My Favorite Books of 2020

I will have completed over 165 by the end of 2020. I did reach my goal of reading FEWER books than in 2019. (I had read 178 last year!)

My reading was nearly split between fiction and nonfiction. A hearty dose of the fiction books fall into the 'historical fiction' category. I was pleased to read many debut novels.

It is hard to pare down my 'favorite' reads. But, of the books published in 2020, these are some that stand out for me.

Top Favorites

What Unites Us by Dan Rather is inspiring and hopeful, a much needed reminder in a time of discord and division.

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar is a compelling novel of ideas and insights into the American experience and the hope of America.

I read so many fantastic Biographies this year. I loved the books on John Kennedy and his brother Edward because I learned so much about their development and background and evolution into moral leaders. And the John Lewis biography is a wonderful reminder of his conviction and courage. Every age needs people who struggle with the moral questions of political and social power.

Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour 1932-1975  by Neal Gabler is the first of a two volume biography.

JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century 1917-1956  by Fredrick Logevall is fantastic! I can't wait for the next volume.

His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and The Power of Hope by Jon Meacham is a beautiful homage to Lewis.

I also enjoy Memoirs.

I have never been to Kendra Attlework's beloved Miracle Country, but her beautiful writing made me love it, too. 

Jerome Charyn's memoir A Singular Beauty about his mother and growing up in the Bronx was memorable. In 2020, I read more books by Charyn than any other writer: Sargent Salinger, which comes out next month; Cesare; The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson; A Loaded Gun: Emily Dickinson for the 21 Century; and Johnny One-Eye.

As a life-long lover of classical music, I read three books about Music, pianos, and composers!

Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces by Laura Tunbridge presented Beethoven through nine pieces of music he wrote. I loved listening to the music as I read.

Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Continents, Four Centuries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions by Annik LaFarge was a joy to read. 

The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts is a musical travelogue, the author searching for rare and vintage pianos brought to Siberia. 

I also read many books addressing Current Social Issues.  

I was impressed by The Violence Inside Us by Sen. Chris Murphy. His passion and personal journey struggling with gun violence in America is presented in context of human nature and history.

Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn is about Kristof's hometown peers for whom the American Dream became a nightmare.

History not only explains the past, it reveals the present. In perfect timing, Larson's study of Churchill during the Blitz was a marvelous study of leadership in crisis.

The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson

Literary fiction is my favorite read. There were so many great books out this year! These are the books that indulge my love for language and show a deep understanding of the human experience.

The Inheritors by Asako Serizawa was often hard to read, always beautifully written, a multi-generational story of a Japanese family.

The Dark Heart of Every Wild Thing by Joseph Fasano is beautiful, powerful, dark and hopeful.

Jack by Marilynne Robinson is her latest Gilead novel, the story of the black sheep son whose very love for an African American woman puts her at risk.

Moss by Kaus Modick is hard to describe, a beautiful and intimate story of an old man as he nears death.

When a child who cannot be categorized suddenly appears in a church, the community struggles to know how to respond in Pew by Catherine Lacey. 

Since I read it in 2019, I nearly forgot Cesare by Jerome Charyn! Which is awful, since it is an unforgettable, madhouse story of the Holocaust.

I read a great deal of Historical Fiction, books that imagine past times and people. It was hard to cull down to my favorites. All have in common immersive writing about human courage.

Jess Walter's book The Cold Millions is about the repression of early union organizers.

Emma Donoghue's novel The Pull of the Stars is about a nurse during the 1918 pandemic.

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich was inspired by her grandfather's story of Native Americans fighting the termination of their reservation. 

I love to support Debut Novels! This year was especially hard for these writers, unable to promote their work in a traditional way. 

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai was her first book in English. It is a multi-generational story of a Vietnamese family.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner is a heartwarming story of a community that is brought together through reading.

The All-Night Sun by Diane Zinna was mesmerizing, the story of a woman's search for herself that spins out of control.

Other People's Pets by R. L. Maizes was so much fun! And heartfelt and moving and sweet.

Bronte's Mistress by Finola Austin imagine the woman who caught the heart of Branwell Bronte; she was vilified in Elizabeth Gaskill's biography of Charlotte Bronte; Austin humanizes her.

Godshot by Chelsea Biker is a disturbing, Gothic, propelling story of a girl escaping a cult community.

I enjoy reading Short Stories, and Daniel Mason's A Registry of My Passage on Earth also hits my favorite historical fiction category.

Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, General Fiction--whatever you call it, these are books that reflect our experience today, often focused on personal growth and relationships.

A woman suffers a coma in With You Or Without You by Caroline Leavitt, and she faces many decisions while rebuilding her life.

A woman struggles personal freedom and fulfillment, breaking away from what the men in her life want her to be in The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson. 

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez is about grief  and meaning after the loss of a spouse.

Karen Dionne returns to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the setting of her Suspense novel The Wicked Sister.

Dystopian, and a climate change novel, Charlotte McConaghy's
Migrations was beautifully written and left me in tears.

What can I suggest for All Ages?

My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World features Salley Mavor's fantastic art. Adults and children alike will spend hours looking at this book. And, it teaches that children are the same everywhere, in spite of their cultural differences.

When animals talk, we should listen. Jane Smiley's Perestroika in Paris seems merely like a sweet, inter-generational read, but these animals teach us about family and rising from tragedy.

I would love to list every book I read that was published this year! Plus,  I read books this year that don't come out until next year! So, I hope you follow my blog, because I surely want you to know about all the lovely reads that you need to put on your TBR shelf!

Wishing you safe and Happy New Year.