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Safe to say I read a hell of a lot more in 2020 than the previous year as there was quite literally nothing else to do (let's not talk about it). However, this wasn't a bad thing as I discovered so many amazing books, hence my favourite books of the year amount to 20 (worked out well for the title of the blog post too, whoop). These are in no particular order, I love them all equally.

This book follows three best friends - Hanna, Cate and Lissa - starting when they are young and inseparable, living in East London together and excited for what life might bring for each of them. We then see them ten years on, when things have not turned out exactly as they hoped it might. From career woes to failing marriages, the struggles of motherhood and maneuvering their way through life and adult friendships as a mother, a daughter, a wife and someone who rebels against it all, each envying the others' lives in one way or another.

As the name suggests, the book looks at the expectations the three had in their younger years versus the reality of what panned out, while they each struggle to figure out how to make their lives meaningful through the dreams, desires and pain that comes with growing up.

I really loved this book in every way - I loved the way it looked at female friendship and expectations in life, how each of the women think the others have life sussed and are living their dream, when in reality that is not always the case. Great book, easy read, would recommend.

Ove is an old, grumpy man who lives alone and misses his late wife unbearably. He lives a solitary life since she passed and doesn't feel as though anything is worth it anymore. He keeps to himself and would like to keep it that way... however the young family that move in next door have other ideas.

His rigid rules and routines in life mean his short temper comes to the fore if said rules and routines are interrupted. This begins one morning when Ove wakes up to the father of the new family next door having accidentally run over Ove's mailbox in his car. This seemingly minor event leads nicely into the comical story of Ove's life when he realises that people want him around, and the tale of friendship and love that transpires changes him in ways he never thought possible.

This was such a lovely, lovely book - comical and heart-warming in equal measures. Definitely a feel good book and an easy read.

This book tells the story of a young Black woman, Emira, who is wrongly accused of kidnapping by a security guard at a supermarket while babysitting a white child, and the events, twists and turns that follow the incident. The child's mother, Alix, while having seemingly good intentions, wholly mismanages the situation in a performative, harmful and self-serving manner, ultimately making the entire situation even worse for Emira.

I absolutely loved this book for so many reasons. I loved the way it was written, the engaging plot and the important topics it covered (namely race, privilege and racism, along with attempts to be "non-racist" that are in fact racist in themselves and why that is) and I loved how the characters were described. 

The book held a conversation around important issues while still being accessible and easy to digest. I really felt that I knew the characters and I loved Kiley Reid's writing style - I can't wait to read more by her. She managed to capture such an important discussion while simultaneously weaving humour in to the storyline, as well as the relatable complex events that often make up a young woman's life. Great, great book.

This book tells the story of 6 teenagers who meet at a Summer Camp in the 70's and become inseparable. The book follows them through their lives and explores the roles that talent, envy, class, wealth and power play in society and how it can change a person and therefore a friendship with the passing of time. 

Throughout the decades, the group's bond remains strong, but their world's have continued to change around them, highlighting the never before seen difference between the 6, bringing them together and apart again as they muddle through life. We see them transition from youth, all the way through to middle age and how their happiness, talents and fortunes lead them down different paths, despite the lives they envisioned for themselves when they first met in Summer Camp.

This is such a lovely book, again really makes you feel like you're in the characters' lives and that you know them in real life. Great story, great and important topics covered, overall a must-read.

This book is an absolute HOOT - literally laugh-out-loud funny. David Sedaris writes with hilariously dark humour and candor about his personal life. He has bought a beach house - naming it the "Sea Section" on the Carolina coast and is envisioning lengthy, relaxing stays spent lounging in the sunshine - his visions become reality, along with the stark realisation that you cannot take a break away from yourself.

Sedaris discusses hurtling towards middle age and mortality,observing his life in a way that makes you feel like you are listening to your hilarious older best friend. The humour is dark - so if you are easily offended then I suggest you skip right over this book, but I do love a writer with the ability to be humourous about even their darkest times. 

This book follows Sofia and her mother, Rose, in their quest to solve the mystery of her Rose's debilitating illness that no doctor seems to be able to explain. The process of caring for her mother (amidst Rose's constant, never-ending complaints and criticisms) is testing at the best of times, albeit allowing Sofia a welcome respite from facing her own disappointing life.

The mother-daughter duo travel to the southern coast of Spain to see a famous consultant, in a last-ditch attempt to find a cure for the mystery illness which causes sporadic limb paralysis. This famous consultant, however, seems to run a peculiar sort of clinic, far from the norms of modern medicine, but Rose and Sofia figure anything is worth at shot. Their stint in Spain opens Sofia's eyes to many things about her mother, the consultant and - to her surprise - herself and her own desires.

It is a peculiar but great book, with an interesting look at the mother-daughter/carer relationship and how stepping outside of that allows Sofia to realise, recognise and learn things about herself for the first time since her mother got sick.

This book broke and filled my heart in equal measures. It is a memoir written by Tembi Locke about the love of her life - from meeting him, to loving him, to losing him and attempting to keep going afterwards when living seemed entirely impossible.

Their love story is set in the Sicilian countryside over three summers, where Tembi and her daughter, Zoela, attempt to navigate their loss through food and family (Tembi's in-laws). She tells such a beautiful story about when she first met her beloved, Saro, when he was a chef in Florence and she was studying there. Saro's traditional family did not approve of him marrying Tembi - a black American woman - however, undeterred, they push through and end up building a happy life together with their true love - their adopted baby girl, Zoela.

When Saro gets sick with cancer, his family reconcile with the pair as his illness consumes all of their lives. In the face of Saro's death, we see Tembi's relationship with her mother-in-law blossom and change in ways that she could never have thought, as they both navigate through their loss and Tembi tries to heal her heart and piece her life with her daughter back together.

This book was so great. It is an honest, inclusive, political (in a ballsy, not boring way) book. I read a review on it that said it will "speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place", which is such a great summary of the book that I just had to quote it instead of trying to come up with another way of describing it myself.

The book follows Queenie Jenkins, a 25 year old Jamaican British woman living in London. Queenie finds herself pulled between two cultures and feeling as though she doesn't really "fit in" to either. In her job, she feels constantly forced to compare herself to her white, middle class colleagues.

She goes through a messy break up from a long-term relationship and - as we all have - seeks comfort in the wrong places. While trying to heal, she appears to take one step forward and be pushed five steps back by toxic men who do no favours for her self-worth.

We follow Queenie as she battles through, searching for meaning, and tries to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. A great book, very relevant and relatable.

I cannot tell you how much I adored this amazing - albeit heartbreaking - book. I actually cried real tears at points during the book, something that rarely happens with a book (usually it has the be a film that triggers the tears).

Cyril Avery has been told all his life by his adoptive parents that he is not a "real" Avery, due to the fact that he is adopted. So Cyril wants to find out who he is.

Cyril was born out of wedlock to a young woman who was shunned from her 1940s rural, Catholic Irish (*eye-roll*) community as a result of getting pregnant. She gives Cyril up to a Redemptorist nun and he is adopted by a wealthy couple in Dublin, however they don't do a great job at making him feel accepted into their family. He befriends the son of his adoptive family's friend, Julian Woodbead, who he realises he is in love with, and the story begins to weave its way from there.

The book follows Cyril through a heart-breaking series of events as a gay man in Ireland at a time when it was essentially a "sin". He struggles to find his identity, learn to know himself, and to find somewhere that feels more like home than his childhood "home" did.

This book is so beautifully written and - albeit graphic at points - really makes you feel what Cyril must have felt in a time where HIV/AIDs was rampant but homosexuality unaccepted by society in Ireland as he grows up in the 1960s, and how that has affected him and changed up to the modern day. 

It surprised me how much I ended up enjoying this book to be honest, as it doesn't have much in terms of a storyline/plot, but is written so beautifully and with such vivid description, to the point that you feel as though you are in the book, living life alongside the main character, running through the World's Fair. Because of that, it turned out to be one of my favourites.

This novel follows the ordinary life of a young boy living in New York City in the 1930s with his family, the sights and sounds, smells and emotions that he experiences. It shows the importance of family and sticking together against all the odds, to finally experience the extraordinary experience that is the World's Fair.

Okay so I know I'm late to the game here, but I was dying to read the book before watching the movie (still haven't watched the movie because I'm worried it will disappoint, as movies of books so often do). I absolutely adored this book and all-encompassing love story.

The book tells the story, starting one summer, of a young, impressionable and adolescent boy and a guest that comes to stay at his parents' house in Italy for the summer, and their rollercoaster romance that ensues. From denial, to tentativeness, to acceptance, to obsession, to full-on passion for one another within 6 weeks, we follow the love story of Elio and Oliver. 

