Books you've read in 2020

I've bought Stormlight #1 now! seems to have the scope I am looking for. did you read Eddings when you were younger? absolutely loved the width/depth of his series

Let me know what you think. I’ve heard of Eddings but never thought of picking any of his series.
 
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Just finished this. My first 5 star book of the year. Heartbreaking stuff.
 
Well Life of Pi was okay - I had started it years ago and I think never finished it (can't quite remember) and had seen the film so knew the 'twist'. It's an interesting story but I am not sure I liked the way it was written (linguistically I mean). There were plenty of cliches in there but the narrative and the characters were on point.

If anything it's helped me back into reading - but I'm reading something arguably even worse now: Eat Pray Love :disco:
 
I've started reading Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (thanks @jyxz), and I began Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller on Audible this morning too. I've read extracts from the latter as part of a shared reading class and always meant to 'read' it in full, so I'm excited.

Both are good so far. I just want to kick myself into gear because my reading has been dire for a few weeks and I'm falling way short on my Goodreads challenge.
 
Were a lot of books delayed by Ms Rona, or have loads just been published for the Christmas Market? I went in Foyles yesterday and could have come out with about 6 or 7 books I wanted.
 
I think I read that a lot of summer releases were pushed back to the Christmas market.
 
I finished Eat Pray Love and I rate it 0/5. :)

@jivafox - I've just started Lie with Me and it's wonderful thus far. What a palate cleanser! :disco:

Yay! But my god, get ready for the heartbreak :(

I don’t think I even finished Eat Pray Shart.
 
I finished My Dark Vanessa a while ago and it's still on my mind. I stand by my verdict that it's a great book, especially for a debut.

Started The Discomfort of Evening, but struggling to get into it, it's a bit heavy. I might need something a bit less depressing right now.
 
Shuggie Bain is now on the Booker shortlist

:disco:
Just walked past it on the featured wall in Waterstones twenty minutes ago. Didn't realise it was big.

Also picked up Colm Tóibín's Bad Blood: A Walk Along the Irish Border. :)
 
Let me know what you think. I’ve heard of Eddings but never thought of picking any of his series.

it's going VERY WELL. he can write, it's well-paced, he can world-build, the changing POVs keep it interesting

sometimes the world-building is maybe a bit too elaborate but as long as the story's good all's good

Eddings, I reckon, is very much a fantasy writer for youths so the books are nostalgic to me. I only read the Belgariad and some of the prequels. it's got great world-building too
 
Circe.

I was más o menos on it to be honest, I felt like she went through it all feeling "MEH!" about everything.
 
I am however sweating at the prospect of 4 x 1200 pages :D

You don’t have to read them all one after the other (but you will want to). There’s a novella to read between books 2 and 3 if you get that far. Same between 3&4 (which is coming out in a few weeks just before book 4).

Also if you enjoy the series you should read at least Warbreaker since some characters in that are crossing over (you don’t need to know them but it’s extra fun).
 
You don’t have to read them all one after the other (but you will want to). There’s a novella to read between books 2 and 3 if you get that far. Same between 3&4 (which is coming out in a few weeks just before book 4).

Also if you enjoy the series you should read at least Warbreaker since some characters in that are crossing over (you don’t need to know them but it’s extra fun).

thanks a lot! I'll definitely see this one through, I also noticed you rated the second higher than the first. excited!

there's nothing like fantasy to get the geistspren going :disco:
 
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Just finished this. My first 5 star book of the year. Heartbreaking stuff.

Just finished this today. My GOD it's punch in the gut heartbreaking. Not surprised it's been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
 
I've just gotten to the part
where Shuggie goes to his dad's family's house. Mum has just chatted to the former alcoholic in the mechanic's which suggests that maybe there'll be a bit of respite from the sadness for a few chapters? But I'm doubtful. Great all the same.

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight about half done also and very good.
 
Finally finished Shuggie Bain. So depressing but beautifully written. And the ending was bleak but a little reassuring.

Weirdly I now want to live in Glasgow.
 
It really is beautifully written isn’t it.

If it left you wanting more Thatcher era gay Scottish writing, I’d recommend ‘Maggie & me’ by Damian Barr. This one is a memoir.
 
It's 12 October 1984. An IRA bomb blows apart the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Miraculously, Margaret Thatcher survives. In small-town Scotland, eight-year-old Damian Barr watches in horror as his mum rips her wedding ring off and packs their bags. He knows he, too, must survive.

Damian, his sister and his Catholic mum move in with her sinister new boyfriend while his Protestant dad shacks up with the glamorous Mary the Canary. Divided by sectarian suspicion, the community is held together by the sprawling Ravenscraig Steelworks. But darkness threatens as Maggie takes hold: she snatches school milk, smashes the unions and makes greed good. Following Maggie's advice, Damian works hard and plans his escape. He discovers that stories can save your life and - in spite of violence, strikes, AIDS and Clause 28 - manages to fall in love dancing to Madonna in Glasgow's only gay club.

Maggie & Me is a touching and darkly witty memoir about surviving Thatcher's Britain; a story of growing up gay in a straight world and coming out the other side in spite of, and maybe because of, the iron lady.
 
It really is beautifully written isn’t it.

If it left you wanting more Thatcher era gay Scottish writing, I’d recommend ‘Maggie & me’ by Damian Barr. This one is a memoir.
I'll get onto it. Thanks!
 
I thought the Goodreads Challenge would be a motivator but I feel it's just SHAMING me these days :D and I've only set it to 15 books which in certain circles (*cough*Books you've read in 2020 on Moopy*cough*) is frankly EMBARRASSING

OKAY I CAN DO IT
 
I’m at book 40 now, but struggling. I need a good book to enjoy reading instead of just rushing through.
 
I like the book The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
I was considering this. If it's Nance-approved I might have to take the plunge

I bought Simon Mayo's Knife Edge mainly because I like his podcast and I'm nearly finished it but I'm not that into it
 
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