Hello Everyone!

Today I’m finally getting around to posting my 2020 Wrap-Up. 2020 was a strange year, but it was full of some amazing books and wonderful bloggers.

I want to start off by giving a shoutout to all the amazing people in The Write Reads community, especially people in the TWR chat. You are some of the nicest and most supportive people I have ever met, and you were my highlight of 2020.

Now on to some stats and numbers.

My 2020 Goodreads goal was intentionally low because I don’t like how Goodreads shames you for being “behind” on your reading. In total, I read 56 books, which was 20 more than my intentionally low goal.

According to Goodreads, I read 18,343 pages in 2020. My shortest book was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and my longest book was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. It says that my average book length was 327 pages, which isn’t surprising. Finally, it says that my average rating was 3.9 stars, which is a bit higher than I thought it would be, but I guess that means that I read some exceptional books in 2020!

As far as followers and stats go, At the end of January 2020, I had 251 blog followers, 1824 Bookstagram followers, and around 300 Twitter followers. At the end of 2020, I had 670 blog followers, 2066 Bookstagram followers, and 923 Twitter followers. I am shocked by how much my blog grew during 2020, and I am incredibly grateful for everyone’s support. Finally, it looks like I had a total of 12,879 views, 5,571 visitors, 5,040 likes, and 725 comments on my blog in 2020, which is amazing!

Now to talk about books that I read. I read a lot of fantastic books in 2020, and I managed to narrow down a top 10 list of favourites. I listed them in alphabetical order because it would be impossible to rank them. Four of the books are from blog tours hosted by The Write Reads, three of them are ARCs, and the other three are 2020 releases that I purchased for myself.  

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston – I read this book for a blog tour, and it was amazing. If you forced me to name my favourite 2020 books, I would likely pick this one. I’ve already pre-ordered the North American and UK hardcovers, and I’m going to be screaming about how good things book is throughout all of 2021. If you want, you can see my review here.

The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips – I read this book for a blog tour, and it was such a fun book! It felt like a mix between Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman, and Roald Dahl, which is a fantastic combination. If you want, you can see my review here.

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham – I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, and it was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. This book is historical fiction, and it focuses on a dark period of Canadian history that I didn’t know about. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, I highly recommend this one. You can see my review here.

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson – This was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, and it did not disappoint. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m a bit obsessed with the Truly Devious books, and I thought this was the perfect conclusion to the mystery.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – This was another blog tour book, and it was amazing! I loved the mystery and all of the puzzles. I also really liked the characters, and I cannot wait for book two. If you’re interested, you can see my review here.

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton – This was an ARC that I read, and I enjoyed it so much that I ordered a finished copy almost as soon as I finished it. I loved how diverse the cast of characters in this book was, and I thought it was a lot of fun to read. If you’re interested, you can see my review here.

The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuznair – This was another blog tour book, and it was such a fun and magical story. When I read this book, I felt like I had been transported back to grade six and opening Inkheart for the first time; it had the same sort of magical feeling. If you’re interested, you can check out my review here!

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light – This is one of the cutest books that I read this year. The main male character is such a cinnamon roll, and he was one of my favourite characters of the year. If you’re interested, you can check out my review here!

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord – I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, and it was my first read of 2020. My favourite thing about this book was the cheesy puns and baked goods. I also thought Pepper and Jack were a great pair, and I loved their little rivalry. If you’re interested, you can read my review here!

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle – This was my favourite romance novel of 2020. I absolutely adored Naomi and Nicholas, and they had me laughing out loud the entire time. This book introduced me to the idea of lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, and I need more of that in my life. If you’re interested, you can read my review here!

Overall, 2020 was a good reading year, and I am happy about how well it went. I’m hoping to have my 2021 bookish resolutions post up in a couple of days!