We see their fear, desire and attraction intensify across the summer - albeit only 6 weeks long - it marks them for the rest of their lives. This is an unforgettable story - one that continues in the sequel, Find Me, another gorgeous story, but Call Me By Your Name was the better of the two, in my opinion. Now I cannot WAIT to watch the movie *cue me getting emotionally involved in the fictional relationship in the film and hysterically crying at the end*.

This gorgeous and heart-wrenching book is set in the quiet French village of Carriveau in 1939, right as World War II is about to begin.

We follow Vianne, who must say goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he is called to fight on the frontline of the war, and her sister Isabelle. Vianne doesn't believe that the Nazis will really invade France, but they do, and to her horror, much closer to home than she would like. Isabelle is 18 years old and rebellious, believing her purpose is to fight along with thousands of Parisians who refuse to stand by and watch the Germans storm their country.  

Vianne is forced to make one impossible choice after another in order to protect her family, while Isabelle risks her life to save others and protect her country and the ones she loves.

Another heart-wrenching story (there appears to be a running theme here, 2020 did it's THING with my reading choices clearly). This is set in the 1980s in Glasgw, during Margaret Thatcher's reign in the UK and the resulting unemployment, forcing men into the coal mines.

This story follows Shuggie Bain, a young, lonely boy who spends his childhood looking after his alcoholic mother in run-down public housing in Glasgow, as his father and - one by one - his siblings leave in search for a better life. 

This is an amazing, profound and important book that everyone should read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to end.

The book follows the differing stories of twelve characters - mostly women, Black and British. We hear the stories of their families, friends and lovers, as the narrative bounces back in forth in time across the years, and in to modern day Britain. 

The womens' voices throughout the novel are diverse - as they each come from different background, varying in age, roots, occupation, family and sexuality. It discusses race, and surviving in a predominantly white culture and the effects this has on these women and their identities.

This was such a moving, celebratory, beautiful book, written in a sensitive and compassionate way and portrays the womens' connections to one another brilliantly. A great read.

... and breathe! Sorry, that was a long one. But I couldn't not ramble on about how much I loved these books. Let me know what your favourite books of the last year have been, and which ones of these have been added to your reading list for this year!

Thanks for reading & stay safe,

As we all make our way through this crazy time, one bonus of self-isolation and social distancing is that we now have time to read those books that we say we never have time for. I find reading so therapeutic at the best of times, and right now it is definitely something we all need, if even just for a little bit of escapism at a time of uncertainty. These are the books I read in January and February this year (I will have another stack to talk about soon as I am also reading my way through this crazy time - a March & April books post is on the horizon). 

Expectation - Anna Hope

I really liked the way this book juxtaposed expectation and reality, it was relatable and looked at the highs and lows of friendship and the fact that we cannot ever know what to expect in life, despite our dreams and however we wish our lives to turn out. Parts of the story were a little problematic to me, but overall it was a good, intriguing read.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

I cannot explain how much I loved this book or how important I think it is for just about everyone to read. 

Eleanor Oliphant is a woman with struggles. Throughout most of the book, we don’t know what exactly these struggles are or what caused them originally, but it is clear her life is different to others, as are her social skills and the way she thinks. Her life is scheduled down to each minute, avoiding human contact as much as possible as she drinks litres of vodka alone in her apartment each weekend and speaks to her abusive Mother on the phone, all of which she thinks is completely normal and the way her life is destined to be.

Eleanor meets Raymond - a new guy in the office - and they form an unlikely friendship, which little by little, without her noticing, starts to rescue Eleanor from her isolation and show her that people do care about her and that she doesn’t have to live with her damage forever. I really liked how the story wasn’t focused around a romantic relationship saving a woman, but a platonic friendship, one which she never thought herself capable of.

This book really tugs at the heart-strings and is in equal parts sad, heart-warming and uplifting, and shows how love heals all - in whatever form that comes.

Swing Time - Zadie Smith

Swing Time is a story of two young girls in West Africa with dreams of becoming dancers. As the story develops, we see that it is an unlikely friendship as the two have very different ideas about the world, morals and concepts of freedom and success, family and their roots, which ultimately causes the friendship to break down as the women reach their early twenties. However, as their lives progress, they continue to cross paths unexpectedly, between London and West Africa.

