My Favorite Books of 2020
It doesn’t get much better than an end-of-the-year book list, does it?
I love a good rundown of what my favorite people are reading, so I thought I’d share my favorite books I read this year with you to round out 2020. This year was hard (obviously) but reading was something that always made me feel like myself.
I’m sharing my non-fiction favorites first, then following up with my favorite fiction books. They’re listed in the order I read them throughout the year (and there’s only one you can’t get just yet, sorry!).
Before we jump in, I’ll link a few Lazy Genius resources to jumpstart your reading.
Non-Fiction Books
The Body by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is my writing idol amen. I don't enjoy science or even knowledge if I'm honest, mostly because I don't retain information well, or at least subconsciously choose to forget a lot of things. That said, I've never been more fascinated by the human body. Bryson breaks down all the systems and functions and mysteries about these bodies we call home. It was dense in information but not in a scholarly tone. This book is such a delight to read.
Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee
I LOVED this book. Like, I can't deal with how perfect this book is and how it taps into my weird love of environment. If The Art of Gathering was my book about the magic of gathering, Joyful is the sister that tells you how the gathering can feel. Lee breaks down the ten elements of a joyful space, and I'm now obsessed with making sure every room fits the bill.
My secret (well, maybe not so secret) love is welcoming people into purposeful environments, and this book will be a constant companion in making that happen.
All Things Reconsidered by Knox McCoy
Knox McCoy is one of my favorite Internet and real-life humans. As one half of my favorite podcast, The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, I have his voice in my head often. A legitimately funny human who sees the world so differently than I do. Knox is way better at putting words to this idea of reconsideration, of asking why we believe what we do and if there's a path to maybe changing our minds.
In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
This book is about Christian leadership, but, if I may be so bold, it's not on enough shelves of Christian leaders. I could've highlighted the entire thing. It's a short book on humility, not knowing everything, walking away from being important, and all kinds of counter-cultural beauty. I love love loved it.
Rage Against the Minivan by Kristen Howerton
If The Lazy Genius Way is a toolkit that teaches you how to be a Lazy Genius (which it is), Rage Against the Minivan is the personal story of how someone used those tools to craft a life of meaning. Kristen and I were both kind of rocked by how similar our books are, but mine is the how-to and hers is the "and then this happened."
It's so. GOOD. I'm serious. I loved it way more than I expected to which is always a thing I feel nervous saying, but there you go. Sometimes it feels like memoir-ish, story-driven essay books are kind of all the same, especially when motherhood is a prominent theme, but this one isn't. It's hilarious for one (Kristen is such a great writer), but the permission she offers through her own stories is really special. Highly recommend.
Welcome Home by Myquillyn Nester
I learned literally everything I know about decorating my home from @thenester. She is the Lazy Genius of decorating, and her new book Welcome Home is beautiful, full of color photos, easy steps, decorating rules that anyone with any style can follow, and inspiration to use our five senses to decorate our homes for the seasons, not just buy out the fall aisle at Hobby Lobby. If you like me, you'll like her.⠀
Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper
What a beautiful book. I heard Lisa Sharon Harper on an episode of Pantsuit Politics this year and was taken by her heart for people and her passion for truth. In this book, she breaks down the truth of the gospel, of what really is the Good News of Jesus. I read this over several dark, solitary mornings and loved every word.
Grateful by Diane Butler Bass
Earlier this year, I shared some thoughts on gratitude, how I didn't know how to be grateful in an authentic way without succumbing to practices that don't work for me. My friend, Sarah, immediately was like "Read Grateful by Diane Butler Bass." So I did. And she was right. This book is beautiful, empowering, cuts to the quick, and helped me see gratitude in a way I never had before. I underlined a lot and will refer back to it often.
The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning
Brennan Manning cuts to the quick as only Brennan Manning can do. This book is tiny, vulnerable, and relentless in its reminder that God loves me. If you’re struggling with anemic faith, this book is a lovely read.
New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
This took me several months to get through because it is well researched, thick, and troubling. Because I read nonfiction only in the morning and because I often split my morning time between a spiritual nonfiction and an educational one, this book was read in about 20 minutes a day. Reading that way takes awhile, but I am so glad that reading that way exists. This book is important for our time, and I recommend it as required human reading along with titles like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby to help us as a nation more fully understand the Black experience in the United States, particular the Black experience as it relates to mass incarceration.
Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First. by Laura Tremaine
This book comes out in February, and I CANNOT wait for you to read it. I haven’t even figured out words for what it has meant for me yet. But when I get there, I will let you know. Preorder bonuses are available right now. I love Laura, and this book is so dang good.
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Such an important book. Austin Channing Brown shares her personal stories of being a Black girl growing up in a white world. It was uncomfortable and necessary and beautifully written. There's a reason it's been on every book list since the murder of George Floyd and the surge of movement toward racial redemption. While a lot of books on racial justice are academic or geared towards a social angle, I'm Still Here is so beautifully personal and human.
Fiction Books
The Night Country by Melissa Albert
If you've been around a while, you know how much I loved The Hazel Wood last year. One of my favorite novels about creepy fairy tales coming to life. The Night Country is the sequel and even better than the first one. I often wonder if sophomore books feel better because I love the characters so much and am highly invested, but whether or not that's true, I adored this book. It's way less scary than the first by the way. Clearly, I won't go into the plot because it's a sequel, but if you like magical realism, dark fairy tales, and other worlds, these two books are stellar. Loved it a ton.
The Toll (Trilogy) by Neal Shusterman
It's the final book in the Scythe trilogy, and it was my favorite of the three by a lot. And I loved the other two.
I won't go into details because it's the end of a trilogy you haven't read, but the entire series focuses on life in the future when all of humanity's needs are met: poverty, hunger, unemployment, even interpersonal conflict. The Cloud absorbed all of the knowledge - human and historic - that existed in the world, became sentient, and benevolently took on the role of caretaker to the world. However, even though no one gets sick or even dies, there's one problem that still exists: overpopulation. The Scythes are a select group of men and women who are trained to kill (or glean) the world's population at random to keep the numbers in check.
It's a fabulously constructed world, the two main characters start out as Scythe apprentices and obviously grow into more, and the story kept me on my toes. That's why I love genres like speculative fiction or magical realism; the existence of another set of rules makes it hard to know what happens next. This entire series is a great surprise, and I loved how it ended
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
I finally read Jayber Crow. YOU GUYS. Top five novels of all time. Just a wonder. Wendell Berry is a quiet, thoughtful genius who writes about trees and rivers as though they were as compelling as the plot in a Harry Potter novel. This season of being at home, being forced into simpler times and practices, being bored outside way more than I've ever been before has been the pitch-perfect time to read somebody like Wendell Berry write about a character like Jayber Crow. If you've ever had any interest in the novel, I can't imagine better timing to read it than right now.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Erin is the author of my beloved The Night Circus. Man. What a novel. It was so strange with magical rules you had to kind of figure out as you read. It's hard to explain, and that's one of my favorite things about it. A truly beautiful book that will have you thinking and wondering for a long time after.
Faithful Place by Tana French
Most of Tana French's novels are part of the Dublin Murder Squad Series, following a loosely connected cast of characters that affect each other's work and lives but not to the extent that the books have to be read in a row or even together at all. However, since the characters sometimes repeat and since I always cast book characters with real-life actors, I have a nice little cast accumulating, and this book was made even better because of my earlier choices.
Faithful Place is about Frank Mackey, an undercover detective who's mostly working the desk these days. He left his childhood neighborhood of Faithful Place as a teenager, partly because his family is crazy but mostly because his girlfriend Rosie disappeared the night they were going to run away together. When her body is found in an abandoned home in Faithful Place twenty years later, Frank goes back to his home, carrying his demons with him. It's such a slow burn and fantastic. This is in part due to the fact that in the previous book, The Likeness, Frank Mackey had a tiny part as an undercover supervisor, and I cast him as James McAvoy because he seemed to fit perfectly.
Now that I've read an entire book about Frank Mackey, the casting couldn't have been better. He's perfect, especially if you imagine bald James. Bonus: Frank's younger brother Kevin was solid as Matthew Lewis (Neville from Harry Potter but grown up and kind of hot), and his older brother Shay is SO GOOD as Colin Farrell. By the end, you'll think those guys are actually brothers. It's such a great story, y'all. Can't wait to start the next one.
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
This book. You guys. I don't understand why we don't know about it or the entire series that follows. My sister told me about it two months ago in one of our Lazy Sisters episodes, and I got it from the library right away because there were no holds.
The story centers around a secret town called Rockton, a tiny community hidden in the Yukon where people go to disappear. Casey Duncan is a detective recruited to work and live there because crime is on the rise. Why? Because who wants to disappear? Victims running from criminals and also criminals themselves. Everyone has a backstory, but is it true? The setting is fantastic, the characters are so complicated and fleshed out, and the story is fast and fantastic. I was riveted. It felt like a Tana French or Louise Penny series, the kind that becomes a fan favorite and beloved by so many. Except that I've never heard anyone ever talk about this series before my sister did. It. Is. So. Good.
The Shadows by Alex North
Paul is returning home to visit his dying mother. He hasn't been home in years because of something terrible that happened when he was a teenager, but he goes anyway. Of course, strange things start happening that remind him of that terrible thing and make him afraid for his life. I don't want to give anything away because it's a fun story to unfold (told in past and present), but I loved this book so much.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
This book is about what happens in the aftermath of a blackout but with a little mystery. Maybe there's magic? Maybe there are robots or freaky technology that is causing everything? There are definitely plenty of unanswered questions, but that's not the point of this story. The point - the clear point from the start - is looking at people under a microscope when something unusual happens to them. And I like that.
