Top 10 best-read books of 2020

The year 2020 may be considered a disaster year, but it did produce some really great books. People are also reading more than ever, which is a good sign! Because reading is good for many things. First and foremost, of course, to relax and escape from reality for a while. And we can all use that sometimes. This top 10 is compiled from various opinions from local bookstores to newspapers and our own experiences. Have you found something that makes you happy? Then you can order that book right away at Paagman.

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse by Charlie Mackesy

This book, which appeared in 2020 is considered a modern classic. In addition to the more than 100 beautiful illustrations, there are also wonderful words of wisdom in this book. And all in poetic style. At first glance, it looks like a children’s book, but adults will also enjoy it. The thread running through the book is the special friendship between a boy and a number of animals. In fact, everyone should read it. This book is also great to give or receive as a gift.

Coco can do it! by Loes Riphagen

Another book that belongs in our top 10 and is very suitable for young readers is the book Coco kan het! The book is about a young bird that finds it very exciting to have to fly. Her brothers and sisters have already flown out, but Coco doesn’t dare. You guessed it: it all works out in the end. So this book is about courage and being able to do more than you think. It gives children the self-confidence they need. The book also has lots of humor and beautiful prints.

Get used to it by Maike Meijer

Lots of humor and perhaps some recognizable things can be found in the diary of unemployed actress M. M’s adolescent son Ole is about to leave the nest and she wants nothing more than to prove to him (and herself) that there is still a future in her. But that’s not easy when you’re already getting a little “older” and everything starts to fall apart a bit. Very funny and at times touching. Just a nice book for in between.

Cheerful to the finish of Hendrik Groen

Personally, Hendrik Groen’s diaries always make me very happy so it definitely belongs in this top 10. The elderly Hendrik Groen along with his fellow retirement home residents are always going through all sorts of things. In this last diary of Hendrik Groen, the best man is already 90 years old and thinks it’s enough. Too bad, because I am going to miss the books a lot! That this last volume that appeared in 2020 appears in many “best read” lists does not surprise me at all!

Spiegelman by Lars Kepler

Spiegelman is the latest new thriller from author Lars Kepler starring inspector Joona Linna. It is already the eighth volume, but you can read them separately just fine. Still, I would recommend you to read them all because they are just rock solid. In any case, the books read like a real Swedish series. Delicious! Spiegelman came out in late 2020 and is high up in the listing of many a top 10.

Smokescreen by Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst

Another topper from the far north (Norway this time) is the book Smoke Curtain. This is the second part of the Brix & Ramm series. The first part, Zero Point, is also well worth reading. By the way, you can read the books separately, but it is more fun to read them as a series. In Smoke Curtain, Oslo is startled by an explosion on New Year’s Eve. In that explosion, a mother is injured whose daughter went missing ten years ago. Alexander Brix knows her very well and is triggered by the explosion to reopen the cold case.

The Mystery of Room 622 by Joel Dicker

Fancy solving a mystery? Then Joël Dicker’s latest book is definitely for you! A writer is staying at a luxury Palace hotel in Verbier, Switzerland, in 2018. His room number is 623 and in the corridor he notices something strange. Namely, the room number next to him has number 621-bis. After some detective work, he finds out that a murder was committed in room 622 years earlier. The perpetrator of the murder has never been found. The writer decides to investigate on his own.

The evening is inconvenience by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld

A somewhat heavier book but certainly no less captivating is the latest book by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld. In this book, a reformed farm family is affected by the death of a child. Each family member tries to cope with this as best they can. However, the parents are so preoccupied with themselves that they do not realize that the other children in the family are in danger of derailing. This debut novel is well worth reading during these times.

Most People Suck by Rutger Bregman

Lots of Dutch authors in this top 10! De meeste mensen deugen describes the new history of man. that may sound boring but it certainly is not! This book actually dismisses all the old ideas about man. Impressive and confronting at the same time. To describe the book in such a short text would only shortchange it so there is only one thing to do:

Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

We close this top 10 with a romance book, namely Bridgerton. Right, after the Netflix series of the same name and super popular. So there are books of it too, and not so few too! You could be in for a while with this series. The story is set in the early 19th century, so it really takes you to another time. There is no better way to get out of the daily grind, especially in corona time. I myself don’t know the books or the series yet, but basically everyone around me is very positive. So, when I came across this book in one of the lists I consulted I did not hesitate for a moment.

This blog was created in collaboration with Paagman. We did compile the top 10 ourselves.