Best Books of 2020 – part 1!

Hello people! I hope you are safe and happy, and that things are going great! Finally, I am here to share with you all the best reading of this past year! Choosing is always hard for me, and I tried really hard to be strict but I couldn’t. I tried, really, but I came out of it with so many titles. I am just bad this way! And so I would use some category to show you all the amazing books I have read in 2020 and I would write two posts instead of 1, so they would be more manageable! So… ready?

Manga & Graphic Novels

I haven’t read a lot of manga and graphic novels this year, shame on me! I hope to do a little bit better this year, but even if I read few of them I was very lucky! Spy x Family is the new manga I discovered this year, and so far I have read three volumes. And loved them all. And then we have Black Butler, that is my favorite manga ever. The art is amazing, the plot is interesting enough and the characters are so so good!

Thriller and Mystery

It was somehow a disappointing year for thrillers and mysteries, but I made some great reading nonetheless. The best one was Il Destino Dell’Orso, an Italian mystery and the second in this series. I loved the first one and even if this one was not as awesome as the first one, it was really really good. I enjoyed it so much, and now I am looking forward to the third book!

General Fiction

This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be the last one! I loved this book. It is just so bittersweet, and magical, in some sense (even if it is not a fantasy book. And I know, it is strange, but somehow I don’t read only fantasy!). My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She Is Sorry is a peculiar book, full of interesting characters, every one of them with a story, and every one of them would keep you company even once you finish the book. It is heartwarming, even if it is not a happy book. But it is like real life, with bad moments and good ones, and having a family there with you help life get better and better.

Romance

I really hope to continue this series very soon, because I had so much fun with this one! It is fun, full of witty dialogues, banter, and sweet scene. It was pure bliss, with a touch of history in there. Bringing Down The Duke is an amazing historical romance, and it deserves all the hype it got. And some more!

Non-Fiction

One of my reading goals of 2020 was to read more non-fiction (and I have kept it this year too), and I did really good. I have read more than one non-fiction per month, and I have read some interesting books! This one, Il Genio Non Esiste (E a volte è un idiota) is an Italian essay about famous people in history who are considered geniuses and show us how more than the genius there were a lot of different things that create their fame. It was fun and informative. I loved it! And I have learned some interesting things too.

Classic

I think that this is the only book I have read this year that can count as a classic (ok, there is the sequel too, but this won’t change things), and I loved it! Foundation was an amazing discovery, and I loved it! I was a bit scared before starting it, because I was expecting something boring but… I was so so wrong!!!

Cozy Reading

This is Blame it on the community book, because I discovered this book thanks to the book community, and I was really excited to start this series! And I was not disappointed, yay! This is the perfect cozy series, to enjoy while you are cuddled on your couch, with a hot cup of tea. And it may have had something to do with me starting crochet.

Short Stories

This was a lucky year for short fiction. I have read a lot of anthologies and short stories, and some of them were pretty amazing. But the best one is The Forest God. This was sheer perfection! It was amazing. And I think it deserves to be more known. And a lot more love!!!!

Anthology

Brigands was the best anthology I have read in 2020. There are so many great stories in there that I simply couldn’t choose a favorite! I enjoyed almost all of them, and enjoyed quite a lot!!!

Series Ender

It was a really long wait for this book because the author let years and years pass (for once, it wasn’t my fault!!) but it was all I was hoping for, and then some. I loved it! It was epic. It was fun. And we get to see Gen again. This series is just sooooo good! And The Return of the Thief was an amazing and compelling reading from the first sentence to the last one.

Honorable Mentions

In Love & Pajamas is a really sweet and cute graphic novel, and it deserves at least a little shout out! Then we have two titles for the Mystery category: The Decagon House Murders and Death and the Harlot. They both were great! The first one is an image to And then there were none set in Japan, while the second has an amazing MC, and it is set in London. And I really hope to meet her again soon! And last but not least we have two non-fiction titles. Sapiens and Galateo Per Ragazze Da Marito are both interesting and informative, even if they are quite… different from each other. The first one is about humanity and its development and history, while the second analyzes the books that in the past gave advice to girls and women on how to be the perfect wife and housewife with a modern take. So yes, different. But both interesting and highly recommended!

For today I am done, but I would be back soon with the second part of this post, and I can tell you that the second part won’t be as organized as this first one. But… oh well! And now it is your turn! Have you read the books I have mentioned? And which were your favorite books for these categories?? Let me know!

Happy reading!
S.