my favorite books of 2020

Welcome, traveler, to our retrospective tour!

2020 is finally coming to an end, and before 2021 starts, I wanted to do some retrospective post and focus on the good things of this year. So fasten your seat belts, because I’m taking you on a tour of my 2020 bookshelves! Let me share with you my favorite books of 2020 (in no particular order)!

I Was Born For This

It’s the first Alice Oseman’s novel I read, and it was a surprisingly good novel. I didn’t expect much from it, and yet, here it is: in the top 10 of my favorite books of 2020. Oseman’s prose really hit close to me, and I felt a lot of emotions while reading I Was Born for This — it’s one of these rare books where it just ‘clicks’. I loved it and I’m impatient about that sequel project Alice Oseman mentioned!

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega was the first A.R.C. (short for Advance Reader Copy) I read as Ursa, and I– this book is everything I would have liked to read when I was a teenager. The fat-body positivity is everything I needed — and still need — and I really felt seen while reading Charlie’s story. It’s also a super cute romance about all kinds of love (maternal, friendship, first love, self-love…). Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is out in February 2021!

Read my full review:

review: fat chance, charlie vega by crystal maldonado

10 août 20201 janvier 2021

Un Certain Paul Darrigrand

One of the many Philippe Besson’s novels I read this year, and probably my favorite so far. A compelling short novel about first love, true self, and fighting against disease. As always, I’ve been touched by Besson’s poetic prose: he’s one of my favorite new-to-me author in 2020! Un certain Paul Darrigrand hasn’t been translated into English yet, but if you feel like checking out Besson’s work, I strongly recommend you to start with Lie With Me.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

In 2019, many book bloggers I followed were ranting about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and how great it was: I got intrigued. And thanks to the first French lockdown, I had time to finally read this book: and everyone was right. It is a beautiful, yet tragic, story and I loved everything about it: the story, the characters, the fact that it covered a lifetime, and of course, the (sapphic) love story — and like everyone, I cried a lot. If you haven’t read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I urge you to do so!

The Priory of the Orange Tree

I love fantasy novels, but I’m not much of an « epic/medieval fantasy » reader. However, I really loved The Priory of the Orange Tree. The word-building is insane and I’m in awe: it’s as big as a real world, with many civilizations each unique and with their own way of living. It was what made me fell in love with this book, but I’m not gonna lie and Samantha Shannon, besides being one great world builder, is also a talented writer. The several stories and arcs are really interesting and compelling, and the way it foreshadows and reconnects together is mind-blowing.

The Gilded Wolves, and The Silvered Serpents

Clearly my favorite series from 2020. Everything about those books is awesome: from the ensemble cast to the setting (19th-century magic Paris! and Siberia!), without forgetting the plot (heist, biblical treasures, and playing with divine powers!). I loved everything about it: I loved the friendly banters and the cast’s strong bond from the first book, and how everything felt broken and hopeless in the second book (and its ending oh my god!). If you’re looking for an ensemble cast fantasy novel, with diversity in ethnicity and sexuality, and magic entwined with history and sciences, then you should read The Gilded Wolves.

Read my full review:

review: the gilded wolves by roshani chokshi

23 septembre 20201 janvier 2021

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre

Before 2020, I was not much of a romance reader. But I’m glad I gave it a try, because some of my favorite books from this year are romances, and The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre is definitely one of them. I’m a huge theater nerd, so I could only feel at home while reading about this high school theater company. And if like me, you loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, then you should check out The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre, because it features a (really cute) romance between a stage manager and a rising actress, with an ancient curse and theater superstitions as background.

Read my full review:

a.r.c. space station: these violent delights & the love curse of melody mcintyre

29 novembre 202031 décembre 2020

In a Holidaze

Because of lockdown and everything, I wasn’t in a super Christmas mood, so I looked for a book that could help me get hyped for the holiday: that’s how I stumbled upon In a Holidaze, and I regret nothing. Again, I’m glad I gave romance novels a shot because In a Holidaze is just like the others: I loved it. It was really cute and the perfect amount of Christmas mood, and I loved the « fantasy » twist Christina Lauren added with the time loop — now I wish I was the one stuck in a time loop so I could read it over and over again.

The ‘Keeper of the Lost Cities’ series

The first book isn’t featured here because I actually read it in 2019, but if a book series could sum up my year, it only can be Keeper of the Lost Cities. I started 2020 reading the second book, and I’m currently waiting for the seventh to come out in paperback in France. I haven’t read middle-grade books for a while, but I definitely fell in love with this series. I usually read them in a matter of days, and I hardly can put them down. Yes, it might be easy or cheesy at times, and yes, it’s full of clichés, but it’s also so, so good.

What about you?
What were your favorite books of 2020?

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