2020! – The year reading should have been on prescription! – Top 25 reads!

There are two indisputable facts about 2020..

Firstly, for good or ill, it’s been a year like no other! And secondly, I wouldn’t have survived it without reading a lot of books.

Each month I have shared a monthly wrap up, and I am finishing the year with my top 25 books. Not all of them I reviewed, some I just devoured. Not all were published in 2020, but it was the year I personally discovered them. The list is arranged in the order I read them, not in any kind of preferential order. It is also worth noting that over the last month or so I have read some cracking 2021 proofs. These are not included here, but there will be a most anticipated list coming very soon.

So, deep breath, here goes …

1. Three Hours- Rosamund Lupton

This book blew me away right at the beginning of the year. I read it from cover to cover on one rainy Sunday.

Set in a progressive English private school, this is the story of a school shooting, but my goodness, it is so much more! Perfectly plotted, with pinpoint accurate writing and a level of complexity that astounded me, I am still recommending it now.

2. The Mercies – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

The first historical novel to make the list, and this one is a cracker.

Set in Norway in the 1600’s, based on a true story, it is the portrait of a remote but tight knit community being slowly ripped apart by suspicion, vindictiveness and worse. It is so vividly told and my full review can be found here.

3. My Dark Vanessa – Elizabeth Russell

Unsettling, thought provoking and I feel essential reading this book hasn’t left me yet.

It is a tale of power, manipulation and inappropriate relationships. It will provoke strong emotions, and intense debate and my review can be found here.

4. Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell

This book!! I read it back when it first came out in April and from the first few pages I fell in love! I have long admired Maggie O’Farrell, but this book feels like her masterpiece.

On the surface it is story of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet , who died in childhood but in reality it is so much more. It is one of those rare novels where each word is perfectly placed. Despite having read it and revisited it in audiobook I haven’t reviewed this book. Quite simply I knew I couldn’t do it justice!

5. Conjure Women – Afia Atakora

This book was just bursting with every emotion going!! This is the story of Miss Rue. Rue is a black woman, healer and midwife to the recently freed black community on an American plantation.

Humour, love, life and grief of every shade is found within it’s pages; a unique and special tale. I was lucky enough to be on the blog tour for this one and my review can be found here.

6. The Mirror and The Light – Hilary Mantel

This book needs no introduction from me!

The final instalment in Mantel’s epic Trilogy, this book that details the downfall and fate of Thomas Cromwell. Long listed once again for the Booker, Mantel amazes me every time I read her. Quite simply stunning!

7. A Thousand Ships – Natalie Haynes

I love a Greek myth retelling and this book is right up there with the best.

A retelling of the story of the Trojan war, Haynes focuses on and brings to life, the unique perspective of the woman involved. Beautiful and heartbreaking from beginning to end, this novel thoroughly deserved it’s place on the Women’s Prize Shortlist.

8. The Bass Rock – Evie Wyld

This one was getting so much attention on Twitter, so many people whose opinion I trust were raving about this one, that I knew this was a winner. A beautiful inter generational story that will linger for a long time.

It is fair to say that I have recommended this book to so many people and to find out why you can find my review here.

9. Saving Lucia – Anna Vaught

BlueMoose Books never ever let me down. This year they have published only books by women authors and what an absolute treat it has been. Saving Lucia begins with the narrative of two women, both incarcerated at St Andrew’s Hospital in Northampton. Both women are public figures; Lady Violet Gibson was sectioned after attempting to assassinate Mussolini, Lucia Joyce is the daughter of poet James Joyce, a talented dancer and artist in her own right.

This unique story by Anna Vaught was another book I devoured in a day. My review can be found here.

10. Summerwater – Sarah Moss

It’s hard for me to pick a favourite author, there are way to many to choose from! But Sarah Moss has to be pretty near the top spot.

Summerwater is perfection. Written across the period of one day, in one remote place, from the point of view of several diverse characters this work is an absolute joy. In fact it was so good I read it twice. My review can be found here.

11. The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett

I read this book against the back drop of the #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations gathering momentum across the globe. It is hard to imagine a more momentous time to have engaged with this particular novel, but I am quite convinced that whenever I had met The Vanishing Half , it’s impact would be have been the same.

It was an absolute pleasure to read and review.

12. Leonard and Hungry Paul – Rónán Hession

Ok, I know I am really late to the party with this one but I honestly believe that this is one book everyone needs to read.

In a time of darkness Leonard and Hungry Paul is a ray of hope and light.

13. The Miseducation of Evie Epworth – Matson Taylor

It’s fair to say that 2020 has sometimes fallen short on laughs! But this book helped to raise mirth and spirits alike.

