Let’s just skip over the fact that 2020 (as well as 2019 for me) was a dumpster fire and that I’m late in publishing this post, okay? Right, so this is where I summarise the top five fiction and non-fiction books I read over the last year. I read some solid books this year so decided to expand it to my top six (lucky you). I guess I should I also mention that I’m a bit behind with my reviews so if there is a review missing from my selection I will add it soon and update this post as soon as I can. So, without further ado I present my favourite reads of 2020.
Non-Fiction
5. Unfree Speech – Joshua Wong
I’ve lived in Hong Kong for five years now and its a place I’ve come to love and adore. There have been some substantial politic shifts and changes since I have been here with the CCP gaining more and more control of Hong Kong since its handover from the British in 1997. This book talks about why you should care about what happens to Hong Kong and the changes that are happening here from a young man who has been actively advocating for his home country’s democracy since he was 14 years old.
4. Why We Swim – Bonnie Tsui
Another fun fact about me, I used to be a competitive swimmer and I love water. When I saw this book about about swimming that merged history, science, and passion I knew I had to read it. The author is a passionate swimmer who travels around the world to look at the science of swimming as well as our history with it and how our love for swimming brings us together even in the worst circumstances.
3. A Life on Our Planet – Sir David Attenborough
I adore this man and I’m absolutely obsessed with the documentaries that he narrates and participates in and will cry many rivers when he inevitably passes away. Attenborough is a remarkable human who has lived a remarkable life. With the time he has spent globetrotting and talk about nature and our planet he has seen some frightening changes. This book is a testament and statement of his experiences what we must do to prevent climate change from destroying our home.
3. The Road Out of Hell – Anthony Flacco
I love true crime, especially documentaries but I actually don’t read that many true crime books surprisingly. I’m trying to change that. This book is one of the most unnerving stories I’ve read to date. It’s about the Wineville Murders and the young boy, Sanford, that endured and survived unimaginable torment at the hands of one of the most sadistic individuals in existence. What makes this a phenomenal story is the that ending has a positive outcome despite the horrors that occured.
2. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? – Caitlin Doughty
While an odd selection for someone in grieving, it was a nice humorous and informative look at death that allowed me to at least think about it in a somewhat healthy manner. Doughty is a mortician and she answers all the gory and interesting questions on death and dying.
1. Solutions and Other Problems – Allie Brosh
Allie Brosh is one of my favourite people off the internet. I read her first book, Hyperbole and Half years ago and it’s a book that stuck with me for its humour and immense relatability. Allie disappeared off the internet for about sevens years due to some serious difficulties she faced in life. This book goes over some of her turmoils and how she coped, with her trademark drawings and humour, as well as revisiting hilarious scenes from her childhood. It was my number one pick for non-fiction this year as it summarised how so many of us felt this last year.
Fiction
6. Fangs – Sarah Andersen
Another artist I discovered from the internet, Sarah Andersen is known for her humorous and relatable comic strips. I often read Andersen’s work online which is how I came across Fangs. Andersen shared a few strips from this book and I was hooked. The story features a relationship between a werewolf and vampire, it begins with their meeting and how their relationship progresses. Fangs has Andersen’s trademark dark humour with a relatable relationship story that transforms the old paranormal romantic tropes.
5. I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid
I only picked up this book after a recommendation and I’m glad I did. This story was not at all what I was expecting. Like, at all. I don’t want to give too much away as the surprise story and twists are what really made this book.
4. Circe – Madeline Miller
This book was worth the hype. It’s a beautifully written feminist rendition on the story the Greek goddess Circe. The writing is exceptional and the story is engaging while offering and interesting perspective on how women and femininity are often viewed in literature.
3. Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
Want to read a really good book about a pandemic that wipes out the world while you’re living in the middle of a real pandemic? Look no further. This gripping story takes a unique look at a post apocalyptic world where humans. You follow a troupe of traveling actors who perform Shakespeare while travelling from camp to camp after a virus wiped out 99% of the world’s population. You get to intimately know the characters and how their differing stories connect.
2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It’s a sort of romance that is also a historical fiction with added flares of fantasy thrown in. I was won over by Addie’s character and the dynamics she had with the main antagonist and love interest. The author absolutely nailed the concept she was going for and created a story that I didn’t want to walk away from.
1. Obit – Victoria Chang
I read this book of poems twice this year. It’s rather reflective of the person situation that I managed this last year. The first time I read it I wasn’t very open to its messages but bits and pieces managed to find their way through. The second time I read it was a powerful awakening of buried grief that was both painful and relieving. It’s a phenomenal tribute of love, grief, and regret.
The Pluviophile Writer 