Goodbye 2020! End of Year Stats! Favorite Books!

I'm not sorry to see you go, 2020. It's been a very weird and tough year for family and friends and the world at large. 2021 doesn't mean all things are great but I do see some hope with vaccinations rolling out.

We learned how to be at home together. It's been tough; I am not going to lie about that. G has done really well at online learning, even though he's had a rough time without his friends and that social interaction. Most of the time it's me and his dad and the kitties. But we've been able to do hikes and see friends on Facetime, do some front porch visits with grandparents, and G has been playing online more than ever with his friends.

 

My father-in-law got CoVid back in August and has been dealing with those long-haul symptoms ever since. He has not been doing well. But so far he is still alive and hanging in there. My mother also got pretty sick this year, though not from CoVid. We're building her a ramp out her front door so she can get in and out easier with her wheelchair. I'm hoping she can perk up a bit this year. It'll be a big year for my parents because they want to sell their house and move to some kind of nursing/assisted living facility. It's all up in the air and it'll be kind of stressful to get it all figured out.

We made the best out of a tough year. Tried to do more game nights and hikes and family together time but also keep our space since we're all at home. I did a lot of Skype chats with friends every month. We even met up for a few hikes as well, all masked up. It's the little things that have kept us going. I read a lot more diversely this year. Though, I didn't read as much from LGBTQ+ authors as I would have liked. I also didn't get in a lot of classics. 

 

 I also didn't get any of my year-long challenges done! I did get some mini challenges complete, though, but I am terrible at the year-long ones. I'm going to do better this year...(hopefully, and don't hold me to it a year from now...)

G made this for both of us. The I and U slide open to reveal the heart. He designed and created it all by himself. Proud Mamma.

 

 I'd like to best TV and movies as well but I'll do that in another post this week. I'm barely making it through this one! I had such good intentions of starting this post early in December but the business of the year got too much and I ended up taking off most the holiday break and haven't even thought much about blogging! I'm terrible.

We got out for a hike the day after Christmas! Much needed exercise and fresh air!

I read 110 books in 2020:

Shortest book was 32 pages The Flying Canoe and my longest was The Histories by Herodotus at 716 pages.

67 Fiction and 43 nonfiction. I only read 4 classics. 7 children's books...I'd like to read a few more of these this next year. They are short and pretty and can pack a great punch. Most of them were read over December. 34 were sci-fi or fantasy. I think that was my go-to fiction this year. Interesting to see that! 16 were considered horror or supernatural. I think that was my second go-to for fiction!

23 middle grade books. I read a lot of those with G and I like to read some before I share with him as well so I read quite a bit of those through the year. 19 young adult. I do love young adult books. There are so many good ones. They are my fallback when I get in a reading slump.

14 graphic novels. I do enjoy a good graphic novel in any genre. Some can get too complex that they get confusing but really good ones can emote a lot with pictures and words. Always an enjoyable medium.

9 short stories/poetry/essays. This is probably my least favorite but I got in a couple of children's poetry books and short stories. Essays are a favorite, though. I didn't read as many as I usually do.

14 memoirs/biographies. I'm a big fan of memoirs. I read some good ones this year. I thought I had read more, though.

9 on race relations and U.S. history. I didn't think I'd read as many as this. I'm looking forward to upping this number this year.

3 on past plagues and their histories. I had plans for more but got too depressed since we're in the middle of pandemic...I have quite a few I want to get to this year, though. We shall see.

12 audiobooks. Most of these audiobooks were before the pandemic hit! It's been harder to get them in since I'm not out and about as much. I need to find ways to get them in, though. I have a ton to catch up on.

60 were by female authors. I'm super happy about this number. I am definitely drawn to female authors and their experiences. It's nice to see it in the numbers!

7 by LGBTQ+ authors. I need to read more this year but still happy with what I did read in 2020.

46 by BIPOC authors. I also am enjoying this number. I read some fantastic books this year. I hope to increase this number and find some fantastic reads.

21 ebooks. I have too many ebooks. I'm happy I got to that many but I do notice I tend to pick physical books over ebooks. I can read physical books at night and so I tend to stick to them. I have to find more time in the day to sit down and read the ebooks I own. But I read quite a few with G so bonus.

Favorite Fiction this year:

Wolf Winter by Cecelia Ekback. This was a perfect December winter read. Loved it.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I thought I'd enjoy it but I was blown away by this one. Excellent modern blend of Arthurian legends. Can't wait for book two!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Another surprise at how much I loved it. It was just the right amount of gothic creepiness with a totally awesome ending. It was just what I needed.

Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter. I love middle grade books that are creepy and weird but are still for both kids and adults. Both G and I loved this one.

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. It was a perfect blend of weird and creepy.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry. This was a very different and fun reading experience. One of my faves with G this year. It took me awhile to figure out what the black river was...the way she described the human world from the perspective of animals was truly brilliant.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. Rick Riordan has launched an amazing company that allows BIPOC authors to write from their cultures and histories. The Tristan Strong series is no exception. It's an incredible story and look forward to reading the second book soon. Check out all of the series. There are too many good ones. I haven't been able to keep up!

Favorite Nonfiction:

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. It's heart-breaking but beautifully told. Takei brings alive his experiences in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow. Farrow knows how to tell a quick-paced story. It's galling that the world exists to prop up gross powerful people. It still exists and continues to thrive. Grrr

March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Pattillo Beals. I read this one aloud with G...it was a rough read but so necessary. We were able to talk a lot about history and race in the U.S.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. This was the first book I read after the pandemic hit in March. It was engrossing and timely and oh so surreal. Quammen is a first-rate story-teller.

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. Johnson holds no punches when he describes his experiences as gay Black man growing up as a teenager. He wrote it for queer folks so they know what to expect and can get some actually useful information. Well-done and a must-read for everyone.

Our Time Is Now by Stacey Abrams. Boom. Stacey Abrams is my hero. I will follow her wherever she goes.

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. This was a fantastic intro to Baldwin and how we can apply his thoughts and writings and experiences to our present-day America. The more things change the more they stay the same, unfortunately...

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. He packs short but complete history lessons into easily digestible chapters. We also gain a perspective on why textbooks haven't changed all that much, even today, and why they probably won't change that much in the future and how this completely impacts America's reckoning with its past...(or nonreckoning).

The Dark Fantastic: Race and Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. This book changed the way I think about sci-fi and fantasy. How it's been written and who's written it (White men) and how that has affected the way Black characters have been written about or why they don't exist much in the usual stories of the genre. Mind-blowing. It's one I want to buy so I can reference it in the future.