Hello bookworms! It’s been a while since I’ve been on here. I’ve missed it! I’m keeping this post short and sweet.This post serves as a reminder for myself to be more intentional with my reading. As well as to hold myself accountable.
Out of the the 7 books I’ve read 4 of them have physical. Not a bad ratio!
Goal #2 Read a book a month
In my reading goals post I stated that I can for reading nothing for months. Haha 😂 and that is exactly what happened. In January I read 1 book. Nothing in Feb-March. In April I believe I read 5 books. So far 1 in May.
Goal #3 Read a book series
I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy! For obvious reasons 😂. Average but entertaining reads.
Goal #4 Diversify my reading
Read more books by Latine(x), Black, and Indigenous authors.
Read more books by LGBTQ+ authors specifically transgender and gender non-conforming authors.
Read at least 5 non-fiction books whether they are personal development books, memoirs, and essays.
Start reading Science Fiction.
Out of the 7 books I’ve read 3 of them were written by BIPOC none were LGBTQ+ authors (that I know of). I have yet to read any non fiction books or sci-fi.
Thank you for reading! Thank you for following me! I lost so many followers during my absence. Reading is one of my hobbies and so is this blog. I haven’t been prioritizing either these past few months. It feels good to get back to the things I love.
Hello, book friends! This is the first time I’m setting up reading goals. I want to be more intentional with what I read and how I read. I’m quite a mess when it comes to reading I classify myself as an impulsive mood reader. A little discipline and intention doesn’t hurt 😁😂
Goal #1
Read more physical books! My physical books are collecting dust on my bookshelf! Luckily I don’t have a huge physical tbr to stress out about but they must be read! I love my kindle and my kindle app on my phone but it is time to hang it up! Not saying I’m completely giving up uses digital devices for reading but I need to read more books in physical format. After reading like 5 or more books in a row on my kindle and my phone reading in physical form was a struggle. Felt like I was reading even slower and got distracted more easily. Which made reading frustrating! I need to be patent with myself and get used to reading physical books again. I missed them!
Goal #2
Read at least a book a month. Listen I could go from reading nothing at all for 3 months to 8 books in the next month 😂
Goal #3
Read a book series! A duology or a trilogy! Any series whether its romance or fantasy! I have a bad habit of reading book 1 of x series and even though I loved it I neglect the other books. The best way to go about this is to finish up the series I started.
Goal #4
Diversify my reading.
Read more books by Latine(x), Black, and Indigenous authors.
Read more books by LGBTQ+ authors specifically transgender and gender non-conforming authors.
Read at least 5 non-fiction books whether they are personal development books, memoirs, and essays.
Start reading Science Fiction. There were a few books from 2020 I ended up loving that were classified as science fiction on goodreads. I would like to pick to dip my toe into the genre a bit more.
This list seems doable! I’ve already curated a list of books I would like to read in 2021! I’m confident I’ll be able achieve these goals. Thank you for reading!
Hello, book friends! Happy New Year!🎉 Let’s take second to appreciate that you made it to the end of infamous 2020 surviving this past year is an accomplishment in itself and it is important to recognize that.
Let’s dive into my favorite reads of 2020 in no particular order! If it wasn’t for these books down below 2020 I honestly do not know how I would have survived 2020.😅
I am going to be honest at first I rated this book 3 stars because it fell short in a few areas for me. After a few days of reading doing the most mundane acts this book was all I could think about it. Seriously this book is strange! I enjoyed the storytelling style of writing and the lyricism. I liked how magically adventurous this book is.
This book is phenomenal. I loved it so much! Bri is one of my favorite female protagonists. A well written character! She speaks up for what is right, she cares for her family and is willing to do anything for them and is authentically herself without hesitation. I’m so happy it’s being adapted into a film because everyone needs to know this story! The rapping element is so fun and simultaneously powerful. Angie Thomas is amazing!
A fantastic introduction to Audre Lorde. I believe everyone should read this not matter what your background is or if you think you’re “woke” enough. Its amazing and somehow sad that these essays are still as relevant today as they were then. Lorde is a beautiful writer can’t wait to pick up more of her works this year.
This book deserves more recognition! This story touches immigration, the struggles of bilingualism, and new beginnings. The story follows two sisters Gabi and Sol and their unusual immigration journey. Sol is strong and well developed character. The main reason why I ended up liking this book so much! While reading there were tears, smiles, and excitement for the romance subplot. It was SO good. Truly an important read.
In the words of Lady Gaga: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same and totally unique 😁😂 I love this book so much! Everyone needs to read this book! The way this story made me feel I honestly can’t put them to words. This is an important story that follows a black bi trans teen, Felix, who is experiencing so many messy and complicated firsts. Everything about it is beautiful the writing, the characters, the representation, and the dive into queer identities. This book is about love, friendships, self-discovery and hope. I never shut up about this book on twitter lol.
