Favorite Books Read in 2020

What I like about my reading experience in 2020 is that I seemed to have branched out a bit from my comfort zone. First, I read a few nonfiction books, and some even ended to be among my favorites of the year. Second, I rediscovered the joy of reading classic books. I’m still a bit picky about choosing which classics to read, but I’m proud to say that I love the ones I’ve chosen the past year.

Now, on to the list!

Top 10 books (not including rereads):

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery – Yes, this is my number 1 book for 2020! The more I get to know Anne, the more I see myself in her. I might be a little bit biased because of this, but I truly enjoyed every bit of this book.
2. Mythos by Stephen Fry
3. Heroes by Stephen Fry
4. Open Book by Jessica Simpson
5. A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa
6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hudgson Burnett
7. The Original Folk and Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm by The Grimm Brothers
8. Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
9. Starsight (Skyward #2) by Brandon Sanderson
10. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

December 2020 Book Wrap Up

I think December 2020 is one of the toughest months in my life, and so I can’t believe that I’ve read this much last month. Admittedly, most of them are audiobooks, but I also made time to actually read. As I’m writing this entry (January 14, 2021), I don’t think I’d be in a proper state to be just sitting down reading because I’d be too distracted mentally. This is why I’m thankful for the existence of audiobooks.

Anyway, enough chatter. Here is the list of books that I read in December:

• Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall
• The Reckless Gentleman by Louise Bay
• Shine (Shine #1) by Jessica Jung
• The Best Kind of Magic (Windy City Magic #1) by Crystal Cestari
• Is There a Santa Claus? Please Tell Me the Truth by Francis Pharcellus Church (Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus)
• The Sweetest Kind of Magic (Windy City Magic #2) by Crystal Cestari
• Pirates! Scoundrels Who Shook the World (Rivals #3) by Scott McCormick

• The Fairest Kind of Love (Windy City Magic #3) by Crystal Cestari
• Eight Winter Nights by Liz Maverick
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• Home Shopped Holiday by John Burd
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling
• A Christmas Carol by Mark Twain
• The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) by Rick Riordan

Favorite Books:

• Shine (Shine #1) by Jessica Jung – I was only expecting to be entertained by this book, and boy I was not disappointed. Some are being too critical of this book, but this is actually perfect for those lazy days and if you want to read something very light-hearted.
• Windy City Magic series (books 1-3) by Crystal Cestari – I was so invested in this series that I legit became sad when I realized that there are only three books in the series.
• Is There a Santa Claus? Please Tell Me the Truth by Francis Pharcellus Church (Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus) – The real title is “Yes, Virginia…” However, I read the English-Japanese version, and here in Japan, they gave the book a totally different title which I think sounds more innocent. My Japanese teacher read this book to me in mixed Japanese and English, and I was just awed at how deep the message of this book was. It was actually from an editorial column. The overall tone of the book reminded me of “The Little Prince” a lot.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling – A reread.
• A Christmas Carol by Mark Twain – Another reread.
• The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) by Rick Riordan – I can’t believe that I’ve been following this series for five years already. I actually like this more than the original Percy Jackson series because of the more mature tone and all the drama that surrounded Apollo’s situation.