My favourite books of 2020

I’m going to cut to the chase. I read so many brilliant books last year, in part because I joined bookish Twitter and met so many brilliant bloggers, publishers, and authors, and in part because frankly, I had (read: made) more time to read.

Anyone who has seen my Tweets probably won’t be too surprised to learn two of my absolute favourite fiction books from last year were The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, which you can read more about here and Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud.

I didn’t know what to expect from Maxine but I heard good things on Twitter. As soon as I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. When my pre-ordered copy arrives in March it will become the first book I have reread because you simply cannot read this book once.

Ingrid left me bereft. That’s the truth. I vividly remember finishing Love After Love one summer’s evening when the light was fading but it was still warm. I was sitting outside, and while I didn’t immediately burst into tears, I had this strange feeling in my tummy the next day and then burst into tears. It’s the characters, the painful stories, it’s everything.

My favourite non-fiction books are Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given, I Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice Brathwaite, and Glorious Rock Bottom by Bryony Gordon (in no particular order, I hasten to add).

Florence shook my world with her straight talking but gentle approach and reminded me what it is to be a woman. Candice opened my eyes to so much that I frankly had no idea about, I can’t wait to read Sista Sister and Bryony made me laugh, a little weepy, and most of all, hopeful.

All these women shared their truths, their vulnerability, and their passion.

In addition, I adored:

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Educated by Tara Westover

Around The World In 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh

Have you read any of these books? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!