I’ve been reading a lot this early part of the year. All over the globe people are practicing self-quarantine to combat COVID-19 and looking for ways to stay sane. While others have taken a deep-dive into the abyss that is Netflix and Hulu, I’ve been ticking off reads for my Goodreads 2020 Challenge and so far, I’m not terribly disappointed in what I’ve been reading.
It’s unusual for me to read pure romance novels or adult contemporary romance… I mean, these categories are a bit confusing, am I right? The point is unless there is some kind of paranormal romance and I’m reading about some hot bodied vampire or werewolf then I wouldn’t be interested. My good friend, Lesley, roped me into reading some of her favorite romance novels recently and I’ve got a low key addiction, at the moment.
The other books I’ve been reading are from my book club on Facebook. The Otherworld Book Club which is ran by author Tamara Rokicki, author of The Vampire Prophecies series and co-author of The Otherworld Chronicles series. We have a team of authors who help run the book club and keep it engaging. More on the book club at a later date.
My Goodreads goal for 2020 is currently 125 books. For me, this includes audio books, comic books, short stories, books of poetry, and full-on novels. I do keep track of articles I read, as well, but they don’t usually land on this list unless they’re longer works, like personal essays, that can span the length of short stories in many cases.
As of the date of this post, I’ve read 34 books. That’s 27% of my Goodreads goal for the year. Not too shabby, right?
Of those 34 books, here is how I’ve rated them:
5-star: 9
4-star: 10
3-star: 13
2-star: 2
1-star: 0
Having the majority reads fall at three-stars isn’t that abnormal for me. For me, the ratings rank as follows:
1-star: I absolutely despise this book, if I could give it 0 stars I would.
2-star: I disliked the majority of this book, will never recommend it or entertain a re-read.
3-star: It was solid. I enjoyed it. Not much to complain about, if anything at all. Just wasn’t wowed by it.
4-star: Absolutely adored the book. It was close to perfection, and I’d definitely recommend and possibly re-read.
5–star: Perfection. I’ve probably re-read it already, I’ve taken notes, I’ve recommended it multiple times before I even posted a review, and I was probably more than a bit sad it ended.
I’m very particular. It’s a thing. Yet, I’ve never read a book of any genre, even the ones I’d give one-star to, and took nothing away from it. Usually, I learn something new, find a line that I absolutely love to quote, or connect with a character in some way, even if it’s just our shared love of the same ice cream flavor (this has actually happened).
What makes a book five-star for me is emotion. I want to feel some feels. All of them, if possible. But, typically, if you can make me laugh consistently, it’s probably going to be 4 or 5 stars. If you can make me tear up, it’s definitely going to land in the 5-star category because it takes a lot for me to cry.
Some of my past five-star reads include:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
Cthulhu Attacks: Book 1: The Fear by Sean Hoade
The Fade Out: Act 1-3 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
The Girl in 6E by A.R. Torre
The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
The Home That Was Our Country by Alia Malek
Pi Poems: For the One Who Needs Them by Becket
2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
Dracul by Dacre Stoker, J.D. Barker
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Otherworld by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Suck and Blow: A Party Game by Lexxie Couper
Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
Afterlife with Archie series by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, Francesco Francavilla, & Jack Morelli
The Sun & Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
That is an eclectic mix of reads right there and the span the last 3 or 4 years of reading. Looking back on those five-star reads, I’ve re-read all of them. I’ve re-read The Hate U Give a total of 6 times and each time I cry from beginning to end. I’ve re-read The Home That Was Our Country at least 4 times. While it is a nonfiction book, the writing is poetry and the story is intricately woven and told from the beautiful, and heart wrenching perspectives of many generations. These are examples of stories I want my children to read, and their children to read because they’ve moved me in so many profound ways.
Normally, I journal my reads on my Facebook for friends and family, so I figured I’d move that process from there to here, and share with anyone else who might be interested. I won’t be reviewing everything but I will definitely post reviews of my five-star reads, and maybe one of the other ratings if the book moves me in some way, good or bad, to want to talk about it or reflect on it.
Tell me, do you normally participate in the Goodreads Challenge? If you’re participating this year, what is your goal and how many have you read, so far? Also, share with me your favorite read of 2020.
Happy reading!
gildedafterwords 