Best Books of 2020
Can you believe we’re almost at the end of the year? It’s been both the longest year of my life and at the same time, I’m pretty sure April was yesterday. But here we are in December, which means it’s time to talk about my year of reading and the best books of 2020!
What changed in 2020?
This is my second full year as a reader (you can head back to my 2019 books post to see how I got back into reading as an adult). Overall, this was a great year for my reading! I managed to read more books than last year, and I read from more diverse genres and authors. I pushed myself outside my comfort zone, discovered new favourites and found new ways to share my passion for reading.
Speaking of sharing, one of the big things I did in 2020 was introduce book posts to my blog. My blog has always been about 90% travel and 10% life updates and freelance writing posts. But this year, I pivoted to make books a bigger part of my posting. I’d say the breakdown is now 50% travel, 40% books, 10% life and other. Of course, covid and a lack of travel was the catalyst for this change, but I’m so glad to be able to share this other hobby of mine that I’m very passionate about.
I’m also sharing my reading on a dedicated Instagram account: @ebookadventures. I actually first started this account in August 2019 and abandoned it almost immediately. But I picked it back up in November 2020 and I’m enjoying sharing longer reviews, finding new book recommendations and engaging with the book community there. If you’re on Bookstagram, give me a follow!
The last big change for me in 2020 has been starting audiobooks. I tried out my first audiobook in August and absolutely loved the medium. I love to listen to nonfiction memoirs read by the authors – making the book that much more personal. I get all of my audiobooks from the library and love that I can still be reading while walking Ellie or doing the dishes.
Reading during a global pandemic
Reading during a global pandemic is hard. It’s hard to read when you’re fixated on the news and following an election you don’t even have the power to vote in.
It’s hard to read when you’re confronting the ugly sides of racism you ignored up until now. It’s hard to read when you’re sick or worrying about sick loved ones. It’s hard to read if you’ve lost your job or have otherwise had your life put on hold.
So if 2020 hasn’t been a great reading year for you, that is okay. That is so normal! When we first got back to Vancouver, I think I was in a state of shock. I finished one book in 40 days, whereas I usually finish one every 4-5 days. But later in the year, I turned to books for solace. When the BLM movement rose up in the summer, I turned to books to educate myself. When the US election dragged on for an anxiety-inducing week, I turned off the TV and focused on books.
I realize I am extremely privileged to be able to ignore certain things and choose books instead. Not everyone is so lucky.
What I read in 2020
If you want to see every book I read this year, check out these posts:
- What I read from January to June
- Reading wrap up for July
- Reading wrap up for August
- Reading wrap up for September
- Reading wrap up for October
- Reading wrap up for November
- And stay tuned for the December wrap up in a couple of weeks!
2020 annual reading stats
Updated on Dec 31, 2020:
- Total number of books read: 71 books
- Total number of pages read: 22,143 pages
- Fiction vs nonfiction: 25 fiction & 46 nonfiction
- Male vs female authors: 17 male & 56 female (two books had two authors, hence why I have more authors than books)
- Diversifying my reading: Of the 73 authors I’ve read this year, 27 are BIPOC (37%) and 11 are LGBTQ+ (15%).
- Books read per month: On average, I read about 6 books per month
- Most vs least books read in a month: My best month was finishing 11 books in November and my slowest month was finishing just one book in April.
- Shortest and longest book: The shortest book I read was We Should All Be Feminists at 48 pages and the longest book I read was The Stranger Beside Me at 548.
Best books of 2020
Before I dive into my best books of 2020, I want to share a few caveats.
First, my choices below are all based on my opinion. I don’t think there’s an objectively “best” anything.
Second, when I say “best books of 2020,” I am referring to books I read in 2020 and not just new 2020 releases.
And lastly, since there’s still a few weeks of 2020 left, I may have to come back and update this post if a late entry changes my rankings!
