2020 was a dumpster fire year in general, but as far as books go, it was an excellent year! As I did in 2019, I’m not going for a particular number of favorite books, but I’m throwing all the books I read and loved on this list. I have decided, however, to pick five outstanding 2020 releases as my top five of the year, and can I say just how hard that was!
I would also like to give a huge THANK YOU to all the publicists and authors who were kind enough to send me review copies throughout the year and everyone at NetGalley and Edelweiss who approved my requests. I was able to discover books I might not have even glanced at (I’m looking at you, The Phlebotomist!) I appreciate each and every review copy, and I love sharing my thoughts with all of you.
Also, huge shout out to all my followers for visiting my blog, reading my reviews, and leaving comments. Without you there wouldn’t be much point to this blog:-D
I’ve linked all of these books to my reviews if you’re interested, so let’s get started!
Top Five Books of 2020
These are the books that had the most impact on me this year, books I still think about even months after reading them. It’s interesting to note that the first four are all horror (or have horror elements in them), and I’m not sure what that means, except that it was a very good year for horror.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. The nitty-gritty: An unflinching look at cultural identity, revenge, and the horrors we bring upon ourselves, The Only Good Indians is one of the best SFF books of the year.
You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce. The nitty-gritty: Dark and magical, You Let Me In surprised me in every way possible and is one of the best books I’ve read this year.
The Phlebotomist by Chris Panatier. The nitty-gritty: A bold, bloody high stakes plot, relatable characters, and a diabolical twist make this a standout book of 2020.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. The nitty-gritty: Clever and addictive, full of poignant emotion and colorfully drawn Southern characters, Grady Hendrix’s latest is a must read for everyone who loves a well told story.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. The nitty-gritty: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is pure magic, a grand yet intimate and emotional tale of art, love and memories, told as only V.E. Schwab can tell it.
Below are the rest of the books I loved this year, divided up by genre:
Best Fantasy of 2020
Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker | A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers | Titan’s Day by Dan Stout | The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood | The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow | The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker | The Raven Lady by Sharon Lynn Fisher | The Bard’s Blade by Brian D. Anderson | Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse | The Ghost Dance Judgement by R.S. Belcher
Best Science Fiction of 2020
The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey | The God Game by Danny Tobey | Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford | The Hive Queen by Robin Kirk | The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey | Unreconciled by W. Michael Gear | The Queen’s Road by R.S. Belcher | Escape Pod edited by Mur Lafferty & S.B. Divya | Stormblood by Jeremy Szal | The Bond by Robin Kirk
Best Horror of 2020
The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman | Wonderland by Zoje Stage | The Residence by Andrew Pyper | The Midnight Lullaby by Cheryl Low | Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones | The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie | The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig
Best Novellas of 2020
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark | Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey | Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones | Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker | Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
Best YA, Mystery/Thriller & Literary Fiction
I’m seeing MANY books on your list I meant to read this year but just didn’t get around to them. Fingers crossed for 2021!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednseday: Like A Love Song by Gabriela Martins
There were too many books published this year, lol! Hopefully we can both fit in more next year.
Fantastic list! The only of these I’ve read so far is The Book of Koli, but for Christmas I received a copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, so I hope to start that one very soon. I did very much enjoy reading in 2020, both books and your reviews. 🙂
todd recently posted…My Favorite Books and Films from 2020
Thanks Todd! I appreciate your support:-)
I really want to get my hands on The Phlebotomist and Betty! Great bunch of books here. Here’s to an even better reading year in 2021. 🙂
Both are outstanding!! Very different but both 5 star books for me:-)
Such a great list. At some point next year I hope to actually read my copies of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. 🙂 I decided to put The Bone Ships into my TBR jar for 2021 and let fate decide if I’ll give it another chance next year. I was on the fence about Black Sun, but I’ve been seeing it on a lot of lists this month! Yay, The Midnight Lullaby! I read that one because of you, and it was a favorite so thank you as always! I put Mongrels in my TBR jar, too, because it has been unread on my shelf for so long.
I may try a TBR jar next year, it sounds like a great idea:-)
I’m so happy to see Titan’s Day made your list this week too!
