As this crazy year draws to a close, I have noticed my tendency to take more time for reflection than in previous years. There are quiet moments that I have worked into my morning routine that add a sense of serenity and stillness that I appreciate. As part of my reflection, I figured what better way to wrap this year up than with the tradition of a few of my favorite books of 2020.
Fiction
- How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
- Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
- The Orchard by David Hoppen
- The New Wilderness by Diane Cook
Nonfiction
- The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
- Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc
- The Dead are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
- Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
Poetry
- In the Lateness of the World by Carolyn Forché
- Finna: Poems by Nate Marshall
- The Age of Phillis by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Some of our past reader submissions have included backlisted books. I wanted to honor those submissions by creating my own list of a few favorites not published in 2020.
Backlist
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Sharks in the Rivers by Ada Limón
- The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America by Greg Grandin
- In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado
As usual, my To-Be-Read list has increased with all of the books I didn’t have a chance to get to this year. I love to hear from our subscribers about their favorite books this year and I will continue the tradition of including your favorites in my January column. Please email me or comment online with your favorites.
Happy Holidays!
