What are you reading in 2020?

New year, new books to discover! I've just read Home Girl by Alex Wheatle and am belatedly finishing off The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman.

I just read a graphic memoir, A puff of smoke, about the author's childhood and adolescent experience of suffering a health problem that doctors are unable to diagnose.

I read the Circus Hearts trilogy and re-read the Every Breath trilogy, both by Ellie Marney. All very good stories. Currently on the second book of the Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson, The Vanishing Stair. Although I've never really been into murder mysteries, I guess I like them in YA book form :-)

Just finished Fireborne and Darius the Great Is Not Okay, both of which were great!

Currently reading
Catfishing on Catnet: a Novel by Naomi Kritzer.

I like it very much so far!

Re-reading (which I rarely do) Grasshopper Jungle before I read the new sequel. GHJ is on of my all time favorites and I am remembering why after this second reading.

This month I finished

Jackpot by Nic Stone. Contemporary fiction. :)
The List Patricia Forde. Fantasy :)
and the last 2 in the Mennyms fantasy series by Sylvia Waugh -
Mennyms Alone :)
Mennyms Alive :)

Now reading the historical novel -
Fever 1793 Laurie Anderson.

I'm currently reading Storm Thief (pretty meh so far) and A Dress for the Wicked (pretty awesome so far!).

I just read Speak - a long overdue read of this YA classic. As an older reader I found a few aspects a bit cliched but overall it was very powerful and convincing.

Now reading All American Boys by Jason Reynolds

Recently finished Invisible Boys set in rural Western Australia, where the author Holden Sheppard grew up. Novel tracks three sixteen-year-old boys coming to terms (or not) with their homosexuality in a town where it is invisible. A hopeful ending.

Finished Frankly in Love and The Downstairs Girl last week. Both very different and enjoyable in different ways!

I'm reading Circe and so far so good.

I've read two YA books recently and just started a third. Wilder girls was good although ultimately a little disappointing. I liked the portrayal of teenage girls in survival mode, not caring how likeable they are or what they must do to survive, however I found the scenario in which they are trapped to be implausible, to say the least. I'm not sure the author really knew how it would have come about or considered the science so there was quite a bit of handwaving and lack of explanation of it all. I get that authors often like to be ambiguous but I felt that in this case it was because it couldn't be explained satisfactorily.

However, that was a better book than my next one, Havenfall, which had a frustrating heroine, poorly defined secondary characters and very slow pacing. The set-up was fantastic - an inn located in the Colorado mountains that is the gateway to multiple other worlds - but we never get to see the other worlds and their residents, who we do meet, are forgettable and have nothing to distinguish them from humans. Ilona Andrews Innkeeper chronicles are a much better example of this scenario.

I'm currently reading Break the fall which is set in the world of competitive gymnastics and is much more to my taste. The US women's team must overcome obstacles both personal and institutional to achieve their Olympic dreams when their coach is arrested just weeks before the games.

>14 Sakerfalcon: Break the Fall sounds really fun -- I'm a sucker for gymnastics and ice skating movies and TV shows. I kept watching Make It or Break It LONG after it was remotely good, lol.

>15 curioussquared: I finished it and it was great! A real feel-good book which is what we need right now. I could find a few flaws but for enjoyment this was a 5 star read.

>16 Sakerfalcon: Yay! Just put it on hold :)

>17 curioussquared: Excellent! Hope you enjoy it.

I'm now reading Dread Nation which is fantastic so far.

recently read and liked Take Me to the River

adventure/survival by Will Hobbs.

Dread Nation was great! Highly recommended!

Just started reading All The Bright Places

Finally getting to some YA under lockdown, with The Million Pieces of Neena Gill by Emma Smith-Barton.

Listening to the audio book Viva Jacquelina!: being an account of the further adventures of Jacky Faber, over the hills and far away
by L.A. Meyer.

I started the 100 Cupboards series last year, so continued reading with Dandelion Fire and the prequel The Door Before.

Wilson has some great phrasing going on. Check out the first page of Dandelion Fire, not just the first line. His characters are good companions for the reader as well. His plots seem to have gotten away from him, with DF hard to follow both in audio and in print. He seems to have gotten that under control writing The Door Before.

I'm reading Devil Darling Spy by Matt Killeen, the sequel to Orphan Monster Spy and the continuing adventures of a teen agent and her handler in the heart of Nazi Germany.

>18 Sakerfalcon: I finished Break the Fall and loved it! Read it all in a day, couldn't put it down. Totally feel good, totally what I wanted from it.

>26 curioussquared: That's great! I'm so glad you loved it as much as I did!

I just finished the Perks of Being a Wallflower and have started to reread Paper Towns (for the third time).

