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!