2020: The Worst Books I Read
Overall, I’d give 2020 reading a solid “B.” Most of my reads were great to good with only a few that completely fell short. Those that did fail, did so in spectacular fashion, proving true that you should go big or just go home.
While entirely subjective, these one-star to two-star reads simply didn’t work for me, either with the story, characters or plotting. Some were a victim of #Bookstagram or author hype, while others suffered from the idea not matching the execution.
So why highlight my least favorite reads? First and foremost, because I want to prevent others from suffering through them. Second, I love healthy dialogue with individuals that share contrarian opinions.
If you read one of the books below and thought it deserved more credit than I’m giving it, please let me know!
London by Edward Rutherfurd
Dates read: December 16, 2019 – January 22, 2020
My first and longest read of the year proved to be one of the most disappointing, but thankfully that trend didn’t continue (one good thing about 2020!). This 1,000+ page epic sat on my shelf for 17-years, and it honestly should’ve stayed there. Rutherfurd does a decent job of consolidating London's history from the Druids through late-90s. But actual historic events and characters were the most interesting parts of the story. The fictional families that populate the pages are difficult to keep straight and are rather stock given the rich tapestry to work with. Read my full review on Goodreads.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Dates read: April 1 – 5, 2020
Certainly not a thriller and a rather dull mystery that was easy to solve about halfway through. Don't even get me started on the level of incompetence at the psychiatric facility, which was distracting and contributed to a level of unbelievability in the whole story. Disjointed, half-baked characters, stupid red-herrings — it all adds up to a C-level, direct-to-Netflix plot that's forgettable as soon as it ends. Read my full review on Goodreads.
I Am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki
Dates read: April 11 – 27, 2020
This classic if Japanese literature was one of my two DNFs (did not finish) for the year, stopping at 25 percent read. Simply, it was not what I expected based on the description. The cat is an almost ancillary character, and while the construct of the cat providing philosophical observations on the human condition is rich fodder, much of Part I was tedious back-and-forth between human characters. It was tedious and boring. Read my full review on Goodreads.
Grant by Ron Chernow
Dates read: April 18 – May 2, 2020
I love a good historical book, but I wasn’t interested enough in Ulysses S. Grant to finish this 1,100-page behemoth and stopped at 39 percent read. Any other year I may have soldiered through, but it was too dense and depressing for the realities for 2020. Read my full review on Goodreads.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Dates read: May 17 – 23, 2020
There were a few scares and some gore to satisfy the horror crowd, with enough humor (mostly tied to Southern decorum) to keep it light, but the story got bogged down by its own weight and the frequent shifts in tone showed Hendrix wasn’t sure what story he was trying to tell. Read my full review.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Dates read: August 15 – 21, 2020
My first experience falling victim to the #Bookstagram hype machine! So much is thrown at the reader that it sometimes felt like three different books, and while Moreno-Garcia does try to lay a solid foundation, so the bonkers ending feels plausible, the pacing suffers. Not much happens until the last 100-pages and it requires you to suspend a lot of reality for it to work. Read my full review.
The Bachman Books by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
Dates read: May 5 – September 2, 2020
A collection of four early works — Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man — but none of them can hold a candle to novels of the same era written under his name. The hallmarks of King are all present, but the edges are duller. Instead of pushing deep into the psyche and motivations of the main characters, we’re fed misogynistic and racist undertones in each story, that are, perhaps, a product of the times (late 70s and early 80s) or simply laziness. The Running Man is, quite possibly, the worst book I finished this year. Read my full review.
A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom by John Boyne
Dates read: September 20 – 25, 2020
Boyne has the distinct privilege of making both my best and worst lists. It took me about 100-pages to realize that the story was about reincarnation (I think) and that, no, there wasn’t going to be some big reveal about time traveling or immortality that would tie it all together. I don’t really know what the point of it is. Read my full review.
FKA USA by Reed King
Dates read: August 12 – October 4, 2020
This could have been a pitch-perfect dystopian adventure with the right amount of dark humor and uncanny parallels to the shit show that is 2020. Instead it is a The Wizard of Oz meets Ready Player One rip-off through the lens of 16-year-old boy humor and Syfy network made-for-TV movie dialogue. Read my full review.
Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass
Dates read: October 19 – 28, 2020
The book is hot garbage. Poorly paced, one-dimensional characters, tired stereotypes and a ridiculously implausible timeline of events add up to a head-scratching 400-pages. The cynic in me thinks the conversion program setting was used simply as a marketing ploy, because most of the major plot elements could’ve happened in any setting. It also has a comically bad audiobook narration, which makes this a hard pass in any format. Read my full review.
Murder Past Due by Miranda James
Dates read: December 9 – 19, 2020
The mystery was entertaining enough, but the one-dimensional characters really ruined it for me. Also, the main character states at the beginning he avoids drama but spent the whole novel stirring the pot. This was my first cozy mystery, and it seems like it may not have been the best one to start with. Read my full review on Goodreads.
Explore more of my 2020 reading and listening:
