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year in books 2020
happy new year, everyone! time for me to continue the tradition of posting this year in books review on new year’s day. in the past i would do a review of things i’ve written, and although i’ve written more in 2020 than 2019 (34,000 words across 8 fics) it’s still not enough to justify doing an entire survey. so, year in books!
first, goodreads' year in review.
and now, this.
Number Of Books You Read: 242!! a record for me
Number of Re-Reads: 7
Genre You Read The Most From: contemporary romance, with 97 books. if we're talking super broad genres, then queer books, with 194.
>Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2020?
i've been thinking about this ever since i read this book in may. i kept expecting another book to come along and bump this from its spot, but nothing else did. and it's not that i didn't read other amazing books in 2020, and the second place contender was very very strong, but just in terms of things that mean a lot to me, things that i want out of fiction, nothing quite delivered like spirits abroad. post colonialism, english dialect slang, examinations of diaspora in a collection of absurdly creative and fantastically written speculative fiction stories that prioritised women and had several queer stories. i would love it fanatically if only for the slang aspect (which i've said before and i'll say it again, nothing makes me happier than seeing real world slang/dialect, ESPECIALLY of the post-colonial kind that is often looked down upon, used in fantasy/magical spaces. why? idk but it makes me happy!!) but the writing and themes were also so fucking excellent. witty and sharp and piercing and moving and humourous when it needed to be, but always getting to the heart of the matter. i need to make reading more of zen cho a priority in the future.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
the hound of justice. i was so fucking excited for the second book in this black lesbian scifi sherlock holmes retelling. look at that list of adjectives. everything that should appeal to me!! but after reading the book, i'm wondering if i read the first one with rose-coloured glasses, because this was such a let down. i felt none of the wonder and excitement that i felt in the first book, and the writing felt really stilted and bland. one of my nitpicks with the first book was that holmes was a fucking federal officer which just doesn't compute for my understanding/enjoyment of the character in any way, and i thought she'd quit her job in this one, but alas. she did not. there's also the fact that i wanted mystery, and there was none here. i feel like me not liking this is half on me, because i clearly want the book to be something different from what the author set out to accomplish. but also... idk. it really wasn't very well written or plotted, and i know i won't continue the series.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
the price of meat. i've either liked or REALLY liked all of k.j. charles' books, and i went into this one expecting to like it just as much. i did NOT expect for it to be the second of only two 5-stars i've ever given her, or for it to touch me and scare me as much as it did. and it's a novella, and novellas almost ALWAYS leave me wanting more, and i never expect to rate them super highly. but this was just a perfect, thrilling, very well-written and well-contained novella of historical horror, and i really loved it.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
i think two people read the longest night on my recommendation, which is a lot for me, and i'm happy about that because it'a a really tender historical trans m/m romance, and i desperately hope the author writes more in that vein.
5. Best series you started in 2020? Best Sequel of 2020? Best Series Ender of 2020?
best starter: northern lights, assuming we're talking about best start to a series that i haven't finished yet. this was a really sweet, low conflict christmas romance that i really enjoyed and appreciated for its exploration of norweigan culure. and i fucking adore the couple. best sequel: harrow the ninth, no fucking question about it. if any book could have ousted spirits abroad from my no. 1 spot, it was this. it's only been a couple months since i finished but i'm already sick of waiting and horny for alecto the ninth. best ender: dragonoak: gall and wormwood. this series definitely had its bumpy moments, and this last book had a fair few of them, but nothing can compare to how deliriously happy the relationships in this book made me. the absolute most perfect ending possible. i love my three girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2020?
ooooooh this one is almost an even tie. they're both queer contemporary romance writers. jaime clevenger wrote the paradise series, f/f romances centred on vacations, and i really loved her simple and realistic writing style. it was refreshing, somehow! but i have to name roan parrish as the clear winner here. i think about colin and rafe from the middle of somewhere series so often i feel like a caricature of myself, and the remaking of corbin wale was one of only nine books that i gave the full 5 stars to this year. i just love her style and the emotion she puts into her romances so much.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
the secret diaries of miss anne lister. i don't read a lot of non-fiction at all. i can enjoy it immensely but it's just not what i seek out on a regular basis. but i really fucking enjoyed reading anne lister's diaries, and i'll definitely be reading the rest. i think this appeals to me even more than biographies or autobiographies of people i'm interested in, because it gives you clear unadulterated snapshots of the individual, unedited and real. learning about anne was just... so good. one of my most fun reading experiences of the year, because i highlighted so much and made so many notes.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
the only good indians. this is a horror, and it did have a slow start, but once things got going it was a fucking bonkers wild ride of a slasher. way gorier than i usually like, but i couldn't look away, i couldn't stop reading. things never went where i thought they would, and i had to keep readjusting my expectations. the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle is another great contender for this. it always kept me thinking and theorising; it just let me down in other ways.
