My Top 10 Books of 2020 // my favourite reads the year

I know it's a little late for this kind of post but better late than never right?

Usually picking out favourites from a year's worth of reading is a slightly daunting thing & its hard to narrow down the list. But this time, the ten books that did make this list stood out from all the rest and it was easy to pick my very favourites.

All of these books are so dear to my heart & I already cannot wait to reread all of them!

So without further ado, here are my top ten reads of 2020 in the order in which I read them.

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell // 4 stars

"Mary Barton, the heroine of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, is beautiful but has been born poor. Her father fights for the rights of his fellow workers, but Mary wants to make a better life for them both. She rashly decides to reject her lover Jem, a struggling engineer, in the hope of marrying the rich mill-owner's son Henry Carson and securing a safe future. But when Henry is shot down in the street and Jem becomes the main suspect, Mary finds herself hopelessly torn between them. She also discovers an unpleasant truth - one that could bring tragedy upon everyone and threatens to destroy her."

If someone asked me what book made me fall in love with classic literature, I would answer with Mary Barton.

This was the very first book I read in 2020 & it was also my first Gaskell book. 

I must say it was a brilliant book to begin the year with! I adored it so much that it has made its way onto my list of all-time favourites.   

To summarize Mary Barton in my own words, it follows the story of a young woman, Mary Barton, and other wonderful characters through a period of immense poverty and suffering of the working classes in the 1840s and how it affects each of them as well as how each person deals with it.

Mary's father John Barton, becomes more and more resentful towards the rich and well off classes under whom he and many others are employed. He continues to become embittered against the richer classes until he is driven to act in a drastic way that is to have deep repercussions on all those around him.

Without her father's knowledge, since it would greatly displease him, Mary is courted by the son of a rich mill-owner, Harry Carson, who represents everything that John Barton resents. (see my full Goodreads review)

This book completely exceeded all my expectations and I highly recommend you pick it up if you haven't before. It's such an underrated classic in my opinion! 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier // 5 stars

"On a trip to the South of France, the shy heroine of Rebecca falls in love with Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower. Although his proposal comes as a surprise, she happily agrees to marry him. But as they arrive at her husband's home, Manderley, a change comes over Maxim, and the young bride is filled with dread. Friendless in the isolated mansion, she realises that she barely knows him. In every corner of every room is the phantom of his beautiful first wife, Rebecca, and the new Mrs de Winter walks in her shadow."

Another first for me and one that did not disappoint! I read it during lockdown in Autumn & it was the perfect gothic read as it felt both cosy & chilling at the same time.

Rebecca is a very gripping novel that captures you from the first page and doesn't let go until the last sentence.

Chapter by chapter, I was slowly drawn in by the intriguing plot, the beautiful descriptions that made you feel as though you were there, the mystery and the slight suspense as things lead up to a climax. (see my full Goodreads review)

It was so good and I'm hoping I enjoy the rest of her novels just as much.

If you have never read a Daphne du Maurier book, this is a great one to start with! 

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie // 5 stars 

"On a French golf course, a millionaire is found stabbed in the back…

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course.

But why is the dead man wearing his son’s overcoat? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse…"

Last year I decided to start reading through all Agatha Christie's Poirot novels in the order in which Goodreads arranged them. So The Murder on the Links was my second one and I loved it so, so much!

Firstly, I don't understand how Agatha Christie can pack so much into a short 200-something page book! The rollercoaster ride she takes you on in this book is crazy and keeps you turning the pages until the very end. 

I adored how Poirot & Hastings interacted in this book, there where several humorous moments between them and also some rather endearing ones.

The ending was shocking but that is all I am going to say on that matter.

All in all, this book is phenomenal and shall always be one of my very favourite Poirot mysteries.

(read my full review here)

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl // 5 stars

"Kaely Quinn's talents as an FBI behaviour analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she's demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis.

When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely's, the reporter's ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem's predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis.

Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer before anyone else--including Kaely herself--is killed."

