Another year has begone and it is time to have a look at last year's reading. It was a good year for me. Maybe not difficult considering the times and the time available for reading. I ended up at 107 books. It meant I managed to achieve my aim of 100 books at Goodreads.
I have divided the genres between Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery/Thrillers and Classics. The outcome is quite even between the genres with a slightly higher number for fictional books, which is normal.
Fiction 38
Nonfiction 29
Mystery/Thrillers 23
Classics 17
Favourite books within each genre
My three favourite books within each genre.
Fiction
Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Prisoner of Heaven and The Labyrint of the Sprits (cheating here but they are both the 2nd and 3rd in a series so I treat them as one, so I can add another two)
Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing
Nonfiction
Elizabeth Lev - The Tigress of Forli (Renaissance Italy's most courageous and notorious countess
Karin Tegenborg Falkhagen - Svenska drottningar (Swedish Queens)
Tilman Lahme - Familjen Mann (Die Manns, The Mann Family)
Mystery Thrillers
Jane Harper - The Dry
Jo Nesbo - The Leopard
Alexander Söderberg - The Andalucian Friend (and the two following books The Other Son and The Good Wolf)
Classics
Dante - Purgatory (from the Divine Comedy)
Philip Larkin - The Whitsun Wedding (poetry)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Speckled Band
Twelve favourite books this year
- Abulhawa, Susan - Mornings in Jenin
- Burton, Nina - Den nya kvinnostaden (NF) (A wonderful recollection of women that have put a mark on history. Even if some of them are quite forgotten today.)
- Harlond, J.G. - A Turning Wind /By Force of Circumstance
- Honeyman - Gail - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
- Lahme, Tilmann - Familjen Mann (Die Manns) (NF)
- Marsh, Jan - The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood (NF)
- Owens, Delia - Where the Crawdads Sing
- Haynes, Natalie - A Thousand Ships (Another take on Homer's The Illiad, looking at the women surrounding the men. Excellent read.)
- Ruiz Zafón, Carlos - The Prisoner of Heaven (El prisionero del cielo)/The Labyrint of the Spirits (One of my favourite author. These two are number two and three in a series. Outstanding!)
- Svensson, Patrick - Ålevangeliet (The Gospels of the Eels) (NF)
- Söderberg, Alexander - The Andalucian Friend/The Other Son/The Good Wolf
- Tägil, Ingela - Näktergalen (NF) (Celebrating Jenny Lind's 200 centennial, this is a great biography of the opera singer called The Nightingale.)
That was a few highlights from my reading year. I enjoyed most of the books, but there are always a few rising above the rest. I was not aware but like the evenness between the genres. Now it is time to start a new reading year. I have opted for another 100 on Goodreads. I hope most of them will be from my own shelves.
I love book posts -- mine will probably go up tomorrow. It's such fun to see books old to me and new!
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see what other readers have chosen as their best book. I think you had some interesting books as well.
DeleteGreat statistics. And I have read a few of those, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, I have read all his books. He is one of my favourite authors. But I also read and loved "Mornings in Jenin" and "Where the Crawdads Sing". Both great books in their own way.
ReplyDeleteMy Statistics 2020.
Just shows we have a similar taste in books. All of them were the best books of 2020.
DeleteTrue. I'm so glad we found each other.
DeleteYou've had a great reading year!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the Haynes book in your top reads - I still have it waiting on my TBR pile - something to look forward to by the sounds of things.
Haynes' book was quite a surprise. It took a little bit to get into, but then it was hard to put down. Really interesting seeing the Trojan war from female perspectives. I hope you will enjoy it.
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