❄ My Top 5 Favourite Books of 2020 ❄

‘Ello ‘Ello,

Well, let me just start by saying we made it! Can we all take a moment to praise the lord that 2020 is over? Yes, this year has been a complete mess but there are vaccines on the way so fingers crossed for a better 2021. To be truthful, I didn’t read a great deal in the first half of the year due to failing mental health. Then, the backend of 2020 hit, and all I wanted to do was read. Take a look at My Top 5 Favourite Reads of 2020.


Becoming by Michelle Obama
top 5 books - Becoming cover, an image of Michelle Obama

Technically, I listened to this one on Audible. We’ll leave the audiobook vs. paperback debate for another day. Becoming is the best audiobook I’ve listened to, granted I haven’t listened to many, but wow. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my borderline obsessive tweets about how soothing Michelle Obama’s voice is. No one could have narrated this book better than she did. Being able to hear Michelle’s backstory from her upbringing to where she and her family are now, was truly fascinating. There were equal amounts of heart-warming and heart-wrenching anecdotes from her time in-and outside of The White House. This isn’t a full review, for obvious reasons, but I feel like nothing I say about it could really do it justice. I highly recommend listening to this one.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
top 5 books - the year of the witching book cover with a girl with curly hair surrounded by trees and blood

The Year of the Witching was a refreshing change to psych thrillers for me, even if it was equally as dark. This book was chosen by our book club for October. We wanted spooky and dark and we got it with this one. It was definitely aimed at being a social commentary with themes of racism and religion. The ‘outsiders’ have ‘ebony skin’ and they aren’t allowed in the village, whereas the pale women are married and sexually assaulted by the evil Prophet. Then there is the protagonist, Imanuelle, a fierce and loyal, girl who aims to rid the town of Bethel of all evil. Don’t get me started on Ezra, my top fictional book crush of 2020.

If you want to read my full review, you can find it here.

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
top 5 books - The Best We Could Do cover with a pastel coloured sunset with a family of five on the cover.

To be perfectly honest, I’d never read a Graphic Novel before until I got this one. This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen/read. I was completely immersed in the story from the first page. The Best We Could Do is full of tragedy and heartbreak, but resilience and strength shine through to prove that in times of great darkness, light can always be found. Bui is grappling with the enormity of being a first-time mother and desperately trying to understand what it means to be a parent. In order to do this, she travels back through time to show the readers how her family escaped from South Vietnam after it fell in the 1970s to create new lives for themselves. I cannot recommend this Graphic Novel highly enough.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens
top 5 books, This Time Next Year cover with golden fireworks and cursive font.

I have been reading Holiday Romances as if they’re going out of fashion. Romances were never at the top of my TBR list until this December and I’ve torn through so many, but This Time Next Year has remained the top one for me. There is so much more to this book than lovey-dovey romance. Every character has such depth to them and the connection between Quinn and Minnie was a great addition to this book. I feel like this book not only shone a light on their budding romance, but it showed the character’s great hardships in finding themselves and helping those around them with their own issues. It’s jam-packed with sorrow, humor, friendships, and love that keep you coming back for more. I often found myself staying awake until 2am reading this one!

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
top 5 books, The Beekeeper of Aleppo cover

I had a feeling before I even began reading this book that it would break my heart. I couldn’t have been more right about that. Nuri and Afra face deadly situations to their desperation to flee their war-stricken home in Aleppo, Syria. You’re taken on a journey across the globe to visit the darkest places and the darkest parts of these character’s minds. It is a heart-breaker and a tearjerker that will change your perspective of the world.

Read my full review here.


What do you all make of My Top 5 Books of 2020? Did any of these books make your top five, too? I admit it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to five but these ones really stuck with me.

18 thoughts on “My Top 5 Favourite Books of 2020

    1. I loved Becoming! I have The Beekeeper of Aleppo on my shelf and I’m intending to read it soon. I love the sound of The Best We Could Do! It’s going on the TBR!

      1. It’s so beautiful. I never thought I’d be able to be fully immersed when reading a graphic novel but that one was everything. 😍

  1. I’ve been seeing The Year of the Witchling on a lot of lists and it sounds fantastic! My library has that one, so hopefully I can get to it next year. 🙂

  2. I haven’t read any of these books, but The Beekeeper of Aleppo and This Time Next Year sound like the kind of books I’d enjoy! Thanks for sharing!

    1. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook for Becoming, I feel hearing Michelle telling the story gives it a personal touch. It’s a lovely book isn’t it? So lovely to read and see the character development as the book goes on 🥰

      1. I’m not overly keen on audiobooks but I definitely need to try more so I’ll start with Becoming – thanks for the recommendation!

  3. Great list! I’ve not read most of these but I did get This Time Next Year as a Christmas present so I’ll definitely be giving it a go

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