Best and Worst Books of 2020

This is the first year that I kept track of all the books I read which means I can now go back and tell you which books were my favourite and which ones were my least favourite. If you want to follow my reading along in real time then feel free to add me as a friend over on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/95108873-lena-fiala. 

Now let's start with my least favourite ones so we can end on a high note. 

Vollidiot- Tommy Vaud (1/5)

A book that I read in German and that doesn't have an English translation. It honestly makes sense because this book is no fun to read. Misogynistic, badly written and there was no part where I could connect the idea of someone being a total idiot to humour. I think that unlikable protagonists can work but in this book it didn't. 

Exes and Ohs- Beth Kendrick (2/5)

I honestly can't remember a single thing about this book and I think that says a lot. 

Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson (2/5)

This was the longest book that I've ever read. Not page count wise, but in the way it dragged oooon and ooon. I think it took me over four weeks to finish this. The premise is fun, I like a nice pirate story, but the style of writing really didn't age well. 

The Inquisitor- Mark Allen Smith (2/5)

Out of all the thrillers I read this year this was the most disappointing. A little too much useless body horror, I say useless because I don't mind body horror if it fits into the story tastefully, which it sadly didn't in this book. The twist in the end felt so forced and confusing that it kind of ruined the good parts of the story and overall I didn't have much fun with this book. 

Chasing Harry Winston- Lauren Weisberger (2/5) 

I love the other books that I read by Lauren Weisberger, but this just wasn't it. None of the characters were relatable, most of the story felt forced and a little ridiculous and at this point I don't remember why I gave this book 2 stars. 

Of course these are based on the ratings I gave them at the time. Today I might think different about some of the ratings I gave, but I rarely go back and edit them because at the time I justified the rating somehow. Also, there are other books that I really didn't like but I wanted to give a mix of different genres so it didn't look like I bashed one genre on purpose. These books were disappointing for different reasons and it doesn't mean that they are all bad. Except for that book in German. That was awful. 

These were the bad books so now let's go to the fun part and talk about the best books I read this year. It was honestly so hard to narrow it down to five books, but I tried and these are my five favourite reads of the year. 

Crazy Rich Asians- Kevin Kwan

Fun, romantic, interesting, entertaining, heart-warming, cheesy in the right places with the right amount of realism and issues that are solved through communication. Loved it so much and I loved the film. If you haven't by now, go read this book"

You should see me in a crown- Leah Johnson

This tackled so many things so well, I loved it. The audiobook was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the characters a lot. I think overall it is just the right mix of everyday teenage problems and the unique struggles of Liz and it was great to read her story. 

The Martian- Andy Weir

I absolutely loved this book. This was one of those that made me laugh out loud, shiver in fear and cry with relief. Such a great story, incredible style of writing and brilliant character. Highly, highly recommend. 

The Unhoneymooners- Christina Lauren

An enemies to lovers story that made sense and was fun and steamy and romantic and real and sooo good. I rooted for the characters so much (which to me is the core of any good romance novel) and had so much fun with their story. I have to warn you though, this got me addicted to Christina Lauren novels, so be careful what you get yourself into ;)

Pretty Girls- Karin Slaughter

This is a novel that did body horror right. I think this might be one of my favourite thrillers of ALL TIME. So good, the story was awful (in the perfect way) and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading it. This is a recommendation to all of you who love a good thriller and don't shy away from cruel body horror. 

Honestly I could go on and on. And maybe I should. Here is a list of more books that you definitely need to read if you get a chance.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda- Becky Abertalli

Moriarty- Anthony Horowitz

You- Caroline Kepnes

Song of Achilles- Madeline Miller

Hidden Figures- Margot Lee Shetterley

The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood

Good Omens- Terry Pratchett

Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury 

Water for the elephants- Sara Gruen

They Both Die at the End- Adam Silvera

Life of Pi- Yann Martel

Five Feet Apart- Rachael Lippincott

One of us is lying- Karen McManus

Still Alice- Lisa Genova 

The Brass Verdict- Michael Connelly

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

These are not all but most of my 5 star reads this year. I am so happy that I got to read so many good books and enjoy so many brilliant stories. You can see how random the books are that I read and love and I hope that I can keep that up for the next year. I'm hoping to broaden my horizon even further so please leave me ALL the recommendations of your favourite books of the year (or all time). 

For now I wish you a happy new year and will see you in 2021. 

Take care, stay healthy and read on. 

All the best, 

Lena

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