2020 Reading Round up

 

This year I read 111 books which included 10 Nonfiction and 101 fiction. My intent to read from my physical shelves went by the way side and I ended up reading  38 physical, while my Ipad and I were joined at the hip and read 70 Ebooks.  I did manage to listen to 3 audiobooks. I think my son and I also listened to 2 or 3 star wars books which I forgot to list. Statwise, 53 female, 15, and 25 were new to me authors.

I made progress this year with my Wheel of Time read by Robert Jordan and finished #11, 12, and 13.  Oh my gosh, # 13 Towers of Midnight brought so many answers and so many characters back together again and I’m looking forward to reading the last book soon.  It may have taken me a few years reading only one or two books a year, but it’s been worth it.  Great series.

I really enjoyed my 10 x 10 reads immersing myself in dragons, space operas, fantasy, and science fiction, delving into romance and mysteries as well as a few historical fiction reads.   

New to me authors and stories that blew me away this year with their unique worlds, interesting characters and intriguing story lines with themes of discrimination and classism, good versus evil,  mythology, and  cultural differences were:   

Alix Harrow: Ten Thousand Doors of January

Deborah Harkness: A Discovery of Witches

Kim Michelle Richardson:  Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek

Michelle Diener: Dark Horse - #1 - 4  Class 5

Samantha Shannon:  Priory of the Orange Tree

TJ Klune:   The House in the Cerulean Sea

All were entertaining as well as heartwarming

Which one made you giggle, weep, dance, or sing?  Book Woman of Troublesome Creek as well as The House in the Cerulean Sea made me weep.  A.J Jacob's It's All Relative made me laugh.  Two space opera series had all the feels:  Michelle Diener’s Class 5 space opera as well as Becky Chambers Wayfarers.

Made you want to dive in and live in their world?   The space operas definitely.   

Which book would you like to revisit?   Too many to list as I am a fast reader so sometimes I’ll speed through a story because I want to know what happened, then immediately reread at a much slower pace to take in all the details. Every Nora Roberts book written probably.  Also  Faith Hunter is one of my favorite authors and when Junkyard Cats came out in audio, I listened to it twice and was really pleased when the ebook was released which I also read twice. 

Which book would you recommend everyone read?  I fell in love with the characters in the  House in the Cerulean Sea.

Completed Books 

Nonfiction

1. A.J. Jacobs:   It's All Relative - (352)
2. Barbara Abercrombie:  Year  of Writing Dangerously  (410)
3. Francine Prose:  Reading Like a Writer  (273)
4. Hyeonseo Lee:  Girl with Seven Names  ( 322)
5. Matthew McConaughey:  Greenlights  ( 304)
6. Michael Card:    Luke  ( 272)
7. Molly Manning:  When Books Went to War - ( 288)
8. Ray Bradbury:   Zen and the Art of Writing - ( 176)
9. Trevor Hudson:   Pauses for Lent - ( 64)
10. Madeleine L'Engle:  Walking on Water - ( 224)

