Reading Round-Up: November/December 2020

I think it's pretty safe to say that we will all be happy to finally see the end of 2020! What a year it's been - a global pandemic, lockdowns around the world, and plenty of worry and heartache for us all. So, let's try not to dwell on 2020 any longer than we have to - tomorrow is a brand new year! 

Join me as I wrap up the last few months of 2020, sharing all my bookish news from November and December and looking ahead to 2021.

2020: My Year in Review

Somehow, it's December, and there are only a few days left of the year. It's safe to say that 2020 hasn't turned out the way any of us planned this time last year, but it's certainly been memorable and it won't be forgotten in a hurry! 

In amongst all the talk of COVID-19, Brexit, and social distancing, it has been difficult to find some semblance of normality to remind us of brighter times. However, despite all the doom and gloom, that thin thread of hope is still there, shining in the darkness and making sure we keep doing our best and working towards a time - hopefully in the not-too-distant future - where all this is just a bad memory.

Until then, though, I'm back with my annual round-up of the past year. 2020 was always going to be a difficult one, thanks to the pandemic and everything else happening around the world right now, but I've done my best to pick out the flowers among the weeds from what has been a challenging year for us all. 

2019 was a pretty good year, but what positives did 2020 hold for me? 

My Top 5 Books of 2020

It's certainly been a strange year, yet at least lockdown has meant more time for reading! As the time for another annual reading round-up draws closer, I've put my thinking cap on to decide my top five books of 2020.

In early December, I smashed past my target goal of reading 50 books in 2020. This year has been a bumper one for my reading habits, where not only have I read more books than I've managed since 2016, but I've also read more pages across those books than I have since 2013! 

But with so many books under my belt, it's been even harder to narrow down my favourites this year. However, after a lot of deliberation, I've finally managed to come up with my top five books of 2020!

Book Review: The Chosen Ones by Scarlett Thomas

Last Updated: 30 April 2025

AD* | Effie Truelove has just been expelled from magic class and now she can’t even get back to the Otherworld—the place she most loves and where she feels she belongs. If she can find a copy of The Chosen Ones by Laurel Wilde to give her father then she might be able to fix everything.

The only problem is that there are suddenly no copies of the book anywhere, because Albion Freake, the richest man in the world, is paying for them to be destroyed so that he can own the single-volume limited edition that publisher Skylurian Midzhar is making for him.

Raven Wilde’s witch’s intuition tells her there’s something suspicious about Skykurian’s plan, but she’s not sure what it is.

And Maximilian has somehow managed to go missing deep in Napoleonic Europe.

Will the five friends from Dragon’s Green - Effie, Raven, Maximilian, Lexy, and Wolf—be able to combine their skills again to save the world from the Diberi? And can they get away from Terrence Deer-Hart, the children’s author who seems a bit too interested in Effie’s life?

Book Review: The Open House by Sam Carrington

Last Updated: 30 April 2025

AD* | Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves...

Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their Devon family home. But despite the desirable location, the house isn’t moving. Not a single viewing so far.

When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber agrees, even as she worries about their gossiping neighbours attending and snooping around their home.

But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people enter her house that afternoon, and only twelve leave.

Someone doesn't want the house to sell, and is willing to do anything to stop it...