Books of 2020

  1. The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo (poetry)
  2. Joy on Demand – Chade-Meng Tan
  3. Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  4. Appalachian Elegy – bell hooks (poetry)
  5. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – Cal Newport
  6. Shoe Dog – Phil Knight (Parents’ Book Club Read)
  7. Nothing to See Here – Kevin Wilson
  8. How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America – Kiese Laymon
  9. American Dirt – Jeanne Cummins
  10. Sula – Toni Morrison
  11. The Dutch House – Ann Pachett
  12. Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
  13. Measure What Matters – John Doerr
  14. Untamed – Glennon Doyle (memoir)
  15. Well-Read Black Girl – Glory Edim (essays)
  16. The Giver of Starts – Jojo Moyes
  17. The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own – Veronica Chambers (essays)
  18. Daisy Jones and The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid (fiction)
  19. The Simple Wild – K.A. Tucker (fiction)
  20. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb
  21. Citizen: An American Lyric – Claudia Rankine (poetry)
  22. The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown – Catherine Burns (short stories; non-fiction)
  23. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know – Malcolm Gladwell
  24. Let Love Have the Last Word – Common (memoir)
  25. Being Peace – Thich Nhat Hanh (spirituality, buddhism, non-fiction, philosophy)
  26. The Girl with the Louding Voice – Abi Dare (fiction)
  27. Welcoming the Unwelcome – Pema Chodron
  28. A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles (fiction)
  29. The Family Upstairs – Lisa Jewell (suspense)
  30. Normal People – Sally Rooney
  31. The Skin We’re In – Desmond Cole (non-fiction; social justice)
  32. The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett
  33. The Atomic City Girls – Janet Beard (historical fiction)
  34. Breathe – Imani Perry (non-fiction; social justice)
  35. The Rumor – Elin Hildebrand (chic lit; fiction; beach read)
  36. Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney (fiction)
  37. Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid (fiction)
  38. The Places That Scare You – Pema Chodron
  39. The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks (poetry)
  40. Under the Rainbow – Celia Laskey (fiction)
  41. Wild at Heart – K A Tucker (fiction; chic lit)
  42. Sometimes I Lie – Alice Feeney (fiction; mystery)
  43. The Other Wes Moore – Wes Moore (non-fiction)
  44. Memorial Drive – Natasha Trethewey (autobiography)
  45. Nothing More Dangerous – Allen Eskens (fiction)
  46. The Meaning of Mariah – Mariah Carey (memoir)
  47. Look Both Ways – Jason Reynolds (YA fiction)
  48. The 5 AM Club – Robin Sharma (self-improvement)
  49. Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower – Brittney Cooper
  50. The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life – Janice Kaplan (non-fiction)
  51. 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think – Laura Vanderkam (non-fiction)
  52. Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success – Shawn Stevenson
  53. Radical Candor – Kim Scott (business)
  54. The Black Friend – Frederick Joseph