2020 Reading Recap
Alison blew past her goal of 150 books in 2020 reading 160 when the year finally tapped out. For those who like to "math" it...that's about three books a week! Reading an eclectic mix of fiction, non-fiction, current best sellers, award winners, and some dug out of the depths of her Kindle, nothing was off limits, except perhaps self-help (watch that here). Read more reviews from Alison at Book Nook and follow her @theextroveredbookworm.
Here are the lists that absolutely no one asked for: my best fiction and non-fiction books of 2020.
I read 160 books this year; 132 were fiction, 28 were nonfiction. I had 32 fiction books that I absolutely LOVED, but I forced myself to narrow the list to 15, along with 9 nonfiction. Here they are in no particular order, with the caveat that the book I probably recommended the most was Hidden Valley Road, a non-fiction book that reads like a novel—my highest praise! Happy Reading in 2021!
Fiction
Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid
Followers, Megan Angelo
Writers & Lovers, Lily King
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes, Kathleen West
Greenwood, Michael Christie
A Good Neighborhood, Theresa Ann Fowler
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix
The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead
The Glass Hotel, Emily St. John Mandel
Friends & Strangers, J. Courtney Sullivan
True Story, Kate Reed Petty
Troubles in Paradise (the trilogy), Elin Hilderbrand
White Ivy, Susie Yang
Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi
Non-Fiction
Here For It, R. Eric Thomas
A Very Punchable Face, Colin Jost
Too Much is Never Enough, Andrew Rannells
Hidden Valley Road, Robert Kolker
This is Big, Marisa Metzer
Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann
The Ride of a Lifetime, Bob Iger
The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander
My Own Country, Abraham Verghese
And as a postscript, the book I really hated this year that everyone (at least all critics) loved: Luster, by Raven Leilani. It was on so many top ten lists this year and left me absolutely cold. I mention it only because I love how different the reading experience is for everyone and that’s what makes books so fun and wonderful to discuss.