Best Books of 2020

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

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst | Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz | The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel | Betty by Tiffany McDaniel | Lone Jack Trail by Owen Laukkanen


Obviously, 2020 wasn’t all bad! Let me know if we share any “best of 2020” books! What was your favorite book of 2020?

Posted December 29, 2020 by Tammy in Best Books of the Year, Lists / 72 Comments

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72 responses to “Best Books of 2020

  1. 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 2020My Profile

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 .

  5. 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 2020My Profile

  6. 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 2021My Profile

  7. 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:)).

  8. 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 🙂

    • Tammy

      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:-)

  9. 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 BrazierMy Profile

    • Tammy

      Awww thank you Jordan! I really appreciate that. I hope you have a wonderful 2021 and I look forward to your reviews! (as usual)

  10. Will

    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!

  11. 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. 🙂

  12. 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!

  13. 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 😀

  14. 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.

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