9. Book You Read In 2020 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
harrow the ninth, absolutely no question. i enjoyed the process of reading this so much, and theorising my way through it, and i know i'll enjoy it even more now that i know what happens. my third read of gideon will probably also happen in 2021!
10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2020?
so many great candidates for this! what i love best on covers is just seeing queer people and poc, and also flowers. my fave is probably dread nation, which is ironic, since i didn't like the book itself very much lol. some runners up: wilder girls; romantic interludes: discovery; felix ever after; once ghosted, twice shy.
11. Most memorable character of 2020?
the reverend daughter, harrowhark nonagesimus, from harrow the ninth. i'll try to stop answering this book for multiple questions, but i can't describe how my love for harrow grew in leaps and bounds in this book. and i already loved her fucking plenty. she and gideon are so fucking LOYAL, and that's one character trait that can absolutely make me go feral, depending on the circumstances in which its written. and this was. A CIRCUMSTANCE. the fucking lengths she goes... the lengths!!! i love this proud weird idiot necromancer nun with all my fucking heart.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020?
the vintner's luck. i still don't know how to talk about this book without tearing my face off.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020?
as always, this is more on the thought-provoking side, bc idk that i read any book that changed my life. but in praise of shadows gave me a lot to think about, culturally and aesthetically, and i loved the points that tanizaki brings up, and the western conventions that he challenges.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read?
after having discovered my love of classic mysteries sometimes circa 2012 through sherlock holmes, i can't believe i didn't delve into agatha christie sooner than this. i read one of her more popular mysteries, and then there were none, and it was perfect for me and what i want out of mysteries in almost every single way.
15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2020?
from the secret diaries of miss anne lister. there were so many passages where i felt like anne was reaching out of the past to lay a dykely hand on my shoulder, but especially this: ‘Burnt Mr Montagu’s farewell verses that no trace of any man’s admiration may remain. It is not meet for me. I love and only love the fairer sex and thus, beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any other love than theirs.’ girl... same!!!!
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020?
shortest: the mysterious study of doctor sex. a locked tomb story about my favourite house (after the ninth): the sixth! palamedes and camilla are the platonic ideal, in every sense of the word. longest: wherever the dandelion blows. a chonker of an f/f romance; a gift from max that i finally got around to this year! 💖
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
the cabin at the end of the world. i'm not sure i'm over the unsettling experience that was reading this book. it made me so uncomfortable and unhappy. and yes, shocked me, with regards to what happens. but i still think this had one of the most perfect endings, and if i ever drum up the courage to read it again, i'll probably up my rating.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
sorry to be basic and give the same answer as last year but i have to live my truth: gideon/harrowhark from gideon the ninth and harrow the ninth. the jock/goth romance of the century (and the one after that). i love them and their bond so fucking much. honourable mentions: robyn/caid from and playing the role of herself, and emet/jakob from the golem of mala lubovnya.
19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
lillian, bessie and roland from nothing to see here. i don't know that i've ever been touched (in this way) by a parental relationship. her growth with the kids was so fucking good, and all the better for wilson's writing and how their journey was told.
20. Favourite Book You Read in 2020 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
the house in the cerulean sea, which i enjoyed more than the last book i read from t.j. klune. it was so fucking sweet, and just a nice, easy read, the perfect thing to wind the year down with.
21. Best Book You Read In 2020 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
i read a bunch of things because of community buzz, but one of the few books i got a direct recommendation for was on a sunbeam, which delivered soft scifi feels and queer found family. thanks hsinju! :D
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020?
it was hard not to name like three women here but after a rigorous process i've narrowed it down to vu côn from in the vanisher's palace. hot older dragon-shifter lady? yes, thanks.
23. Best 2020 debut you read?
you should see me in a crown!!! the joy this gave me!!!!! i cannot possibly explain!!!!!! liz lighty for president of everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i want to go back in time and give this to my younger self, and i dearly hope leah johnson has many many more books about queer black girls to come.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
the worldbuilding in a memory called empire is definitely dense and intricate, but so so good. especially for how it's carefully and thoughtfully intertwined with the linguistics of the world. the author really took so many little things into consideration and gave them weight, and i was super impressed by it all.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
red white and royal blue wasn't a perfect book but it definitely did make me smile soooo hard, and put me in such a good fucking mood. it was very tropey and very wish fulfillment-y in a way that i think a lot of people were grateful for, just to get a break from the world.
