Top Books of 2020 + Reading Year Reflection

When I thought back over my reading year, I felt instinctively that it could have been much better. A bit of a negative way to begin this post maybe, but those were my initial feelings. Perhaps had the year not been quite so difficult in other ways, I would feel differently. Coming off the back of my year of buying no books and reading mostly backlist titles from my shelves, I felt I went too far in the opposite direction (typical!) and read too many trendy, recently released books over backlist titles I probably would have and should have prioritised for being more my kind of book. I also read quite a large quantity of books (falling just short of my goal of 125 at 120… not bad for a year characterised by big life distractions and reading slumps!) but perhaps didn't pay close enough attention to picking books I knew I'd have a better chance of getting on with. I think a skill I'm forever honing though is my ability to read blurbs and reviews in a productive way to figure out what will suit me best - whilst still maintaining an open mind as to genre and theme - and that's something I've definitely developed over the course of this year that I can take into the next.

However, once I had begun putting together this list, I surprised myself with how many fantastic books I did read this year. In fact, to my memory there's far more books on this list than there were last year. Granted I read a few more (twenty to be exact) and I'm not sure how the ratio of good to just okay/bad would compare, but there's plenty here to talk about. It's also difficult to tell if I would have liked certain books more had I been in a more positive or at least relaxed state of mind. But that's just all part of reading for pleasure - books are so tainted by what's going on in your life and in the world that the same book can make for a wholly different reading experience every time you read it! And it's also possible that as I continue to find books that I'm head over heels for, that I find it more difficult to enjoy the majority of others; in other words, my standards are always going up as I add to my list of favourites.

So all in all it's been a bit of a mixed bag this year. My goals for 2021? Well, first of all, I want to read far fewer books, which sounds a little strange I know. I'm going to have a brand new baby in March which I have no doubt will take my capacity for reading back down to a minimum, but even if there weren't a certain little someone on her way I would definitely be aiming for a less is more approach. I want to focus on picking books that I feel I have a better chance of liking, and also want to prioritise backlist titles rather than flashy new releases. We're going for quality over quantity.

But without further ado, let's get into my top books of the year. For this post I'm coming from a more quickfire/reflective point of view rather than doing proper reviews, but I will leave links to my initial thoughts on each of the books if you'd like to learn more about them.

the best of the best/will be carrying them through with me into the future

The Cromwell Trilogy by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall / Bring Up The Bodies / The Mirror and the Light

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I absolutely loved this trilogy and it was one of the best reading experiences of the year for me. It covers the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, who was a controversial historical figure in that he was a commoner turned one of the most powerful people in Henry VIII's circle (at least for a time!) and much is unknown about where he came from and what his motivations were. Oh and he helped usher in the English Reformation… no mean feat! Mantel's prose is unmatched; with Wolf Hall it felt like she had reimagined what historical fiction could look like. Gone were the lengthy descriptions and extraneous detail that authors traditionally use to put their readers in the relevant time period; instead she did it through the form and style of her writing, offering glimpses of the murky figure at its centre. It rekindled a love of historical fiction in me, and (re-)taught me a fair amount of Tudor history to boot. Definitely have a look at my original reviews to learn a bit more about each book.

Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer

Annihilation / Authority / Acceptance

Here's another fantastic trilogy, albeit a rather different one. It sits somewhere between science fiction, fantasy and horror and makes for an unsettling and thought-provoking read throughout. Annihilation is a taut first-person thriller that follows a group of women as they explore the mysterious 'Area X', a landscape that has been utterly changed, distorted and warped by some strange occurrence centring around an old lighthouse. These books pack a lot of fascinating ideas into a relatively short space, and I'm looking forward to rereading them in the future. I feel like if I ever took to writing in the future, VanderMeer would undoubtedly be a big inspiration. I love the way he interweaves theory and the big ideas into an accessible and often thrilling package.

Meeting the Universe Halfway by Karen Barad

As I mentioned back in March, I used parts of this book and other articles by Barad for my Master's dissertation, and I'd been wanting to read the whole thing ever since. It's a fascinating and persuasive book that looks at the ways quantum physics might be used to better understand our world, not just at the atomic or subatomic level, but in larger more sociological ways, too. I think about Barad's theories often and they've changed the way I see the world and read other theory. One of the books of a lifetime for me.