I found this book quite hard to read as it didn’t really seem to have a plot or a storyline, I kind of found it one big ramble with no real twists or point to certain parts of the story. A lot of it didn’t really add up in terms of why certain things happened or how they made sense to the story or added to the plot in any way. Definitely not a fave.

I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron

You may remember in my favourite books of 2019 blog post, that Heartburn by Nora Ephron was in there. As that is one of my all-time favourite books, this one had a lot to live up to, and it did not disappoint.

I absolutely love how Nora Ephron writes, not just her humour and dry wit, but how relatable and candid she is when she writes about the realities of life as a woman and the hilarious ways she describes getting older. This is a brilliant book for anyone of any age, and I imagine becomes increasingly relatable the older you get, and one I can definitely see myself re-reading over the years. She speaks frankly and truthfully - and thus hilariously - about life as a woman and her experiences, from being a White House intern during JFK’s reign, her love affair (from afar) with Bill Clinton, how much she hates her purse and her failed attempts to stop the clock.

There are so many laugh-out-loud moments (which takes a lot for me in a book), but equally moving ones, along with some stellar wisdom and advice. I only wish she lived on to write more amazing books.

Melmoth - Sarah Perry

This was another book that, although had lots to it, didn’t really have a storyline, if that makes sense. It was hard to follow because it had so many different storylines going on at once, but none of them really led to anything substantial.

The premise of the book is that the main character, Helen Franklin, has done something bad a long time ago. She left England and moved to Prague, destined to live a life of despair and never allowing herself anything joyful or good as she felt she didn’t deserve it after what she had done. However, a legend speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark figure who travels through the ages with bleeding feet, never dying, and following those whom she believes have done bad things and are destined to join her eternal damnation of timeless solitude. Helen has a feeling she is being watched, and she may just be right.

As I said, I found this hard to follow as it jumped between the characters and their life stories in quite a frantic way, never really coming to a conclusion on any of them. It is a strange story, not necessarily unlikeable, but strange in its telling. Let me know what you thought you if have read it.

A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

I loved this book so much, it was a tie between this and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine in terms of heart-string pulling, favourite books of this current stack.

Ove is a sad, grumpy old man who has just lost his wife and no longer wants to be alive himself. Those who know him in the neighbourhood think him a bitter, anger, strict and cranky old man. Ove has decided to end his life. However, when a young family move in next door and attempt to be-friend him (which Ove detests), his many attempts to take his own life are foiled - unbeknownst to them - by the people in his neighbourhood.

The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

Although an iconic American writer, I must admit this is the first book by Joan Didion I have read, and it definitely made me want to buy a stack of her books and read them all one after the other.

This book is a true story of Joan’s life after her husband suddenly passes away one night at the kitchen table from a massive and fatal coronary, after coming home from visiting their daughter in hospital, who has gone from pneumonia to septic shock to an induced coma and life support.

Joan’s world is turned upside-down as her husband of 40 years, John, dies and her daughter battles for her life. The book depicts Didion’s journey through this time in the most honest, heart-wrenching way and is a book I would recommend to anyone, especially those who have gone through (or are going through) the loss of a loved one. 

It is not a book designed to make you feel “better” per se, but rather one that acknowledges that what you are feeling is completely okay and you are not the only one to have ever felt this way. Grief and loss - while intensely personal - are also a universal experience that we will all go through at some point or another, and this book takes you through the stages that come with that, in the most truthful, raw and honest way. It follows Didion as she attempts to make sense of the weeks and months afterwards, and of death, illness, marriage, sanity and life itself. A must-read.

Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you thought, or if you have added any of these to your list after reading this post. I know most book shops aren't open right now but you can always grab some books in your local supermarket, or order online from Book Depository who are still taking orders and doing deliveries - free worldwide - (I placed an order last night which I am impatiently anticipating).

Thanks for reading as always & stay safe.

S ✗

Of all the books I read in 2019 - I have done my best to narrow it down and bring you my absolute favourites - books I think you need in your life. Grab a cuppa (it's a long one), here goes. 

"Death is too much for the mind to register in a matter of minutes; the incalculable magnitude can only be absorbed by increment, day by day." 

Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you thought of them (or if this post has made you want to read any of them). I hope you love them as much as I did.

