2020 Must Read Books

2020 was a wild year, but it gave us some incredible books that felt like they understood the chaos. 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett was one I couldn’t put down—it explores identity, family, and race with such nuance that I found myself thinking about it weeks later. Then there was 'Piranesi' by Susanna Clarke, which felt like stepping into a dream. The way she builds this surreal, labyrinthine world while keeping the emotional core so human blew my mind.

For something lighter but equally gripping, 'Mexican Gothic' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was my go-to. It’s this perfect blend of horror and historical fiction, with a protagonist who’s both sharp and relatable. And if you’re into non-fiction, 'Hidden Valley Road' by Robert Kolker is a haunting dive into a family’s struggle with schizophrenia, told with such empathy that it stays with you. Honestly, 2020’s silver lining was how many of these books made staying indoors feel like an adventure.

Critics had a lot to say about 2020's standout books, and one title that kept popping up was 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett. It's this gorgeous, layered story about twin sisters who choose to live in completely different worlds—one embracing her Black identity, the other passing as white. The way Bennett explores race, family, and identity just stuck with me for weeks after reading. Another heavy hitter was 'Hamnet' by Maggie O'Farrell, a fictional take on Shakespeare's son that’s so achingly beautiful, it made me cry in public (no shame).

Then there’s 'Deacon King Kong' by James McBride, which critics praised for its humor and heart. It’s a wild, vibrant ride through 1960s Brooklyn, and the characters feel like people you’ve known forever. On the nonfiction side, 'Hidden Valley Road' by Robert Kolker blew me away with its gripping account of a family grappling with schizophrenia. It’s one of those books that makes you marvel at how truth can be stranger—and more compelling—than fiction.

A must-read this year is 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern. This novel captures the imagination with its vivid imagery and magical elements. Every time I dive into its pages, I feel like I've stepped into a beautiful dream where everything is rich with detail. The story revolves around a mysterious competition between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who are bound to each other in ways they can't initially comprehend.

The atmosphere is enchanting, filled with whimsical characters and breathtaking performances that make you root for their love, despite the odds against them. I was completely mesmerized by the world-building; I almost wished I could visit the circus myself! The prose feels lyrical, which adds to the overall charm. If you’re into magical realism and love stories that unfold like a tapestry, this one’s a gem you can't miss. Reading this book felt like enjoying a sumptuous feast for the heart and mind.

Then there’s 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens, and I simply can’t stop raving about it! It’s a beautifully written coming-of-age story mixed with elements of mystery. Kya, the protagonist, grows up isolated in the marshes, and her connection to nature is portrayed so brilliantly that it touched me deeply. The themes of loneliness and resilience resonated with me on a personal level. The way Owens describes the natural world feels poetic and profound, making me appreciate the little things around me as I read. For someone looking to explore the depths of humanity and the beauty of nature intertwined, this book is a captivating choice.

This year has been absolutely phenomenal for readers with so many fantastic titles emerging across genres! Let’s delve into three that really stand out. First up is 'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig. This book takes you on an emotional ride through the concept of parallel lives and choices, showing what could have been. It’s such a reflective piece, perfect for those of us who love pondering our life decisions as we sip our favorite tea or coffee. Haig’s writing is so relatable, and I found myself tearing up and laughing out loud in the same chapter! It’s a reminder that every choice matters, and perhaps what we perceive as lost might lead to something beautiful.

Next, 'Klara and the Sun' by Kazuo Ishiguro stands as a brilliant mix of sci-fi and emotional depth. The story is told through the eyes of Klara, an artificial friend, which adds such a unique perspective on humanity and our relationships. Reading it felt like gazing into a mirror, forcing me to reflect on my own connections with people. Ishiguro's prose is hauntingly beautiful, and I found myself lingering on certain passages long after I finished them, wondering about the future of AI and its role in our lives.

Finally, if you love a good thriller, 'The Last House on Needless Street' by Catriona Ward is one you cannot miss! It flips the script on standard psychological thrillers, creating an atmosphere of suspense that kept me glued to the pages! The twists and turns are brilliant, leaving you guessing until the last moment. Ward's storytelling is intense and atmospheric, making it perfect for those late-night reading sessions when you're curled up under a blanket, heart racing with every page turn. Each of these books offers a unique experience, and I highly recommend diving into them—you won’t regret it!

Everyone's list will be different, obviously, but I keep seeing 'Weyward' by Emilia Hart pop up in all my circles. It's this triple-timeline historical fiction with witchy elements that just hits a certain mood. I devoured it in two sittings. For something completely different but equally consuming, 'The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store' by James McBride is the kind of sprawling, human story that reminds you why you love reading. The characters stick with you for days.