Lent by Jo Walton

I sort of felt I was going to like Wolf Hall based on people's recommendations to me over the years, and I had already dipped my toe into VanderMeer's weird worlds with City of Saints and Madmen in 2019 which made it into my top books at the time. And of course, I already knew Barad's theories would speak to me. But Lent was a complete surprise. Partly inspired by my new turn to historical fiction in the wake of Mantel's work, I absolutely adored this subtle fantasy that covers the life (or at least some of it!) of Girolamo Savonarola, a fifteenth-century monk from Florence who was somewhat of a renowned figure at the time. There's a lot going on in this book which I'm loathe to spoil, but I'd recommend you have a look at my original review and maybe give it a go, even if a fantasy novel about a historical monk doesn't sound like your cup of tea. So far everyone I've recommended it to has really enjoyed it (including my mum!)

The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty

This book broke my heart and also challenged me as a reader. It's about Gunnar Kaufman, a Black boy who is taken from the suburbs of Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles which challenges his sense of himself and his racial identity. Beatty's prose is demanding and dazzling and unlike anything else I've ever read. I read The Sellout a few years ago and am keen to reread it now I'm a bit more of a mature reader. An author I've no doubt I will continue to return to - when I'd finished this I went out and bought both his novels I didn't already have!

still the best of the best but for other reasons(?)/you should still definitely read these/please/many unexpected loves

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. It's been a while since I read a Dickens and so I wasn't sure whether I would love his writing quite as much as I did as a teenager, but I thoroughly appreciated this book (and to be honest, I think it probably is one of his best to boot). There are not many books that make me cackle out loud - one of the only others I can think of is The Idiot by Elif Batuman which I loved in 2019 - but this one managed it, despite its age. It's unsurprisingly about a boy named David Copperfield who faces all sorts of challenges in life - some of which reflect Dickens' own experiences! - and it is filled with a cast of eccentric and lovable characters. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a good classic.

Underland by Robert Macfarlane

This is a beautiful piece of nature writing about underlands. Macfarlane explores all sorts of these worlds, from an underground mining system that also partially functions as a quantum physics research centre, to the network of fungi that underlies a forest, to cave systems and the underbellies of cities. At a time when travel is limited, this is a wonderful book that will carry you far from home on Macfarlane's gentle and intelligent prose.

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

Another VanderMeer, this one at once very different but still carrying all of VanderMeer's signature weirdness. This one is set in a post-apocalyptic city ruled by a ginormous bio-engineered flying bear. Yes, really. Protagonist Rachel finds a strange creature buried in said bear's fur and nurtures it, only for it to to be a little more than she can handle. Once again, this novel covers all sorts of ideas about personhood and the (not so?) differences between human and nonhuman life in a thrilling and endlessly inventive package.

The Book of Kane and Margaret: A Novel by Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi

This is a unique book that follows its protagonists Kane and Margaret who are living in a Japanese internment camp in the US during World War II. The twist being that each chapter of this book follows them in different guises and in different timelines. Excuse me whilst I quote from my original review: 'Sometimes they are a young newlywed couple, sometimes just courting, sometimes elderly. Sometimes the chapter focuses on one or the other, as they are variously musicians, local athletes or even insects.' It's unusual and inventive, and it's written in light, polished prose. A more obscure gem from the year.

This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga

This would have been my pick for the Man Booker prize winner! The concluding novel in Dangarembga's trilogy, this book follows protagonist Tambu as she struggles to find her way in the new Zimbabwe whilst struggling with mental health issues and the weight of her upbringing. The prose here is more assured and mature than in the earlier novels, and skilfully explores Tambu's complex situation. I won't forget this trilogy anytime soon.

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

I was surprised by much of the content of this fantasy novel written by a Ukrainian couple, and it’s pretty difficult to come up with a unique 'magic' system these days that hasn't been done before. It's about a young woman named Sasha who ends up forced to attend a strange university in the middle of nowhere, studying something she can barely comprehend that seems to have strange effects on her body and mind. It’s nightmarish and mind-bending in its approach, and I would love to reread it at some point soon as I actually listened to this one.