Fiction

1. A Study of Silk - Emma Jane Holloway (#1 Baskerville Affair, Steampunk, e)
2. Alix Harrow: Ten Thousand Doors of January - (Historical Fantasy, e)
3. Amanda Lee:  Witchin USA - (#1 Moonstone Bay, Paranormal, e)
4. Amanda Quick:  The Girl Who Knew Too Much - (#1 Burning Cove, Mystery, e)
5. Amanda Stevens:  No Less Days - (Christian Fantasy, e)
6. Amy Meyerson: The Bookshop of Yesterday (Mystery, 384)
7. Anne Hackett:  Edge of Eon - (#1 Eon Warriors, space opera, e)
8. Anne Hackett: Touch of Eon (#2, e)
9. Anne Hackett:  Heart of Eon (#3, Sci fi Romance, e)
10. Anne Hackett:  Kiss of Eon (#4, Sci Fi Romance, e)
11. Anne Renwick:   The Silver Skull - (#2 EC, Steampunk, 492, e)
12. Anne Renwick:  A Trace of Copper - (# Elemental Steampunk, e)
13. Anne Renwick:  Golden Spider - (#1 Elemental Chronicle, Steampunk, e)
14. Anne Renwick:  Iron Fin - (#3 EC, Steampunk, e)
15. Banana Yoshimito:   Kitchen/Midnight Shadow - (LOF, Japan, e)
16. Becky Chambers:  A Closed and Common Orbit - (#2 Wayfarer, SF, e)
17. Becky Chambers:  The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet -  (#1 Wayfarers, SF, e)
18. C.J. Archer:  Watchmaker's Daughter - (#1 Glass and Steel, Historical Fantasy, e)
19. C.J. Darlington:  Thicker than Blood - (Mystery, 336)
20. Cassandra Clare:  Clockwork Angel - (#1 Infernal Devices, Steampunk, e)
21. Christine Feehan:  Judgement Road - (#1 Torpedo Ink, Thriller Romance, e)
22. Cleo Coyle:  Brewed Awakening - (#18 Coffee House, Love and Mystery, e)
23. David Baldacci:   Long Road to Mercy - (#1 Atlee Pine, Thriller, e)
24. David Baldacci: The Innocent - (Thriller, e) 
25. David Wingrove: Son of Heaven - (#1 Chung Kuo, Dystopian SF,  England/China, e) 
26. Debbie Macomber: 12 Days of Christmas (Romance, e) 
27. Deborah Crombie: A Share in Death - (#1 Kincaid/James, Mystery, LOF)
28. Deborah Harkness:  Shadow of Night - (#2 All Souls, L and M, e)
29. Deborah Harkness: A Discovery of Witches - (#1 All souls, L &M, e) 
30. Deborah Harkness: The Book of Life - (#3 All souls, L & M, e)
31. Diana Xarissa:  Aunt Bessie Assumes  (Mystery, e)
32. Elizabeth Hunter:   Suddenly Psychic - (#1 Glimmer Lake, LOF  e)
33. Faith Hunter:  Blood Cross - (Audiobook, fantasy)
34. Faith Hunter:  Junkyard Cats - (Sci fi/Fantasy, e)
35. Faith Hunter:  Spells for the Dead - (#5 Soulwood, Paranormal, 384)
36. Faith Hunter: Cat O Nine Tales - (Jane Yellowrock, audiobook, fantasy)
37. Fiona Quinn:  Survival Instinct - (#1 Cerebus Tactical, military romance, e)
38. Fiona Quinn:  Weakest Lynx to Gulf Lynx  - (Lynx series, KU, e)
39. Genevieve Cogman:  The Burning Page - (#3 Invisible Library, Dragons, 368)
40. Greg Keyes:  Godzilla - (Audiobook, Sci Fi, dragons)
41. Gwen Hunter:  Delayed Diagnosis - (#1 Rhea Lynch MD, Mystery, e)
42. Ilona Andrews:  Iron and Magic - (#1 Iron Covenant, Fantasy, e)
43. Ilona Andrews:  Silent Blade -  (World of Kinsman, Fantasy, e) 
44. J.D. Robb:  Shadows in Death - (#51 In Death series, futuristic detective, 368) 
45. J.D.Robb:  Golden in Death - (#50 In Death, futuristic suspense, 400)
46. J.R. Ward:  The Jackal (BDBrotherhood Prison Camp #1, Paranormal Romance, e)
47. J.R. Ward:  The Sinner - (#18 BDB, Fantasy, e)
48. J.R. Ward: A Warm Heart in Winter (#18.5 BDB, Fantasy, e)
49. J.R.R. Tolkien:  The Hobbit - (Dragons, 288) 
50. James Rollins:  Last Odyssey - (#15 Sigma Force, mystery, 624)