There were several things I especially liked about this book that set it apart from the other suspense fiction I've read but I'll put one right here (if you'd like to read my full review, click here).

The thing that impressed me the most was the prominent faith content.

Usually, in books similar to this, a somewhat cliche and cheesy Christian message is simply slipped in somewhere in the story as though just to make it qualify for being labelled as Christian fiction (in my experience anyway).

This wasn't the case with Mind Games. Kaely has several conversations with Noah about her faith and the writer also points out Kaely's own struggles and how she depends on Christ to help her through even the darkest of times.

I desperately need to get my hands on the next two books in the series! 

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers // 5 stars

"California's Gold Country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hated alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea, who obeys God's call to marry Angel and love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.

But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does . . . the One who will never let her go."

How does one even begin to talk about this book? I finally read it after hearing Jenna (@jennavanmourik) rave about it countless times and I quickly discovered why it has captured so many reader's hearts over the years.

It writing sucked me in from the very beginning and I was so engrossed in the story from then on.

I loved the characters in this book. They all felt very raw and real and I became quite attached to them by the end of it all. 

This was an emotional rollercoaster of a book but I am sure it will touch your soul in one way or another! (read my full review)

The Freja Peachtree Series (3 books) // 4 stars

"For the first ten years of Freja's life, she and her mother Clementine have roamed the Arctic in search of zoological wonders. Happy, content, together. Freja and Clem. Clem and Freja. But now, everything is changing, and Clementine must send Freja away to live with her old friend Tobias, a bestselling crime writer and, quite possibly, the most absent-minded man on earth. Tobias isn't used to life with a child, and Freja isn't used to people at all, but together they'll stumble into an Italian adventure so big that it will change things forever."

What a sweet & delightful series this was!

Freja Peachtree and her mother Clemintine, share a strong bond. Clemintine is Freja's entire world until one day when they must be separated for a time.

That's when Freja is placed in the care of the absent-minded, best-selling crime writer Tobias Appleby and an adventure unfolds as they take a trip to Rome and become tangled up in a mystery and Italian culture. It was funny, had me smiling and giggling and feeling warm and fuzzy.

There are three books in this series and they are all equally sweet & endearing. 

The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome (review)

The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Provence (review)

The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne (review)

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie // 5 stars

"The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ Yet in this exotic setting,’ nothing is ever quite what it seems…" 

I read this along with some friends & it was such a fun experience to discuss who we thought had done it and throw our suspicions around. 

Death on the Nile was set up so well and we get to meet the characters and become familiar with them in the opening chapters of the book before any of the real action begins.

I just love Poirot and his interactions with all the passengers on the steamer on its way down the Nile.

He can be compassionate and feeling when it is needed, and I love seeing this aspect of his personality.

I had the inkling that I knew who did it, as I had seen the David Suchet movie adaptation but I only finally remembered who it was during the final few chapters. I was still surprised and amazed when the killer was revealed! (my review)

Greenglass House by Kate Milford // 4 stars 

"It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves."

As you can see, I got into middle-grade fiction last year. I picked this up after I'd heard several people talk about it on YouTube and Instagram. I read it around Christmas time and even though its summertime when we celebrate Christmas, I loved feeling those cosy white Christmas feels through reading this book.

"The smells of baking ham and pies and bubbling cranberry sauce with orange drifted through the first floor to mingle with the pine and bayberry and peppermint scents of the candles."

The mystery was so well done and there was such a variety of characters to read about. 

I can't wait to read the rest of the series and revisit Greenglass House!

Bonus mentions:

Those are my top ten, but here are a few honourable mentions I wanted to add.

~ The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 

I read this entire series for myself for the first time last year and thoroughly enjoyed them.

~ Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot 

Such a good book & it really helped me during a particular season of my life last year. 

~ Kingdom's Dawn (Kingdom #1) by Chuck Black 

I began this series and really enjoyed the allegorical storytelling. 

~ Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott

I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as Little Women, which will al be dear to my heart!

Have you read any of my top ten books? What did you think?

keep blooming,

Hannah