The Best Books I Read in 2020!

[@JasmineReads]

Oooh Pain and Prejudice sounds fascinating! And very relevant to a lot of things going on in my personal life right now. I'll definitely check it out. Also, The Bass Rock! One that's been on my radar for ages. Loved watching you chat, Lauren 💗

[@PriscaL]

First video I've seen from your channel and I really liked these recs! I really liked The Black Flamingo and Such a Fun Age too! Girl, Woman, Other is a rollover of my TBR from last year to this year

[@YourTrueShelf]

I remember you reading a lot of these, esp if you vlogged them. Such a fun age made my list too. I really need to read The Bass Rock, it's been on so many lists. Pain & prejudice also sounds like a very important read.

[@misskit123]

I also read Black Flamingo and Girl, Woman, Other last year and enjoyed them both (have you read Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo? I think I liked it more!), and I listened to Black and British - A Forgotten History a few years ago on audio. The Heart's Invisible Furies is the book some of my friends and I have decided to buddy read so it's good to know we made a good choice! I also own Such A Fun Age but I haven't got around to it yet. Every other book you mentioned has gone right on my tbr, or I've just used some of my Audible credits on them. This was a great video, thank you for the recommendations! I read 87 books last year. My top 10 in no particular order are: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton Morgan The Overstory by Richard Powers (this is another 'tapestry of stories' kind of book and I would really recommend it if you haven't already read it) Coming Undone by Terri White Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo Normal People by Sally Rooney The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

[@kyriaki9]

I'm from Cyprus, and I only just heard about The Black Flamingo. It sounds so interesting to read. Thank you!

[@zelda._.]

Thank you so so much for not just talking about ya or fantasy books like every other booktuber. So refreshing!!!

[@crazybooklady8682]

I just found the Dutch edition of The Cut Out Girl in a little free library and I''m excited to read it!

[@cherylynlarking191]

The next bookclub book for me is Girl, Woman Other. Thanks for the great review on it. Can't wait to read it.

[@sandra7319.]

We shared some top books -- The Hearts Invisible Furies and the Cut Out Girl....I was so ignorant of the role of the Netherlands in WWIi...This year I'm all about the Burqa...

[@vanessalaughtland4417]

Girl, Woman, Other was my number one book of 2020 as well, such an amazing vibrant read! I'd also really recommend the short story Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, it was incredible and also a 5 star read for me :)

[@LaurenWade]

I loved that one too! 🙌🏻

[@elenasanchez9282]

Hi, Lauren! I’ve missed you! So glad you’re back! Thanks for all the great recommendations! Looking forward to reading Such a fun age, The Bass Rock and The black Flamingo! Take care!

[@criss8836]

Lauren, As a non English speaker, I'd like to thank you. It's not always easy to watch videos in different languages and understand everything. But you make this happen for me. Your tone and accent are clear and somehow reassuring. It's always a pleasure listening to you, not only you grow my TBR but you also help me improving my English. Thank You! All the best to you and your family 👨‍👩‍👦😘💐

[@OliviasCatastrophe]

I love videos like this so much!! And I really want to read it's not about the burqa. It sounds important and amazing. Wow I had not heard of pain and prejudice at all but I think this is such an important book and I am so intrigued. Adding it to my tbr list right now. I just read the black flamingo this month and head over heels ADORED it so much. I related to a lot of elements to it as well. I love issue books so much so I understand... I really love reading to either learn or understand. With the occasional escapism to ease up the mix :P Such a fun age is one I am going to read this year for sure! I feel like black and british can be seen as the british version of stamped from the beginning... going to be picking that one up for sure. Thank you for growing my tbr list ^.^

[@HamzaTalksFootball]

I read 5 Shakespeare plays in 2020 and one so far in 2020. It is so different reading them now Vs what you had to read an excerpt from them in school for. Julius Caesar Romeo and Juliet Macbeth A Midsummer Night's Dream (personal favourite) The Tempest 2021 Twelfth Night. Also read about 15-16 other books and lots of classics amongst them. Made the most of my lockdowns. 😂 Have you got a Goodreads profile?

[@zuzanatimulakova5041]

What a great list! I just love the was you talk about books - you make me want to pick up all of the ones I haven’t read yet! 🙃

[@lauraevans6285]

I havent read any of these but I've noted down quite a few of the non fictions to request the audiobooks for. The black flamingo, such a fun age and the bass rock keep coming up on these lists and im so drawn to them so perhaps I'll find them in the library ❤ my favourite book this year was The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

[@aed2069]

Silly me: “wow. I’ve read most of these!” Duh, you bought them when Lauren recommended them throughout the year! Love these reviews! Thanks for enriching my 2020 reading life!

[@LaurenWade]

Hahaha, oh my goodness, my work here is done! ❤️❤️❤️

[@rachelmatthews8489]

Yes! Same! I've read or bought at least half of these titles because of Lauren's thoughtful insights.

