My top 5 reads of 2020
My Top 5 Reads of 2020!
Introduction:
2020 has been a crappy year for most people in one way or another, but it’s also been a year that’s given us a heck of a lot of time stuck inside. I don’t know about you, but this means that I got a ton of reading done during lockdown, and despite 2020 bringing a lot of shittyness, it DID bring some fabulous books into my life that i am super grateful for! So without further ado, i present my top 5 countdown reads of 2020!
Let’s begin!
5)
Hamnet
By Maggie O’ Farrell
SYNOPSIS
TWO EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE. A LOVE THAT DRAWS THEM TOGETHER. A LOSS THAT THREATENS TO TEAR THEM APART.
On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home?
Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week.
Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief. It is also the story of a kestrel and its mistress; flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; and a glovemaker's son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Above all, it is a tender and unforgettable reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.
4) The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet
By Becky Chambers
SYNOPSIS
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.
But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptillian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful - exactly what Rosemary wants.
Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They'll earn enough money to live comfortably for years... if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.
But Rosemary isn't the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.
3) The Devil Aspect
By Craig Russell
SYNOPSIS
How do you find a killer when you're surrounded by madness?
1935. As Europe prepares itself for a calamitous war, six homicidal lunatics - the so-called 'Devil's Six' - are confined in a remote castle asylum in rural Czechoslovakia. Each patient has their own dark story to tell and Dr Viktor Kosárek, a young psychiatrist using revolutionary techniques, is tasked with unlocking their murderous secrets.
At the same time, a terrifying killer known as 'Leather Apron' is butchering victims across Prague. Successfully eluding capture, it would seem his depraved crimes are committed by the Devil himself. Maybe they are... and what links him with the insane inmates of the Castle of the Eagles?
Only the Devil knows. And it is up to Viktor to find out.
2)The Girl In The Tower
By Katherine Arden
SYNOPSIS
The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest. Meanwhile bandits roam the countryside, burning the villages and kidnapping its daughters. Setting out to defeat the raiders, the Prince and his trusted companion come across a young man riding a magnificent horse.
Only Sasha, a priest with a warrior's training, recognises this 'boy' as his younger sister, thought to be dead or a witch by her village. But when Vasya proves herself in battle, riding with remarkable skill and inexplicable power, Sasha realises he must keep her secret as she may be the only way to save the city from threats both human and fantastical.
*Make sure you've read all the books in the Winternight Trilogy*
1. The Bear and the Nightingale
2. The Girl in the Tower
3. The Winter of the Witch
Drumroll Please…
1)To sleep In A Sea Of Stars
By Christopher Paolini
SYNOPSIS
Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds
Now she’s awakened a nightmare
During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.
As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . .
Conclusion
To wrap up, all of these titles took my breath away, but none quite as completely as To Sleep In A Sea of Stars. From Runcible the Pig to Kira, The Soft Blade, and the crew of The Wallfish, i was hooked from the very beginning, and stayed that way until i turned the very last page. I stayed up far too late reading this book, and the jarring events of the first section were truly written masterfully and felt fully authentic. Christopher Paolini may have made us wait 9 years for his return to the publishing scene, but it was worth every second if this is what he produces when left to marinade with his wild imagination. There are so many books that didn’t make this list that could of, so if you want to see what else i’ve been reading and loving check out the recommended reads section of the blog for more top read lists and reviews on books which left me hungover as all hell. You might also consider stalking me on social media as i usually keep my followers posted on what i’m devouring bibliophile style!
I hope you have a fantastic holiday season, and also that the approaching year will be better for all of us!
Happy reading,
Kristy Nicolle x
When I told my Barista, Jess, that I was looking for a long series to hold my attention, she was flabbergasted to discover I’d never read the Sookie Stackhouse novels, or seen the show True Blood, which is based off them. In between customers who had come in for their daily dose of Botany and Beans magic, she got up google and started showing me some of the ovary-busting hotness that is the male half of the True Blood cast. Colour me intrigued. I found myself downloading the first book there and then, right in the coffee shop. This is my review of the first instalment, Dead Until Dark.