Top 10 Books of 2020
Elizabeth Moore
There is truly no rhyme or reason to these reviews. Whenever I finish a book, I write the first words that come to mind and post them on Goodreads. Then, at the end of the year, I compile my top ten list here with the thoughts I penned immediately after finishing. Whether it’s in one sentence or multiple paragraphs, I hope you enjoy reading a smattering of thoughts about ten exceedingly fabulous books from my 2020 bookshelf.
1. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
I considered quitting my job and becoming a lawyer after finishing this book. Thankfully, I’m still planted safely in the literary world where I belong, but Just Mercy opened my eyes to the criminal justice system in America and helped me form an opinion about how I would like to see it change. It unveils so much need—the incarcerated person’s need for legal advocacy and the reader’s need to confront our own brokenness, leading to compassion and transformative mercy for others.
2. the song of achilles by madeline miller
A rich, masterful retelling of the story of Achilles and Patroclus. A story of loyalty, sacrifice, and fleshy vulnerability in the Greek world of hubris and war heroes. I first saw this book on one of my college professor’s shelves and he claimed it was one of his favorite books of all time. I’ve wanted to read it ever since, and I finally have. It sat in the back of my mind for years, and will stay in my mind for years to come.
3. the house on mango street by sandra cisneros
I knew this little book was special when I read it all in one day, laying in the grass of Central Park and on the precarious slats of my fire escape. These vignettes, these stories, this collection of voices and colors and details is a treasure that explores life and growth and the reason we leave: because in the leaving, we can return.
4. disappearing earth by julia phillips
An expansive and captivating book that starts with the disappearance of two young girls and follows with a mosaic of characters affected by the abduction. With genre-bending freshness, what starts off as a thriller turns into a heartfelt short story collection of women and their unique experiences with violence. The end is both heart-rending and satisfying. I had to sit with my thoughts and deeply exhale many times when I finished the last page.
5. everything inside by edwidge danticat
Gosh, this exquisite book has my heart—a collection of stories exploring the power, beauty, and tragedy of family, country, and how “everything inside is worth dying for.”
6. interior chinatown by charles yu
Hilarious. Sobering. Excellent as an audio experience. Completely original and culturally imperative. I'm not exactly sure how to pitch this except to say, if you enjoy literary prize-winning novels (National Book Award!!), the LEGO movies, "melancholic whimsy" (San Francisco Chronicle), and literature that explores race and immigration in American, 10/10 would recommend.
7. jack by marilynne robinson
Nourishing to the soul and deeply offensive; bolstering and convicting; drilling painfully into the interior self until the rot is exposed and begins to heal. Jack is about a man, enslaved to shame, who aspires to be harmless, but despite his best attempts, finds out that love is anything but harmless. He can’t help but break the fragile things that surround him, even the woman who sees and loves the fullness of his soul. He tries to warn her about him, protect her from his inevitable harm, but she stays, committing to him even though it’s dangerous for them both.
8. joseph and the way of forgiveness by stephen mitchell
A friend gifted me this book, and I couldn't put it down. For people who enjoy books that explore faith, biblical stories, and literary interpretations of scripture, this book made me fall (even more) in love with the vignette format as a compelling and intoxicating storytelling device.
9. the most fun we ever had by claire lombardo
If you loved the show Parenthood, you’ll love this book. Here is an expansive family saga that explores adult sibling relationships, multi-generational dynamics, adoption, addiction, and facing family wounds alongside the very people who wounded you. I read this tucked under a fleece blanket during the initial lockdown in March, and it was an ideal quarantine companion.
10. the story of more by hope jahren
Written by an award-winning, warm-hearted scientist and teacher, this is an easily digestible overview of how we harvest energy and how our energy usage has impacted the environment. I believe Hope Jahren to be a trusted voice in a field of study that can be fraught with fear, and I appreciate how she explains scientific evidence without exaggerating outcomes. She points no fingers while clearly explaining the environmental nuance of our time and why it's so hard to fix the complicated issues we've created. Full of compassion and humor, Hope gives factual evidence where it's available and educated predictions where its not, leaving plenty of room for these predictions to be right or wrong or somewhere in between. Like her name, she offers hope and the practical baby steps we can take to head in a better direction. Personally, I walked away with a greater sense of stewardship and responsibility to do my part in taking care of our planet.
Total list of the books read in 2020
in the order I read them
5 star books in bold
Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Life for Sale by Yukio Mishima
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
The Story of More by Hope Jahren
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Driftwood by Marya Layth
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield
Rising Above Shepherdsville by Ann Schoenbohm
The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
In the Soft, Dark Earth by Frank Watson
Joseph and the Way of Forgiveness by Stephen Mitchell
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Placemaker by Christie Purifoy
Words are Like Magic by Emily Alexander Moore
English Lessons by Andrea Lucado
May It Be So by Justin McRoberts
Be the Bridge by LaTasha Morrison
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat
Attrib. by Eley Williams
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Rhode Island Red by Charlotte Carter
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Together in Sudden Strangeness edited by Alice Quinn
Places I Stopped on the Way Home by Meg Fee
Dirt by Bill Buford
The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle
Jack by Marilynne Robinson
A Burning by Megha Majumdar