The Best Books of 2020 I Haven’t Yet Read (Science Fiction & Fantasy)
Compared to 2019, which was an incredible year for genre reads, my 2020 wasn’t quite as special. That said, there were several books I had really been looking forward to, but didn’t manage to read when they were published, so it’s possibly my own fault. This makes it even more important to comb through the best-of lists and get to at least some of the last year’s books this year.
The Best Books of 2020 I Haven’t Yet Read (Non-fiction)
For the introduction to this series, go back to the first instalment for details – if I try to explain it all again, it’ll take me forever to get to the point. The point being, in this case, great non-fiction published last year. It was an excellent year for this kind of literature and I read many of the books already as they came out. Still, there are about a dozen or so that I still want to check out, including but unfortunately probably not entirely limited to:
The Best Books of 2020 I Haven’t Yet Read (Fiction)
There are very few things I enjoy more than pondering which books to read. Sometimes I suspect I enjoy this process more than the actual reading itself. So every year, I go through all the ‘best books of xxxx’ lists I can find and, based on these, compile THE LIST of things I would like to read. It is not a firm TBR, as my success rate with this list is maybe 50% (which is completely fine by me) and it’s also not a full TBR, as there are of course also new books I want to read and a massive amount of old ones.
Neela Vermeire’s Trayee: A Spicy Masterpiece
I’m not easily intimidated when it comes to reviewing perfume – it is not Newtonian physics, where there’s only one correct answer. You smell what you smell, everyone’s perceptions are different and equally valid (if not necessarily equally detailed, knowledgeable or interesting). Reviewing Trayee gave me pause, however. It is such a complex and multifaceted perfume that I’m not sure I’m able to even capture the general mood, not to mention the nuances.
Best of 2020: Lockdown
Let me first assure you that I do not think that lockdown was one of the best things to happen in 2020. But the fact is that it happened – and continues to happen – to most of us and coping with the situation has become an important life skill. So I wanted to briefly mention some things that have started or continued to make sense in lockdown – either to do or to buy or to enjoy.
Best of 2020: Books
This was a weird reading year for many, but my reading rhythm was largely untouched by the pandemic. 2020 was final proof, if any was required, that my ability to read depends mostly on how busy I am at work.
Best of 2020: Skincare
I didn’t initially plan to talk about skincare favourites this year, as it seemed irrelevant. But then I realised that – unlike with makeup which I wore very little and didn’t really buy – skincare had in fact been an important part of 2020 for me and I believe for many others as well. And as I do actually have some new firm faves, let’s get to them.
A (Belated) (Christmas) Wish List
This isn’t really a serious Christmas list – first of all, it’s obviously way too late for that and second, I don’t expect anyone to give me these things. It’s mostly a collection of objects I like and consider getting for myself, in case realistic. The good news is that I don’t get as excited about things as I used to; the bad news is that IF I get excited, it’s almost guaranteed to be something expensive.
The Planet Called November
It was the legendary Estonian cosmologist Liidia E. Öpik who gave the planet its name in 3027. She said it reminded her of going to the beach in November when at home: “It’s the month that kills off all the light and hope and uses the corpses to decorate its damp house. But it’s also strangely beautiful.” (That was, of course, after the devastation of the Big Change had been addressed and the Earth’s biosphere and climate meticulously restored to its ‘authentic’ state.)
Lockdown Life: Audiobooks & Red Dresses
Belgium is in lockdown again and I must admit I find writing about clothes in this situation difficult. It’s not that I think I shouldn’t or that I believe it’s somehow wrong to contemplate garments when the world is suffering, I just mostly don’t feel inspired*. Which is unfortunate, as I still have some nice pictures from my photo shoot in Estonia, which I haven’t posted.