{"id":9365,"date":"2025-01-08T22:19:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T22:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/2020-and-all-that-and-my-top-ten-books\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T22:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T22:19:17","slug":"2020-and-all-that-and-my-top-ten-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=9365","title":{"rendered":"2020 and all that and my top ten books."},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
2020 has been crap! I don’t think anyone will deny this. With the pandemic raging and fears of catching a deadly disease combined with having been furloughed from work since May with a brief return for a few days here and there has taken its toll on my mental health. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fearing redundancy at the age of 64, when this time last year I was rejoicing at having finally found the perfect job following over 40 years of lurching from boring job to horrible working conditions, doesn’t make for the best frame of mind to read and review despite the extra hours I’ve had on my hands. <\/span><\/div>\n
I have and still do find it much harder to concentrate on a book and even more difficult to sum it up coherently at the end. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
Having said that I still compiled a top ten favourite reads this year. Click on any title to read my full review.<\/span><\/div>\n
In no particular order they are:<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

My surprise best read was The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n
Wow what a powerful read this book is.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

The writing is absolutely superb, the characters are sublime and the story is as relevant today as it was to when it was written back in the 1930s. I travelled back to dustbowl America and felt every misfortune and slight personally. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

The Company Daughters by Samantha Rajaram<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel as the writing is just superbly accomplished and the story is absorbing and mesmerizing. If, like me you like your women strong when facing tragedy yet believably emotional too, you’ll fall in love  with Jana and be rooting for her as she builds a new life in the oppressive heat and colonial ex-pat lifestyle in Batavia.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

A Wonderful Gothic tale
<\/span>The whole book sucked me in like quicksand and the clever storyline, fabulous characters and sheer eeriness kept me spellbound throughout. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span>The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Back to Dustbowl America with this wonderful, WONDERFUL book set in1930s in America, with amazing characters.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The Bird in the Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/span>A delightful testament to loyalty, friendship and the determination to overcome hardship which is as relevant today as it was back in the 1940s.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

A breathtaking journey with Migrants across the border from Guatemala to the US via Mexico.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Claimed to be rather overhyped I nevertheless adored this book set in the swampland of 1950s Carolina<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span>The House Guest by Mark Edwards<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

As tense and twisty as this authors other superb books this one had me gripped by the throat throughout.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

The Foundling by Stacey Halls<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

Beside having a beautiful cover this is another great historical book from Stacey Halls.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

Thrilling and captivating a historical coming of age boys own adventure with grit and charm keeps coing back into my head months after reading it, the sign of a really good story well told.<\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
My top ten best books over on goodreads which you can read here.<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
All that remains is for me to wish everyone Seasons Greetings and hope and pray that 2021 will see some kind of return to a normal life for everyone.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2020 has been crap! I don’t think anyone will deny this. 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