Best Books 2020

For those who loved Where the Crawdads Sing (I did too), you can also buy one of the books mentioned in the novel, that inspired the author “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold - www.amazon.com/County-Almanac-Outdoor-Essays-Reflections/dp/0345345053/ref=pd_sbs_14_2/131-0310971-2784062?psc=1&pf_rd_p=ed1e2146-ecfe-435e-b3b5-d79fa072fd58&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=Z079L&pf_rd_r=FY768W8ZBEC7RH2YZR1N&pd_rd_i=0345345053&pd_rd_w=WLIkq&tag=gransnetforum-21&refRID=FY768W8ZBEC7RH2YZR1N&pd_rd_r=6bb15517-601a-4002-94f2-b3eea691bd95
My DH has just started reading it, and says it’s well written and interesting

Thank you everyone for sharing your favorite books of 2020 and Happy New Year to all-

‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller. Mesmerising. Couldn’t put it down.
‘The Mirror and the Light’ by Hilary Mantell. A superb and fitting finish to her Cromwell trilogy.
‘Sightlines’ by Kathleen Jamie. A fascinating perspective on the natural world.

Now we're nearly at the end of the year, my updated list of best reads:

American Dirt - Jeanine Cumming
Asta's Book - Barbara Vine
Where The Crawdad's Sing - Delia Owens
Lady In Waiting - Ann Glenconner
Troubled Blood - Robert Galbraith
The Other Passenger - Louise Candlish
Machines Like Me - Ian McEwan
The Golden Rule - Amanda Craig

The Salt Path.
Shuggie Bain.
The Memory Keepers Daughter.

So many excellent suggestions!

Shuggie Bain. Harrowing but as good as Dickens' Hard Times. Brilliant writer.

I have just read Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh... a crime thriller that keeps you hooked.

All of Nina Stibbe’s books. Autobiographical, very funny, sometimes rude, romps through her early life and into adulthood. Easy to read and such a trip down memory lane of 70s and 80s.

Published quite a while ago and available on Kindle: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

I love the two Sara Baum books and hoping she will write a third but she says she doesn't like writing.

I have to say, I know I'm a real saddo. My standout book of the year was Apocalypse Never by Michael Schellenberger. I'm an evironmentalist and I found it truly illuminating. My favourite ever is Black Beauty. I was given it as a child, about 8. It was a hardback and I read it so much the spine fell off and so did the covers. I can truly say it is my favourite book of all time. I'm now 65 and I would read it again in a heartbeat.

I've just finished "Troubled Blood" , I love the Comeron Strike books and thoroughly enjoyed this one. I believe she has plans for another 5 so it might be a while before they get together.
I've also re-read Wuthering Heights for the umpteenth time, it really is a brilliant book but at my age I see Heathcliffe for what he is and not the romantic rebel I found when I first read it as a teenager.

Saving Missy - Beth Morrey
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Susan Hill's latest Simon Serrailler novel (afraid I've forgotten the title!)

The Roselynde Chronicles by Roberta Gellis and other historical books by her. I read and reread them.
Most books by Jude Deveraux
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
In a lighter vein, the Puffin Island trilogy by Sarah Morgan and most books by Millie Johnson

just to say thanks very much for all those fantastic suggestions - I've just run out of books and am desperate for some recommendations! Quite agree about 10 mins by Elif Shafak - superb book as are her others. Also can recommend anything by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Most disappointing - Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and The Light, the previous two in the trilogy were brilliant, this one not so much.

I 'fourth' All the Light We Cannot See.

Also enjoyed 'The Garden of Evening Mists', about Malaya just after WW2.

After watching The Singapore Grip on TV I read the book, by J G Farrell. The series was good, but the book is brilliant!

I also enjoyed Alexandra Schulman's memoir, Clothes and Other Things That Matter.

I "third" All the Light we cannot See. Brilliant book. I also bought the DVD.

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett. A prequel to Pillars of the Earth, which I absolutely loved.
American Dirt remained with me, long after I read it.

I second “all the light we cannot see” Anthony Doerr. One of the best books ever.

The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett
Twins, inseparable as children, ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds: one black and one white

Read with my book club

Just wanted to say how much I loved Elizabeth Strout’s books. She is a great writer.

I read a lot of books [I belong to a Book Club] and these are my favourites from the past year:

‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke. Absolutely wonderful. I am waiting for the sequel to ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’
‘The Mirror and the Light’ by Hilary Mantell. A tour de force.
Lady in Waiting by Lady Glenconner. A hoot, but often very sad.
‘The Other Bennet sister’ by Janice Hadlow. The best of all the Austen sequels.
‘Film Stars don’t die in Liverpool’ by Peter Turner. A brilliant true story.
‘Hamnet’ by Maggie O’Farrell. Moving and beautifully written.
‘Between the Stops: The View of my life from the top of the No. 12 Bus’ by Sandy Toksvig. The sort of book I wish I could write.
‘The Neapolitan Quartet’ by Elena Ferrante. A real discovery.
‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig. Another book I wish I could write.
‘On Chapel Sands’ by Laura Cummings. A real detective story.
‘Motherwell’ by Deborah Orr. Very moving.
‘To the end of the World’ by Rupert Everett. This is beautifully written and hilarious. Everett is a proper writer and doesn’t use a ghost writer.
‘Patchwork, A Life among Clothes’ by Claire Wilcox. I love the V&A and this lady is the Senior Curator for Fashion. I am listening to an online talk given by her next week.
‘A Promised Land’ by Barak Obama. I have barely started this book but already I am learning so much about the American electoral system.

Mine are books I've read with my book group mainly-

The Gustav Sonata - Rose Tremain. I've read several of hers, all of which I liked, but this is one is exceptional.
All The Light We Cannot See- Anthony Duerr - beautifully written with wonderful characters.
The Reader - Bernhard Schlink - caused some disagreement in the group, but a fascinating read.
And another mention for The Tattoist of Auschwitz.

Looking forward to this year's readings which will include Where the Crawdads Sing.