I'm reading Bearmouth by Liz Hyder, a dystopian (though only just) story of exploitation set in the depths of a coalmine.

Jip by Katherine Paterson.

I just read The babysitters coven, which I enjoyed less than some other recent YA witch novels (These witches don't burn, Undead girl gang, Seriously wicked for example). TBC is less mature and probably better enjoyed by actual teens rather than adults like me!

I'm reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Engrossing YA murder mystery with lots of information to keep straight.

In these sad times here are 2 outstanding novels that deal with racial bias.

All American boys by Jason Reynolds, and
If you come softly by the very remarkable Jacqueline Woodsen.

And I just discovered a sequel to this last one that I will be sure to look for..

I read Palace of Stone recently and was hit by a BB for The Guinevere Deception.

I'm reading Rose, Interrupted by Patrice Lawrence.

Recently finished we are not from here by Jenny Sanchez, about migrant teens from Gutemala. Recommended

>35 konallis: I read that earlier this year. It was a good look at some very topical issues.

>20 Sakerfalcon: Oh, that's on my list!

I've been reading a lot of queer YA novels. I like to read LGBTQ themes during Pride month, so I just finished a bunch of those in June.
In February, I like to read African-American authors for Black History Month, so my reads this year have been along those veins.

The one I read recently that wrecked me the most is I'll Give You the Sun. The second I put this book down I wanted to read it all over again. I've since bought another book by Jandy Nelson, but haven't read it yet. I want to sit with IGYtS first. Let it marinate. Maybe re-read it. I took so many photos of lines in the book as I read. I feel like I need to buy another copy so that I can mark this one up - highlight all the phrases I want to remember - something I've never done with a book before!

Here's the YA I read in the 1st quarter of the year:

January

And She Was by Jessica Verdi
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
George by Alex Gino (this one is for kids - maybe middle-grade fiction, but it's a great LGBTQ book, so I kept it on this list)
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
American Heart by Laura Moriarty

February

Undertow by Michael Buckley
The Heartbeats of Wing Jones by Katherine Webber
Push by Sapphire
Zora & Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney

March


The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman

Here's what I read in the Second Quarter:

April

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison

May


Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
You and Me and Him by Kris Dinnison
What if It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli

June


Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan
True Letters From a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan
Stick by Andrew Smith
Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
In Mike We Trust by P.E. Ryan
Totally Joe by James Howe
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Now that I'm all caught up, here's the YA I've read in July.
I have a couple of other books going now, so I probably won't get to any other YA this month.


Alienated by Melissa Landers
Invaded by Melissa Landers

Nice update! I like that you included the cover images. I enjoyed both Wing Jones and Pink and will have to check out some of the others that you read.

>42 Sakerfalcon: You've definitely been reading some good ones! What did you think of Darius the Great Is Not Okay? I loved it when I read it back in January, and am looking forward to the sequel :)

>43 curioussquared: I had a mixed reaction to Darius the Great. I remember buying it because I thought it was a LGBTQ book, but then there was basically no queer content and just a bit of subtext. If you didn't know to look for it it's something that you may not even read into the story at all. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel because it felt like this book only told part of the story.

I should have written a review right after I read it because now I can't remember some of the specific things that bugged me about it. I think maybe there were a lot of repetitive phrases that started to annoy me. I did appreciate the topics in the book, though. The hereditary anxiety/depression, the straddling a line between two cultures as someone who is mixed race and having trouble connecting to either side, or being perceived in a way that is different to how you feel. Similar theme to Wing Jones, actually. Trying to connect to a parent and feeling both jealousy and love of a sibling.

I might need to re-read it before reading the sequel, because I just couldn't put my feelings of the book into words at the time and I think I need a refresher.

>42 Sakerfalcon: I recommend Not Otherwise Specified. I really loved the character and the voice of the author. For a bisexual/lesbian book, I liked this much better than Pink.

I know that I'll Give You the Sun is going to make my list of fave reads for the year. Probably also This is Not a Test and Stick.

In May and June I read two Early Reader books, Esme's Gift and The Phantom's Curse. I also receive Esme's Wish which the publisher sent me too.

I loved the alternative world Esme found herself in and I wish I could go there too. Phantom's Curse on the other hand was meh.

I've read a bunch of Dr. Whos for the July Juveniles group read and also The Mystwick School of Musicraft.

Currently reading The Registry by Shannon Stoker. It's not as bad as I expected it to be, but I wouldn't say it's good, either. I went through a period where I would buy any YA dystopian book that was on sale, and I am still getting through them all, a decade later. I'm bracing myself for the romance part to kick in -- almost always the thing that turns me against a dystopian YA story.

listening to audio edition of Boston Jacky: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Taking Care of Business by L.A. Meyer, one in the Bloody Jack historical adventure series.

