My 2020 Reading Challenge…

I’ve been doing Goodreads Reading Challenge since 2011. Apart from 2012 where I read 60 books and 2019, last year where I read 19, I’ve not been able to complete any of my reading challenges.

While planning in December for this year, I made a goal of reading 24 books. I figured I can read 2 books a month, 1 every 15 days and I’d reach my goal. Around that time, I got an email from Audible saying that my membership just got better.

Exclusive members-only audible originals! This was a treasure trove for me, I was going at buying one or two books a month and then an excellent selection of high production audible originals in True Crime, Health & Self Development, Drama & Fiction, Comedy & Non-fiction. I picked up a few interesting titles from this selection which helped me get ahead of my reading challenge.

In January, I read 6 books. These are the books I read…

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

by Stuart Turton

This is a brilliant murder mystery with enough twists and turns to get you reeling.
Going in the sixteen-hour runtime seemed daunting but few chapters in, I was hooked.

The mystery starts from the first page itself, few pages in you seem to get a picture and the rug is pulled from under your feet. The story turns into something else.

There is body-swapping, time travel, a slew of interesting characters. It’s a layered mystery, rich and delicious!

Alien: Out of the Shadows

by Tim Lebbon

This was way better than I expected.. especially on Audible with all the realistic sound effects of the ship, the creepy aliens, the blasts and the gunfire.

It starts with a bang and the pace never falters. There are 10 chapters, 30 minutes each. I started with the intention of finishing the first 2 chapters but it’s produced in such a way that the cliffhanger compels you to go to the next chapter.

This audiobook is in cannon and the entry of Ellen Ripley was an awesome surprise. The story is adjacent to the event of the Alien movies and still done in a way things neatly tie up to other events.
I’m really glad that I came across this one & 🤞that there are more of these.

All These Worlds (Bobiverse #3)

by Dennis E. Taylor

All These Worlds is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the Bobiverse.
This time around, the story moves at a fast pace to the point where some of the storylines are glossed over but the main points are still there…
Take care of the Brazillian threat… the battle with the Others… save all the people of the earth… be free!
I like the way character stories were neatly tied up and the optimistic ending.
I listened to this on audible and narration by Ray Porter is excellent. Looking forward to listening to more works by him.

Bear Grylls’ Survival Stories

by Bear Grylls

This felt like more of a podcast than an audiobook. While starting this, I was expecting Bear Grylls to read the stories, even if they weren’t his stories. But this was different people recounting their survival stories with intro and outro by Bear Grylls.

Go into this if you are a fan of Bear Grylls’ work and have stomach for some uncomfortable survival stories.

Recursion

by Blake Crouch

This book is a Goodreads Choice 2019 Winner, I was eager to get my hands on this.

A detective investigating something called False memory syndrome.
That’s all I knew about the book before going into it.

I suspected it to have some sort of time travel element after his last book — Dark Matter but the way time works in this novel is mindblowing.

I don’t want to give anything away… it’s a time travel thriller with the apocalypse looming around the corner.

The ending is very well done. I enjoyed this book a lot!

The Temp

by Steve Nelson

I enjoyed The Temp, a British comedy of the various exploits of a temp is who isn’t particularly bright. The Temp, Warren, temps as a Chauffeur, a Lab Assistant, a Prison Warden, a Data Entry guy, a Flight Attendant and then finally joins a cult.

At 3.5 hours, this is a quick listen. The stories are goofy and the performances are excellent what makes the whole thing very entertaining.

I planned for 2 books in January, I was able to read 6 books and that was possible only because I started listening to audiobooks. I listen while I’m making french toasts for breakfast, doing random chores around the house, during any meal I have and half an hour as I get ready to sleep.

Other than audible/audio-only versions, I still like having the text version of the book open so that I can follow alongside the audio. This way, I get to lookup words and highlight interesting parts of a book.

I’ve planned 3 books in February with options set aside for more… the first book of February is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

It is a bestseller with more than 1.5 million readers. It is soon to going to be television series & it is one of five books picked by Bill Gates for Summer 2019.

It’s 18 hours long, which is a bit daunting to get into but a good thing if the story is capturing & then you don’t want the book to end.

… I plan on reviewing all the books I read this year and review it here on a monthly basis. This will help me keep track & share the books I’m reading with everyone and tackle another one of my goals for 2020 — writing more.

Are you also doing a reading challenge?
What are the books you’ve read?
Got any recommendations?

Connect with me on Goodreads here — https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2001689-vinit-nair