Let’s face it in almost every way 2020 has been a dreadful year. We had the plague, Brexit and we lost the best James Bond. I’m sure that I’m not alone in looking forward to 2021 and hopefully some kind of return to normality.
However, there was one way in which 2020 was a brilliant year. It was a brilliant year in books. I read 42 books which is a new record for me, most of them were good. Some were just okay and two were awful… Classics my arse.
Anyway, so without further ado the winner is…
Tony 10: The Astonishing Story of the Postman Who Gambled €10,000,000 … and Lost It All by Declan Lynch
There was some really tough competition this year, but the story of Tony 10 really touched me. It’s an amazing true story that highlights the dangers of gambling while also being a tale of redemption and hope. Skip the Iliad, this is a real must read.
The complete shortlist was:
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- God’s Last Breath by Sam Sykes
- The Silent Scream: An Anthology of Despair, Struggle and Hope by Maria Alfieri
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Embers of War by Gareth L Powell
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Man vs. Toddler: The Trials and Triumphs of Toddlerdom by Matt Coyne
- Light of Impossible Stars by Gareth L Powell
- The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal by Clint McElroy
- I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
- Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: An Introvert’s Year of Living Dangerously by Jessica Pan
- Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) by Lisa Cron
Blimey it was a good year!
If you want to see all my book reviews (they are short and painless I promise), you can check out all my reviews on my Goodreads page right here.