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2020?
i do think i teared up out of sheer frustration a few times while reading the feverwake series. it's so hard reading about kids being abused and putting trust in their evil but charismatic abusers. :( and if rereads count, i did cry during my gideon the ninth reread bc i'm gay.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
haley cass is an indie f/f author who definitely deserves more attention. i freaking adored when you least expect it, so much more than i was prepared to enjoy what i thought would be a simple christmas romance, and i'm eager to read more of her writing!
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
the good samaritan, in that it was extremely triggering for me and upsetting in several ways and i 100% should not have finished it. petition for me to take better care of myself in 2021 lol. ✌🏿
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2020?
the hole. the execution of this didn't work quite as well for me as the description of it made me think, but it was still a very unique (in my reading experience) and weird little horror book that really picks up at the very end. shout out also to bunny, which was its own brand of bonkers.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
what lies between us, and that does mean i didn't like it. i'm beginning to think john marrs isn't for me lol.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2020 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2021?
i'm so ashamed that this is the exact same answer i gave last year. 🙈 but i really want to reread and finish the when women were warriors trilogy. i've been putting it off because i don't want it to end, but now it's getting out of hand! it's happening this year for sure!
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2021 (non-debut)?
i do want to finally get to the song of achilles, though i know it'll wreck me.
3. 2021 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
honey girl!! there's been so much buzz about this in my little circle and everything i've read leads me to believe i'll love it.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2021?
the hellion's waltz, the third book in a sapphic historical romance series!!! from the little i know about this book's couple, i'm so excited :D
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2021?
read less books, but longer ones. in 2020 i read a whole lot of novellas and shorts, mostly because i was having a hard time concentrating on my reads, and having shorter things to get me through the month just turned out to be a lot easier for me mentally. i was also SUPER into romance this year, more so than previous years, which lead me to seek out a lot of quick, short romantic reads. this year i want to go in the opposite direction. i still want to read romance, but i want to try (if the Brain allows) for longer, more involved reads. in general, this year, i'm just going to try to take things slower.
first, goodreads' year in review.
and now, this.
Number Of Books You Read: 242!! a record for me
Number of Re-Reads: 7
Genre You Read The Most From: contemporary romance, with 97 books. if we're talking super broad genres, then queer books, with 194.
>Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2020?
i've been thinking about this ever since i read this book in may. i kept expecting another book to come along and bump this from its spot, but nothing else did. and it's not that i didn't read other amazing books in 2020, and the second place contender was very very strong, but just in terms of things that mean a lot to me, things that i want out of fiction, nothing quite delivered like spirits abroad. post colonialism, english dialect slang, examinations of diaspora in a collection of absurdly creative and fantastically written speculative fiction stories that prioritised women and had several queer stories. i would love it fanatically if only for the slang aspect (which i've said before and i'll say it again, nothing makes me happier than seeing real world slang/dialect, ESPECIALLY of the post-colonial kind that is often looked down upon, used in fantasy/magical spaces. why? idk but it makes me happy!!) but the writing and themes were also so fucking excellent. witty and sharp and piercing and moving and humourous when it needed to be, but always getting to the heart of the matter. i need to make reading more of zen cho a priority in the future.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
the hound of justice. i was so fucking excited for the second book in this black lesbian scifi sherlock holmes retelling. look at that list of adjectives. everything that should appeal to me!! but after reading the book, i'm wondering if i read the first one with rose-coloured glasses, because this was such a let down. i felt none of the wonder and excitement that i felt in the first book, and the writing felt really stilted and bland. one of my nitpicks with the first book was that holmes was a fucking federal officer which just doesn't compute for my understanding/enjoyment of the character in any way, and i thought she'd quit her job in this one, but alas. she did not. there's also the fact that i wanted mystery, and there was none here. i feel like me not liking this is half on me, because i clearly want the book to be something different from what the author set out to accomplish. but also... idk. it really wasn't very well written or plotted, and i know i won't continue the series.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
the price of meat. i've either liked or REALLY liked all of k.j. charles' books, and i went into this one expecting to like it just as much. i did NOT expect for it to be the second of only two 5-stars i've ever given her, or for it to touch me and scare me as much as it did. and it's a novella, and novellas almost ALWAYS leave me wanting more, and i never expect to rate them super highly. but this was just a perfect, thrilling, very well-written and well-contained novella of historical horror, and i really loved it.
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
i think two people read the longest night on my recommendation, which is a lot for me, and i'm happy about that because it'a a really tender historical trans m/m romance, and i desperately hope the author writes more in that vein.
