What is the best book you have read this year?

[TravellingSpoon]

Need some inspiration for my book challenge and know which ones to avoid from the other thread, but need some good reads.

Mine would definitely be A Gentleman in Moscow or The Women in the Castle.

[Meredithgrey1]

@Givemestrengthorgin

A little life by Hanya Yanagihara. Amazing book, one of the handful I will remember for the rest of my life.

I didn’t read this this year but I agree, absolutely loved it.

[Ylvamoon]

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
Sophie's Word by Jostein Gaarder

[allthingsred]

The midnight library (matt Heig)
Hero's ( Stephen fry)
& I revisited the harry Potter collection during lockdown 1 with my youngest... brilliant!

[badlydrawnbear]

A Little Life. I read most of it last year but finished it this year
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which is about the post-apocalyptic experiences of survivors of a novel strain of flu that wiped out almost the entire world, perfect reading for last spring

[SconNotScone]

Agreed with the suggestion of A Little Life. So good, difficult to read in parts, but just amazing!

[Didiusfalco]

I’ve been reading ya books for work mostly. Bearmouth is brilliant, I thought about it for ages afterwards.

[JacobReesMogadishu]

All That Remains. Sue Black. Female forensic anthropologist recounting past cases.

[theseriousmoonlight]

Troubled Blood
The Five

Reading Hamnet at the moment and it's fab.
Where the Crawdads Sing is next on my list and then after that I think I'll re-read Song of Achilles as so many people have mentioned it on reading threads recently. I loved Circe but can't really remember Achilles so I think I need to read it again!

[lookdeepintotheparka]

Ooh yes A Gentleman in Moscow was absolutely brilliant!

I'm reading The Giver of Stars now and really enjoying it.

Also loved The Family Upstairs (light but un-putdownable!) and Margaret Atwood's The Testaments.

Where the Crawdads Sing was slightly disappointing for me as the end let it down so badly (loved it until about half way through )

@Ylvamoon The Glass Palace is one of my favourite books ever along with the Sea of Poppies trilogy

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

All Among The Barley by Melissa Harrison

[Goinghome20]

Shuggie Bain

[Deadringer]

I read lots of great books this year but the stand out for me was Hamnet, i was utterly enthralled by it.

[xmasfairybuns]

There's another thread for this The best books you read in 2020? http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/whatweree_reading/4096577-The-best-books-you-read-in-2020

[twilightermummy]

Where the Crawdads sing. It was absolutely stunning.

[underneaththeash]

@ badlydrawnbear I was going to suggest station eleven as well. The audiobook is also really good.

[missyB1]

Everything I never told you.
Seven days of us.
All adults here.

[Molly333]

This is a good post . Can anyone help me from here as I'm looking for a book which is happy reading. I've had a spell of thrillers off my kindle and now nead a bit of a cheer up one please

[ouchmyfeet]

I've really enjoyed the Jackson Brodie novels by Kate Atkinson. I've actually loved every single one of her books that I've read, have a few to go

[Jennygentle]

Engleby by Sebastian Foukes

[Europilgrim]

Most enjoyable new book: The Mercies - although subsequently the author really annoyed me by getting another author sacked as a judge so I won't be reading anything else by her for a long while!

Most influential: Jog On - Bella Mackie as it actually got me running.

Most enjoyabl classic: They were Sisters - Dorothy Whipple. I had wanted to read some D. Whipple for a long while and I wasn't disappointed.

[Squeejit]

I’ve just finished Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. She’s the author who wrote the Girl on the Train, and this one’s even better.

[ouchmyfeet]

Also enjoyed Queenie by candice carty Williams and ghosts by dolly aldertono

[Oodlesofnoodles20]

Where the Crawdads sing was my favourite this year too. I’ve just bought it for my mum for Christmas (my copy was on Kindle or I’d have passed it on).

[downundergirl]

The Happiest Man on Earth
by Eddie Jaku

[LunaNorth]

Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo.
Lanny by Max Porter.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel.