2020 on Goodreads

What a neat concept! If this existed for previous years, I apparently missed out!This was the year I really started to branch out and explore all the genres I've never given the time of day to in years past. This was the year I began to leave (mostly) thoughtful reviews for things I've read. This was the year I started reading (a few) ARCs. This was the year boredom drove me to dip my toes into Instagram/Bookstagram posts (and then get out of the pool for a few months and then dip my toes in again). This was a really positive year for me, literarily speaking!I'm going to borrow some prompts from reviewer Adina below, because I sort of stink at summarizing my thoughts on my own.What was the best book you read in 2020?If you know me at all, if you talk with me regularly at all, you'll know this one instantly. I brought it up constantly while I was reading it. I would find ways to fit it into recommendations for people for months afterward. I bought a copy for my mom for Christmas. It's [b:The Travelling Cat Chronicles 40961230 The Travelling Cat Chronicles Hiro Arikawa https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532711745l/40961230.SX50.jpg 50618763]! Books never make me cry. Like, never. And this one did. It also managed to be uplifting, lighthearted, and bittersweet all in one. You should take a look at the premise and absolutely read it if you haven't already.What was the worst book you read in 2020?Setting aside all the textbooks I add to my read list (because they're mostly universally terrible), and likewise discounting the ones I didn't finish (because I feel that would be cheating), of the ones I did manage to finish, I think this dubious honor would have to go to [b:Moon of the Crusted Snow 39082248 Moon of the Crusted Snow Waubgeshig Rice https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521066996l/39082248.SY75.jpg 57443021]. It was neither satisfying as a thriller nor as a post-apocalyptic society story, the dialogue was flat (he said, she said, etc.), and the ending out of place. I was doubly disappointed because I had never read a book set in Canada or involving the First Nations, and this disappointed there too.Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2020?I could take the easy road and say Haruki Murakami, because I read both [b:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle 11275 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872639l/11275.SY75.jpg 2531376] and [b:Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World 10374 Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Haruki Murakami https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1399844477l/10374.SY75.jpg 2531870] almost back-to-back and found both incredibly enjoyable for different reasons. But really I think this honor should go to Kazuo Ishiguro for the extremely memorable experience I had reading [b:The Remains of the Day 28921 The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327128714l/28921.SY75.jpg 3333111] way back in January. I really need to read more from him in 2021.What are your reading plans for 2021?I kinda stink at making plans. I don't plan my entire to-read list out, I have no idea what I'm reading next when I pick a book up, and I don't really do reading challenges because I sort of dislike having a roadmap to follow. All that said, I think my goal for this year is to incorporate more ARCs into my reading. I had a lot of fun previewing books in 2020, but I only really managed to weave in one every few months. I want to read them more frequently in 2021, but I'm hesitant to attach a number. Just, “more”, I guess.Here's to 2021!!!