5. Best series you started in 2020? Best Sequel of 2020? Best Series Ender of 2020?
best starter: northern lights, assuming we're talking about best start to a series that i haven't finished yet. this was a really sweet, low conflict christmas romance that i really enjoyed and appreciated for its exploration of norweigan culure. and i fucking adore the couple. best sequel: harrow the ninth, no fucking question about it. if any book could have ousted spirits abroad from my no. 1 spot, it was this. it's only been a couple months since i finished but i'm already sick of waiting and horny for alecto the ninth. best ender: dragonoak: gall and wormwood. this series definitely had its bumpy moments, and this last book had a fair few of them, but nothing can compare to how deliriously happy the relationships in this book made me. the absolute most perfect ending possible. i love my three girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2020?
ooooooh this one is almost an even tie. they're both queer contemporary romance writers. jaime clevenger wrote the paradise series, f/f romances centred on vacations, and i really loved her simple and realistic writing style. it was refreshing, somehow! but i have to name roan parrish as the clear winner here. i think about colin and rafe from the middle of somewhere series so often i feel like a caricature of myself, and the remaking of corbin wale was one of only nine books that i gave the full 5 stars to this year. i just love her style and the emotion she puts into her romances so much.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
the secret diaries of miss anne lister. i don't read a lot of non-fiction at all. i can enjoy it immensely but it's just not what i seek out on a regular basis. but i really fucking enjoyed reading anne lister's diaries, and i'll definitely be reading the rest. i think this appeals to me even more than biographies or autobiographies of people i'm interested in, because it gives you clear unadulterated snapshots of the individual, unedited and real. learning about anne was just... so good. one of my most fun reading experiences of the year, because i highlighted so much and made so many notes.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
the only good indians. this is a horror, and it did have a slow start, but once things got going it was a fucking bonkers wild ride of a slasher. way gorier than i usually like, but i couldn't look away, i couldn't stop reading. things never went where i thought they would, and i had to keep readjusting my expectations. the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle is another great contender for this. it always kept me thinking and theorising; it just let me down in other ways.
9. Book You Read In 2020 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
harrow the ninth, absolutely no question. i enjoyed the process of reading this so much, and theorising my way through it, and i know i'll enjoy it even more now that i know what happens. my third read of gideon will probably also happen in 2021!
10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2020?
so many great candidates for this! what i love best on covers is just seeing queer people and poc, and also flowers. my fave is probably dread nation, which is ironic, since i didn't like the book itself very much lol. some runners up: wilder girls; romantic interludes: discovery; felix ever after; once ghosted, twice shy.
11. Most memorable character of 2020?
the reverend daughter, harrowhark nonagesimus, from harrow the ninth. i'll try to stop answering this book for multiple questions, but i can't describe how my love for harrow grew in leaps and bounds in this book. and i already loved her fucking plenty. she and gideon are so fucking LOYAL, and that's one character trait that can absolutely make me go feral, depending on the circumstances in which its written. and this was. A CIRCUMSTANCE. the fucking lengths she goes... the lengths!!! i love this proud weird idiot necromancer nun with all my fucking heart.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020?
the vintner's luck. i still don't know how to talk about this book without tearing my face off.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020?
as always, this is more on the thought-provoking side, bc idk that i read any book that changed my life. but in praise of shadows gave me a lot to think about, culturally and aesthetically, and i loved the points that tanizaki brings up, and the western conventions that he challenges.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read?
after having discovered my love of classic mysteries sometimes circa 2012 through sherlock holmes, i can't believe i didn't delve into agatha christie sooner than this. i read one of her more popular mysteries, and then there were none, and it was perfect for me and what i want out of mysteries in almost every single way.
15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2020?
from the secret diaries of miss anne lister. there were so many passages where i felt like anne was reaching out of the past to lay a dykely hand on my shoulder, but especially this: ‘Burnt Mr Montagu’s farewell verses that no trace of any man’s admiration may remain. It is not meet for me. I love and only love the fairer sex and thus, beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any other love than theirs.’ girl... same!!!!
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020?
shortest: the mysterious study of doctor sex. a locked tomb story about my favourite house (after the ninth): the sixth! palamedes and camilla are the platonic ideal, in every sense of the word. longest: wherever the dandelion blows. a chonker of an f/f romance; a gift from max that i finally got around to this year! 💖
17. Book That Shocked You The Most
the cabin at the end of the world. i'm not sure i'm over the unsettling experience that was reading this book. it made me so uncomfortable and unhappy. and yes, shocked me, with regards to what happens. but i still think this had one of the most perfect endings, and if i ever drum up the courage to read it again, i'll probably up my rating.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
sorry to be basic and give the same answer as last year but i have to live my truth: gideon/harrowhark from gideon the ninth and harrow the ninth. the jock/goth romance of the century (and the one after that). i love them and their bond so fucking much. honourable mentions: robyn/caid from and playing the role of herself, and emet/jakob from the golem of mala lubovnya.
