399/300

今年挑書的運氣有些糟糕，勉強才能挑出10本有感的書。

1. 動盪：國家如何化解危局、成功轉型？／賈德．戴蒙
2. 鯨吞億萬／湯姆．萊特、布萊利．霍普
3. 下一場人類大瘟疫／大衛．逵曼
4. 影響力／羅伯特．席爾迪尼
5. 我要活下去／金琸桓
6. 與珍雅各邊走邊聊城市經濟學／珍．雅各
7. 夢想，不盜／Seth Godin
8. 杜威的三十二堂課／約翰．杜威
9. 窮查理的普通常識／查理．蒙格
10. 外商CEO內傷的每一天／黃麗燕 ( )

It's that time of year again~

For the second year in a row, I used Brock Roberts' spreadsheet to keep track of my reading/book purchases this year (because as we all know, those are two separate endeavors), and there are definite changes from 2019, the largest of which is access to the library and how that affected the % of reads from there.

Previously, most of my browsing comes from either looking through the New Books and YA sections at the library or deciding I'm going to get into a series and checking out several books in a row. Due to the pandemic, our local library closed in March (and is still closed for browsing), but also did not require immediate returns and eliminated overdue fees. During the summer, they started doing delivery for holds, so instead of picking up something I never heard of I had to be more deliberate about library choices. My library also quarantines materials for six days before putting them back in circulation.

A few obvious trends when comparing my 2019 and 2020 spreadsheets: far fewer YA/middle grade/kids reads, mostly because I can't walk through and decide to revisit old friends on a whim (though for the third? fourth? year in a row I still have yet to start my Laura Ingalls Wilder reread so... maybe that will be in 2021). Without the shorter reads, it felt like more of a challenge to get to 80 books and I still barely got there in the end. I also didn't finish anything in the month of June, and I'll chalk that to Animal Crossing, doomscrolling and watching our summer of protest. Of the two books I bought from Black-ownedTurning Page Bookshop's Bookshop page in June, I did read one ([b:Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky|39884337|Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (Tristan Strong #1)|Kwame Mbalia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549350938l/39884337._SX50_.jpg|61695419]) while our housemate is borrowing/reading the other ([b:The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature|28256253|The Home Place Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature|J. Drew Lanham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470285140l/28256253._SY75_.jpg|48295049]).

A couple trends I feel conflicted about: My shelf took up a wider percentage (16% of reads this year vs 8% last though worth noting that it's actually fewer books, 13 shelf this year vs 20 last), as did my purchases (20% this year vs 9% last year) and fewer library books (62% this year vs 82% last year). Spending was about the same, but I obtained/bought fewer books and did a better job trying to read through what I obtained. Acquired/read ratio was 129/81 versus last year's 208/94.

I continued my read of American Girl historical series that released after I aged out of the demographic, and requested the missing two from my local library since that seems like something they'd want to have on hand (MaryEllen 1954 and Melody 1964). I am ALMOST caught up, but in the fall American Girl announced Courtney, 1986 (do click the link; it is an obnoxious earworm wonder to behold) and... honestly, not going to immediately look for it because it feels more like a nostalgia grab than historical era thing, but I could be wrong?

In my 2019 year in review, I essentially decided to hit 'renew' on my goals from the previous while also predicting that wedding planning would reduce the amount of time to read and also maybe I'd get around to wedding books given to me by a friend. I actually did get married this year, in a lovely small backyard ceremony!
Otherwise,
-did not actually cook from cookbooks I read (but also read fewer cookbooks this year)
-DID actually read a wider Asian diaspora by participating in readwithcindy's Asian Readathon and getting around to [a:Sandhya Menon|14834224|Sandhya Menon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512667116p2/14834224.jpg]'s YA novels plus some southeast Asian authors, and would also strongly recommend adding [b:Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning|52845775|Minor Feelings An Asian American Reckoning|Cathy Park Hong|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580788273l/52845775._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72657866] to your racial reckoning reads.
-still need to read more trans authors
-...lol what's a book club

Honestly, after this roller coaster of a year (my reading time was also affected by several job changes- in general for the better hopefully) it feels silly to make goals, but also I recognize I need some structure so, what I'd like to do in 2021 is (mostly rereads apparently):
-resume and finish my Wheel of Time reread before the Amazon Prime show debuts (TBD)
-actually do my Little House reread
-do a Cosmere reread, as I'm already kind of a third of the way through one anyway with my last minute Stormlight Archive reread before [b:Dawnshard|54511226|Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603931041l/54511226._SX50_.jpg|85080763]/[b:Rhythm of War|49021976|Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive, #4)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599911216l/49021976._SY75_.jpg|23840265].
-get to Custard Protocol books by Gail Carriger I checked out, as well as the Bridgerton novels probably

That already puts me at like... 40 things to read. I'll temper my goal down to 75 books, which should be high but doable. ( )

Reviewing this particular year on Goodreads feels sort of like an invitation to therapy, am I right?

I met my goal of 140 books this year, but the sad thing is, I could have read even more (or, you know, cleaned the house more often or something), but unfortunately too much of my free time this year was spent doing the anxious scroll. Starting in March most of us had oodles more time at home, but as I expressed to friends at the time, it felt like my brain was playing Tetris... Every. Single. Moment. New blocks of information and extra worries kept raining down on us, and my brain scurried desperately trying to find a place to put them all. It was an absolutely unprecedented sensation for me, and my ability to focus suffered. Thank goodness we didn't know back then that we would still be in this situation in December. The brain really could not have coped.

By April I was growing accustomed to the "new normal"...until I became unemployed. So now LOTS more free time. But also lots more weirdness. How to differentiate "productive time" from "down time" when there are no more firm boundaries within the day? When everything can be put off till later? Still struggling with those concepts.

Anyway, at least I'm still reading. And it IS still the most relaxing and satisfying type of entertainment to me, if also the one that requires the most mental work and self-discipline.

A few highlights from 2020:

The last time I checked a physical book out of a library:
Mobituaries by Mo Rocca. Checked out Feb. 22. A thoroughly enjoyable work of non-fiction to go along with a fascinating podcast about intriguing people and things that probably deserved more of a send-off than they got. Like station wagons. And Beau Brummell.

Some favorites:
Murder at the Mena House by Erica Neubauer, a really promising debut novel set in 1920's Egypt that has me anxious for the next book!

The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis, a riveting, chilling, and excellently written imagining of the Bronte sisters as investigators (second book in the series, which I got to read early, releases Feb. 16, 2021 in the US).

Mr. Gardiner and the Governess, what can I say, it was light, it was upbeat, it was sweet, there were no vile baddies, it was EXACTLY what I wanted towards the end of this year.

Traits of Nature by Sarah Harriet Burney... I read this for "Georgianuary," and it is still languishing in obscurity with no other reviews but mine, but that's because it's difficult to obtain. It was surprisingly engaging, and fans of Jane Austen or Fanny Burney should definitely seek it out. So far the only place I know to find it is The Internet Archive.

Series I started AND finished during 2020:
The Hebridean Trilogy by Lillian Beckwith, a fairly charming and humorous portrayal of life on a distant Scottish island from the viewpoint of an outsider who relocates there.

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell, a hilarious, curmudgeonly set of memoirs from the owner of Scotland's largest secondhand book shop.

Corduroy Mansions and Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith... amusing and generally eyebrow-raising in their quirkiness!

Gilded Newport Mysteries by Alyssa Maxwell, LOVE the settings and most of the mysteries are very readable too, a generally great example of a "cozy."

And just for fun, the percentage of my 2020 books that are Regency rom-coms: 23%
The percentage that were physical books: 6% (up from last year!)

I'm excited to start a new year of reading. I always say this, but my TBR list is under control, so I should be able to revisit some old favorites (ha-ha, until I start adding to it). Also looking forward to doing "Book Bingo" with a friend as we both explore some reading options that might take us slightly out of our comfort zone. ;)

Anyway, I hope everybody who loves reading can keep reading... even if it takes some extra work to focus. To fight the anxious scroll and find books that keep us feeling calm and safe and hopeful and even amused. It's a good thing to do. ( )

Well it has been quite a year!

It is my first year being active on Goodreads and I have loved every moment of it! Previously I just used it as a personal record of my reading. Thank you to everyone for the all the amazing reviews. Sitting in my comfy chair and reading your clever, insightful, funny, raw, honest reviews is now one of my favourite things to do. My reading has become so beautifully diverse due to my immersion into such a well represented global community of Book Lovers! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I wish you all a lovely, safe and readerly 2021!

I have read so many amazing books and here are some standouts in no particular order:
Apologies - book insert isn't working for me.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune
A Room with a View by E.M Forster
Beartown by Fredrick Backman
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Legendborn by Tracey Deonn
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
The Dry by Jane Harper
Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Chemistry by C.L. Lynch
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi
Dragon Rising by M. Lynn

And lastly, my favourites of the year
Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir ( )