Top 8 Books I Read in 2020

Reading is known to reduce stress, improve your vocabulary and memory as well as provide mental stimulation, so it is a great way to spend your downtime. 

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I absolutely love reading! I find it the perfect way to relax, unwind and escape from reality for a little while. Each year I set myself a reading target, for 2020 it was 52. I smashed this goal and ended the year having read 75 books. For 2021 I’ve upped the anti with a target of 100.

Want to know how I read so many books? I’ve shared some of my tips at the end of the post.

I read some really great books in 2020 and have somehow managed to narrow the list down to my favourite 8. I highly recommend all of these books to anyone and everyone!

In no particular order, here are the best 8 books I read in 2020…

‘Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in fifteen suggestions’ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Dear Ijeawele is the published version of a letter that Adichie wrote to a friend who asked for advice on raising her daughter. The lessons and wisdom that immediately come through from the first page of this short book are eye-opening and extremely valuable.

This book was my first exposure to Adichie’s work and it had me hooked, my next favourite is a testament to this…

‘Why We Should All Be Feminists’ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Why We Should All Be Feminists is a 64-page long essay, containing a modified version of a TedEx talk that Adichie made in December 2012. This book should be required reading for every single person out there! Adichie articulately puts into words every feeling and belief I have ever considered about feminism, it is incredible.

I devoured this short book within an hour, soaking up every single brilliant word Adichie offered up.

‘The Cows’ Dawn O’Porter

The Cows is a brilliant and powerful novel about three modern women trying to find their own voice. It focuses on the topics of friendship, being a woman, social media and not following the herd.

I absolutely loved this book! This was another one that I binge read in one afternoon…. could not put it down.

‘Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and other lies’ Scarlett Curtis

This book is a compilation of around 40 different essays from a diverse range of celebrities, activists and artists, including Deborah Frances-White, Jameela Jamil and Keira Knightley. All of the essays focus on what the word feminism means to them. The aim of this collection is to inspire people to find their own voice and their own personal understanding of the world and the F word.

This collection is fabulous! It covers a wide range of topics and outlooks. I really enjoyed the insight into the collaborators lives and beliefs.

‘The Flatshare’ Beth O’Leary

The Flatshare follows two main characters, Tilly Moore and Leon Twomey, strangers who enter into a roommate deal where they share the same bed. Leon works night shifts and Tilly works during the day so for months they never even meet. Add in an obsessive ex, demanding jobs and a flat full of post-it notes, this is the ultimate romcom to escape into.

I devoured this book in one sitting, falling in love with Tilly and all of her quirks. This was the first book I read after not reading at all for 3 months, which also happened to be at the start of the first lockdown. It was the perfect book to both re-ignite my love for reading and provide a few hours of escapism.

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‘The Power’ Naomi Alderman

This dystopian satire imagines a world dominated by female power which makes you reflect on the world that we live in.

Similar to when I read The Handmaids Tale, this book left me shaken to my core, but in the best possible way.

‘The Silent Patient’ Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient follows the story of a therapist obsessed with uncovering the truth surrounding a woman who shot her husband five times in the chest.

This is the best thriller I have read in a while! It’s one of those books that when you finish it all you want to do is go back and read it again with fresh eyes. Michaelides’ writing is easy to understand but incredibly deep at the same time. This plot will keep you hooked until the end, unsure what has happened and how it is going to end. 

‘Cilka’s Journey’ Heather Morris

Cilka’s Journey is a piece of historical fiction, based on a true story, that tells the story of an Auschwitz survivor who is charged with Nazi collaboration and is subsequently sent to a Soviet labour camp.

Cilka’s story is heartbreaking.

Morris brings Cilka’s story to life in a brilliant way. This books is a great read for anyone who is even slightly interested in history. Bring the tissues!

There we go, the best 8 books I read in 2020. As you can probably tell I have a genre preference 🙂 I really love any form of feminist literature both fiction and non-fiction, but I don’t limit myself to this category.

3 Tips on How to Read More

#1 Read on a kindle or phone

I was anti-ebooks for so long until I admitted that it is so so much easier to read in this format. Not only can I read in any position, under any light and anywhere, I also read faster in this format.

#2 Make reading a habit

Adding reading into your daily routine, even if it is just 20 pages, will have you getting through more books. I like to start my day by reading, if I have a good book to wake up to I find I am less likely to snooze.

#3 You don’t have to finish them all!

If you are really hating a book don’t force yourself to finish it and potentially face a reading slump. Give the book around 30% then ditch if your still not gelling with it. This way you are making time for all the other great books out there.

What was the best book you read in 2020?