All About Books discussion

This thread is where you can post your favorite book each month in 2020. You can create your post with the template below . At the end of each month when you edit your post , send a post telling us that you have updated it. For anyone interested , it's a good way to share our favorites and expand our TBR lists.

Copy the template below, and each month come back and edit your post with the favorite book you read that month. Then you pick out of those 12 for your favorite book of the year.

January -
February -
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April -
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July -
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December -

Best of the year

OK here is my spot.

January - If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi; 5*
February - First Love by Ivan Turgenev; 4.5*
March - Persuasion by Jane Austen; 5* {reread}
April - The Importance of Being Earnest; 5* {reread}
May - Ancillary Sword, 5* (for a new-to-me book; for a reread, The 39 Steps, also 5*)
June - This Boy's Life, 4.5* (for a new-to-me book; for a reread, Six Moon Dance, 5*)
July - The Butler Did It, 4.5* (for a new-to-me book; for a reread, Of Mice and Men, 5*)
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

Best of the year

And here's mine:

January - William Shakespeare King Richard II ****1/2
February - George Eliot Adam Bede ****
March - Elisabeth Strout Olive, Again ****1/2
April - Eshkol Nevo Homesick ****
May - Gonciarov Oblomov ***** and Jostein Gaardner Semplicemente perfetto
June - Alexander Stille Uno su mille: Cinque famiglie ebraiche durante il fascismo ****
July - Claudio Strinati Il giardino dell'arte: Il romanzo di un viaggio fra le meraviglie d'Italia ****
August - Viola Ardone Il treno dei bambini and Javier Cercas Terra Alta and Giorgio Fontanta Prima di noi ****1/2
September - Stephen Markley Ohio ****1/2 and Lucy M Montgomery Rilla of Ingleside *****
October - Domingo Villar L'ultimo traghetto ****1/2
November -
December -

Best of the year

Haven't done this for a couple of years:
January: The Dark Forest
February: The Fountainhead
March: Hyperion
April: The Fall of Hyperion
May: The Sandman: Overture
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Best of the year:

January - Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian
February - Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
March - Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
April - What Stars Are Made of by Sarah Allen
May - The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
June - I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
July - The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
August - A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
September - Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee
October - The Girl with the Hazel Eyes: Finalist for the 2019 JAAWP Caribbean Writer's Prize by Callie Browning
November - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
December - Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Best of the year What Stars Are Made of by Sarah Allen

Great thread!
January -
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November -
December -

January - A Woman Is No Man 5* and This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor 5*
February -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

Best of the year

My favorites for 2020:

January: The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Best of the Year:

January - If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things
February -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

Best of the year

January - The Only Woman in the Room
February -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

Best of the Year -

I have updated my list (post #2) with my Jan. pick - the only new-to-me 5* book was Primo Levi's If Not Now, When?.

January - The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer....5 stars.

February - Medea by Euripides 5 stars

March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Best of the year

Edited comment #4 with my fav for January, The Dark Forest. A really fascinating piece of science-fiction. Can't wait to finish the series!

Gavin wrote: "Edited comment #4 with my fav for January, The Dark Forest. A really fascinating piece of science-fiction. Can't wait to finish the series!"

That sounded of interest to me so I took a look at the book's blurb. I see that it is the second of the series - did you read the first book? Could one jump right in with this 2nd one or is there important background from the 1st book that is needed?

Updated my post - n. 2 - with my best read of January. It took me quitre a lot to defcide: this month I've not had a Great read. Not even William Shakespeare, with his King Richard II, was a five stars ...
Let's hope for something better this month!

January - The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - 10/10
February - You Took the Last Bus Home by Brian Bilston - 10/10
March - The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - 10/10
April - The Darkening Hour by Penny Hancock - 9/10
May - Thinking Out Loud: Love, Grief and Being Mum and Dad by Rio Ferdinand & Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - both 9.5/10 - couldn't decide!
June - The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne - 10/10
July - Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison - 9+/10
August - Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake and Waiting for the Evening News: Stories of the Deep South by Tim Gautreaux - both 9.5/10 - couldn't decide again!
September - Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham - 9.5/10
October - Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake - 9.5/10
November - The Foundling by Stacey Halls and Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson - both 9.5/10
December - When She Was Good by Michael Robotham - 10/10



Best of the year:- The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

Leslie wrote: "That sounded of interest to me so I took a look at the book's blurb. I see that it is the second of the series - did you read the first book? Could one jump right in with this 2nd one or is there important background from the 1st book that is needed?"

No, not really, you'd be absolutely lost. The first one in the series kinda blew my mind. It's hard sci-fi, though. I know some people find that a bit boring.

Gavin wrote: "Leslie wrote: "That sounded of interest to me so I took a look at the book's blurb. I see that it is the second of the series - did you read the first book? Could one jump right in with this 2nd on..."

Hard sci-fi is not a problem for me if the writing is good - I am a scientist by training (chemistry). Thanks for letting me know; I'll put the first book on my library list.

