I am so excited to share my list of the best books I read in 2020 with you! I exactly met my Goodreads goal of 40 books last year, and when it came time to make this list, I had a really hard time paring it down.
If you read my year in review, you already know what book made it to the top of this list. I’ve added 11 others of various categories to round out this entirely-too-long list. I’m confident that there’s something for every kind of reader!
Quick note: You’ll notice that I’ve included links to each of my favorite books of 2020, one for Amazon and one for Better World Books. Both are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission should you buy the book through my link.
I’ve decided to start giving purchasing options outside of Amazon. Since this is a new initiative for me, I wanted to explain why. There are many great things about Amazon: it’s easy to use, prices are typically low, and you can get the next book in a series delivered right to your doorstep in less than 24 hours. With all that convenience comes some negatives, though: work conditions in Amazon warehouses are notoriously bad, they don’t exactly welcome unionizing among their employees, and Jeff Bezos is only amassing more wealth, pandemic or no pandemic.
I decided I wanted to give another option, especially since I plan to feature more book lists this year. Better World Books was an easy choice! Not only do they have a great selection of books, but you can often find them used (which jives perfectly with my secondhand shopping resolution) and shipping is free in the U.S. and only $3.97 worldwide. They have saved over 30 million books from the landfill. Also, you can choose to carbon balance your books shipping for pennies. All in all, a great, sustainable choice for buying books!
Whew! That was a little longer than expected, so let’s get to the good stuff: the best books I read in 2020.
The Best Books I Read in 2020
Best Overall
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
By V.E. Schwab
★★★★★
I was incredibly excited when this book came out. I’m a big fan of Victoria Scwab’s writing — there’s another book of hers on this list, and her Darker Shade of Magic series was included in my 2018 book recap. So when I heard her talking about this book on Instagram, I knew I would end up buying it.
I actually got the Book of the Month edition, and my mom decided to pick it as her book, too. (I was not surprised when she loved it just as much as I did!)
The story itself was so unique. Addie, the main character, made a deal with the devil, and now she can’t die. And no one ever remembers her. The chapters alternate between modern day and the earlier periods of her life, beginning in 1700s France. Everything changes one day when she stumbles into a bookstore and discovers a boy who can remember her. It absolutely does not end the way you think it will, and I was 100% okay with that!
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Book on Writing
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
By Jessica Brody
★★★★☆
Does a writing craft book really belong among the best books I read in 2020? Absolutely yes.
I make a point to read the really intriguing writing books, and this one was that odd combination of fast-paced but jam-packed with usable information. The Save the Cat books began with a screenwriting manual, and this version tackles how novel writers can use the same idea.
First, you get a crash course in the Save the Cat method and the “beats” that every novel needs to have. Then, the author breaks it down into 10 different genres, but these aren’t any kind of genre you’ve ever read about before. Overall, I enjoyed this idea of creating a “beat sheet” for your novel, and it’s been a fun way to outline new writing projects.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Book on Sustainability
101 Ways to Go Zero Waste
By Kathryn Kellogg
★★★★☆
I’ve followed Kathryn’s blog, Going Zero Waste, for years now, so it’s amazing that I’m just now reading her book. I typically shy away from things that tout the “zero waste” lifestyle. It’s often not sustainable (hah, get it?) to everyday people and can be a little preachy and less than welcoming.
Kathryn’s book is none of these things. In the same way that Give a Sh*t encourages you to do what you can without guilt tripping you, 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste provides useful, actionable tips for cutting out waste, being a more conscious consumer, and engaging with your community to bring more people to sustainability. Read it, and I promise you’ll find a new tip for living a more eco-conscious life.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Children’s Book
City of Ghosts
By Victoria Schwab
★★★★☆
And here’s the second book by Victoria Schwab on this list! I read a few children’s books this year, mostly ones that appear on my organization’s book club for kids. We featured this one in 2019, and I actually enjoyed it so much that I ended up reading its sequel, too!
The premise of a girl who had a near-death experience and now can see ghosts isn’t completely unheard-of, but Cassidy’s parents are a ghost-hunting duo who whisk the family off to Edinburgh to film their new show. I love the relationship between Cassidy and her ghost best friend, and the book really evokes the timeless, otherworldly feeling of Scotland’s capital.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Young Adult Book
You Should See Me in a Crown
By Leah Johnson
★★★★☆
I’m going to go ahead and admit that I was a little hesitant to read this one. There was so much hype surrounding this book—I mean, Reese Witherspoon chose it as her first ever YA selection for her book club!—and that level of fanfare usually leads to disappointment.
Well, not in this case. You Should See Me in a Crown is a delightful slice of high school, but in all the best ways! Liz, the main character, is so relatable, and the book completely transported me back to small town teenage escapades, including all the quirks, romances, and embarrassments that went along with it.
I also appreciated that the story didn’t shy away from Liz’s feelings as one of the only Black and queer students at her school. Nothing in the book was superfluous. Every single sentence had a purpose, and I would absolutely recommend it as a fantastic YA read!
