Reading List 2020

[mad_madam_m]

So around March of last year, my roommates and I decided to do the KonMari method on our house. We'd gotten rid of a lot of stuff before our move in 2017 (where our decisions were mostly made with the "how much do we want to box this up and take it to a new house" algorithm), but the idea of doing a deep dive into our things and really, truly asking ourselves "Does this spark joy?" appealed to us.

Unsurprisingly, one of my largest categories was books. I knew I wouldn't get down to only 30 books because books are my Thing and I like having a mostly full bookshelf, but I also knew it was a good idea to make sure all of those books were ones that I really, truly loved.

The recommendation, when you're going through KonMari, is to discard any books that you haven't yet read. I did not do that, but I did go through and ask myself if the idea of reading the book still sparked joy. For some books, it did. For others, it didn't. With that method, I pared down the books I owned by about a third, which made my bookshelf much less cluttered.

And as I was going through that stack of books, I also decided that I would start using the library to pick up books, instead of buying them outright. So many of the books I discarded were from used bookstore binges or an ill-advised visit to Barnes & Noble. If I used the library, I'd be able to read more books without buying them, and figure out if they were ones that sparked enough joy that I'd want to reread them over and over. (Yes, I know that's literally what the library is for, but I'd gotten out of the habit of visiting it regularly when I was in college and I needed a kick in the pants to start up again.)

Also, as I finished some of the books I was reading last year, I immediately asked "Does this spark enough joy to keep?" For most of them, even if I'd enjoyed the book, the answer was no, so into a giveaway pile they went.

Last year I had 80+ books on my TBR. This year, between KonMari, books received as gifts, using the library, and actually (*gasp*) reading some of the things on my list, I'm down to 71. There's no way I'll get through all of them this year, but I'm hoping to keep chipping away at it. (I've read two books so far this year, which is about one a week. Not sure I'll keep the pace up, but I'm going to try.)

This is...kind of a goal post, I guess? XD But mostly it's an explanation of what I've been doing for the past year with my books and what I'm going to continue doing, and hopefully in a couple of years my TBR will be at a much more manageable level in terms of books I physically own.

If you're curious what's on my list for 2020, I've got it all below the cut. Most of these are books I actually own, with only a few library books that I've currently got checked out. Books I've already read are struck through.

Reading List 2020

Fiction

Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Shada by Douglas Adams
Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor
Prudence by Gail Carriger
The Martian by Andy Weir
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Witchdame by Kathleen Sky
Norse Code by Greg von Eekhout
Too Too Solid Flesh by Nick O'Donohoe
Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse (library)
Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer (Kindle)
The Stand by Stephen King (Kindle)
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
The Good Omens Script Book by Neil Gaiman

Romance
Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
Vixen in Velvet by Loretta Chase
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Hot Spell by Meljean Brook
Demon Angel by Meljean Brook
Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa
Master of the Mountain by Cherise Sinclair
The Luckiest by Mila McWarren
The Sidhe by Charlotte Ashe
Warrior by Zoe Archer (Kindle)
Scoundrel by Zoe Archer (Kindle)
Rebel by Zoe Archer (Kindle)
Stranger by Zoe Archer (Kindle)
Brush Strokes by ES Karlquist
Spellbound by Allie Therin (Kindle) (currently reading)
After the Wedding by Courtney Milan (Kindle) (currently reading)
Clockwork Samurai by Jeannie Lin (Kindle)
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (library)
The Duchess in his Bed by Lorraine Heath
Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

YA
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Kindle)
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (Kindle)
The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
Not Your Villain by CB Lee
Not Your Backup by CB Lee
Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

Literary
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North
William Shakespeare Punches a Shark by Ryan North
The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco

Comics/Manga
Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology Vol. 1
Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology Vol. 2


Nonfiction (10)
Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin
Beginnings, Middles, and Endings by Nancy Kress
Crafting Scenes by Raymond Obstfeld
Story by Robert McKee
The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams
Pour a Glass by Leslee Koritzke
How to Invent Everything by Ryan North
Myths and Legends of Hawaii (currently reading)
Inspired by Rachel Held Evans (library) (currently reading)
Good to Great by Jim Collins (library)