My ten favourite books of 2020

Yes, it has been a crazy year. But when I look at my reading behaviour, it was quite a normal year. I had some trouble trying to read as many as last year after I lost my commute time, but in the end I managed to watch a lot less television so I was able to read more during the evening. And I read some great books! I tried to compile a list of my 10 favourites that I believe you should get your hands on too.

As I told you in my stats post of 2020: of the 39 books I read, there were three 5-star reads and twenty-two 4-star books. So, you can imagine putting together a list of only 10 great books wasn’t easy. But I will give it a try, starting with my three favourites.

The glass woman by Caroline Lea

I have spoken of this book a lot to anyone who wanted or didn’t want to hear it. This gothic novel offers an unique setting as it takes us to 17th century Iceland.

In the shadow of the crown by Patricia Bracewell

The first book in a trilogy about the life of Queen Emma Of Normandy. In this novel, she travels to England to marry the older King Aethelred only to fall in love with his son. In the meantime, the Danes are planning an attack on England to take the crown. An interesting historical saga for everyone looking for another setting than the world wars.

The poison bed by E.C. Fremantle

A man and his wife are both in The Tower suspected of the same crime. One of them confessed, the other pleads innocent. Only one of them is the murderer. This historical thriller with a high gone girl allure about the Thomas Overbury scandal at the Stuart court will keep you awake at night.

In the company of the courtisan by Sarah Dunant

A story about outcasts, friendship and art in Venice. You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy Dunant’s stories. They are here for the lovers of ‘la dulce vita’. Take a good glass of wine and let Dunant take you to renaissance Italy as no one can do that job better than she.

Milady by Laura L. Sullivan

Your favourite female villainess tells her story in this retelling of Dumas’ masterpiece. Follow the journey of Milady De Winter from a young girl on the English countryside to the most feared French spy. It will be quite a ride!

The silence of the girls – Pat Barker

A retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of Briseis, a Greek princess who becomes the slave girl of Achilles. It’s a brutal and slightly feminist story that will change your opinion about Achilles, mark my words. I’m looking forward to the sequel ‘the women of Troy’.

The foundling by Stacey halls

A story about two different women with their own problems and demons. Bess leaves her baby daughter at the Foundling hospital determined to come back for her whenever she has the financial means. Alexandra is a rich widow afraid to go outside, so she locks herself and her daughter into their home, only to go out to the chapel around the corner on Sundays in a carriage. When Bess returns for her daughter a few years later, she learns another woman has already claimed the child under Bess’ name.

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

Matthew Shardlake and Barak are again looking for a murderer, this time during Henry VIII’s progress to the North together with this fifth queen Catherine Howard. They also need to find some compromising documents about the monarchy itself. This was the best book in the series so far, but I do recommend starting with the first one, ‘Dissolution’.

The book thief – Marcus zusak

I finally read this story about a girl who loves reading during WOII, as everyone kept telling me I should. This is not your average WOII novel. It has an original perspective and wild imagination. A sad and hopeful story at the same time.

The silken rose by Carol McGrath

I was in doubt whether this would be my 10th book on the list or not. But I did choose the silken rose because I learned more about the life of Eleanor Of Provence, a forgotten queen, and Carol McGrath was a new-to-me author who I’ll look out for in 2021.

Other historical books that deserve a mention here are Queen of the north by Anne O’ Brien, Valhalla by Alan Robert Clark and the autumn throne, the final of Elizabeth Chadwicks books about Eleanor Of Aquitaine.

Have you read any of these? What was your favourite book of 2020?