It is the story of 16 year old Evie, a Yorkshire lass, living on a farm with her Dad Arthur. It’s 1962 and having lost her mother as a baby Evie is close to her Dad, so her world is rocked when the indomitable Christine appears on the scene. With her entirely pink wardrobe, over bearing mother Vera and grand plans for the family – none of which actually involve farming or Evie – Christine is a force to be reckoned with and it seems she has Arthur under her spell.

What happens next is a glorious riot of a story!

14. The Pull of the Stars – Emma Donoghue

Considering I have been living through a pandemic you might have thought I would avoid books that reflected that world back to me.

However The Pull of the Stars, set in Ireland in 1918 flu pandemic made me realise just how lucky we are today. Here was a civilisation, still coping with the ravages of war, poor sanitation, economic hardship and limited communication, dealing with challenges we could only imagine.

This book was profound, moving and in many ways hopeful.

15. Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart

This book needs no introduction from me. A Booker Prize winner that I will forever feel privileged to have read in proof form; this book went to the core of my soul.

So beautifully written, full of heartbreak and joy; light and shade in equal measure. Shuggie Bain is a present and future classic.

16. The Sound Mirror – Heidi James

Back to Bluemoose Books (there is a delightful pattern developing here!!) and this time to the raw and rather special The Sound Mirror by Heidi James.

If I can write just one paragraph with the skill, beauty and sharpness of Heidi James I will die a happy woman. This is the story of women, of families and the mark they make, for good or ill, on the lives they touch.

This one is unsurpassed.

17. Supporting Cast – Kit De Waal

Short stories continue to delight me, and these are up there with the best of them. They are made all the more delightful by linking to Kit’s previous novels.

Touching, tender and immersed in compassion, these stories were like revisiting old friends and peeking into their hearts and souls.

18. Small Pleasures – Clare Chambers

I read this book back in the summer and I still haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. This is an unusual and atmospheric tale and one which perfectly radiates and reflects the period in which it is set.

My review is here and I know this is one I will be rereading in the not too distant future.

19. The Harpy – Megan Hunter

There was no other book quite like this one in my reading pile this year!

A tale of betrayal, deceit and the ultimate revenge, this novel is heavy with mythological reference and symbolism. The Harpy is once read and never forgotten.

20. A Ghost in the Throat – Doireann Ni Ghriofa

This book was an unexpected find and joy this year. A book that introduced my to the idea of ‘Women’s Texts’ and spoke to me in a myriad of ways.

This book is a celebration of women’s lives through the ages, of women telling their own and each other’s stories, of celebrating the extraordinary and the domestic with equal gravity and relish. My review is here.

21. The Night of the Flood – Zoe Somerville

I always get excited when I am introduced to a new author, especially when that author is right at the beginning of their publishing journey. Because it means there are more exciting things to come.

This was most definitely the case with The Night of the Flood. Set against the backdrop of the 1953 Norfolk flood, this story is exciting, tender and robustly told.

22. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books – Cathy Rentzenbrink

If there has been one more thing comforting than books and reading this year, it has been sharing that love with other people. Be that through the giving and receiving of books, blogging, zoom book clubs or through wonderful books like Dear Reader that focus on what it is that books mean to the author.

This one was such a treat; a beacon in a very dark time. My review, I hope, will explain why this is a not be missed book.

23. Should we fall behind – Sharon Duggal

This year has been an opportunity to embrace and celebrate the power of community. To remind ourselves once more of the individual stories and experiences that come together as a whole to make us what we are.

And this book is a true reflection of that philosophy. Another Bluemoose offering, Should We Fall Behind is the story of what happens when we look beyond the surface and start to let others in. It was a glorious book to lose myself in this autumn.

24. When I Come Home again – Caroline Scott

Literature set around the First World War has it’s own special place in my heart. There is something so individual about this period, about the challenges, the loss and in a strange way, the gains, that I will always seek out these stories.

When I Come Home Again is a perfect example of this canon of literature and it was my absolute pleasure to read and review as part of the blog tour.

25. The Thief on the Winged Horse – Kate Mascarenhas

Set in the modern day but in a world more magical than our own, this story of family tradition, magic and rivalry captures both my heart and my imagination.

It’s attention to detail was exquisite, and it’s strong female characters, intent on reclaiming a stolen birthright, was just the boost I needed. This book is powerful and just a little bit special. And it was a privilege for my review to be catching a ride on the blog tour.

So there, are my top 25! So many fabulous books read and shared this year. And so many people to thank. Huge thanks to everyone who has sent me books to read, review and generally worship; it is a privilege I will never take for granted.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read the blog this year and connect with me on Social Media. It’s always a pleasure but this year it has literally been a lifeline.

Here’s to 2021 – whatever it brings, let’s remember there are always books!!

Rachel x