Even though Feb. isn't over yet, I have added my best book of the month to my post #2 - First Love by Ivan Turgenev. It strikes me as a bit weird that my first 2 picks of the year have been translated books but that is how it worked out...

Updated post #4 with my favorite for February, The Fountainhead. Very different from my January pick, but in a similar way, it's really thought-provoking. Always enjoy a book that I can't stop thinking about for weeks

Updated my post (n. 3) with February best read: George Eliot Adam Bede ****

January
The World We Knew by Alice Hoffman
Do not miss this book, it’s one of the best I’ve read recently.

February
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Another 5 star read which every book lover can relate to

March
The Pawnbroker
This book takes place after WWII and introduces the reader to a survivor of the camps who cant forget what happened to him.

I have updated my post #2 with March's best book. None of my new-to-me books were as good as the reread of Austen's Persuasion!

Leslie wrote: "I have updated my post #2 with March's best book. None of my new-to-me books were as good as the reread of Austen's Persuasion!"

I always ask myself if I prefere this to P&P!!!

Loved Persuasion, Leslie.

Updated post #4 with Hyperion. A very enthralling piece of sci-fi.

B the BookAddict wrote: "Loved Persuasion, Leslie."

LauraT wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I have updated my post #2 with March's best book. None of my new-to-me books were as good as the reread of Austen's Persuasion!"

I always ask myself if I prefere this to..."

It is a wonderful book - I too have to ask myself if I don't prefer it to P & P! I think that it is surprising that it is not better known.

January - was taken up with packing up and moving
The fact that I read Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie seemed surreally appropriate , especially as in the end Griselda and the Rev Clement survived the ordeal.

February - oh I have to have 2 favourites this month ... 1 non-fiction and 1 fiction
Non-Fiction
Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century by John Higgs. Absolutely riveting and Higgs draws so many fascinating connections between things.
Fiction :
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith my first encounter with Bertie... he is so endearing and I just want to shake his mother!

March -
Non- fiction -no question :
Take Courage: Anne Bronte and the Art of Life by Samantha Ellis it’s an anniversary for Anne Bronte this year. If the lockdown ever ends and you get the chance do visit the Parsonage in Haworth and see the exhibition dedicated to Anne. Samantha Ellis has inspired me to re-read with new eyes and fresh understanding.

Fiction : If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura a gem of a story with apologies to Faust.

April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

Best of the year

reply | flag *

Updated post #4 with my favorite for April, The Fall of Hyperion. My first 5 star book of the year. This sequel to the already incredible first book is even more mind-bending and is kind of a satisfying conclusion to the series in a way even though there's still plenty of plotlines still left to unravel.

May update: The Sandman: Overture. The most art I've seen in any comic ever. An excellent closing (and opening) chapter to the series.

Have updated my post with my June favourite:-

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne


Another winner from this excellent Irish author - 10/10

That looks interesting Kim, I will have to check it out myself.

I agree, Kim. Fantastic book.

I have updated my post (#2) with my best books of May & June. In both months, I have listed my best new-to-me book and also a reread. Both May & June had me rereading some of my favorites of the past so I had more than one 5* read.

I have updated post #2 with my July best book.

Finally updated my post, I hadn't touched it since March.

Kim wrote: "Have updated my post with my June favourite:-

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne


Another winner from this e..."

That looks really interesting, I think it would help my challenge.

Updated my post - message 16 - with my August favourites -

Couldn't decide between:-
Waiting for the Evening News: Stories of the Deep South by Tim Gautreaux
and
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

Both 5 star (9.5/10) reads for me!

Updated my post (n. 3) with my Summer best read. It has been difficoult to decide; I've had a lot of real good books!!
July - Claudio Strinati Il giardino dell'arte: Il romanzo di un viaggio fra le meraviglie d'Italia ****
August - Viola Ardone Il treno dei bambini and Javier Cercas Terra Alta and Giorgio Fontanta Prima di noi ****1/2

Updated my post (msg 16) with my September favourite which was:-

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham -
rated this one 5* (9.5/10) - first in a series involving forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven and based near where I live in Nottingham. Looking forward to reading further books in the series.

Hard choice also for September!! In the end I've decided for Stephen Markley Ohio ****1/2 and Lucy M Montgomery Rilla of Ingleside *****

Updated my post for August and September.

Updated my post (msg #16) with my September favourite, which was:-

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake

Rated this one 5* (9.5/10) as I did the first book in the trilogy.
This was also another one off my Big Read Top 100 Challenge
- only two to go to complete that one.

October gave me another hard time deciding: I've read Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Lucy M Montgomery, all with books of five stars. But I do realize that there's no match with them, so for the month I've decided to choose Domingo Villar L'ultimo traghetto, a brand new mystery that, in my modest opinion, is really a good read.
Updated my post, n. 3

January - Into the Water
February - The Other Mrs.
March - American Dirt
April - The Great Alone
May - Where the Crawdads Sing
June - The Silent Patient
July - A Study in Scarlet
August - Omens
September - Behind Closed Doors
October - Before We Were Yours
November -
December -

Best of the year