2020 hasn’t been good for many things but has been a great year for catching up on your reading. Spending all that time at home has forced us to use our time to do things we wouldn’t usually or have time to do! If you’re looking to continue your reading marathon or get lost in a new book, we have the Amazon top 10 fictional best sellers of 2020 right here.
1.Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Delia Owens’ debut novel explores Kya Clark’s journey through a life of solitude, living in the wild. The people of Barkley Cove had heard rumours of the “Marsh Girl” for years. When one of their own is found dead, she becomes an immediate point of suspicion. Kya is a total naturalist with skills to survive alone learned from the land. The novel is a coming-of-age story as Kya begins to feel the urges of companionship. Drawn to two men who visit the village, Kya begins to experience another world as she battles with what she knows with the demands of polite society.
2. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Initially an online sensation, Charlie Mackesy’s masterpiece is brought together in a picture book which follows a lonesome boy wandering through the countryside. The boy comes across companions, firstly the mole, then the other animals in the title. The conversations among the new friends revolve around some of life’s biggest questions. The characters of the Mole and the Horse offer reassurance, whereas the fox is generally a silent character. The illustrations form a loose narrative with no definitive plot and form the musings of a child in a world of uncertain times.
3.The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to a sought-after photographer. They have what seems like a perfect life until, one day, she shoots him five times in the face. She then refuses to speak from that point onwards. She is kept from the press at a forensic unit in North London while her artwork gains excellent value, and she becomes a famous figure in the eyes of the public. This psychological thriller has been described as a page-turner and promises to transport readers through a great mysterious plot.
4.Normal People by Sally Rooney
Lead characters Connell and Marianne, are from two different social groups at school and pretend not to know each other. Connell is popular while Marianne prefers privacy and alone time. Finding themselves at the same University in Dublin, Marianne becomes more adjusted and more social, while Connell becomes shier. Although the two stray towards other people, they always find themselves back together. The novel’s themes of first love and societal and family pressures explore just how far Connell and Marianne will go to save one another.
5.The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder club is Osman’s debut novel. Once a week, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron meet in the jigsaw room of a peaceful retirement village to discuss the mysteries of unsolved crimes. One of the local developers turns up dead with a mysterious photograph laid next to the body. Although these four friends may be knocking on eighty years old, they put their skills to the test and try to catch the killer.
6.Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Alison is a lawyer on the rise, and she has just been given her first murder case. She seems to be living the dream with a caring husband and an adorable daughter. However, her personal life is falling apart. Alison is drinking too much and engaging in an affair with a colleague who pushes the boundaries. Alison's client admits to stabbing her husband and wants to plead guilty. Helping the woman in her case may hold the key to Alison saving her own life too.
7.Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Bernardine Evaristo explores the lives of twelve characters, who are all British, black and mostly women. The characters tell the stories of the characters as they reveal their stories about their families and personal lives. Girl, Woman, Other is a dynamic account of the times in which we live and has been described as “vibrantly contemporary” and “joyfully polyphonic”.
8.The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
The Flatshare is a quirky romantic comedy. The situation seems perfect, although a little unorthodox. Leon Twomey works at night and needs a little extra cash, and Tiffy Moore needs an inexpensive flat. The two roommates have not yet met and on top of that, find themselves having to juggle the challenges of obsessive exes, a brother who is in prison despite his innocence and demanding clients.
9.Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Young Hugh - “Shuggie” is growing up in the 1980s amidst the policy reform of Margaret Thatcher. Many men and sons are out of work, and times are tough. His mother, Agnes, is both caring and supportive of her son. Still, with a philandering husband, she keeps her pride in looking good and escapes to cans of extra-strong lager. Draining away the share of each week's benefits on her habits, Shuggie battles as he tries to be a “normal child”.
10.The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Nuri and Afra live a simple life as husband and wife in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Nuri is a beekeeper. His wife, Afra, is an artist. The outbreak of war destroys their ideal life, and they are forced to flee the country. Physically blinded by witnessing scenes too terrible to comprehend, Afra cannot see. She and Nuri must take on a journey through Turkey and Greece to get to Britain, where they hope to find a future.
What are you reading as we close out 2020?
2020 has been a tough one for everyone, but it has produced a great best sellers list. Enjoy the holiday season by curling up next to the fire with one of these delights or gift them to a loved one as the perfect stocking filler.