The rule: I’m only allowed to mention each book ONCE on the below list. I did this so I could share more books with you and to challenge myself to not keep picking the same book as a winner in every category.
The worst books I read in 2020
Before I can get to the best books of 2020, I wanted to start with the worst. Again, this is just my opinion – these books could be awesome for someone else! I’m also only including books I finished, so none of these were so bad I stopped reading.
The worst books I read in 2020 were: Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered (too much pandering to the audience and not the true crime I was looking for), Christmas at the Gingerbread Cafe (too cheesy and I read it in May), Big Magic (I had huge expectations for this one but it was too woo-woo for me) and Anti-Diet (such important info but written in a really boring way).
Books I’m most looking forward to reading in 2021
So these aren’t 2021 releases but actually books I wanted to read in 2020 but never got around to! The books I can’t wait to read in 2021 are The Midnight Library, Homegoing, Anxious People, Group, Such a Fun Age, Minor Feelings, When No One Is Watching, With the Fire on High, Sex and Vanity and The Vanishing Half. I blame Bookstagram for this!
Book I avoided reading in 2020
I was meant to read The Death of Vivek Oji way back in August for an online book club. But I ended up missing the book club date and for some reason, the book just kept getting pushed back. All of my library holds came in and I had to prioritize those before they were due back. But I do want to read this book!
Book I’d recommend everyone read
So You Want to Talk About Race is definitely a must-read, especially if you’re a white person. This is a great introduction to topics of anti-racism with both actionable tips and impactful storytelling. Highly recommend it!
Book I’d gift for Christmas
With Christmas right around the corner, one book I’d gift is Untamed. This book has so many gems of wisdom in it and I think anyone would find some great takeaways. It’s an easy read with short chapters, and I think pretty universally appealing.
Book I’d assign in school
If I were a teacher in school I would definitely assign Know My Name to my students (with some heavy trigger warnings). I think this book does such a good job of teaching about not only consent and the inner workings of the justice system, but also empathy, mental health and hope.
Book I wish I had read sooner
Hunger came out in 2017 and I really wish I had read it then. This book was so powerful and painful, but also spoke so much truth to my lived experiences. I wish I had known these words years ago.
Book that blew my mind
A lot of books blew my mind this year but I’ve narrowed it down to two. Cribsheet is a data-based book about parenting infants and the facts were so important, well-researched and often against common knowledge. I took notes the whole time! And Catch and Kill blew my mind in the other direction learning about how much really goes into covering up the horrendous acts of rich men in Hollywood.
Book that made me laugh out loud
A few books made me laugh out loud but probably none more than Here For It. This book actually had me laughing and crying, but the hilarious lines really did have me chuckling to myself on the street as I listened to the audiobook. Get your hands on this one!
Honourary mentions to Wow, No Thank You and Shit, Actually.
Book that made me bawl my eyes out
Again, a lot of books I read in 2020 made me cry. At this rate, a slightly sad commercial will make me cry. But I really lost it listening to From Scratch. One chapter details the author’s husband passing away from cancer and how she had to navigate herself and her daughter through that moment. I just sat on the couch and cried my eyes out.
Book that would make a good movie
So the first few books I thought of for this question actually are already movies – so I guess I was right! But one I don’t think is optioned yet is The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. This horror book was twisty and interesting; I could definitely see it being an HBO mini-series. Though I do get The Help vibes from it, so hopefully that part could be handled better.
Best fiction book
I read a lot more nonfiction than I do fiction, but I read a few standout fiction books this year. However, the winner has to be Front Desk, the middle grade book I read last month. I can’t believe a middle grade book is taking the top prize here but it is truly so well-deserved. An awesome book! (Check out my full review here.)
Best nonfiction book
I will say this is one of the best nonfiction books I read in 2020 (the others have been listed elsewhere in this post), but The Only Plane in the Sky is still an incredible book and worthy of winning this category. This is an oral history of 9/11. It will break your heart and totally blow your mind. Such beautiful storytelling and such an interesting format.
