Need a good book recommendation? I got you. Here are my top 10 books of 2020. Last year I set a goal to read 24 books, or about 2 per month. Then the world imploded with COVID and I was at home quarantining solo and I managed to get through 52 books last year! This exceeded all my expectations, but lots of solo Saturdays on the couch helped me reach and exceed my goal.
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My Taste in Books
It’s always nice to find a friend that has similar taste in books, or an interesting perspective to expand your thinking. If I were to classify my reading tastes I would say storytelling nonfiction and modern literary novels. I don’t typically read anything romantic or science fiction.
I always love a good nonfiction. It’s great to walk away from a book having learned something. New facts. Backstory behind a scientific discovery. Or a new perspective on life. This year I read a lot of essays and short stories which were delightful and bite sized. Some made me actually laugh aloud with how witty they were.
I escaped into the fiction world a bit thanks to fabulous books lent to me over the year by my darling friends Jillian of Cup of Charisma and Mary Cate of Blue Willow Bookshop.
Tracking my Reads
I use the Goodreads app to track the books I’ve read, are reading, and want to read. Most of the books I read are in the physical copy. Occasionally I download a book onto my Kindle. If you’re an ebook reader, a really awesome resource is the Libby app which connects to the Houston Public Library catalog (or whatever local library you’re at). You can request to borrow the book and download it for a temporary amount of time to read.
Top 10 Books of 2020
I absolutely love giving book recommendations. At popular request from my IG stories, here’s the top 10 books I read in 2020. I’ve broken them down into my favorite five in fiction and favorite five in nonfiction.
The ones that made the list were the ones that made me cry, made me think, and made me remember their title and author long after I finished. If you’re looking for a new read, definitely check them out.
Note: It was tough to make cuts and compile this list. Click here to see my full 2020 book list.
Top 5 Fiction Reads
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A cliff hanging murder mystery that I couldn’t put down. Owens tells the story of how a poor swamp girl finds her independence and success despite the prejudices of the backwards small town. The chapters flips between the present and the past as a murder mystery slowly unfolds. I think I read the whole book in one sitting and honestly might read again this year.
- The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. Famous parents who created performance art (and may or may not have screwed up their children’s lives in the process) suddenly vanish. The children, now adults, must solve the puzzle of their parent’s disappearance. I loved reading about all the crazy performance art stunts. The author truly has an imagination and love to read about art.
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Somewhat of a modern Cinderella story centered around a beautiful mansion. I loved the imagery describing the lost wealth, art and architecture as a brother and sister navigate getting kicked out of their childhood home by their stepmother and falling into poverty.
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Two half-sisters are born in different villages. Each chapter is told from the perspective of the next generation starting in 1700s in Africa, through the colonialism and the slave trade into modern day United States. Heartbreaking and excruciatingly moving, the book does an exceptional job at demonstrating how slavery has shaped the Black experience in America.
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. I actually kind of hated this book while I was reading it and then a bit afterwards. But then I recognized the powerfulness of the antihero protagonist that just doesn’t give a fuck about anything and wants to just be drugged up and sleep through the entire year as she deals with death and heartbreak. I’ve read a few books from this author and she’s totally weird and her books are rather uncomfortable. This was probably the most distinctive book I’ve read this year.
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Top 5 Nonfiction Reads
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger– Why some ideas catch and other’s done. If you liked Malcom Gladwell’s original books or work in marketing you’ll love. I read this right when COVID was spiking in the news. So it was fascinating to analyze what articles got more coverage than others. Spoiler: emotional, scary ones are shared more often. The book breaks down the other ways concepts can go viral (or not).
- Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. Feminism as a concept is flawed, messy and still worthy of support. Written by a bi-Black woman, this book is a series of personal essays about the author’s life as she maneuvers as a “bad feminist”. I loved it so much, I bought it for all my friends.
- Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine. Why do girls like pink? Why are men stoic and logical? Is there a neurological reasoning for these preferences, or does society influence how gender manifests itself? The author navigates through lots of “science” that tries to prove how gender influences a person’s personality, preferences, and skills. Fascinating read about the alleged scientific bias and stereotypes we have about gender.
- Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker. A MUST read for any wine lover! Dive into the crazy world of wanna-be-master sommeliers, Michelin star restaurants, and exclusive wine clubs and parties. I learned so much about the science of tasting and smelling wine as well as a fascinating look into the wine industry.
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. Antiques, socialites, drag queens, voodoo and high society of Savannah Georgia in the 80s mix in this book. While reading like a novel, this nonfiction work is based on the true story of a journalist who fell in love with the quirkiness and insanity of this Old South town and finds himself in the middle of a murder trial.
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2021 Recommendations
My money for 2021 is bet on another year of quarantine and social distancing travel, so I set this year’s reading goal for 50 books. Click here to follow me on Goodreads. If you live in Houston and want to do a book exchange, let me know. I’m always on the lookout for another great read!