[@RebeccaBooks]

Omg you are literally so relaxing to watch!!!

[@VelvetLibrary]

I was a bit on the fence about Such a Fun Age but your review of it has sold me!

[@julierogers1155]

I read Such A Fun Age and do not recommend the book. It has been several months ... I am trying to remember my objections (multiple). I read it for my book club, and at least one other member shared my criticisms. IF I can recall more precisely my thoughts on it I will return here and share them. I do remember thinking parts seemed too similar to some other recent reads ... Little Fires Everywhere (published 2 years before Fun Age). What I do remember is the overall feeling that the African American main character seemed not fully drawn, and the "white" characters as simplified caricatures. It was lacking, fell short, in my opinion.

[@christinacampbellbooks]

Definitely want to read Such a Fun Age this year. It sounds wonderful.

[@RebeccaBooks]

Pain and prejudice sounds absolutely amazing! I find that so interesting and I really want to read it now!

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

Love this video and your amazing channel love John

[@Kaapitoons]

Nice books.i would like to recommend "Hidden secrets of Billionaires by PR Menon"

[@GKReads]

So many books on here I loved! Definitely going to check out Pain and Prejudice :)

[@adrastea2]

Pain and Prejudice sounds very interesting. It's remind of another book I want to read Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women's Health and What We Can Do About It

[@Ma_BaP]

Yay you're back! It was so funny, right after Christmas all of the vlogmasses stopped, it felt like that the whole of booktube took a break, and I went through a bit of a "withdrawal phase"! Oh the silence! 😂 Anyway, great selection of books you've got here. I've written down a few (The Bass Rock and Such a Fun Age in particular, for when I can stomach something stronger than middle grade). 2020 was weird. I didn't feel like I massively connected with anything I've read, I read an insane amount of YA considering I mostly don't enjoy that genre! But overall, the main theme of my favourites were 'smart'. I love something lyrical, atmospheric, emotional, but this year my brain needed more stimulation than my heart. So all of my favs were, amongst other qualities, smart, crafty, clever. The Black Flamingo is also on my top reads. It was indeed so joyful whilst touching on all of these cumulative issues. How do you do that! In a similar vein, I loved With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. It's another YA book that's super joyful, despite the protagonist facing issues like teen pregnancy, race, poverty, dead mother, absentee father, and conflicted career dreams. It was so breezy and positive, and informative as well! Saltwater by Jessica Andrews and The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton stayed with me a while after I read them. The first one because it's so intimate and poetic, even if it drags on a little bit sometimes, the second because it's so so smart. I love when you come out of a book feeling like you've actually spent time getting to know a character, while acknowledging the talent of the author for shaping the whole thing. Otherwise, Nevermoor 3, The Hollowpox was a nice way to close off the year (this middle grade saga is so clever and fun. This last one also deals with a 'magical' pandemic, it was eerie to see how it correlates with our world at times). And the rest are French books: essays linking Game of Thrones and philosophy (one book was trying to make sense out of the last season with the help of philosophy, quite brilliant), cute feminists MG comics, and a hilarious christmas story, with a cast of characters that were just as outrageous as the Derry Girls. It weaves together so many heavy themes into a precious comedy. *chef's kiss* (sorry this comment is the length of an essay!)

[@julierogers1155]

I would LOVE to have your books recommendations in a list form. I think I lost my way towards the end of your comment post and am not sure what is what.

[@Ma_BaP]

@@julierogers1155 Oh sure, sorry if I've been confusing, I do tend to ramble a lot! Hope it helps :) - The Black Flamingo, by Dean Atta - With The Fire on High, by Elizabeth Acevedo - Saltwater, by Jessica Andrews - The Miniaturist, by Jessie Burton - The Hollowpox, The Hunt For Morrigan Crow (Book 3 of the Nevermoor saga), by Jessica Townsend - (bonus) The Familiars, by Stacey Halls Books in French: - Game of Thrones, Une Fin Sombre et Pleine de Terreur, by Marianne Chaillan - Game of Thrones, Une Métaphysique des Meurtres, by Marianne Chaillan - Falalalala, by Emilie Chazerand

[@julierogers1155]

No need to apologize, I struggle (a bit) with reading comprehension. Yet, I still LOVE to read! Thank you for the list!

[@ReadABookGem]

This is a fantastic selection of books. I really want to read Such A Fun Age. Pain and Prejudice sounds like such an interesting but infuriating book! I hope you find many more favourite books this year too 😊

[@reading_with_k]

It's Not About the Burqa is on my TBR and I haven't heard anyone talking about! So happy to hear that it's wonderful!