I can hardly wait for the next book!
I’ve heard so many good things about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
My post.
It’s worth reading:-)
Thank goodness for books, indeed! I don’t know how I would have survived this year, psychologically, if I had not had the possibility of losing myself in stories and forget for a while the real world…
And there are many of my favorite titles in your list 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…MY TOP TEN FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2020
Yes exactly! Books are always going to be the best escape:-)
So many of interest here! I’ve heard a lot about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I’ve never read any Schwab, but this one does sound intriguing.
Kristi recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Top Reads from 2020
This is one of her best books, in my opinion:-)
I’ve read 3 of your top 5, and agree that they’re wonderful! Now to get to the other two… 🙂
I’m glad we agree!
I love seeing your choices! Many are on my list except not horror. lol Thanks for sharing all these great books!
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Top 10 Books I’ve Read in 2020
Thanks Anne! Hey horror isn’t for everyone:-)
I read THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE and FRACTURED TIDE this year as well and enjoyed them both. Several of your other picks are on my TBR list. Hopefully, I’ll get to them soon-ish. Glad you found so many books to love this year!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
It really was a good year, I guess I chose well:-)
Addie LaRue was on my list this week too!
Jo recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #296
I’ve seen Addie LaRue on lots of best of lists, and it’s well deserved:-)
Great list, Tammy! The Once and Future Witches made my list this week, too, and I really want to try The Bone Ships.
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Best books of 2020!
Thanks Jess! Definitely try The Bone Ships, I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did:-)
I am happy Addie turned out great for you Tammy! And I hope I’ll love the Once and Future Witches 😉
I hope you do too, it’s fabulous:-)
There were definitely a few outstanding reads in each genre this year. I’m surprised there weren’t as many YA in your list, as you said! I usually add the stuff you recommend 🙂
I’m going to try to read more YA, but I’m often disappointed…
I have some of these that I really need to read soon like Addie LaRue and Mexican Gothic.
-Lauren
Definitely
read them!Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air sounds like a ton of fun. Definitely adding the first book in the series to my TBR pile. Thanks for putting it on my radar!
Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks recently posted…Old Friends, New Faces, and Old Friends With New Faces: Ten of My Favorite 2020 Reads
It’s such a fun series!
I loved Mexican Gothic and The Once and Future Witches too. So many of the others ones are on my TBR, probably from reading rave reviews on your blog, haha. I got Betty for Christmas and cannot wait to dive into that one after reading your review for it.
Oooh I’m curious to see what you think about Betty!
Thank you for such great content through the year!
I probably only read one book on your list – Mexican Gothic – but there are many others on my TBR, like The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue .
Aww thanks Zezee!
Sounds like I need to read Only Good Indians. And Southern Book Club sounds so fun. Harrow and Roanhorse are authors I need to get to. Escape Pod is one I’m kinda looking forward to as well.
Fractured Tide was fun. 🙂
Greg recently posted…Top Ten Books of 2020
Fractured Tide was fun! I know she’s working on another book and I’m so excited:-)
So many of these books are still on my TBR list/pile, hopefully I’ll get around to at least a few of them soon. The R. S. Belcher series definitely caught my eye so I’ll have to start at the beginning.
I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic 🙂
Pages and Tea recently posted…Reading Resolutions 2021
I’ve seen Mexican Gothic on a lot of lists:-)
I loved reading your list of top reads for 2020, Tammy! And I completely agree that while it was a shocker in every other way – it was an amazing year for books… You Let Me In is certainly right up there as one of my favourite reads and I also loved Addie LaRue and Mexican Gothic. I still haven’t had a chance to sit down and work out exactly which books have made my list, yet – but there’s a good chance they will make the cut:)).
I’m looking forward to your list, when you put it together. Happy New Year!
This post header is very representative of 2020 LOL!!
I have only read two books in your list: the Escape Pod anthology and Ring Shout and I really liked them. As for all the other books, I want to read them all, I don’t know when I have the time to do so but, I’ll try to read as many of them as possible because they all sound like amazing books! 😀
Maryam recently posted…Most Surprising and Most Disappointing Books of the Year | 2020
I recommend any of these! I hope you have a wonderful 2021, Maryam:-)
YAY! I’ve actually read two of your top 5. And I’m so glad to see The Remaking make your list. I’m so excited for his new one!