If you want to get started with nonfiction, check out my nonfiction book recommendations depending on your mood!
Best audiobook
2020 is the year I got into audiobooks and I’m so glad I finally discovered them! My favourite audiobooks to listen to are memoirs read by the author. The experience becomes so much more personal. The Answer Is… takes the cake for this category. I loved how the memoir was read by both Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings, and how poignant it became after Alex’s death.
Top 5 best books of 2020
Okay, I’m going to break my own rule and repeat some books here. In no particular order, here are my picks for the top five best books of 2020:
- Know My Name
- Untamed
- Catch and Kill
- Here for It
- Front Desk
Reading resolutions for 2021
I struggle with resolutions in general, but especially with my reading, I’m hesitant to put a number on it. I don’t want to only pick up really thin books in order to hit my goal, or start skipping pages, or dread reading because I feel tied to a goal.
But I also know that numeric goals help keep me focused and, most of the time, it’s the choice between picking up the TV remote or a book. So if a goal helps me choose book, I should probably go for it.
So I’m going to say my goal for 2021 is 60 books (5 books per month). That’s fewer than I read this year, so I think it’s do-able for me and won’t cause me to stress-read. If I pass 60, I’ll move onto my stretch goal. My stretch goal will be 75 books and over 20,000 pages.
But besides numbers, I have a few other goals for my 2021 reading life:
- I want to read more diverse authors and genres. I loved trying out books I never thought I would pick up this year (Middle grade? Horror? Fantasy? Parenting? Who am I!?!). And I want to de-centre heteronormative whiteness in the stories I read by focusing on non-white authors, non-US/UK authors, LGBTQ+ authors, and books in translation.
- I want to read books that challenge me, but I also want to really look forward to reading. I want to find that middle ground where I’m reading for pleasure but also learning and growing through my books.
- I want to continue to share my reading life! I want to keep posting my monthly updates and book lists to this blog, and continue posting to my Bookstagram account. Maybe I’ll even get started on Goodreads!
- I want to carve out more time for reading. Towards the end of the year, I got into a nice habit of ending the work day by heading to the couch with my book, a mug of tea and a comfy blanket. I’d light a candle and just spend 30 or so minutes reading. It was so cozy and I really looked forward to it. In the summer, I loved reading on our balcony or at the beach with Ellie. So I want to do more of that in 2021!
All right, that’s it! Thank you for sticking through this mammoth post all about my books and reading of 2020.
What were your best books of 2020? What are your reading goals for 2021?
Share my best books of 2020 – Pin it!
I’m so inspired by your reading this year. I’ve tried to read more and think I’ve done OK but this is an incredible list and achievement. I think I’m going to have to try audio books. Something I haven’t done before. Loved your recommendations this year. Now I just need to get reading more of them
Aw thank you so much, Emma! That means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy audiobooks!
Your reading list always inspires me to read more, hopefully 2021 is the year for me! Did save a few books of your rec list the last few months and hopefully I can add a few to the Kindle and start the new year with a new book.
Thanks so much, Gus! Hope you find a great next read!
I look forward to these monthly posts. You have such a range of books that I wish I had more of. Here’s to another great year of reading. Should you start to add travel books into your list?
Thanks so much, Renee! I’ve read a few travel books but don’t know that I’ve found too many I love, oddly enough. Definitely a good goal for 2021 to try and find more travel-related books!
This post made an interesting read. Earmarked several of the books. To be honest, I had only heard of three of those books before. 2020 was my year of starting-but-not-finishing-plenty-of-books…. Not quite as many as you actually read through to the end, but it must have been two dozen or so, so in my book that’s still pretty decent haha..
Thanks, Stefan! And great progress on reading. I used to finish one book every three years, so sounds like you’re doing great! I’m working on a few right now that I’m thinking I might not finish, so I get the feeling!