19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
lillian, bessie and roland from nothing to see here. i don't know that i've ever been touched (in this way) by a parental relationship. her growth with the kids was so fucking good, and all the better for wilson's writing and how their journey was told.
20. Favourite Book You Read in 2020 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
the house in the cerulean sea, which i enjoyed more than the last book i read from t.j. klune. it was so fucking sweet, and just a nice, easy read, the perfect thing to wind the year down with.
21. Best Book You Read In 2020 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
i read a bunch of things because of community buzz, but one of the few books i got a direct recommendation for was on a sunbeam, which delivered soft scifi feels and queer found family. thanks hsinju! :D
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020?
it was hard not to name like three women here but after a rigorous process i've narrowed it down to vu côn from in the vanisher's palace. hot older dragon-shifter lady? yes, thanks.
23. Best 2020 debut you read?
you should see me in a crown!!! the joy this gave me!!!!! i cannot possibly explain!!!!!! liz lighty for president of everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i want to go back in time and give this to my younger self, and i dearly hope leah johnson has many many more books about queer black girls to come.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
the worldbuilding in a memory called empire is definitely dense and intricate, but so so good. especially for how it's carefully and thoughtfully intertwined with the linguistics of the world. the author really took so many little things into consideration and gave them weight, and i was super impressed by it all.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
red white and royal blue wasn't a perfect book but it definitely did make me smile soooo hard, and put me in such a good fucking mood. it was very tropey and very wish fulfillment-y in a way that i think a lot of people were grateful for, just to get a break from the world.
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2020?
i do think i teared up out of sheer frustration a few times while reading the feverwake series. it's so hard reading about kids being abused and putting trust in their evil but charismatic abusers. :( and if rereads count, i did cry during my gideon the ninth reread bc i'm gay.
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
haley cass is an indie f/f author who definitely deserves more attention. i freaking adored when you least expect it, so much more than i was prepared to enjoy what i thought would be a simple christmas romance, and i'm eager to read more of her writing!
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
the good samaritan, in that it was extremely triggering for me and upsetting in several ways and i 100% should not have finished it. petition for me to take better care of myself in 2021 lol. ✌🏿
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2020?
the hole. the execution of this didn't work quite as well for me as the description of it made me think, but it was still a very unique (in my reading experience) and weird little horror book that really picks up at the very end. shout out also to bunny, which was its own brand of bonkers.
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
what lies between us, and that does mean i didn't like it. i'm beginning to think john marrs isn't for me lol.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2020 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2021?
i'm so ashamed that this is the exact same answer i gave last year. 🙈 but i really want to reread and finish the when women were warriors trilogy. i've been putting it off because i don't want it to end, but now it's getting out of hand! it's happening this year for sure!
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2021 (non-debut)?
i do want to finally get to the song of achilles, though i know it'll wreck me.
3. 2021 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
honey girl!! there's been so much buzz about this in my little circle and everything i've read leads me to believe i'll love it.
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2021?
the hellion's waltz, the third book in a sapphic historical romance series!!! from the little i know about this book's couple, i'm so excited :D
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2021?
read less books, but longer ones. in 2020 i read a whole lot of novellas and shorts, mostly because i was having a hard time concentrating on my reads, and having shorter things to get me through the month just turned out to be a lot easier for me mentally. i was also SUPER into romance this year, more so than previous years, which lead me to seek out a lot of quick, short romantic reads. this year i want to go in the opposite direction. i still want to read romance, but i want to try (if the Brain allows) for longer, more involved reads. in general, this year, i'm just going to try to take things slower.
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Also I just read Gideon the Ninth and enjoyed it a lot (though I am not surprised whatsoever that Muir was a Homestuck L O L)
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i bought a copy of spirits abroad for my old kindle approx. one million years ago, and your thoughts on it are so exciting...i'm definitely gonna have to get around to reading that soon. and yeesh, i know what you mean about the cabin at the end of the woods. i read and watched a LOT of horror this year but that was the only piece of media to make me so upset (not scared, actively upset!) that i actually had to stop reading it. i did spoil myself tho, so i know how things turn out.
WHEN WOMEN WERE WARRIORS..............i'm going to reread/finish this too. you've inspired me.