The Books of 2020: Wrap Up

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Thursday, December 31, 2020

The Books of 2020: Wrap Up

Just to point out some last few things, including pointing out some authors that might not have made the 2019/2020 cutoff.

My favorite comic of 2020

This one was easy, Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu. The first volume was published in 2018 but I read the whole thing this year. And then read it again.

The rest of my favorite comics of 2020.

Hither Page

My favorite mystery of 2020

This was a little harder to choose since I read a number of good mysteries, but I think that Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian ended up on top. Cat Sebastian is often hit or miss for me, but this story hit it out of the park with all my favorite tropes.

The rest of my favorite mysteries of 2020.

The Immortal Conquistador

My favorite fantasy of 2020

This was another hard choice, since although I didn’t read as much fantasy as I have in previous years, what I did read this year I enjoyed very much. So I went with The Immortal Conquistador by Carrie Vaughn, because it has one of my all-time favorite short stories, and is about one of my favorite characters in that series.

The rest of my favorite fantasies of 2020.

Boyfriend Material

My favorite romance of 2020

This pick was just as easy as Check, Please!, since I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished it, and forced myself to wait a couple months before going back to it. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall was my favorite romance, and tied with Check, Please! for my favorite book of the year.

The rest of my favorite romances of 2020.

Since I didn’t count books published before 2019 is my end-of-the-year roundup, I wanted to take the time to point out some of the books and authors that got me through 2020.

My Highest Rated Books of 2020

10/10 Books (Re-reads)

Small Vices, Audio Edition (1997) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds
The Rook (2012) Daniel O’Malley

Both The Rook and Small Vices are books guaranteed to take me out of my own head.

9.5/10 New Reads

Joy (2017) C.S. Poe
Check, Please! (2020) Ngozi Ukazu
Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall

All three of these books were new to me in 2020, and all three I went back and re-read, because they were the perfect antidote to everything raging inside my brain.

Most Read Authors (minus re-reads)

These are some authors I recently discovered whose stories were precisely what I needed to read as I struggled with everything happening in the world.

N.R. Walker (Romance)
Annabeth Albert (Romance)
Alexis Hall (Romance, Fantasy)
R. Cooper (Romance)
C.S. Poe (Mystery, Romance)
Roan Parrish (Romance)
Alexia Gordon (Mystery)
Joe Benitez – Lady Mechanika (Comic)
Josh Lanyon (Mystery, Romance)
Talia Hibbert (Romance)
Layla Reyne (Mystery, Romance)

Most Re-Read Authors

There is some overlap with the most read authors, but I wanted to note that for some series there might be only one or two books that were especially good, but immersing myself in an author can be a different kind of comfort.

Sometimes it’s just about how a series or author’s writing style makes me feel.

Agatha Christie (Mystery)
Alissa Johnson (Romance)
Angel Martinez (Fantasy, Romance)
Candace Robb (Mystery)
K.J. Charles (Romance)
Patricia Briggs (Fantasy)
C.S. Poe (Mystery, Romace)
Terry Pratchett (Fantasy)
Courtney Milan (Romance)
Cat Sebastian (Romance)
Michelle Diener (Mystery, Romance)
N.R. Walker (Romance)
Sergei Lukyanenko (Fantasy)
Charlie Adhara (Fantasy, Romance)
Ada Maria Soto (Romance)