The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin

The concluding novel in a series I have loved from the outset, the Earthsea books. Le Guin has fast become one of my favourite authors ever. I love her writing style, which I have talked about extensively over the past year, and this novel combines all the aspects I most enjoy in her work.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala

I learnt a lot listening to Akala's book Natives, which looks at the ways race and class are informed by the British Empire to this day. He deftly combines autobiographical elements with a wide range of historical fact from the African diaspora in a compelling and informative way. I highly recommend this to all, but I think it’s a must-read for Brits particularly.

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

I had a visceral reaction to a few novels this year, and this was one of them. In this semi-autobiographical work, we follow young John Grimes growing up in Harlem in the 1930s. There he grapples with his father, the Church and his own sexuality, resulting in a climactic and moving ending. It is beautifully written and I am keen to get to more Baldwin soon; I can see now why he is such a loved and respected author, and a true literary giant.

for the sheer achievement/fascinating, layered and ambitious/the big ideas

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman

A bit of a controversial one! Sometimes I liked this book, sometimes I loathed it; sometimes I thought it was genius, at other times I felt ready to dismiss it as pretentious rubbish. But ultimately when I finally reached the end of this thousand-page book that works as a (sort of) stream of consciousness of an Ohio housewife, I felt it to be quite the achievement. It is, as I said in my original review, a torrent of information that is often confusing, or worse, boring. But it becomes increasingly interesting to watch the patterns emerge in the protagonist's thinking, to read between the lines, and to pick out key clues to its underlying forces. Rewarding in the end, and worth trying if you'd like a serious challenge.

In Search of Lost Time: The Way by Swann's by Marcel Proust

A true literary classic. After reading this I can see Proust's influence everywhere, and that alone almost makes it worth reading. Proust tries to capture the fleeting, ephemeral nature of our thoughts and the way we think in In Search of Lost Time, particularly in this first instalment, which focuses on involuntary memory and our relationship to our reality through the eyes of a child. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed his experimentation with these ideas for such a renowned 'difficult' book, and I'm going to continue to make my way through ISOLT this year.

Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward

This is a book that surprised me in lots of ways (something I feel I say a lot about books I like!) It starts with a couple - Rachel and Eliza - who are deciding whether to start a family, whilst at the same time, Rachel begins to complain that ants are invading her brain. A strange enough beginning! But then it appears to embark on other (possibly related?) stories, and finally pushes the boundaries of genre in a novel of enormous scope. I will definitely be reading whatever Ward writes next as she strikes me as an exciting author to watch.

the best of the rest/uniquely captivating and memorable

Native Son by Richard Wright

A big thank you to the lovely Hena for recommending this classic, which I might otherwise never have picked up. It's about Bigger, a Black man living in poverty in Chicago who is trying to improve his prospects, but who is ultimately unable to break out of the cycle of violence and suffering that he knows. It has the breakneck pace of a modern thriller and is incredibly thought-provoking as I detailed in my original review.

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

This is an unsettling novel about a haunted house in Dover that marries its lyrical style to its complex themes - touching on xenophobia, borders, immigration and also gender and family - perfectly. It is deeply layered and poetic, and I look forward to returning to more of Oyeyemi's work.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Even though I read this novel way back in January 2020 I remember many things I liked about it. I liked the free indirect third person and the drift on sentences that made it at once readable, propelling the reader forward, but also allowed Evaristo's narrator to gently dissect each of the twelve characters of her novel. It’s about the lives of eleven Black British women - and one nonbinary character, too - as they deal with everyday life, race and class and sexuality. I liked the way the characters came in and out of each other's lives, preventing it from feeling too disjointed, and ultimately made for a very accomplished work that I think everyone could benefit from reading.

My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

It's no secret I struggle with memoir, but this one by poet Lemn Sissay that documents his childhood in care as a Black child in the north of England in the 1970s was moving and painful, and also written skillfully with Sissay's own words juxtaposed next to the dry documents that made up his file. I listened to this and would highly recommend it as an audiobook, too!

Honourable mentions

Rosewater by Tade Thompson - review coming soon!

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu - review coming soon!

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Early Warning by Jane Smiley

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin