Goodreads

I’ve been using Goodreads for almost a decade to catalog books I’ve read and keep a wish list of books that I would like to read in the future. The site has other features such as book recommendations, trivia, and a friend function so you can see what your buddies are reading and exchange reviews with one another. One of my favorite features is the yearly reading challenge where you set a goal of how many books you want to read in a year. I find that 50 is a good goal for me.

2020 was a different year. I managed to read 50 books, but my selection was different than it would be in a given year. My attention span for dense non-fiction and novels wasn’t where it is in a typical year. I read a lot more graphic novels, manga, and cookbooks than I ever have. Below is my 2020 list. I’ve also included the book genres and my ratings on a scale of 1-5 stars. I’m curious to see what my 2021 list ends up looking like.

2020 Reading List

Cookbooks

Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garten

• The Official Bewitched Cookbook: Magic in the Kitchen by Kasey Rogers and Mark Wood (3-Stars)

• Cookin’ with Coolio by Coolio (3-Stars)

• Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten (4-Stars)

• The Dead Celebrity Cookbook by Frank DeCaro (3-Stars)

• Don’t Fill Up on the Antipasta by Tony Danza (3-Stars)

• The Essential Wok Cookbook by Naomi Imatome-Yun (4-Stars)

• Frankie Avalon’s Italian Family Cookbook by Frankie Avalon (3-Stars)

• From Crook to Cook by Snoop Dogg (3-Stars)

• How Easy is That by Ina Garten (5-Stars)

• Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garten (4-Stars)

• The Nightmare Before Dinner by Zach Neil (4-Stars)

Fiction

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

• All Grown Up by Jamie Attenberg (3-Stars)

• Annihilation (Southern Reach #1) by Jeff VanderMeer (4-Stars)

• Authority (Southern Reach #2) by Jeff VanderMeer (3-Stars)

• Acceptance (Southern Reach #3) by Jeff VanderMeer (3-Stars)

• Boss Dog by M.F.K. Fisher (3-Stars)

• Exhalation by Ted Chiang (4-Stars)

• The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Féret-Fleury (4-Stars)

• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (4-Stars)

• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (3-Stars)

• Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner (5-Stars)

• My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (3-Stars)

• The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (3-Stars)

Graphic Novels and Manga

• Barefoot Gen Volume 1 by Keiji Nakazawa (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 1 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 2 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 3 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 4 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 5 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 6 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 7 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Beastars Vol 8 by Paru Itagaki (4-Stars)

• Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto (4-Stars)

• Locke & Key Vol 1 by Jonah Hill (3-Stars)

• Locke & Key Vol 2 by Jonah Hill (3-Stars)

• Locke & Key Vol 3 by Jonah Hill (3-Stars)

• Locke & Key Vol 4 by Jonah Hill (3-Stars)

• Locke & Key Vol 5 by Jonah Hill (4 Stars)

• Locke & Key Vol 6 by Jonah Hill (4 Stars)

• Pre-Raphaelite Girl Gang by Kirsty Stonell Walker (4-Stars)

• Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

• The Tragedy Series by Benjamin Dewey (4-Stars)

Memoir

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

• Dear Girls by Ali Wong (4-Stars)

• The Girl from Greece by Alessandro Rasile (5-Stars)

• Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot (3-Stars)

• Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (3-Stars)

• Yes Please by Amy Poehler (5-Stars)

Nonfiction

One Summer by Bill Bryson

• The Official Batman Book by Joel Eisner (3- Stars)

• One Summer by Bill Bryson (4-Stars )

• Show Your Work by Austin Kleon (4-Stars)

Travel

1000 Things to Do in London for Under 10 Pounds by Time Out

• Time Out 1000 Things To Do In London For Under £10 by Time Out Guides (4-Stars)

What are you looking forward to reading this year?