Reader's Choice: The Best Books of Summer 2020

Whatever else was going on, we always had books.

person reading in sunlight

While we always enjoy our summer reads, they felt more important than ever in 2020. With coronavirus causing the cancelation of barbecues, vacations and theme park visits, our books became more important than ever as a means to get out of our own heads.

Earlier this year, the editors at Early Bird Books suggested our favorite quarantine reads. But now we've flipped the script and asked our Facebook followers to share their favorites! Below are the books our readers fell in love with this summer.

Related: The Best Books You Read in Summer 2019 

a long petal of the sea, a new book 2020

A Long Petal of the Sea

By Isabel Allende

"The novel opens with the fall of the republican government of Spain by Franco's fascist takeover. Refugees flee first to France and then to Chile. Then Chile's government is toppled by a military coup aided by the CIA.. A history lesson beautifully written and a foreboding [tale] of how fascist ideas take hold in a society and destroy democratic rule." —Joe 

the house in the cerulean sea, a best book of summer 2020

The House in the Cerulean Sea

By TJ Klune

"It’s beautifully written, full of kind and interesting characters, wholesome, and it has a sweet queer romance to top it off. I remember clutching this book to my chest when I finished it." —Grace

Related: 10 Must-Read LGBT Books 

the snow child, one of the best books of summer 2020

The Snow Child

By Eowyn Ivey

"It was a lovely fairytale like story. A story of family, neighbors, and people who enter our lives to make them richer and fill our lives with love." —Beth

how to catch a mole, one of the best books of summer 2020

How to Catch a Mole

By Marc Hamer

"...part memoir, part poetry, part nature study, part philosophy. It's sooo unique and genuine ... I adored it!" —Lynn

where the crawdads sing, a book you can't put down

Where the Crawdads Sing

By Delia Owens

"Some people gave it 3 stars but it left me breathless." —Carol

Related: 7 Books Like Where the Crawdads Sing 

the british are coming - best books summer 2020

The British Are Coming

By Rick Atkinson

"If you love history, he is a writer who makes the Revolutionary War come alive. Not just facts and figures. Lots of anecdotes by the ordinary soldiers, graphic details of battles and the terrible hardships endured by combatants and noncombatants alike, great insights into the minds of the leaders of both sides. First book of a planned trilogy." —Diane

Guests of the Ayatollah

Guests of the Ayatollah

By Mark Bowden

"I read an account of the 1979 Iranian hostage taking called, "Guests of the Ayatollah" by Mark Bowden. I was a young adult when this happened and I loved to read a full and thorough account of it as well as the rescue attempt now that I am older. I was not paying attention to this drama playing out in real time back then. There is something so fascinating about revisiting something now that you lived through then and taking note of the differing perspectives I had then as opposed to now. Totally clueless back then, more clued in now that I am older." —Christina