Top 10 Books of 2020 - Fiction

Current Read: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Current Listen: All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

Hey all! 2020 is DONE FOREVER. Hallelujah. It was a garbage year, but I got a LOT of reading done. I'm working on a post about my reading statistics for the year. I read 360 books, according to Goodreads, which is the most ever. For many years I have been too scared to try to narrow down a Top 10 list, but I was determined to do so this year. I...sort of succeeded? But since I read so much more non-fiction this year than in previous years (and since I in general read SO MUCH MORE than a normal year), I decided to do two lists, fiction and non-fiction (which will be in a separate post). I have also listed book series as one entry, because it's my list and I do what I want.

So, in no particular order, here are my Top 10 Fiction Reads for 2020.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

What is it: A fantasy novel about a man, Linus Baker, who is basically a social worker for kids with magical abilities. He is given an assignment to live for a month at an orphanage with particularly difficult and unusual cases (including a boy who may or may not be the anti-Christ), an orphanage run by the enigmatic Arthur Parnassus. It's a beautiful book about found families, acceptance, and prejudice.

When did it come out: 2020

How did I read it: I listened to this one on Audible, but I also have a physical copy.

Why you should read it: Every single character is ridiculously lovable, and it's got a completely adorable queer romance at its center.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

What is it: A novel about a former It-Girl, Evelyn Hugo, who decides at age 79 to do a tell-all about her notorious love life and career.

When did it come out: 2017

How did I read it: This was a Book of the Month selection.

Why you should read it: Come for the old Hollywood glamour and the intriguing mystery at the novel's center. Stay fierceness of Evelyn Hugo herself and of the journalist who she chooses to conduct the interview.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

What is it: One of the best fantasy series I've ever read. In this world, the residents of The Stillness are constantly prepared for the next Season, or apocalyptic event. The world is populated with Oregenes, people who are able to manipulate the earth's energy. Rather than being revered, they are viewed with suspicion and are controlled by the government. The novel follows 3 perspectives: Essun, a woman who is secretly an oregene and is searching for her daughter; Damaya, a young girl who is learning to control her oregeny at a government school; and Syenite, a young woman working as an oregene.

When did it come out: 2015-2017

How did I read it: I listened to all three books on Audible, mostly while puzzling during quarantine.

Why you should read it: All three of the books in this series won the Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy novel. The world that Jemisin builds in these books, the topics that she manages to explore, the pacing of the story--all incredible. Just mind-blowing.

Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams

What is it: This series of books revolves around a group of men who use romance novels to help each other with their own love lives.

When did it come out: 2019-2020

How did I read it: I own all three books in paperback.

Why you should read it: I love how these novels use romance novel tropes while also subverting them. I love how the men in these novels hold each other to high standards and use the novels they read to learn more about how society treats women. I adore these books, and they were perfect for the escapism I needed in 2020.

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

What is it: An adult romance novel about the son of the U.S. President falling in love with the Prince of Wales.

When did it come out: 2019 

How did I read it: I own this in paperback.

Why you should read it: This is the gay romance novel of your dreams. Both characters are well-written, the romantic pacing is wonderful, it's just so great please go read it. You can borrow it if you promise to give it back.  

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

What is it: This is a young adult novel about the experience of a group of Japanese-American teens who were incarcerated by the United States during World War 2. It begins with them living in San Francisco and covers the span of their initial "evacuation" through the end of the war and reentry. 

When did it come out: 2020

How did I read it: I checked this one out from the library.

Why you should read it: This is one of the darkest parts of American history, and it was so great to read about it from a young adult perspective. There were so many issues addressed that covered the teen experience specifically, such as trying to apply to college as a "hostile alien" or being drafted. This book is incredibly well-researched and well-written, and it's a great place to start if you want to learn more about this horrendous part of our country's history.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

 

What is it: This is the sequel to Bear Town, a book that made my favorites list last year. The series takes place in Bear Town, a community that lives and breathes for their local hockey team and is torn apart by a horrific accusation.

When did it come out: 2018  

How did I read it: I own this one in paperback.

Why you should read it: Fredrik Backman is in the business of writing universal truths. When I initally reviewed it, I described it as "a gut punch in the best possible way." Here is just one example of the stunning writing: "It's hard to care about people. Exhausting, in fact, because empathy is a complicated thing. It requires us to accept that everyone else's lives are also going on the whole time. We have no pause button for when everything gets too much for us to deal with, but then neither does anyone else."

Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore

What is it: A historical romance series that takes place during the suffragette era in Britain. The series covers a group of young women suffragists who are fighting the good fight and also falling in love.

When did it come out: 2019-2020

How did I read it: Bringing Down the Duke Book of the Month selection, and then I preordered the sequel.

Why you should read it: Bringing Down the Duke was my entry point into the magical world of historical romance. It is a misunderstood genre, and a genre that people are often judged for reading. I am here to tell those judgmental people to fuck off. The brilliance of a well-written historical romance is how the villain is always society's treatment of women. And that's magic.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

 

What is it: A suburban drama that was on my TBR for waaaaaaaaay too long. It centers on the cookie-cutter Richardson family and how their lives are upended by the arrival of some fairly controversial newcomers, Mia and Pearl Warren.

When did it come out: 2017

How did I read it: This was a Book of the Month selection.

Why you should read it: I'm so glad I finally got to this one this year. I was hooked from the first line. Celeste Ng's writing is gorgeous, and she pulls so many important truths from a seemingly innocuous suburban setting. This one stuck with me for a long time.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

What is it: This is Elizabeth Acevedo's third novel and second in verse. It is told the perspectives of two Afro-Dominican sisters, one in the D.R. and one in New York City, who were unaware of the other's existence before their father's death in a plane crash.

When did it come out:  2020

How did I read it: Elizabeth Acevedo is an author whose books I will pre-order without question, and that's what I did with this one.

Why you should read it: Elizabeth Acevedo is my QUEEN. She is a gifted slam poet, and if you've never heard her she has TONS of recordings on Youtube. Acevedo is driven by telling the stories she wishes she could have read as a teen, and so all of her books star beautifully written Afro-Latinx heroines.

And there you have it! Did you read any of these books? Are there any favorites of yours that you recommend? Let me know in the comments, and look for my non-fiction list in the next few days. And for now, that's all she read!