I'm sorry to be near the end of these wildly entertaining romps. I'll just have to start reading them again.

>47 HeatherMoss: I had to bail on The Registry. :( Fan of dystopian, but couldn't finish that book.

Recent YA reads for me:

Don't Read the Comments
Gena/Finn
The Poet X
By the Book
The Library of Lost Things

All were enjoyable -- The Poet X was excellent. Gena/Finn and Don't Read the Comments were both enjoyable but flawed for me. By the Book was a fun, wholesome romance with nice female friendships. The Library of Lost Things had some nice character arcs; it tried to do a few too many things, maybe, but was successful for the most part.

I recently read Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence and am currently on Furious Thing by Jenny Downham.

>7 nrmay: Just noted that you started Fever 1793 before the pandemic was in full swing here. Were you already aware of COVID-19 while you were reading it? I read it last year and enjoyed it but imagine it might feel quite different reading it now.

>52 navelos:
Wasn't really aware of the virus till end of Feb when I was getting ready to go on a cruise in early March. I barely got home, self-quarantined for 2 weeks, and then came the lockdown . .

Recently I read age of miracles by Karen Walker and that one had themes related to the pandemic for me.

Other YA books finished recently -

where the world ends by Geraldine McCaughrean. :)
changeover, Margaret Mahy. :|
Poet X, Edlizabeth Acevedo. :)
piecing me together, Renee Watson. :)
Pax, Sara Pennypacker. :)

Currently reading Erak's Ransom for the Ranger's Apprentice group read. I've jumped ahead to book 7 after reading book 4, as suggested by the author, and will later return to books 5 and 6.

I'm reading Non Pratt's latest novel, Every Little Piece of My Heart.

Just finished off The Hummingbird Dagger which is a YA historical mystery. It was well written and interesting.

>56 Jenson_AKA_DL:
that one looks good. Just requested from the public library.

I just finished nowhere on earth by Nick Lake. Shortlisted for the British Carnegie Medal.

I just read Camp which was quite a fun read. At a summer camp for gay teens, Randy sets aside his passion for musicals, nail polish and flamboyant fashion in order to attract his crush, Hudson, who only goes for "masculine" guys. Randy - now Del - succeeds in growing close to Hudson, but what will happen when Randy reveals the truth? I liked Randy's friends who are both critical of his plan, but also supportive and caring. The summer camp setting was nice too.

>57 nrmay: I hope you like The Hummingbird Dagger.

I've read the first two of The Body Finder series which were pretty good. I'm deliberating on buying the third book since it is not available through Overdrive (online kindle books through the library). I also picked up and started Daphne and Velma which was an impulse buy at my local bookstore. Pretty good so far.

I just read The chosen one, which is about a girl in a polygamous community in SW USA. Kyra is 13 and has a loving relationship with her father, mothers and all her brothers and sisters, but is horrified when the Prophet of their group tells her she has been chosen to marry her father's 60 something year old brother. This is a fast and gripping read, as Kyra is torn between horror at her fate if she stays, and the pain at losing her family if she leaves.

Recent YA Reads : Ninth House, Children of Blood and Bone, Black Leviathan, Circe, all really great reads, about to read Tomi Adeyemi next in the series, looking forward to it

Finished Daphne and Velma which was actually very enjoyable. A cute mystery story.

Currently I'm reading Project Hero which seems pretty enjoyable so far. It made me laugh in the first couple chapters which is always a good sign I'm going to like a book.

Recent YA reads:
Prince Charming
Bookish and the Beast
These Witches Don't Burn
Recommended for You
The Unexpected Everything
Waves

All were new to me except The Unexpected Everything, which was a comforting reread (dogs! fantasy novelist love interests! scavenger hunts!), and all were really fun except for Waves, which was disappointing.

>63 curioussquared: I really enjoyed These witches don't burn and am looking forward to the sequel.

I just finished The black flamingo, an effective novel in verse about a queer black boy's journey from childhood to university as he finds his identity.

I recently read the contemporary Jackpot by Nic Stone, and am about to start the historical Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle.

I just read Harrow Lake, which is YA horror that actually scared me! Very well done.

Now reading Sorcery of thorns which I guess is YA. I'm really enjoying it so far. Great fantasy world building.

>66 Sakerfalcon: I loved Sorcery of Thorns as well as the author's other book, An Enchantment of Ravens.

I recently finished Return of the Thief (ahhhhhhh!!), Again Again, Reverie, and Darius the Great Deserves Better; loved the first and last, Again Again was OK, and Reverie was meh.

Now reading You Should See Me in a Crown and Her Royal Highness.

I'm reading Jennifer Nielsen's Traitor's Game; not quite as good as her False Prince, I feel.