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Series
The Diviners Series
By Libba Bray
★★★★★
I will forever remember 2020 as the year The Diviners series ended! I am such a fan of Libba Bray’s historical fantasy fiction, and I’ve been hooked on this series ever since the first one came out in 2021.
It’s the story of a group of young adults living in 1920s New York City. Not only is the setting fantastical but each of the friends has a different power, from healing to invisibility to diving memories from objects. It’s a really great ensemble of characters, and each book introduces an in-depth look at a new Diviner. I read all four of them in 2020, and I did not regret re-visiting the entire series one bit!
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Historical Fiction Book
City of Girls
By Elizabeth Gilbert
★★★★★
City of Girls was actually the very first book that I read last year, and it absolute belongs on this list. Another one set in New York City, this book tells the life story of Vivian Morris, a modern 1940s girl who gets kicked out of college and is sent to live with her aunt. Her aunt just happens to run a theater, and Vivian is exposed to an entirely new world of chorus girls and
I was talking to my friend Mahalia about this book the other day, and she reminded me that it did take a bit to get into Vivian’s story. She’s not a perfect, totally relatable heroine. She’s messy and real; she makes big mistakes during the course of the novel and has to live with the consequences of them. And the best part is that we get to see her throughout the course of her life while she continues to grapple with the past and reinvent herself time and time again.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Mystery Book
Truly Devious
By Maureen Johnson
★★★★☆
This book and its sequels could have been my top read for the YA or series categories, too. It was that good. In fact, my friend Molly brought it up at a team meeting in the spring, and suddenly half the team was reading (and enjoying every moment of) it!
I’m not always super into the mystery/detective fiction genre. I dislike the big reveal moment where you learn that xyz person did it despite the fact that they were in the book for two minutes and none of the evidence against them makes any sense. Truly Devious is not like that.
Don’t get me wrong; it will absolutely thrill and amaze you with its plot twists and reveals, but they’ll all be logical, deserved aha moments that you should’ve seen coming. I devoured these books, set on a unique boarding school campus, in a matter of days, so they absolutely fit among the best books I read in 2020.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Fantasy Book
An Enchantment of Ravens
By Margaret Rogerson
★★★★☆
I knew absolutely nothing about this book except that its cover is beautiful and the author was on a panel I watched during the virtual YALLWest book festival. I ended up reading it in basically one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! The magical world was so captivating and different from any other world I’d read about, which is something I’m always particularly impressed with. Magic can be so overdone, but this world felt fresh and unique.
Isobel is a skilled painter who uses her craft to buy enchantments from the fair folk, but she is careful to word her requests carefully so she isn’t caught up in a magical entanglement. When she is commissioned by her first royal patron, the autumn prince, she makes a terrible mistake that could cost him his throne and Isobel her life! (This sounds very dramatic, and it was.)
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Memoir
Nothing Works But Everything Works Out: My Peace Corps Experience in the West Region of Cameroon
By Leigh Marie Dannhauser
★★★★★
You may have already read about this book in my monthly favorites from December, but I think I’m justified including it here (and in every book list I can realistically fit it in), too! When your college bestie writes a memoir about her Peace Corps experience, it only makes sense to sing its praises in as many places as possible!
Yes, I’m horribly biased, but you should absolutely read this book. Leigh writes about her two-year experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon with a raw realism. As the title suggests, she doesn’t sugarcoat things or try to make excuses for herself or others on her journey. Instead, she paints a full picture of her various job functions as a volunteer, the people she met along the way, and the very real emotions that come with uprooting your life for two years and moving to a new country with its own distinct culture. Any Peace Corps hopefuls should absolutely read this memoir! You can also learn more about Leigh on her blog.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Self-Help Book
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
By Laura Vanderkam
★★★★☆
When I first read this book and tracked every 15-minute period over two weeks as Vanderkam suggests, I felt like my eyes had been opened to a completely new world. Where does all my time go? quickly became I spend how much time mindlessly scrolling social media?
I really did have more time than I thought I did, but this book did more than show me how to better use my time, both at work and home. It also provided helpful guidance for how to use your time to be your happiest, most fulfilled self. I particularly loved her idea to create a “List of 100 Dreams” and use your time to work toward your goals, big and small.
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksBest Adaptation
Ayesha at Last
By Uzma Jalaluddin
★★★★☆
At the beginning of my pandemic-necessitated, work-from-home stint, I got the urge to create a blog post of all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations I could get my hands on. This one was, by far, my favorite!
Ayesha is an English teacher and poet who is not interested in an arranged marriage, though it’s what her Muslim family expects of her. Khalid is a smart, conservative computer programmer who is happy to let his mother take the reins when it comes to his marriage. When they meet, it’s all the Lizzie and Darcy tension you could possibly want, which only becomes more complicated when it’s announced that Khalid is engaged to Ayesha’s flighty cousin, Hafsa. This novel took all the elements I love about Pride and Prejudice and transformed them for the modern age!
Buy from Amazon Buy from Better World BooksWhat’s the best book you read in 2020? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram!
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