Me too! I can hardly wait:-)
What a great selection! You Let Me In and The Phlebotomist are high up my list of books I should catch up on, and I’m really happy to see Escape Pod and The Bone Ships here. 2021 has a lot to live up to 🙂
Oooh both of those are so good! Hope you can read them, and I agree, 2020 was such a good year for books, I have high hopes for 2021:-)
I can only imagine how hard it was to narrow it down to just five! Mine is already going to be two parts, haha. This looks like such a great list. I also loved The Only Good Indians and Addie LaRue, and The Phlebotomist and You Let Me In are both ones that have been high on my TBR ever since seeing your raves about them. I’m excited to see The Bone Ships here as well, since I still haven’t finished it, but have heard nothing but good things about it. The Unsuitable is also one that I think I discovered because of you and loved, so thank you for that introduction!
I’m so glad you’ve had a great reading year, I hope 2021 is just as good or even better! Thanks for being an amazing blogger, reviewer, and person who helped to give me fun posts and reviews to look at throughout the year while everything else was falling apart around us. You continue to be one of the biggest sources of new book discoveries for me, and I appreciate everything you do. 🙂
Jordan @ Forever Lost in Literature recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly, Crown of Bones by A.K. Wilder, & If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier
Awww thank you Jordan! I really appreciate that. I hope you have a wonderful 2021 and I look forward to your reviews! (as usual)
As usual Tammy, I’ve read a whole one of these! The God Game was quite a ride, though. It never ceases to amaze me how different our lists can be year to year!
Btw I really thought that 2020’d be the year that finally drove you to reading Sanderson. Aw well 🙂
Weellll maybe 2021?
There are just so many books out there. It’s almost impossible for us to all read the same books, lol.
Sad to say I didn’t read any of these this year, although several are on my TBR and I own the Addie LArue book, just need to read it. My top 10 books of 202o are in the post linked below!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Top 10 of 2020: Best of the Best (Favorite Books)
Looking forward to your list!
Somehow I’ve only read three of these!!! I really need to get on it hahaha. I love these lists, so many books I’ve been meaning to get to. I did pick up The Phlebotomist because you liked it so much, I hope I can get to that one next year. 🙂
Hey, there’s always 2021 to play catch up, right?
Yay for the Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires! I really enjoyed that one as well. I am determined to read The Once and Future Witches this coming year. I can’t believe I haven’t read that one already, frankly. Mexican Gothic made it onto my favorites of the year list too (but shhh! I won’t be posting my list until next week). You really did have an amazing year in books. May you have just as good of one or better this coming year!
Thank you! I’m looking forward to your list:-)
I want to read some of these! Wish I’d enjoyed The Only Good Indians as much as you did. I couldn’t seem to stay interested. Of course, being such a strange year, maybe that’s why I struggled to focus.
Laura Thomas recently posted…Dirty Deeds by Nicole James ~ Audio Blitz and Giveaway
Not everyone liked The Only Good Indians, you’re definitely not alone:-)
Awesome list! So many that I wanted to read and didn’t get to. Hopefully I’ll get to them next year!
Let’s hope we can both get to a lot of them:-)
I am so far out of the loop with books this year, that I have literally only heard of 8 out of all these titles :/
DJ (@MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape) recently posted…Author Interview: Devin Madson
Hey DJ, it’s great to hear from you! Eight books is a lot:-)
It’s always great to have an excellent reading year. I hope 2021 will be an excellent year all around for you.
Thanks Mervi, you too:-)
You have some fantastic books on display here and quite a few that I’ve read and loved. The only one that I struggled with was the Only Good Indians which out of your five favorites this is the only one I’ve not read. I think I need to give that one another go because without a doubt 2020 had a very strange impact on my reading and certain books just couldnt get a foothold in my head for some reason.
Lynn 😀
Addie Larue is on my 2021 TBR! Can’t wait for it. Though I have to say, I have to disagree on Southern Book Club Vampire Slaying – I did NOT like that one. Haha.