Tag: 2020 reads

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Books I Want to Read Before the End of 2020

2020 has been a year unlike any other. I started the year wondering what it would bring, with hopes (and plans) of travel to Japan and Greenland. I assumed at the start of the year that I might be back living in Scotland by the end of 2020. How wrong I was. About it all. No travel. Still living in Iceland. It has been a wild ride.

This weird and tumultuous year has meant I’ve spent more time in my apartment than at any other point in my life. As a homebody, I’ve loved this time just to potter around and make my space feel like a proper little home. I’ve leaned into hobbies: watercolour painting, bullet journalling, home workouts and of course… reading. I’ve joined many readathons, including Transathon, Women in Translation month and Blackoweenathon and I’ve enjoyed the sense of community and connectedness that I’ve gained from doing so.

I’ve read more books than at any other point in my life. It’s mid-October and I’ve already read more than 120 titles. I’ve discovered some new favourite books, I learned more about my reading habits (what they really are and what I want them to be), and I ultimately feel like my life is richer for having this little corner of the internet where I share my thoughts on books.

There are, of course, some books I’d still really like to read before the end of the year. In this strange time, it’s nice to have some sense of direction – a false sense of agency, let’s be honest – so I’m leaning into that here as I formulate this list of books that I’d really like to read before the end of the year. Here goes.

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Transathon | Brilliant Books by Transgender, Non-binary and Genderqueer Authors

In July, I took part in a readathon called Transathon, which encouraged readers to seek out and celebrate books by transgender, non-binary and genderqueer authors.

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of hate speech directed at transgender people online. As part of the literary community, it seems to have been particularly rife.

I believe it is always important to seek out stories from people whose lives are or have been different to your own.

At this present time, as a cis woman, I think it’s especially important that I use this space to uplift the voices of transgender and non-binary people and that I make a conscious effort to champion and celebrate their written work.

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Half-Year Reading Wrap-Up | Reflections on 2020 So Far

An image of a bullet journal which says "Halfway Top Ten" and features a cup of coffee and pair of glasses in the background

What a reading year it’s been so far! As of the end of June, I’ve read 64 books. I’ve also DNF’d 48 other books (now you see why I like the library so much). DNF, if you’re not familiar, stands for ‘did not finish’.

At the start of the year, in a post on Instagram, I outlined my hopes for my reading in the year ahead.

My reading goals at the start of this year were:

  1. Read a more balanced bookshelf (gender, race and ethnicity playing a role in that).
  2. Read more translated books
  3. Slow down, focus less on numerical reading goals and place priority in the titles I really want to read
  4. Continue to support the International Dublin Literary Award

How did I do? Let’s take a look at my reading goals

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