2020 Reading List, part 2

Thank God this year is almost over. Has it really only been a year since last December? It feels like at least three! 😳

I've read surprisingly few books for a year when we couldn't do anything. I partly blame my book club - I can't multitask when it comes to books and can only read one at a time. I've snuck in a few here and there among Jane Austen and Alexandre Dumas, but not as many as I'd like. Between the twenty-two I read the first half of the year and these seventeen, I'm thirteen books short of my normal goal. Hrmph. 

My friend Katie (author of Once Upon a Pyne) put together a rating system that she uses on Goodreads. I asked her permission to steal it and have implemented it below.

Here is her (and now my) criteria: 

⭐: the worst piece of garbage I’ve ever read 

⭐⭐: overall bleh book, but some redeeming qualities 

⭐⭐⭐: liked it, but wouldn’t read again 

⭐⭐⭐⭐: liked it more and would read again 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: amazing and definitely should read again 

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐
   Clearly continuing with the NG trend. 😊 I splurged a little and bought the hardback, illustrated edition, which proved to be the right decision. A beautiful book, inside and out, I'd recommend this version if you're a Neil Gaiman fan and don't already own a copy. The story is on the dark side...to me it falls somewhere between Coraline and Neverwhere (which I liked better). 
   
   
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐
   Bodies start dropping quickly in this supernatural whodunnit! An interesting story that weaves the mundane and the mythical, surrounding the life of a boy growing up in a graveyard. 
   
   
3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐
   By about halfway through American Gods I decided NG is completely sex obsessed. Besides being unnecessarily graphic on several occasions, at one point he described books on a table as being "indiscriminately assorted and promiscuously arranged." How the HELL do you slut-ily arrange books?!  The story itself was interesting, explaining the existence of gods, and pitting old vs new. However, the pros do not outweigh the cons, which means I officially do not recommend adding it to your reading list. 
   
   
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   We saved the best Austen for last. 💕 It's been a long time since I last read P&P and I'd forgotten how much time is given to Elizabeth's introspection, which makes for such a well rounded character. Darcy is my favorite Austen love interest (well, tied with Mr. Knightley from Emma), because he puts Elizabeth's needs first and shows his love by his actions. If you've never read it, I'd HIGHLY recommend taking the time to do so. The version I linked is the one I used for book club. It was a Christmas gift from a couple years ago and super fun to use, since it offered recipes throughout. 
   
   
5. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett ⭐⭐⭐
   I read this after watching the show with David Tennant and Michael Sheen, which was fun because I heard their voices as I read each of their characters. The book was fine, nothing groundbreaking, but worth your time if you like Neil Gaimin or Terry Prachett. 
   
   
6. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
   I put the CoMC on my favorite books list back in high school. While I thoroughly enjoy the story and would absolutely recommend reading it, the amazing coincidences that could only happen in a book, as well as being dissatisfied with the ending, keeps me from giving it five stars. The edition I linked is the one we used and is apparently the "definitive" translation (by Robin Buss), according to the interwebs.
   
   
7. Opposites Attract by Nora Jones ⭐
   - Ugh, garbage. 
   
   
8. Killing Time by Linda Howard ⭐⭐⭐
   A trashy rom-thriller that offered an interesting take on the perils of time travel. Don't do it, kids. It never ends well.
   
   
   
   
9. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   I decided to reread this after watching the new Netflix adaptation (read my review here) and bought myself a copy from 1938 (don't get excited, it was only $20, lol). Having read so much Jane Austen in recent months, the new Mrs. de Winter (the protagonist without a first name) reminded me a lot of Marianne from Sense and Sensibility. If you're looking for a great gothic novel written in the first person with a tall, dark and broody love interest, this is the book for you. 
   
   
10. The Summer House by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois ⭐⭐⭐
    Not my favorite JP book, but better than others. Set in the south, an investigative team is sent to figure out if a group of Army Rangers were guilty of mass murder. Obviously things get complicated and aren't what they seem. 
    
    
11. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+
    The first book on the 2021 reading list for my book club is Jane Eyre, but I read it early (and wrote a review here). 😊 It's awesomely wonderful and deserves more than five stars, hence the plus! 💗
    
    
12. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ⭐⭐⭐⭐
    For our December book club meeting we decided to do a read aloud of a Christmas Carol, each reading parts until we got through the whole thing (I'm a baby and only read once. Not a huge fan of reading out loud). I haven't read it since I was a kid and this was a fun way enjoy it. Sam's mulled wine might have had something to do with it, as well as Katie's charcuterie board which was so lovely, my mother asked if the picture I took of it was out of a magazine!  🧀🍷 
    
    
13. Kiss me while I sleep by Nora Roberts ⭐⭐⭐
    Ever wonder what would happen if a contract killer's family was murdered by an Italian crime lord? Now I know. The interesting twist in this involved a potential pandemic, which hit a little closer to home than I needed from a quick and easy read. 
    
    
14. Restoration of Faith (a short story in The Dresden Files Series) by Jim Butcher ⭐⭐⭐
    A friend is a big fan of the Dresden Files, which is why I've started the series. Set before Storm Front (the first book in the series), this short story is a good "first step" into the world of Harry Dresden. Jim Butcher originally wrote it as an assignment for a class in the University of Oklahoma's Professional Writing Program. 
    
    
15. Storm Front (Book 1 of The Dresden Files Series) by Jim Butcher ⭐⭐⭐⭐
    I do enjoy a snarky wizard. 😎 Harry Dresden reminds me a lot of John Constantine from the short lived NBC series, more so than Harry in 2007 show The Dresden Files (which I enjoyed, but is fairly different from the book). This story just confirms my dislike of weather, which can get you killed in more ways that previously suspected. 
    
    
16. The Woman Left Behind by Linda Howard ⭐⭐⭐
    Operating a drone is one thing, but doing it in the field with a government sanctioned paramilitary group is another. Doesn't help when you're the only (nerdy) woman in a team full of terrifyingly large men. One of Linda Howard's better rom-thrillers.
    
    
17. Fool Moon (Book 2 of The Dresden Files Series) by Jim Butcher 
    Last but not least, I'll be ending the year with the next book in the series. Considering there are werewolves involved, I'd guess this will be another ⭐⭐⭐⭐. 

My New Years Resolution for 2021 is to use Good Reads more (or ever). 😊 📚 

Have you read anything this year that you would recommend?

-----

I'm looking forward to spending New Years Eve with my "pandemic pod," closing out this garbage fire of a year with fancy clothes (they kindly agreed to indulge me 👗🤵), lots of booze and probably some board games and maybe a movie. 

I plan to remain in denial that session starts a week from today at least through the weekend. It's going to be such a weird year, with all the Covid precautions, and we only know of some of them. They're limiting who can be out on the Legislative floor even more than when we reconvened in August. Since I'm not a legislative aide or legislative counsel, I can't go out on the floor, period.  I'm actually ok with that, since it means I'll never have to be on camera (except in the hearings). 😎 The LAs and LCs can only be on the floor when they're senators' bill is up, so during the day most communication with our senators will be via email and text. Maybe this will be the year I get my boss to finally start using Google Chat! 😆

Good luck and happy new year, folks! 

~ Katie Q. 🐧