It’s been a busy month! I thought I’d only get around to reading two books, so I’m pretty happy with reading four, even if it is the fewest books per month I’ve read all year. That brings my annual total to a pretty 80! I haven’t had time to write my annual recaps yet, but I’m excited to look through my 2020 stats, draw up some graphs, and share my favourites like I did for 2019. It’ll probably take until February. Just being realistic here!

This past month I gravitated toward middle grade and YA. I’m in the middle of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and maybe I’ll reread Percy Jackson in January.

I’ve been slowly winding down the year with cosy classics and comforting middle grade and YA books, but looking at 2021’s releases makes me want to shake off the languor of winter and fly through all. the. books. I’ve had the honour of reading one of these 21 anticipated releases in advance, and I can’t wait for the rest of them to come out.

Add them to your Goodreads TBR to get notifications if a publisher runs a promotional Goodreads giveaway, get on those library wait lists early, suggest purchases for your library if need be, or go ahead and pre-order a copy!

Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

(But also a reminder to self that I’m not allowed to buy any books for the rest of 2020 unless it’s one of these. Is that really so much to ask?)

(Watch me… buy a book…)

I read four books the first week of November to keep myself from checking my phone for election results. One of those books was Pachinko, and that book completely derailed the TBR I had set for the rest of 2020. Now I’m obsessed with reading historical fiction set in East Asian countries under Japanese occupation. Give me How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee (set in Singapore), give me Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan (set in Taiwan).

I lost my favourite bookmark in the whole entire world that I’ve had with me since middle school some time in February of this year when I was traveling around Taiwan, and I’ve since been looking for the second best bookmark in the whole entire world to replace it. And by golly, I think I’ve found it! So let me share with you the second best bookmark in the whole entire world and some other beautiful bookmarks I’ve acquired along the way.

Perhaps this bookmark tour can give you some gift ideas for the bookish friend in your life. Bookmarks may seem like a generic gift, but if you find the right one, it can be so special. Not only are bookmarks beautiful, but they’re also practical, take up very little space, and might even be a safer bet to gift a bookish friend than an actual book unless you’re familiar with their taste.

PSA to get your Christmas shopping done early, especially if you’re shopping independents!

We’re finally in the best season for reading! Just like this time last year, my TBR exploded. At one point I was reading four books at the same time, only to ditch them for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab, which took over bookstagram. The fomo was real.

I caught up on some other highly anticipated books of 2020, one backlist title, and meant to finish off the ACOTAR series, but I’m still in the middle of the last book. I’ve been in a book slump for the last week and a half, and I think it’s because I’m having anxiety about 2021 coming around. Reading is a wonderful escape but I might be spending too much time in la la land.