it out. I’m glad you enjoyed it and all these others.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I’m sure you would like it!
I’ve said it a lot this week, but it’s true: for as rotten as 2020 has been, at least the books have been great. The Best Laid Plans looks really interesting—definitely checking that one out.
Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks recently posted…Old Friends, New Faces, and Old Friends With New Faces: Ten of My Favorite 2020 Reads
I hope you like it!
My reading was down a lot this year. I think Addie LaRue sounds good though. I should give it a shot.
Happy New Year!
Greg recently posted…Top Ten Books of 2020
I think you’d like it. I read about 2/3 of the amount of books I read last year. Fortunately it seems to be picking up again, but we’ll see. At least I finally made my Goodreads goal. I’m glad I didn’t make it overly-ambitious.
Jo and Laurie sounds like an interesting read. Great list! Thanks for visiting my post! 🙂
You’re welcome! I hope you like Jo & Laurie if you check it out.
“I think A Sky Beyond the Storm is the perfect metaphor for 2020.” Well said. This series had so many twists and turns. It did *not* go the predictable way at all. Great set of choice for 2020 and hope 2021 brings many more favorites your way.
Lex @ Lexlingua recently posted…Favorite Books of 2020
Thank you! You too!
So great that you were able to put them in an order!! It would have taken me days. lol. I am SO scared to read Sky Beyond the Storm but I need to pick it up soon. It was my most anticipated this year!! So many great books on your list. 🙂
I was afraid too… Ms. Tahir has a reputation for being evil. It was a very satisfying end though.
I’m sure I could probably shuffle a few of the books around and I’d still be happy with the list, LOL.
Little Women is one of my most favorite books from my childhood. I might have to look into Jo and Laurie, but I don’t know that I could abide such a change to the original story, even though my hart broke every single time I read and reread the book, and she turned him down.
One of the really awesome things about Jo & Laurie is it’s a fictional story about the author and writing the book, not a retelling of Little Women itself. I still don’t know too much about Little Women the book, other than a few scenes they mention in Jo & Laurie. I think if I read Little Women now it would seem familiar though.
I’m anxious to read Skyhunter (I’ve read an excerpt), but I think I’ll wait until the second one is out so I don’t have to wait. 😉 Super excited for Chain of Iron, as well. Happy Reading in 2021!
Thank you, you too!
There are some authors I never wait for. Others… I wait for their books to get chosen by the TBR lottery.