At the beginning of the memorable year that is 2020, I returned full pelt to reading for pleasure and thought I’d record what I’m been reading and what I’ve read. (And reading for enjoyment is certainly something that I should have done during the PhD but that’s another story.) Because if you’re going to write you need to read widely and, perhaps, wildly. I do have a GoodReads account but I don’t really like giving star ratings to books (see here as to why and how I’ve previously reviewed books).

Currently reading: Robin Hobb (1995) Assassin’s Apprentice, Bantam Books

Reading Log 2020 (asterisked books are ones I loved):
January
Jen Campbell (2018) The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, Two Roads
Rosie Garland (2014) Vixen, HarperCollins

February
Audrey Niffenegger (2009) Her Fearful Symmetry, Penguin
Catherine Storr (1958) Marianne Dreams, Faber and Faber*
“Robert Galbraith” (2018) Lethal White, Sphere Books
Melissa Harrison (2018) All Among the Barley, Bloomsbury*
Amanda Palmer (2014) The Art of Asking or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help, Audible
Stephen Fry (2017) Mythos, Audible
Emily Morris (2017) My Shitty Twenties, Salt

March
Charles Hadfield (1984) British Canals: An Illustrated History, David & Charles
Liz McIvor (2015) Canals: The Making of a Nation BBC Books

May (lock-down put me in a state of shock at the beginning so reading was slow going – and that was mostly due to slogging through one of the books – I won’t say which one!)
Alix E. Harrow (2019) The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Audible

June
Maz Evans (2017) Who Let the Gods Out?, ChickenHouse
Ocean Vuong (2019) On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Audible*
Mona Awad (2019) Bunny, Audible
Various (2019) The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Shortlist, Sunday Times / Audible

To Be Read
Charlotte Runcie (2019) Salt on Your Tongue: Women and the Sea, Canongate Books
Maggie O’Farrell (2020) Hamnet, Tinder Press
Kwana Jackson (2020) Real Men Knit, PenguinRandomhouse
Sarah Jasmon (2020) You Never Told Me, Transworld (Kindle Edition)