[@ScullyPop]

Hey Lauren 💃🙋 I love hearing about your best reads 📚 I could listen to your accent for hours 🎧

[@LeanneRose]

What an amazing list of books 😍 A couple of these were in my top books too! I've not read It's Not About the Burqa yet but I'm really excited to

[@0LauraRubio0]

I've read far more books than normal, this year! And I've finally decided to create my Booktube channel, so I suppose that 2020 it's going to be a unique year (fingers crossed 🤣). One of my favourite books this year was "Burial rites" by Hannah Kent and it's curious because I didn't see it coming when I was reading it back in August, but now it's one of the books that have stayed with me the most. Happy new year, Lauren 🌟

[@julierogers1155]

Do you mean 2021 ?

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

The Good People by Hannah Kent is also unforgettable ☘️👋

[@0LauraRubio0]

@@julierogers1155 😬 No. I just was thinking that I prefer that 2020 remain in our memories as the most weird and awful year ever and never repeat, please. 😂

[@julierogers1155]

@@0LauraRubio0 ah, got it now. Thanks.

[@EmmaRosenBooks]

It's not about the burqa sounds amazing

[@lauraserafina5242]

Thank god I already own a few of these books, because now I need to read them ALL!

[@LittleLibrarian]

Pain and Prejudice sounds like a really good read. You may like Invisible Women by Caroline Perez if you haven’t read it already. It’s about data bias, similar to when you were talking about the studies on heart disease. It was a very upsetting but insightful read.

[@Larissa_KD]

I've immediately bought Pain and Prejudice for my ereader, it sounds so good! I also can't wait for the paperback of The Bass Rock to come out!

[@junpi8562]

I read a book about British women in prison a few years ago. The thing that shocked me above anything else was that a wing in a men's prison that had been closed down because the conditions were so terrible for the inmates mental health, was quietly reopened as a women's prison. (I thought it was Styal but according to google that's always been a women's prison). It was even worse for the women as all their food was prepared by male prisoners, and it took years of campaigning for it to be closed.

[@LaurenWade]

Jesus, that’s dreadful!

[@junpi8562]

@@LaurenWade It was Durham H Wing, just remembered. Yeah, terrible.

[@tinaw94]

Oh I devoured Black & British this year too, loved it! Especially loved how accessibly written it was, nonfiction can be kinda daunting with the amount of facts and dates and names but I didn't feel that with this one at all

[@ellie9549]

I just finished The Heart’s Invisible Furies and I completely agree about the ending being a little too sickly sweet! 😂 But I really enjoyed it overall! And if you were ever looking for something similar, I’d definitely recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It gave me a similar feeling as I was reading Boyne’s novel and then I found out he dedicated the book to Irving, so no wonder! 😆

[@LaurenWade]

Ah amazing, thanks for the recommendation!

[@clairepaley6735]

I also loved Pain and Prejudice, and am surprised so few are discussing it!

[@LaurenWade]

I know, it affected me so much! I feel like everyone needs to read it xx

[@anshumanyadav9433]

This video was somehow so therapeutic to watch. Thanks, Lauren! Hope you're doing well. :')

[@OlenskasBibliotek]

The Black Flamingo was my first book of the year - it was so cute! Girl, Woman, Other, It's not anout the Burqa and Such a fun age are all on my TBR :-)

[@SimplyErinful]

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is the only book that made me sob uncontrollably this year but John Boyne apparently wrote a children’s book about a trans boy in 2019 which many trans people have deemed offensive and inaccurate. I believe he also came out in support of JK Rowling but it looks like the tweets have since be deleted. So whilst I absolutely adored The Heart’s Invisible Furies I’m really not keen to support him now...

[@LaurenWade]

Ooh, I hadn’t heard that, thanks for flagging! x

[@SimplyErinful]

@@LaurenWade no problem! I didn’t realise until Emma from Drinking by my Shelf brought it up in her video.

[@MarianaLovesBooks]

All these books sound amazing! Alas, this year wasn't great for me in terms of reading. Rom-com style books (sophie kinsella, sally thorne) were the highlight of the year. That style of books were a real escape in 2020...

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

Some recommendations for you from my favourites of 2020 Humankind by Rutger Bergman House On Endless Waters by Emuna Elon Say Nothing by Patrick Raden Keefe ☘️ Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue All That Remains by Professor Sue Black Actress by Ann Enright ☘️ The Erratics by Vicki Laveau Harvie 🇨🇦 Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd Piranesi by Susanna Clarke The Less Dead by Denise Mina The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer A Woman is No Man The Good People by Hannah Kent The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave After The Silence by Louise O’Neill Home Stretch by Graham Norton 📚☘️📖👋🤗🦋☕️

[@MaryAmongStories]

🌻💛

[@dallasnateweyes3288]

Book 📖 in 2020

[@Magicme79]

These books all sound so interesting :D My TBR just grew

[@laurasalo6160]

How unbelievably boring.

[@HappyBear376]

You can not be pakistani in Britain by diktat. You are rather cosseted and ill-infirmed. I fear your man may not be the best. I'm glad you like betè.