The Book review of the year 2020

I'm a bit late with this but here are my reviews of what I read last year. Let me know if you do this, I love a good nosy!

• Best book you read in 2020

I struggle to remember what all the books were like that I read this year! I do get book amnesia once I've moved onto another world (which is why I struggle with book reviews if I didn't write them instantly, which is why you've seen virtually none this year!  I would say, out of all of them, Villains in Venice by Katherine Woodfine was the one I thought was the best this year! It was a stand out, exciting penultimate book to the Taylor and Rose children's series. The ending was super exciting after all the build up from the other books in the Sinclair's mysteries and Taylor and Rose books. I adore this series!

• Children's fiction

Since my overall best book was a Children's book, I would have to say Villains in Venice again but if I MUST choose a different book, I would say, Death sets sail by Robin Stevens was brilliant and a wonderful, clever conclusion to the Murder Most Unladylike series

• Crime fiction

Hydra by Matt Wesolowski was absolutely brilliant! The Six Stories series was recommended to me by Jake, an employee at Forum Books in Corbridge, Northumberland as good modern Crime fiction and I agree- this was SO utterly eerie, spooky, unnerving and absolutely brilliantly clever! The denouement was excellent and it came SO close to the last page!

• Classics

I was definitely thin on the ground in terms of fiction.  I think the only thing I read in 2020 that would be classed as a classic (in terms of era and author) was The Town in Bloom by Dodie Smith (she of I Capture the Castle and 101 Dalmatians fame).  It was a great book though- different to other books I've read and a real coming of age novel.

• Non-fiction

• YA

All my YA reads were by Neal Shusterman.  I loved his final book in the Scythe series, The Toll, but I thought the ending of the Unwind series, Unsouled, was super clever!

• Dystopian fiction

All the Dystopian fiction I read was by Neal Shusterman so I name the same two as in the previous category as I read no other YA!

• Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2020

I borrowed The Boy at the Back of the Class- Onjali Q. Raúf - from one of the year 5 classrooms over the Summer. Didn't know what it was about but it was wonderful! About a refugee- such a book with heart!

• Book that you read in 2020 that you recommended most to others

As always, Katherine Woodfine is my recommendation- Her Villains in Venice book is one I firmly recommend but I also recommended Maiamander by Thomas Taylor to a few poeple.

• Best series you discovered in 2020

The lovely Ellie, who used to blog as Ellie Country girl blog, who is the warden of the Chillingham cattle, sent me  Ryan's Christmas by L J Ross - these are Whodunnits, modern crime fiction set in Northumberland- having been to Chillingham castle (and seen Ellie) in August, it was really nice to read a book in a setting you'd been to.

• Favourite new author you discovered in 2020

I loved the book No ballet shoes in Syria  by Catherine Bruton so I hope to read something else by her.

• Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love but didn't.

The further Accidental adventures of the 100 year old man, It was entertaining but I didn't love it as much as the first book.

• Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre to you.

I'd been told that The Girl on the train by Paula Hawkins was a bit scary and it was horrible but oddly compelling! CBC even read it after me!

• Book you read in 2020 that you're most likely to read again in 2021

I'll probably reread any of the Murder Most Unladylike books again for comfort reading!

• Favourite book you read in 2020 from an author you've read previously.

I don't want to keep quoting Murder most unladylike and Katherine Woodfine so I will say, The Cut Throat Cafe by  Nikki Thornton- such a great series! I've read the first two books in the Seth Seppi mystery books and I do think they are so exciting- that sort of exciting Harry Potter, this series is heading to a big revelation, type of ilk.

• Best book you read in 2020 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else

Well, I only read Miss, what does incomprehensible mean? by Fran Hill, because Ang sent it to me and I was glad she did!

• Favourite cover of a book in 2020

The Wonderling by  Mira Bartok has a gorgeous cover! It was such a lovely book and I originally picked it up because of its cover!