The Best Books I Read in 2020

 

2020 has been a wild ride of a year. Before anything, whether this year has grounded and lifted you or really deeply challenged you, I just want to say I'm so proud of all of us for making it through. For me, it's been a year filled with ups and downs, but one single constant has been reading. I read around 70 books total this year. The last time I read even close to that number was in 2016, 4 years ago. I'm always grateful to literature for being an escape and a comfort, but especially this year.

That being said, what were the incredible, mind-blowing, will read-again and treasure forever reads of this year? It was hard to narrow down, but here are (in the order that I read them) the BEST books I read in 2020: 

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The first book I read this year turned out to be an unexpected favorite. An absolute classic about power and sanity set in a mental hospital, this book flew by. The characters are so visceral, memorable, and the book manages to maintain an incredible plot while also questioning our understanding of what "insanity" is. It's funny, brutal, real. 

2. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

(full review here)

I truly think everyone will enjoy this book, but especially if you have a guilty pleasure for dark academia, a gothic aesthetic, or anything to do with the dark underbelly of Western tradition. It's about a group of Classics students at a small liberal arts college that get wrapped up in... a lot, including a death. This was the ultimate escape book for me at the beginning of quarantine. 

3. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

(full review here)

The winner of the 2019 Man Booker, this book explores Black female identity in Britain through an amazing cast of characters. I usually am not the biggest fan of switching between a ton of different characters' stories, but Evaristo still manages to develop amazing characters that I still remember. Powerful, touching, and one of the most technically impressive books I've read this year.

4. Severance by Ling Ma

(full review here)

If there is one book that I would recommend from this list, it's this one. I read it twice just this year, and it's officially one of my favorite books of all time. It tells the story of a worldwide fungal epidemic that takes over the world, but it's much more than that: it's some of the most intelligent, interesting exploration of Asian American identity and hustle culture that I've seen. 

5. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong

(full review here) 

One of the greatest joys this year was discovering so much incredible Asian American literature. This book is the book that I have been searching for my entire life. Cathy Park Hong tells her personal experiences and offers her thoughts on the position of Asian Americans in American society in such an honest, complex collection of essays. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand race, gender, and identity in this country. 

6. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

(full review here) 

I also fell deeply in love with Baldwin this year. I think he might be the most talented writer of the last century, if not ever. Giovanni's Room is the story of a man and his male lover in Paris, whose relationship is complicated and beautiful. I have never seen love and passion written as powerfully as it is in this book. 

7. Human Acts by Han Kang

(full review here)

Han Kang is probably the most internationally renowned Korean author. This book is her ode to the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, where civilians were gunned down and killed en masse by the dictator at the time for protesting peacefully. It not only tells a piece of history very necessary to remember, but it also showcases some of the most elegant, poignant writing I've seen. 

8. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

(full review here)

Another unexpected favorite: I'd read Saunders' short stories before and to be honest, they weren't exactly my jam. But this book surprised me with its creativity and beauty. It tells the story of President Lincoln after the death of his son Willie, but more than that, it's about souls, death, and what keeps us tethered to our short, short lives. I've never read anything written like it. Saunders plays with words, and it pays off- I was very emotional when I finished this one. 

9. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

I'm so glad I finally found my way to picking this book up. It deserves all the hype, truly. About a nameless protagonist who moves from the Deep South to Harlem, this book explores race in one of the most vivid, interesting voices I've read. It's funny, sarcastic, deeply intelligent. The plot, the characters, it all fits so perfectly together that it's almost unbelievable. 

10. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

I actually watched this movie before reading the book, and I thought the movie was good until I read the actual writing. A story about a young Black couple expecting a child and dealing with a false rape accusation, it is such a stunning portrayal of love, sadness, and strength. If books "dealing" with race and class can seem a little forced at times, this is the entire opposite: the story feels so real I can't believe it's fiction. 

11. The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

A little sneaky one here! Even though there wasn't necessarily one single mind-blowing book in this four-book series, it is undeniably one of the best literary experiences I've had in 2020. The books tell the story of two friends, Elena and Lila, in Naples over almost 50 years. It's amazing how raw the portrayal of female friendship and consciousness is, and it literally feels like I've been to Naples after reading this story. 

And that's it! I guess the top 10-ish books I've read this year. These are truly books that I will treasure for my entire life, and I hope to revisit them again and again. Hopefully some of them can find their way into your list for 2021! Please tell me any of your favorite reads from the year. 

Happy new year!!