Although 2020 can’t end soon enough for most people, one bright spot was all of the wonderful books published during the year.
As I’ve done for books published in 2019 and in previous years, I’ve curated some of the best books of the year lists from a variety of sources, covering many different genres. Many of these outlets also subdivide into genres, beyond their main list.
Senior editor Emily Temple of Literary Hub continued her beyond-the-call-of-duty work by collating 41 lists, covering 952 books. Brit Bennett’s novel The Vanishing Half was cited 25 times, the most of any book, followed by Rumaan Alam’s novel Leave the World Behind, cited by 20 lists. (Congrats also to Emily for her 2020 novel The Lightness.)
The winner of this year’s Financial Times and McKinsey’s Business Book of the Year for 2020 is No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram, by Bloomberg News journalist Sarah Frier.
As usual, the design of many of these lists adds to the enjoyment of celebrating creativity and the power of communicating ideas:
Bloomberg: The Best Books of 2020
Book Riot: Best Books of 2020 * so far
The Economist: Our Books of the Year
Esquire: The Best Books to Elevate Your Reading List in 2020
Financial Times : Best Books of the Year 2020
Independent Books Review: 32 Impressive Indie Press Books From 2020
Library Journal: Best Books 2020: Worst Year, Best Books
Literary Hub: The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List
The New York Public Library: Best Books of 2020
The New York Times: The 10 Best Books of 2020
The New Yorker: The Best Books We Read in 2020
O, the Oprah Magazine: These are the Best Books of 2020, according to O, the Oprah Magazine
Publishers Weekly: Best Books 2020
Smithsonian Magazine: The Best Books of 2020
Strategy + Business: Best Business Books 2020: Strategy (and related lists)
TIME: The 100 Must-Read Books of 2020
USA TODAY: Best books of 2020: These 13 titles scored perfect 4-star reviews from USA TODAY‘s critics
Washington Independent Review of Books: Our 51 Favorite Books of 2020
The Washington Post: The 10 Best Books of 2020
WIRED: 26 of the Most Fascinating Books WIRED Read in 2020
Let’s also spare a moment to honor all of the other books, deserving in their own way, which did not make it into a best of list. As in previous years, there are many worthy books that for a variety of reasons were not considered a ‘best of.’ I look forward, one year from now, to reading and collating the many lists honoring the best of 2021. In the meantime, Happy New Year, and Happy Reading!