51. Jessie Mihalik: Polaris Rising  (#1 Consortium Rebellion, Space Opera, e)
52. Jessie Mihalik: Aurora Blazing -  (#2 Space Opera,  e)
53. Jessie Mihalik:  Chaos Reigning - (#3 space opera, e) 
54. Julie Ann Walker - Ride the Tide (#3 Deep Six, Romance, e)
55. Karen Robards:   The Fifth Doctrine - (#3 Guardians, thriller,  mood, 406) 
56. Keri Arthur:  Unlit - (#1 Kingdoms of Earth and Air, Fantasy,  e) 
57. Keri Arthur:  Cursed  - (#2 KoEaA, Fantasy, e)
58. Keri Arthur: Burn - (#3 KoEaA, Fantasy, e)
59. Kim Michelle Richardson: Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Historical fiction 320) 
60. Kylie Scott:  Stage Dive series (KU Romance, e)
61. Lee Child:   Running Blind - (#4 Reacher, Thriller, 519, mood/dusty)
62. Louise Penny:  All the Devils are Here  - (# 16 Armand Gamache Detective, 443)
63. M.L. Buchman: At the Slightest Sound #1 Shadowforce psi, Military paranormal, e)
64. M.L. Buchman:  At the Quietest Word (#2 Shadowforce, e)
65. Mary Stewart:  The Crystal Cave - (# 1 Arthurian Saga, Historical Fantasy, 288)
66. Menna Van Praag:  Patron of Lost Souls - (Romantic fantasy, 352)
67. Mercedes Lackey: Arrows of the Queen (#1 Heralds of Valdemar, Fantasy, reread)
68. Michelle Diener: Dark Horse - (#1 Class 5, SF, reread, e)
69. Michelle Diener: Dark Deeds - (#2 Class 5, SF e) 
70. Michelle Diener: Dark Minds  ( #3 Class 5, SF,  e)
71. Michelle Diener: Dark Matters - (#4 Class 5, SF,  e)
72. Miranda James:  Murder Past Due - (Mystery, e)
73. Murphy Lawless:  Gladiator Cheetah - (KU, paranormal romance, e)
74. Nalini Singh:  A Madness of Sunshine - (Thriller,  e)
75. Nalini Singh: Alpha Night - (#4 Psychangeling/Trinity, Fantasy, e)
76. Nalini Singh: Archangels Sun (#13 Guild Hunter, Paranormal Romance, e)
77. Nora Roberts:   Northern Lights - (reread, Romance)
78. Nora Roberts:  Hideaway - (Thriller, 464)
79. Nora Roberts:  Night Shift to Night Shield - (Night tales romance series, e)
80. Nora Roberts: The Awakening  (#1 Dragonheart legacy, 448) 
81. Patricia Briggs:  Dead Heat (#4 Alpha and Omega, reread, fantasy,  e)
82. Patricia Briggs:  Burn Bright - (#5 A and O reread, fantasy)
83. Patricia Briggs:  Dragon Bones - (#1 Hurog Duology, Dragons, 304)
84. Patricia Briggs:  Smoke Bitten - (#12 Mercy Thompson, Fantasy, 351)
85. Rachel Hartman:  Seraphina - (#1 Dragons, e)
86. Rachel Hartman:  Shadow Scale - (#2 Dragons, e)
87. Rae Carson:  Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker - (SF, 272)
88. Robert Jordan:   Knife of Dreams - (#11 WOT, Fantasy, 880)
89. Robert Jordan / Brandon Sanderson:   Gathering Storm  (#12 WOT, 800) 
90. Robert Jordan / Brandon Sanderson:  Towers of Midnight  (#13 WOT, 1264)
91. Roxanne St. Claire:  Man's Best Friend - (Dogmother, Contemporary Romance, e)
92. Samantha Shannon:  Priory of the Orange Tree (Fantasy, Dragons, e)
93. Seanan McGuire:   A Killing Frost - (#14 October Daye, fantasy, e)
94. Seanan McGuire: Rosemary and Rue (#1 October Daye, Reread, Urban Fantasy, e)
95. Seanan McGuire:  The Unkindest Tide - (#13 October Daye, mood, e)
96. Shona Husk:  Kiss of the Goblin Prince (Paranormal romance, e)
97. Shona Husk: The Goblin King - (Paranormal romance, e)
98. Steve Berry:  Venetian Betrayal - (#3 Cotton Malone, Thriller, 576) 
99. T Hammond:   Blind Seduction (Team Red #1 - 6, e )
100. Thea Harrison:  Dragon Bound - (#1 Elder Races, Dragons, e)
101. TJ Klune:   The House in the Cerulean Sea -  (Fantasy, dragons, e)