I had a very nonfiction-heavy month overall; I am in the middle of another fiction book that I may finish by the end of the week but the two novels I’ve been reading are long – 477 and 502 pages, respectively – so I’ll cut myself a little slack. It’s not about seeing how many books I can cram into a month anyway

Highlights for me this month were Craft in the Real World (nonfiction) and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (fiction). I had a pretty eclectic mix of nonfiction, but a very fantasy-based fiction mix this month, for no particular reason. I choose based on what’s interesting, but also whatever pops up as ready in my library holds list. I have so many holds, in fact, that I constantly have to recycle them so I can finish the ones I already have!

I read 6 books this month, surprising even me (and I’m in the middle of 2 more, but won’t finish them until March). I am getting quite a bit more reading done by adding a 10-20 minute reading time in the morning. Not that number of books is the goal, but it does mean that if I don’t get time to read later, at least I’ve done a little bit for the day.

After doing my “Best of 2020” book lists, I realized it might be interesting to write more often about what I’m reading as I go, rather than doing one big list. My goal this year is to read 52 books, which means one per week. So far I’m on track. This way, too, you won’t get just “the best of” but my thoughts on whatever books I happen to read. Often I’m reading as a writer, particularly in fiction, so hopefully that will be useful to you as well.

Here I am again, with the second round of books I particularly enjoyed in 2020. My reading has taken a back seat in the past couple of weeks to holiday preparations, but I’m excited about this week’s list, sine these are the ones I read in the second half of the year and I found some real gems.