If a hug was a book this would be it. I read this before the hype so I went in with no expectations. The cover and the synopisis alone sold me. I ate this book right up! I loved every second of this book and these charming characters especially the powerful message of this book, to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. It’s an endearing found family story that will warm your heart.
A captivating and poignant story. This book brought me such comfort. Even thought it centered around a heavy topic like grief and based from a tragedy, 587. It was the writing, characters and the realism pulled me in to the story and connected me to the main characters Camino and Yahaira. Acevedo’s way with words will never fail to amaze me. I love this book deeply. As I mentioned in a previous post Elizabeth Acevedo is the reason I fell back in love with reading.
Confession, this is the best and my number 1 favorite book of the year! I recently read it in December and was the only book I read last month, left me with a book hangover. I was deeply immersed in the characters lives, I did not want it to end. Everything about this book was perfect! From the stimulating writing to the deep characterization and realism, and I loved how everything was closely interwoven. I did not want the story to end! I wanted more! I’m excited to see what else Brit Bennet comes out with!
Thank you for reading my favorites of 2020 post! Most importantly thank you for sticking with my inconsistent posting this past year! I love blogging and I love reading blogs. WordPress is one of my most used app on my phone believe it or not. I find myself reading some strange non book related blogs posts at 2 am 😂
2020, the year I fell back in love with reading 💌 Im so grateful I was able to turn to reading to cope with the state of the world.
How did I fall back in love with reading?
It happened unexpectedly, the best kind of love. I have my spontaneous Elizabeth Acevedo binge to thank. I came across Clap When You Land late May, and I devoured it within a few days. I was so blown away by the story, writing, and pretty much everything about the book. The beauty of it all captivated me. I decided to pick up her debut novel, Poet X, and With The Fire on High, within the span of two weeks! I felt so alive!! I have never felt so seen before I read Elizabeth Acevedo. It’s an incredible feeling. It gave me hope.
This year I read a total of 42 books! I started actively reading mid year so I can’t wait to see the damage I do next year starting in Jan! 😂🤞
2019 vs 2020
First year completing GR Goal!
Overview of the books I read in 2020
I appreciate every book I came across, even the ones I did not enjoy. I learned a lot about my reading habits and preferences. I’m excited to jump into 2021 with a clear view on what kind of books I’d like to read. I’m craving magic, romance, and adventure! Can’t wait to see what books I pick up next year 😁! Happy Holidays!
2020 came and puked on everyone and just like *poof* it gone! Left us with an impossible mess to clean up. Despite the madness I had a successful reading year. But, first let’s talk about the books that weren’t part of it.
Here is the deal with me I only read and finish books I enjoy.
Well, there’s a few I read this year that started off strong and completely went to sh*t during the last chapters but minus those. There were a few I could not sit through.
This is a very short list!
We’re On A Break
The City We Became by N.K Jemisin
I can confidently say I will come back to this book when I’m good and ready! I will not give up!
I must confess I am a stranger science fiction and fantasy. N.K Jemisin is a highly respected SFF author. Right at the jump I was quite intimidated to read this. The synopsis and cover sold me on giving this book a try. After a few chapters, I decided to take a break. There’s only so much my brain cells can handle! This was The writing style the concept is unlike no other so of course I will come back to it.
I need to start off with something else in the SFF genre then come back to this or perhaps a start with a different N.K Jemisin book to become familiar with craft.
The Falling in Love Montage byCiara Smyth
Looking back I was simply not in a mood for this. I was reading a different book, On The Come Up by Angie Thomas, while attempting to read this one. I ended up loving that book so much I did not read anything after. It took me a while to pick up something else, and I completely forgot about the falling in love montage. All I know I was a few chapters in the MC only hooked up with straight girls for some heartbreaking reason. I will come back and read this one. Not by the end of the year though.
Books I Did Not Finish Nor Do I Plan On Finishing
You Must Not Miss by Katrina Leno
Where do I start with this one! It was weird and made zero sense to me. The main character made me uncomfortable. Like I couldn’t trust her. Not exactly sure what was going on but I didn’t like it. I couldn’t continue on.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Yes, I know. I promise you I did try! Maybe I am missing out because I DNF but this was my second time attempting this book. My first attempt was in physical format, a library checkout. The second time was the audiobook. I really wanted the audiobook to do it for me but here we are. Maybe this book would have worked for me in 2012 or in 2016. I can see why this book is loved by many and I respect that. The other thing is the hype for this book and how many people loved it caused me DNF because I was already disappointed with the story so I couldn’t continue on. With hyped books I feel like there’s a pressure to like them. The hype causes me to have high expectation so if there’s expectation aren’t meet within at least the first 100 pages…. well there’s no luck in me continuing.
Thank you so much for reading!
I had fun doing this post! My title may have been a bit dramatic since there were only 4 books, haha. Have you read any of the books listed?
Coffee Stained Bookmark 