2020: A Year In Books
Posted on December 16, 2020
Wow. What a year this has been! It is hard to believe that it is already coming to close when somehow it still feels like March.
Whilst the world was put on pause, many people had a little more time on their hands and unsurprisingly, many of those turned to reading. Back in October, the BBC reported that both physical book and ebooks sales increased significantly over the course of the year. Whilst Nielson reported that we almost doubled our weekly reading hours over lockdown. So, let’s take a look at the year that was 2020 in books.
With so much turmoil, uncertainty and sadness in the world, it comes as no surprise to see fiction thriving, as we all look for an escape from the craziness of the real world. This year has undoubtedly seen a shift in genre with crime and thrillers on the up.
Lucy Foley’s The Guest List – the eagerly awaited latest book from the The Hunting Party author – is a feature on many of the UK’s top sellers lists. Whilst Harriet Tyce’s electrifying Blood Orange has taken 2020 by storm.
Amazon revealed that many of its top fiction titles sold out repeatedly throughout the year, including Sally Rooney’s Normal People following the runaway success of its BBC adaption. The list includes several other titles by female authors including The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary and 2019 Booker Prize-winner Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo.
2020 in books: fact or fiction?
We also turned to books that reflected the news agenda. Political titles had a record-breaking year, particularly in the US, where Donald Trump-related publications became increasingly popular ahead of the election. Big releases from Mary L Trump describing her experiences with the American president from within his own family became an Amazon best seller almost instantly. Barack Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land, unsurprisingly became an instant feature on the Sunday Times Bestsellers List.
And, of course, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, sales of books targeting racism surged in Britain and in the US. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge became the bestselling book on Amazon in the UK and was even out of stock. Sales also spiked for White Fragility, Me and White Supremacy, and Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of the Empire.
We also saw a change in the conversation, looking at how to better promote black authors in a predominantly white industry, particularly in the UK.
A pinch and Hinch
Within Amazon’s UK bestsellers, there are clear themes. With the country locked indoors it comes as no shock to see cleaning mogul Mrs Hinch’s books, The Little Book of Lists, Hinch Yourself Happy and This is Me, high on the charts. And with restaurants closed and takeaways stretched to breaking point, more of us turned to books to help create exciting meals at home – Pinch of Nom is a prime example, as is Jamie Oliver’s 7 Ways.
There is no getting away from the fact that 2020 has been a bad year in many ways, and so many of us are thanking the publishing world for giving us the pages in which to escape, find inspiration and move forward.
What was your book of the year? How was 2020 in books for you? Let us know in the comments below.