If you lean towards speculative stuff, 'The Book of Doors' by Gareth Brown is a recent release that's pure fun—a magical thriller about a book that can open any door, literally. It's a lighter, faster read than the other two, perfect for when you need an escape hatch. And I'd be remiss not to mention 'Yellowface' by R.F. Kuang; it's a brutal, satirical look at publishing and online culture that feels uncomfortably real. Those four would give you a pretty wild and varied year.

page-flipping feeling for years, and 2020 actually delivered some solid stuff for thriller heads. The one that really got its hooks into me was 'The Silent Patient' by Alex Michaelides—yeah, I know it technically came out in 2019, but it absolutely dominated the conversation well into 2020, and for good reason. That ending actually made me gasp out loud on the train, which was embarrassing but worth it.

If you're looking for something that truly dropped in 2020, 'Home Before Dark' by Riley Sager is a must. It plays with haunted house tropes and unreliable memory in a way that feels fresh for the genre. Sager consistently nails the pacing, and this one had me checking the locks at night. Another sleeper hit, for me at least, was 'The Guest List' by Lucy Foley. It's more of a whodunit in the Agatha Christie tradition, but the atmosphere on that isolated Irish island is so thick with tension you could cut it.

Honestly, skip the overly hyped 'The Sanatorium' unless you love descriptions of architecture more than plot logic. Stick with the ones that prioritize character paranoia and that 'one more chapter' compulsion.

Finding a few chapters of major releases from a few years back honestly comes down to where you read. I lean on library apps a ton; Libby by OverDrive often includes the full digital sample for any book they have in the catalog, even older hyped titles like 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' or 'Where the Crawdads Sing'. You just need a card.

Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature is the obvious fallback, but I get why people avoid it. Scribd's free trial lets you peek at a massive backlist, and some publishers still host first-chapter PDFs on their official sites if you dig around. I found one for 'Mexican Gothic' that way. The previews are out there, but it's less about a single source and more remembering to check the official channels tied to your preferred reading format.

Man, I was just thinking about how strange it is to revisit my reading list from that year. Books like 'The Vanishing Half' and 'Deacon King Kong' were published then, but they felt like escapes from the constant news cycle, not mirrors of it. I read them for their deep human stories, not because they were 'about' 2020. Maybe the reflection is more in our reading habits—I craved big, immersive family sagas and intricate character studies precisely because the world felt so chaotic and confined. My Kindle history from that spring is all doorstopper novels, which says a lot.

That said, some 2020 releases did engage directly with the zeitgeist in a prescient way. 'The Glass Hotel' by Emily St. John Mandel, with its themes of collapse and financial fantasy, landed right as the economy seemed to be teetering. And 'Memorial' by Bryan Washington explored intimacy and chosen family in isolation, which became a universal experience months later. It's less that they were written about the events and more that they suddenly contained a new, unsettling layer of relevance. The must-read lists weren't a direct reflection, but they became a kind of toolkit for processing a year nobody had a manual for.

So the thing with picking 'can't miss' books from 2020 is that the hype machine was in overdrive. A lot of what dominated bestseller lists felt very zeitgeisty, like they were reacting to the year itself. 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' by V.E. Schwab was everywhere, and honestly, it lives up to the noise for a certain mood—that melancholy, centuries-spanning ache of being forgotten. It's less a plot-driven fantasy and more a vibe, perfect for when you wanted to feel wistful and stuck inside.

On a completely different note, 'Piranesi' by Susanna Clarke blindsided me. It’s this quiet, labyrinthine mystery that feels like a forgotten myth. The praise for its originality is deserved, though I’ll admit the pace lost a friend of mine who prefers more action. For pure, unadulterated fun that actually made me laugh out loud, 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' by TJ Klune was a warm hug in book form. Its found-family charm felt essential that year.

You know, I can’t stand those universal 'must-read' lists that everyone circulates. They feel so performative. This year, I’m just chasing books that give me a specific feeling I can’t quite name—a kind of melancholic clarity? Like 'The Overstory' did a few years back. I just finished 'Piranesi' by Susanna Clarke and it absolutely wrecked me in the best way. It’s this quiet, labyrinthine novel about memory and solitude that makes you look at the world differently afterward.

On a completely different note, I’ve seen 'Babel' by R.F. Kuang popping up everywhere in my circles, and the hype seems real. It’s being described as a dark academic fantasy about translation and colonial power, which sounds incredibly up my alley. I’m usually skeptical of BookTok darlings, but the premise feels substantive. My to-read pile is already leaning toward stuff that interrogates systems, I guess.