It’s the middle of the year, so it’s time to look back on the first half of 2020 and what a year it has been, reading wise.
- Best book you’ve read so far
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This is just the perfect novel if you ask me. It’s very dense, but you get carried away by the plot as soon as the count starts executing his revenge. Wondering what it is exactly that he is planning, you flip the pages faster and faster. It’s a classic and rightfully so: the characters are so real and the suspense is perfect! - Best sequel you read so far
Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets by J.K. Rowling. Honestly, I do not read a lot of series so there is not much to choose from. This one caught me by surprise: I remembered not really enjoying the Harry Potters a teenager, but this reread had me laughing so hard I had to stop every now and then because it was too much for me. - New release you haven’t read, but want to
Straight on till morning by Liz Braswell, but really I want to dive into all the Twisted Tales. The concept of rewriting the famous Disney adventures sounds so intriguing to me. I definitely have a soft spot for Disney movies and would love to introduce the stories in my reading life as well. - Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
Hollowpox: the hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. I’ve been reading the Nevermoor series with my eight year old as a read aloud for the last couple of months – one chapter per evening we read – and the third book comes out in August. I am definitely enjoying the second book more than the first (a little too much repetition for me in that one) so I hope they continue the upward trend. - Biggest disappointment
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I definitely went into this not really knowing what it was about, because I thought the title was brilliant, the cover was beautiful and the main character has the same name as my son (and I am so lame). The whole book was kind of boring and I really couldn’t care less what happened to the boys to be honest: I felt no connection at all. - Biggest surprise
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I went into this thinking I was going to hate it, because I thought I was going to hate all fantasy but ended up really enjoying it and making a resolution to read more of his work and maybe more fantasy in general. - Favorite new autor
Brandon Sanderson: I read Elantris in February and The final empire in May and I will definitely continue the Mistborn series this year and maybe even pick up another series/stand alone from him. - Newest fictional crush
Kelsier from The final empire by Brandon Sanderson. He is so cool: the way he inspires his fellow bandits, the way he takes care of Vin like a father figure, the way he sacrifices himself for the good of his people and last but not least, the way he keeps talking lovingly about his wife even though he thinks she betrayed him. That’s unconditional love! - Newest favorite character
Emma from Emma by Jane Austen. She is so great, even though she is also kind of terrible. She is smart, she is witty and cares deeply about her friends. She can be shallow at times but definitely goes through mayor transformation throughout the book and I love that. - Book that made you cry
To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is such a brilliant book. The way it tells this very important story through the eyes of a child is just genius and heart breaking. - Book that made you happy
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. I loved this so much: every new stage the main character went though I was here for it. I loved it all! - Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or recieved)
Half of a yellow sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the only book I’ve bought myself this year. I read it and then immediately gave it to my sister to read, because it was so good and I really have no interest in hoarding books – I try to be a minimalist. - What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Every year I make myself a reading list with all the books I definitely want to read that year broken down by month (approx. 3 books a month), so those are quite a lot of books I can answer this question with. I am going to go for Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset however, mainly because it was on my reading list last year and I didn’t get around to reading it so I definitely want to tackle it this year. I started it this week so hopefully I can see it through this time, because I did start it last year, I just gave up within the first 50 pages – and that’s a 1020 page book we are talking about.
Books & Babies 