Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.
And Merry Christmas (one day belated) for those of you who celebrate! I had a lovely Christmas—I got some cool shirts, lots of chocolate, a guitar pedal, a Ray Bradbury book, and lots of other goodies! It was so great to be able to spend time with family and just be together. We got a little snow on Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day was…weirdly warmish, but at least there was snow from the day before on the ground.
I had my last two days of school this week, and I’m glad to say that my finals are over! I’m relieved that I did well on them too. And now I’m on break, and I’m so glad to have a few weeks of rest.
My reading’s been slightly slowed down because of final, but now that finals are over, I have a lot more time. On a whim, I decided to re-read most of the Madman trades we own, and it was so fun to revisit one of my favorite comics! I also completed my Goodreads challenge of 250 books! I’m at 254 now!
art by Mike Allred
Other than that, I’ve just been sleeping in, drawing a bit, beginning to edit my main sci-fi WIP, enjoying my Christmas gifts, playing Minecraft, listening to Parklife, and baking with my mom. Oh, and I’m seeing Spiderman: No Way Home this afternoon—NO SPOILERS, PLEASE!
As this dumpster fire of a year comes to a close, I thought it would be nice to reflect on what made it bearable: books. Reading was what kept me going through good times and bad this year, and while I read a whole lot, there were a select few books that stood out from the rest, from new-to-me authors and authors I’ve been following for years.
(NOTE: this list also contains books that I rated 4.75 stars and rounded up to 5.)
This was an unexpected 5-star read for me; Claire Legrand had been hit-or-miss for me in the past, but Sawkill Girls boasted enchanting prose and powerful themes that hooked me in from page 1.
Even though the two subsequent books I read from this series were tragically disappointing, The Invisible Library was SO MUCH BOOKISH FUN. It’s a shame that the series went downhill so quickly…
Definitely my most anticipated release of the year, and my favorite read of the year. A truly worthy predecessor to one of my favorite books of all time. (But that ending…)
Okay, WOW, what a debut! Almost everything I’d want in a novel: diversity, girls kicking butt, sweet romance, aliens, resistance, and no shortage of book and music references.
Both of these books are essential if you’re a creative person, no matter your profession. I printed out one of the doodles from Keep Going and put it on my wall for motivation.
I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but Tillie Walden is truly a master of her craft. This one made me feel all the feels in the span of only 68 pages…
This was my most recent 5-star read, and probably the last of the year. But hey, it’s nearly 450 pages of behind the scenes goodness from my favorite show of all time. What’s not to love?
And thus concludes this year’s 5-star reads! As much of a trash fire that this year has been as a whole, at least we’ve had books like these to light our ways in the darkness, haven’t we?
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR 5-STAR READS OF THIS YEAR! HAVE YOU READ ANY OF MINE, AND WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THEM?
Since I’ve already posted once today, click here for today’s song.
That’s it for my 5-star reads of 2020! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Yeesh…what a week. I’ve successfully gotten through my first week back to school, but of course, the universe decided that it would be the perfect week to hammer me with random illnesses. [loudly destroys tissues] I’m on the mend now, but…ew, sheesh…
That’s why I’ve been a bit sluggish this week, so I’ll try to be a tad less lethargic in the coming weeks, Honors Bio schedule permitting. But hey, you know what this week also brought? The decade’s first book and comic haul!
The Bookish Mutant 