These were the bestselling and most read books on Amazon in 2020

In a year full of uncertainty, books have provided that much-needed escapism and respite for many of us. Whether it’s fiction, an autobiography, a cookery book or a self-help tome, words on pages (or Kindles) have proven more important than ever.

Amazon has charted 2020 through the books we’ve been enjoying the most, showing which books have sold the best and which we’ve read the most, with some surprising as well as dependable outcomes. (Amazon’s Most Sold charts rank books according to the number of copies sold and pre-ordered, while Amazon’s Most Read charts rank titles by the average number of daily Kindle readers and Audible listeners each week).

So which books made up the Amazon most read and bestselling books of 2020?

In the top 10 most sold novels of 2020, female authors dominated, with 7 of the top 10 being written by women, from Delia Owen’s debut novel Where the Crawdads Sing to Sally Rooney’s Normal People, which was turned into a BBC adaptation that gripped the nation during lockdown.

In the non-fiction charts, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement is reflected in Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race at number 1, while Mrs Hinch‘s influence shows no sign of waning with both of her books featuring in the top 10.

Meanwhile, the Harry Potter phenomenon continues unabated with J.K. Rowling’s series taking the top seven spots of the most read list, in part due to the huge popularity of the audiobooks voiced by Stephen Fry.

How many books from these lists have you read this year?

Amazon most read and bestselling books of 2020

Where the Crawdads Sing Paperback, £5.99, Amazon

This Year in Books by Amazon Charts: Top Ten Most Sold (Fiction)

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
2. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
3. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
4. Normal People by Sally Rooney
5. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
6. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
7. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
8. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
10. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Paperback, £7.15, Amazon

This Year in Books by Amazon Charts: Top Ten Most Sold (Non-Fiction)

1. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
2. Pinch of Nom Everyday Light: 100 Tasty, Slimming Recipes All Under 400 Calories by Kay Featherstone & Kate Allinson
3. Pinch of Nom: 100 Slimming, Home-style Recipes by Kay Featherstone & Kate Allinson
4. Mrs Hinch: The Little Book of Lists by Mrs Hinch
5. Becoming by Michelle Obama
6. Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness by Vex King
7. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by James Clear
8. Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living by Glennon Doyle
9. This Is Me by Mrs Hinch
10. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Kindle Edition, £4.99, Amazon

This Year in Books by Amazon Charts: Top Ten Most Read 

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [Children’s Edition] by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
8. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Crawford
9. Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
10. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantell