#2020ReadingChallenge wrap up
Buckle in, readers, this is going to be a long one!
I started 2020 with the ambitious goal of reading 52 books throughout the year. but ended up more than doubling that. I read some incredible books – in fact, there’s almost nothing on here that I wouldn’t recommend to someone. There were indeed some stand-outs, and I’ve compiled my top 5 books in a few different categories, as well as a top 5 and top 20 books overall – because it was hard to narrow it down! I’ve really enjoyed challenging myself to read new things this year – I read more non-fiction than I normally do, I got back into reading comics again, and most of my books were written by own voices and/or BIPOC authors, and feature diverse and authentic representation of characters and experiences.
My stats:
 Total books read: 111
 New-to-me authors: 68
 Books featuring significant diverse content/ characters: 84
 Books by diverse authors: 73
 Rereads: 7
 Non-fiction: 11
 Comics/ graphics: 36
 Picture books: 13
 Audiobooks: 16
 Main genres: Contemporary (46), Fantasy (31), Sci-fi (27)
Most recommended books: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans
 Most purchased book: Euphoria Kids.
I focused a lot this year on #diversifyingmybookshelf – consciously reading books by authors of colour, and featuring BIPOC characters that were authentically represented. I’ve always read queer literature pretty extensively, and one of my increasing focuses as the year went on was the representation of mental health and disability in my reading, particularly in YA books. I’ve enjoyed some of these #ownvoices reads most of all, and will be seeking out more fiction that presents these types of issues and characters in authentic and meaningful ways.
2020 was a good reading year for me, and I was surprised to see that I’d read more contemporary than anything else – I think of myself as a sci-fi/fantasy girl! I’m using TheStorygraph to track my #2021readingchallenge, so I’m interested to see how those stats come out at the end of this year – the above info is taken from my highly unscientific excel spreadsheet dump, after I realised that GoodReads wasn’t going to give me the goods.
Top Books Overall
I’ve been debating how to present my top 10 list of reads from 2020, and figured out that whilst I can do a top 5 easily, narrowing the next 5 down was considerably more difficult. So, here are my top 5 reads of last year, along with a top 20.
In no particular order:
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria “V.E.” Schwab
- Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans
- The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

- How it feels to float, by Helena Fox
- Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz
- Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann
- The Strangeworlds travel agency by LD Lapinski
- Children of blood and bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Long way down by Jason Reynolds
- The poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Anxious people by Fredrik Backman
- Future Girl by Asphyxia
- They both die at the end by Adam Silvera
- Snow, glass, apples, by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran
- Wonder Woman rebirth by Greg Rucka
- Catch and kill by Ronan Farrow
- Black enough: stories of being young and black in America, Ed by Ibi Zoboi
- Peta Lyre’s rating normal by Anna Whateley
Top 5 YA reads
- Â How it feels to float by Helena Fox
- Â Future girl by Asphyxia
-  Peta Lyre’s rating normal by Anna Whateley
- Â Children of blood and bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Â Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Top 5 Poetry reads
- Â Worse things by @sallymurphyauthor
- Â Long way down by @jasonreynolds83
- Â The poet X by @acevedowrites
- Â Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann
- Â The crossover by @kwamealexander
Top 5 picture books
- Â How to make a bird, by @megmckinlay and @mattottleyart
- Â Migrants, by Issa Watanabe
- Â Julian at the wedding, by @jesslovedraws
- Â Diamonds, by Armin Greder
- Â Alphabetical Tashi by Anna and Barbara Fienberg
Top 5 Comic/ Graphic reads
2020 was the year of rediscovering my love of comics. I used to read them a bit when I was a kid, but stopped when I was around 12 – I don’t remember why. For the past few years I’ve wanted to get back into reading them, but there always seemed to be such a big barrier to entry and I didn’t know where to start. After a discussion with Jacob, though, I did a bit of research, asked some comic nerd friends for advice, and bit the bullet. I’ve read 36 comics and graphic novels this year, and I’ve loved the diversity of the worlds and characters I’ve discovered. One of Jacob’s friends recommended “anything by Greg Rucka”, and that has proven to be useful advice indeed. My top 5 comic/ graphic reads for 2020 are:
- Â Ms Marvel, vol1
- Â Wonder Woman Rebirth, vol1, by @ruckawriter et al
- Â The old guard, another Rucka masterpiece.
- Â Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman
- Â Lumberjanes, by @gingerhazing et al
Top 5 middle grade reads
- George, by @alexginoofficial
- The Strangeworlds Travel Agency, by @ldlapinski
- Ghost, by @jasonreynolds83
- Bindi, by @kirli.saunders and @dubleffler
- Hollowpox: the hunt for Morrigan Crow, by @digressica
Top 5 Non-fiction reads
- Â Stamped from the beginning: a history of racist ideas in America, by @ibramxk (YA version pictured – I listened to the audiobook on Spotify)
- Â Dragon Hoops, by @geneluenyang
- Â Astronauts: Women on the final frontier, by @gtlabsrat and @mariswicks
- Â Living on stolen land, by Ambelin Kwaymullina
- Â Catch and Kill: lies, spies, and a conspiracy to protect predators, by @ronanfarrow