Happy reading,

S ✗

As Monday literally poured with rain all day, we figured we would leave the outdoorsy, festive things until Tuesday when no rain was scheduled. First up on Monday, we needed food, and comfort food at that. I had heard Montpeliers came highly recommended and the menu online looked amazing so we headed for there. I had the most amazing Mac & Cheese with pulled pork and a glass of rosé - absolute BLISS. It had such a cosy, Christmassy feeling and I honestly could've stayed tucked up in there away from the rain all day.

We popped across the road to Project Coffee, grabbing some flat whites to keep our energy levels up after the food and wine coma we were then in, and headed up to the Camera Obscura, just beside the castle. I'm sure you've seen tonnes of photos of pretty much anyone who's visited Edinburgh in the Camera Obscura (e.g. the one where one of you looks tiny and the other looks like a giant? See below if confused). It was really cool and fun and I actually liked that it's not like a massive museum that takes ages to get through but still has lots of cool displays to see and take groovy pictures with.


After the Camera Obscura, we made our way back to hotel (walking in the PELTING rain might I add) and safe to say we were soaked to the skin by the time we got back and ever so happy to be reunited with our hotel bed. After thawing out and heating up, Ed went downstairs to the bar to grab us some drinks and we just chilled in bed and watched Gogglebox, passing out pretty early in anticipation of another day of exploring to come.


The next morning, feeling much more rested, we got up, ready and out in record time, making our way to Princes Street first for a stroll around, a spot of shopping and grabbed a coffee in the cutest, coolest independent coffee shop - Fortitude - a yummy traditional scottish sweet treat called Cranachan (so good) and a reusable coffee cup because -sustainability - and also it was v cute and had a pink lid and the guy in there was really nice soooo I ended up buying one.




Next up was the castle - which we happily got lost on the way to, ending up in the gorgeous Prince's Street Gardens for a little while - but eventually arriving at the tip top of Edinburgh (kind of) to the castle and taking in the gorgeous views at Golden Hour. We didn't go inside as any research I did said that paying for the tour wasn't really worth the money and that the best bit was the outside of the castle itself and the views.













After the castle, we wandered down the Royal Mile and into Grassmarket - such an adorable area of the Old Town - popping into some gorgeous Christmas shops, vintage shops and the cosiest little pub ever called The Last Drop for some food and a drink to warm our cockles (I would like to reiterate just how cold Edinburgh is - this coming from someone who is cold IN her heated home on Dublin's northside - it's so much colder than Ireland). As it started getting dark and the Christmas lights started twinkling and sparkling at us from outside the window, we decided it was the perfect time to hit the Christmas markets.











As the trip to Edinburgh was largely influenced by the festive JOY that is the Christmas Markets, our expectations were high and I must say they did not disappoint. Hundreds of little wooden huts adorned in twinkling fairy lights, the smell of crepes and hot dogs and mulled wine in the air and just the overall festive feeling, it was perfect. We got a gorgeous hand-painted bauble from one of the stands which we were able to get personalised for free, so we got it personalised for our first official Christmas together (stay tuned on Instagram for our Christmas tree/decorations to come - it's literally killed me to have to wait until December to put stuff up).













We grabbed some mulled wine (mulled cider for Ed, he's not a fan of the old vino) and strolled around all the gorgeous stalls and went on the Ferris Wheel which gave us the best view over the markets and Edinburgh itself - possible the best Christmas-dressed city I've seen - which was magical.

After the markets we (reluctantly) made our way back to our hotel to collect our bags and head to the airport (super close to the city centre and so easy to get to by tram/bus/taxi) to catch our flight back to Dublin. 

It was the best, most festive couple of days and I would really recommend a trip to Edinburgh if you can squeeze it in before Christmas/in the new year. I'm sure it is gorgeous all year round, but there's something so special about the atmosphere there at Christmas time that is just the best. Check out my Edinburgh highlight on Instagram for more clips and pics of Edinburgh - the markets, the streets and more.

I'm already itching to book our next little break (obvs when I'm less broke as a result of, you know, Christmas), so please leave suggestions if there's anywhere you've been that you think we should go next.

Thank you for reading as always, and I hope you are all enjoying the festive season as much as you can. I know Christmas can be such a hard time for people, especially with the expectation to be super happy and festive and joyous when you may be feeling the opposite, so if this is you - just take care of yourself, do not pressure yourself into forced festive situations and remember, it will all be over in the blink of an eye, so just hang tight.




**photo credit - mostly Ed