#yearreview

It’s finally over. And what a year it has been. Although, given all the horrible crap that everyone’s been through, I think I’ll stick to talking about books for just a moment.

366 days ago, I set out to read 12 books. Probably a pretty average new year’s resolution, maybe I stick out a little given the stacks of unread books on my booksheld - or maybe I don’t. So, how did I do?

Well, long story short, I didn’t make it. I had the same resolution in 2019 as 2020, and neither year [if that’s an English phrase] did I make it. I’m still glad I made this blog though. It’s kept me accountable - for the most part - and being able to spend a bit of time digesting what I’ve read was quite nice too. And, along the way, we gained over 450 followers which I never expected in a million years, so thank you to everyone who followed me this year! 

I read 8 books this year. Given the fact that I didn’t even have to do my final college exams, personally it doesn’t feel too great. However, it was an improvement on the two years previous so it was worth something!

So, what did I read this year?

Well, I kick-started this blog reading The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, a reread of a book I was studying for my A-Level German course. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, I really enjoyed being able to read that book for my own enjoyment. If you’re into that area of history or just German history, I really recommend the read. Of course it’s not a work of non-fiction, but it’s one of those pieces which really helps you understand the feelings of the people at that time while also not betraying the interesting storyline.

My second book was The Shining by Stephen King. This was a continued read from the previous year. I’d never read a King novel before this, and horror has never been my favourite genre, be it book, film, or video game. However I really enjoyed The Shining and King’s narration and writing style. I don’t know if I;d recommend it for people like myself who’ve never read a King novel before as it is quite a long one, but it was a really good book. I found it took a little while to get into the action, so to speak, but once it did it was really worth it!

After that was a book I bought in 2020, called Faeries, Elves & Gnlins by Rosalind Kerven. This was a really fun book for me because it was just a bunch of short stories about, well, faeries, elves and goblins from Britain and the British Isles. I know many cultures have their own myths and legends, so it was nice to learn about such legends coming from tiny, unhead of towns and villages from the country I live in!

My fourth book this year was technically Macbeth... I did take a break and finish two other books in said break, but it’s next in line. I mostly wanted to read Macbeth simply because I had had to study it for my GCSE English class [which was around 3 or 4 years ago!] and simply never finished reading it. I don’t really know if I’m a Shakespeare person, maybe it’s just because it was a play which I’m not really a big fan of reading? Macbeth is a classic so I don’t think I can fault it. I guess English classes kind of ruined it for me so I can’t say it was a gripping read, but I’m not discouraging you from reading it. And honestly I’m rambling at this point so I’ll move on.

One of the books I read while on a break from Macbeth was Dad Bods by Robyn Sparkes, which is actually a story on Wattpad. I’ll be honest, I can’t really remember the whole story, although I know that I enjoyed reading it. If you’re looking for stories about a middle-aged man realising he’s gay, this is the story for you!

After that was Korean manhwa called Killing Stalking and... how do I describe Killing Stalking? I remember finding it several years ago - I was far too young to be reading it in reality - and the story wasn’t finished yet, so I just read what was there and left it, forgot it for years. Then, early summer this year, I started remembering it, went back and realised it was finished. The story is, put most simply, NSFW. Lots of warnings, I won’t lie. If you know what I mean when I say this, it basically ticks all of the AO3 archive warnings [apart from the underage one [I think!]] so obviously don’t read if those themes may upset you or disturb you. It’s definitely advertised as a psychological thriller by the creator, it’s not a romance novel or anything of the sort, please believe me when I say this. Do I still recommend it? I’m going to step back and let you assess it for yourself given everything I’ve just said.

Obviously after those two I went back and finished Macbeth, but then I think I took a break [unannounced, unplanned]. It was then that I read Volume 1 of the One Piece manga by Eiichiro Oda to get back into reading. It was fun, easy to dip in and out of, and a really simple read. Which is a good thing, I promise. Sometimes books can be big and confusing and they don’t need to be. Books don’t have to be groundbreaking in order to be good, they just need to be enjoyable. 

The eighth and final book that I read and finished in 2020 was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I’d never read it before, never studied it for English class, and only had the briefest knowledge of what even happens in the story. All I have to say is, if you haven’t read it already, please do. You can read textbooks and understand events, but books offer a more personal insight into these things. Much alike with The Reader, you can just see things in a way you couldn’t with a textbook or history lesson. Perhaps it’s easier to empathise this way? Either way, please read it. 

I did start reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, unfortunately I didn’t finish it so I won’t really talk about it here, hopefully next year though?

All in all, I’ve enjoyed having this blog. I’ve enjoyed having somewhere to talk about the book I’m reading without my friend telling me to shut up. 

And, despite not reaching my goal this year, I’m optimistic for 2021. I want to keep going with this blog, hopefully I’ll reach my goal this year. Coming home for Christmas from Uni means that now, when I sit in bed, my bookshelf is opposite me and I can see all my unread books and I’m getting excited to read them. Luckily lockdown meant I haven’t been out buying more and more books recently. 

Thank you for following, for liking, for reblogging. Having this little blog has been pretty helpful in 2020. I hope we all have a successful 2021!

Can we take a moment to look back after this entire year working on this project? Deep breaths now. So much work, time management, brainstorming. It was such a struggle, both to create and also to deal with the ever growing expectation: will people enjoy it? Is it worth to tell such story?

HRH the Princess of Wales in 2025 ♛