Madeline
I have been looking forward to the Goodreads Awards all year. I’ve been preparing for it by reading as many books I think may be on the list. When the nominees came out, I sped read through as many of them as I could. Here is what I have read and how I feel about it.
Such A Fun Age
Such A Fun Age was by far my favorite book I sped read for the Goodread Awards. I thought it was well written, attention grabbing, easy to read, hard to put down and a relevant topic to today. It was also the first book I read during this speed read period. Due to being the first book I read, almost every other book on this list was compared to Such a Fun Age, and although there are a number of other books I enjoyed, none held a candle to this one.
The Pull of the Stars
It is understandable why The Pull of the Stars was contending with the other books on this list. The nature of the book was relevant to the Coronavirus in the way that it was about a pandemic flu in the late 1910s. Although the book was written prior to the current pandemic, it was rushed to be published due to the nature of the book. Although I found it entertaining, I did not feel as though it grabbed me like many of the other books that were nominations on the Goodreads Awards.
Dear Edward
If you read my post, you know how I felt about this book, in no way did Dear Edward excited me. It was not a bad book but I could not get into it. When it was compared to a lot of the other books on this list it could not hold a candle to these masterpieces. The other books on this list that I was not excited about were at least relevant to the times and therefore understandable. But not Dear Edward. I just cannot get behind this book as a Goodreads Awards nominee.
The Glass Hotel
It took me about a quarter of the way through The Glass Hotel to get into this book but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. The story jumped around a lot, which made it difficult to figure out took some getting use to but once I got straight who was who and where they fit into the story, it was a great and easy read. If it was not for Such a Fun Age, this would have been my vote for best fiction.
Majesty: American Royals
This is the series I love and I hate. Once again, I have to go in to any of the American Royals book with the right state of mind. The first book was difficult for this reason but this second book was made much easier due to knowing what I was getting myself into. If I’m expecting a cheesy romance story, I’m able to enjoy it. But going in to this book with the expectation of political fiction, it is not satisfying. The American Royals books are intended for a very specific audience.
Regretting You
I read this book almost a year ago, long before I knew it would be a Goodreads Award nominee and I did not enjoy it. This book only got my vote due to having not read any other book in the category it was in. Regretting You is about a mother and daughter relationship that is not good. But the impression I got was this is very typical of a teenage daughter and her relationship with her mother. Not anything to make a story of.
The Wives
I enjoyed The Wives for what it was. It kept my attention. I liked the twists. I loved the turns and I thought it was a great read. That being said, some of the other books that were Goodreads Award nominees and, in my opinion, deserved the award more. Although I liked this book a lot, unfortunately, my votes did not go to The Wives.
My Dark Vanessa
I loved My Dark Vanessa. However, due to the topic of the book I’m not sure I would ever pick up and read this book again. The subject of a teacher and the manipulation of his teenage student was attention grabbing. The way that it was written was very detailed and made a very specific point. I recommend this book to anyone who will not be triggered by these topics.
The Winner For Best Fiction At The Goodreads Awards
Before the results to the Goodreads Awards were released, my book club had picked the winner of the best fiction on the Goodreads Awards, The Midnight Library. A few of us were watching the awards as they unfolded and knew this book was on the list. We picked it not knowing that later it would win the Goodreads Awards for best fiction. I have not started it, but stay tuned for the final write up.
