The Diary of a Book Snob: My 10 favorite books of 2020

Looking back, it was a hell of a year for books! Not only did I read that publishers did well in the pandemic year, I also saw so many of my friends hit reading goals they didn't expect! I guess that's what being stuck inside does for you!

As for my own list of favorites, I really wanted to keep it at five. I think a top 10 list shows you simply can't choose or edit yourself! But, when I looked back at my list of books this year, I really couldn't leave some of these ones off. In fact, I struggled not to have a few more on this list, so I'll throw them in as honorable mention at the end!

Overall, I'm proud of 60 books this year. I finished #60 about 15 minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve! I originally wanted to try for 75 this year, but moving in May slowed me down. Pandemic fatigue slowed me down. A lack of air travel after March slowed me down! And, I read a couple of long books that took me longer than expected. Either way, I hope you got something out of this blog this year and maybe picked up some books based on my suggestions! Sharing book reviews is a true joy for me and I'm grateful for anyone who has been keeping up since I started this little project a few years back.

Here are some quick notes on my top 10! Please comment and share your favorites of the year with me. Here's to more great books in 2021!

1. The Cold Millions

I'd love this book even if it wasn't written about my city, by a guy who lives here, too. This book was not only my favorite of 2020, but it's among my favorites of all time. Based on some real-life events that happened not far from where I'm writing this, The Cold Millions tells of the labor movement of the early 1900s. It's also about brotherhood, immigration, human rights and a fledgling city trying to manage its growth. The last chapter had me sobbing with characters I'll never forget.

2. House in the Cerulean Sea

This book is a hug. This book is pure joy and pure magic and pure quirky goodness. A man with very little else to live for gets an assignment checking on some (literally) magical kids who live in a secluded orphanage. This book exudes love and acceptance. It also has some of the most incredible characters I've ever met, including a hilarious little Lucifer who may be the son of Satan, but is a pretty great kid, too. It's hard to describe this book in a way that does it any justice. It's, quite simply, magic.

3. Know My Name

I said in my original review that this book needs to be a text book. A text book for human beings. Chanel Miller took back her power, naming herself as the victim of dirtbag Stanford swimmer rapist Brock Turner. Her book explains the world-capturing story from her perspective and forces all of us not to look away. It's a lesson in how we should treat criminals and victims and women. It's hard to read for its subject matter, but Miller writes her painful story so well. Don't look away. Read this book, then pass it on.

4. Anxious People

If you've been around this blog awhile, you know of my abiding love of Fredrik Backman. This book is another of his masterpieces. It focuses on a group of people who are the victims of a botched robbery attempt. In his funny, poignant way, Backman teaches us about each of the people who live there, their connection to each other and a reflection of ourselves. Each of his books has left me laughing, then weeping. This one is no exception.

5. Accidental Presidents

I'm such a nerd about this book. Like, full-on Cliff Clavin from Cheers nerd. It tells the stories of the vice presidents who became president because the guy in front of them died. It's such a tale of the bizarre way our country has governed itself and all the bizarre ways presidents have died (Zachary Taylor was so hot at the dedication of the Washington Monument, but he should not have tried to cool down by eating that fruit contaminated by D.C. sewer water!) If you have even a passing interest in presidential history, you must read this.

6. The Great Believers

I think I'll always look back at this book with such fondness. A heart-wrenching book about the AIDS crisis and the men and their families who carried the burden of all that loss. Beautifully written, I wrote in my original review that I had to stop getting ready for work and crawl in bed to finish it. I needed to be wrapped in something when it finally came to an end. It has a real Hamilton "Who lives, who dies, who tells their stories..." vibe.

7. Why We Can't Sleep

If you would have told me when I finished this book that it would be on my top 10 for the year, I wouldn't have believed you. But, it stuck to my ribs. I think of this line almost every day: "What happens to you in your forties, as a woman, will determine how long you live, will determine how happy you are for the next forty years." This book is about women my age - Gen Xers - and the burdens we carry. How all of this pressure that keeps us up at night connects back to things like the Challenger explosion and life before texting. This book is important, if you want to make sure that as a woman in your 40s, you're not actually alone - no matter how lonely you might feel.

8. Race Against Time

I finished this book mere hours ago and it knocked my socks off. I probably would have ranked it higher, but I'm trying to avoid the appearance of recency bias. This author of this book helped bring notorious klansmen and killers to justice, even though the crimes had been committed decades before. It's journalism that reads like fiction and reminds you of the power of journalism - and justice.

9. Nothing to See Here

How could you not love a book about the children of a powerful politician who (literally) burst into flames when they're agitated? This is a hard book to explain, other than I absolutely loved it. Get past the spontaneous combustion and you find a story about friendship and risk and acceptance.

10. Giver of Stars

I'd blame the pandemic for driving me to this somewhat sappy book, but I read it in February. In the before times. Looking back, this isn't the kind of book I would typically choose. Still, I loved it. It's based on the women who used to deliver books on horseback to rural parts of Kentucky in the 1930s. It's about powerful women and asshole men and books. And, eventually, community.

HONORABLE MENTION:

I'm such a wuss, I can't just edit and leave books out!

So, while they won't get a full rewrite review, here are a couple of my other favorites of 2020.