5 Great Reads To Get Stuck Into This Month

Edging towards the end of the year leaves book lovers asking only one question – how many books did I read this year?! With us having experienced the most unprecedented (sorry, had to say it) year of our lives, for some people, the extra time spent at home meant we got plenty read, and for others, the stress and turmoil we’ve been living in meant reading a book was far from our minds.

Whether you’ve fallen off the reading bandwagon or want to squeeze in as many extra books before we bid farewell to 2020 once and for all, we have you covered. Check out 5 of our favourite 2020 reads, sure to get you turning pages.

The Switch by Amanda Byram

At 47, broadcaster Amanda Bryam is in the best shape of her life, mentally and physically. But for years she was trapped in a cycle of yo-yo dieting and self-criticism, chasing an ideal of perfection that she could never reach. In this book, she details how she got off the ‘perfection treadmill’ for good, sharing her tips and tricks for a happy, healthy life.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet 

Brit’s second novel, The Vanishing Half tells the story of identical twins, Desiree and Stella who were inseparable as children but go on to lead very different lives as adults. Exploring the topic of race and identity, the summary reads:

“After growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past.”

“Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect?”

The Magpie Society by Zoe Sugg and Amy Mcculloch 

YouTuber Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella) is no stranger to the world of publishing, but her previous ghostwritten efforts haven’t been received terribly well. Now, with the help of an equally credited co-author, she’s delving into the thriller genre. After a student is murdered at school, two classmates set out to solve the mysterious crime.

After The Silence by Louise O’ Neil

Described as a ‘Twisty page-turner of deadly secrets and an unsolves murder investigation’. After topping ‘best sellers’ lists with her previous three novels, Irish author Louise has tried her hand at writing a thriller, and if recent reports are anything to go by, her latest novel is proving to be a big success. The novel explores an unsolved murder, as a team of documentary makers set out to discover the truth.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama 

This memoir is the first of a planned two volumes that Barack Obama has written chronicling his tenure as President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. In A Promised Land, he describes the ‘balancing act’ of running for office as a black American, and how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters. A must-read for politics nuts.

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