MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2020.
As 2020 comes to an end and lots of wrap ups and favourite lists appear, I’ve noticed that many people have mentioned that despite everything this year has brought, one of the positives is that they’ve read more than they have in years and for me it’s the same. This year I ended up reading 40 books which is the most I’ve read since 2017– not only have I read more but I’ve read some amazing books and I’ve given more 4 and 5 star ratings than I have for a long time.
So for this post I thought I’d share my 10 favourite books of the year with a special focus on my top 5 books. I love to look back on my favourites of the year, it always helps me remember how I’ve spent my time during the year and then months or even years later I look back at these posts and it reminds me of what books I enjoyed and why.
So here are my favourites of 2020–
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni-Eddo Lodge
And my top five reads–
If I had to pick just one favourite of the year it’d be this one– Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell– so I’ll start by talking about why I loved it. I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did and I think sometimes they’re the best kinds of books– the ones you go into not knowing much about but they end up being a favourite. Hamnet draws on the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, opens it up from a woman’s perspective and looks at loss and life against a 16th century historical backdrop.
This is a beautifully written, character driven story that I found myself completely lost in and despite not being the biggest fan of Shakespeare made me buy a copy a of Hamlet to read, spend hours doing more research on Shakespeare life and take a trip to Straford-upon-on-Avon– I was so compelled by this beautiful book. I know many people have loved Maggie O’Farrell for years– now I can fully appreciate why and I immediately picked up more of her work. If you end up choosing just one book from this list to read then I’d recommend picking up Hamnet!
In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
This book was one that had been on my radar for years & as part of my book club I finally picked this up and I am forever grateful that I did. In this memoir, Yeonmi Park tells us about her childhood in North Korea, how she escaped from North Korea and how she began to live in freedom, eventually becoming a human rights activist.
Obviously this book taught me a huge amount about North Korea that I didn’t already know and to read about it through the experenice of a woman who is the same age as me had a very considerable impact on me. It was strangely, equal parts, hard and haunting to read but also very full of positivity and hope and I almost didn’t want it to end because of how much I was enjoying Yeonmi Park’s voice and the way she told her story. If you’re looking for a memoir to read– I’d highly recommend this one!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Another book club pick and a book that completely lived up to all the hype it’s been receiving this year is The Vanishing Half. I vaguely had an anticipated releases list for this year and this was one of the few on that list- I read Bennett’s debut novel The Mothers a few years back and loved it, so I was really looking forward to seeing what Brit Bennett would write next.
If you know anything about my favourite plot devices in novel, you’ll know that I love a novel that follows familial relationships over multiple generations. The Vanishing Half focuses on identical twin sisters who grew up in a small, Southern, Black community and really explores everything about them that is different as adults. As with The Mothers, I adored Brit Bennett’s writing style and with around 300 pages she managed to write such vivid characters in a way that made me really invested in their lives and the lives of the generations that follow.
I never thought that a classic would make my favourites list– my knowledge of classics isn’t very well rounded– I haven’t read a lot of classics, especially in the years since I studied them at school so it’s been in the back of mind this year to pick up more of the classic fiction that has been on my shelves for years. One that I read and that completely blew me away was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
This book wasn’t at all what I expected going into it and that is was really good thing– so much of what this book is about has been lost through it’s famous incarnations and film and tv adaptations and I really loved seeing the original story behind those adaptions and themes on humanity it develops. I found the writing style to be beautiful and atmospheric while still being easy to get into– as someone not used to reading more classical writing styles– and the tone was perfect for the grey November days when I read it.
I read from the Penguin Classics editions which includes all of the revisions Mary Shelley made to the story, as well as her 1831 introduction, and the circumstances around how she began writing this book were fascinating and I’m now very interestied in reading more on Shelley and her life.
Arcadia is one of those books that I feel was written just to fit with all of the things I look for in books– beautiful writing, a slow moving, dreamlike plot that moves through years and generations and follows a character through their life and looks at the impact of the ideals of childhood on adult life. I’m not surprised this ended up in top five favourites, I adored it and can’t wait to read more from Lauren Groff.
If you’re not sold this is the synopsis straight from Goodreads and describes it better than I ever could– ‘In the fields and forests of western New York State in the late 1960s, several dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding what becomes a famous commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this lyrical, rollicking, tragic, and exquisite utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday and after.'‘
I’d love to hear all about the books you enjoyed reading this year or what your favourite books of 2020 were so feel free to share below & if you want to keep up to date with the things I’m reading or what my reading goal is for 2021 then make sure that you’re following along on my Goodreads. I hope you have a lovely, cosy start to 2021!