A Manhattan family of four goes on vacation to an Airbnb in the Hamptons, and their second night there, there's a late-night knock on the door. (You gotta love a late-night knock on a door.) It's the owners of the vacation home who have arrived at the house after being driven out by a Manhattan blackout. The vacationing family is White; the owners are Black. There are countless relational issues between the two couples, between the brother and sister, between the spouses, between each human and their relationships with technology, nature, and order. It is a fascinating, compelling read (written in an abruptly descriptive style that I'm obsessed with) that had me riveted on every page. And there were no circuses or gods or spaceships.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
I loved this book. The characters were solid, but it was about the world and the story within it.
Yeine is a headstrong teenage girl from a poor kingdom (check) who is summoned to the rich and powerful land of Sky to be named as a secret, surprise heiress to the throne. There is a god of darkness, a jealous and violently ruthless cousin who is also fighting for the throne, a mysteriously dead mom, and a palace underling who you know is pining for Yeine from day one. There's always somebody who has to confront their duty in the face of justice and love, or what's a novel for?!
Don't get me wrong; the characters were fantastic and fully formed. But the story drove it. There was movement and action and suspense and a plot that ended because of the plot, not because someone decided something on her own and became a better person and then the story was over or whatever.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Noemi is a socialite in Mexico City when her stern father sends her to check on her cousin who was recently married and has been writing the family really strange letters. It's perfectly gothic, has such an incredible sense of place, and is legit scary. I'm starting to dip my toe in scary stories more and more and finding I actually super love them, especially when magic is involved.
This one surprised me. I might even read it again, and I never do that.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This one was also scary. It has photos. They were... a lot.
Jacob is sixteen, aimlessly being a teenager who wants for nothing because of his family's drugstore fortune. But when his grandfather is killed under incredibly terrifying, mystifying circumstances, Jacob travels to Wales with his dad in search of the source of his grandfather's strange stories and photographs and maybe why he was killed in the first place.
It's funny, engaging, scary, creepy, easy to imagine, and I loved it so much. I was, however, unaware it's part of a trilogy and was very disappointed when I came to the end. No matter. That's what TBR lists are for.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
It's a book with a strong fantasy/magical backdrop, but the main push was character. I wanted more spells and gods and chases through woods and less conversation about how hard it is to be a person. That said, I give this book a solid recommendation to most readers. I think it's got something for everybody.
Addie LaRue lives in France in the 1700s and is about to be married off to someone she doesn't like. Her desire for more leads her to the woods the night of her marriage where she pleads with the gods to rescue her from this future. She's ready to make a deal.
(I LOVE stories where characters make deals with gods. Gods are so fun because there are literally no rules when writing them.)
Addie makes a deal with the god of darkness that she can live forever and explore the world, but in return, no one remembers her. Once she leaves their sight, it's a clean slate. Until one day, someone does remember her. The details of this setup, what it means for her to live across centuries and across countries and survive as a woman, is so well done and incredibly fascinating. Her relationship with the god of darkness is super interesting, and I loved everything about the characters and the story.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
I started reading this book after Anne Bogel recommended it to me on an episode of her podcast, What Should I Read Next, and I immediately had to cast the two main characters, per my usual. If you're not a Character Caster, that's totally fine, but I literally cannot continue reading until I have a face, preferably one that already exists, attached to the main characters. Sometimes they're hazy or create themselves from nothing and that's fine, but 90% of the time, my characters have an actual actor attached to them.
This one proved to be a doozy to cast but worth the effort.
Linus Baker (Oscar Isaac) is a sad, insecure, dependable minion of the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. He's a caseworker who visits orphanages for kids who can do magic to make sure they're being cared for. When he's sent on a highly classified assignment to an orphanage he's never heard of, he meets Arthur Parnassus (Viggo Mortensen) who introduces him to the unusual magical youths in his charge (one of whom is literally the Antichrist), and life for everyone is never the same.
It's full of heart and whimsy and asks solid questions about acceptance and inclusivity and fear. Plus, I cried a lot at the end and was very surprised by this. It got me more than I thought it would, and I'm so glad I read it. A sweet, hopeful, super fun story with the perfect main casting do not mess with it.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Two sisters, twins actually, grow up in an off-the-map town for light-skinned Black people. It's a unique place with a unique perspective, but the sisters want more. They run away to make a new life for themselves in New Orleans, but circumstances cause their paths to dramatically diverge. One sister marries a dark-skinned Black man and chooses to continue living as a Black woman, and the other sister decides to try and pass as White.
I loved how there were so many characters to care about and root for, and it made me think in ways only books can.
And those are my favorite books I read this year! Just a note, the links in this post are affiliate links meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Love you, mean it.
