I really struggled to read this year, and when I did read, I struggled to keep notes on the books I liked and didn’t. For that reason, I’ve had to go back and re-create the list and my impressions of each book as best I could. This was a tough reading year for a lot of us. I know I spent more time reading articles and staring at my phone than was healthy. When I was reminded that it might be healthier to focus on books during the latter part of the year, I found that not only did I read more, but enjoyed what I was reading more.

Here’s a loose top five for 2020:

Disappearing Earth, Julia Phillips: I loved this book. The entire time I read it, I found myself looking up places and information on my phone. It transported me to a place I knew little to nothing about and I learned a lot.
Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo: It actually took me a long time to get into this book but by the end I was a huge fan.
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett: I couldn’t put it down.
The Giver of Stars, JoJo Moyes: Unexpectedly, I loved this. I was really tired of her books - they seemed formulaic and phoned in, but I read this upon the recommendation of a friend and it was great.
Clap When You Land: Elizabeth Acevedo: I love a story about sisters.

Honorable mentions go to The Most Fun We Ever Had, Transcendent Kingdom, All Adults Here and Monogamy.

Here’s the complete list of books I read in 2020, with any notes I made or thoughts I remembered:

Book, Author	Notes
Lost and Wanted, Nell Fredenberger	I liked this well enough. Nothing earth shattering but readable.
They Called Us Enemy, George Takaei	An important read.
The Most Fun We Ever had, Clare Lombardo	I really liked this.
Bitter Orange, Claire Fuller	Read on recommendation of a friend and enjoyed it.
The Lager Queen of Minnesota, J Ryan Stradal	I didn’t love this. Too many terrible things happen to the characters and we had real life 2020 for that.
All This Could be Yours, Jami Attenburgh	I always enjoy reading her books, but this wasn’t my favorite of hers.
American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson	The abrupt ending bothered me.
All I Love and Know, Judith Frank	Incredibly sad.
Dear Edward, Ann Neapolitan	Not the ending I would have chosen, but I liked the book.
Girl, Woman, Other	Took me a long time to get into, but I really liked it by the end.
The Jetsetters, Amanda Eyre Ward	Meh
Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid	Didn’t live up to the hype
Writers & Lovers, Lily King	I liked this but not as much as Euphoria (admittedly a tough act to follow)
My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabeth Russell	Profoundly disturbing
Perfect Tunes, Emily Gould	Didn’t like this
Long, Bright River, Liz Moore	This was okay. Interesting story but I felt the writing was just ok.
Saint X, Alexis Schaitkin	This was decent.
Dearly Beloved, Carla Wall	I liked this more than I expected.
Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo	I liked this a lot – I am always fascinated by sisters.
A Good Neighborhood, Therese Anne Fowler	The ending didn’t to the book or the situation justice.
The Red Lotus, Chris Bohjalian	This was a HUGE disappointment to me.
The Glass Hotel, Emily St. John Mandel	This was no Station Eleven, but I did like it.
All My Mother’s Lovers, Ilana Masad	This was a quick read.
Disappearing Earth, Julia	I loved this book. I spent the entire time reading looking up places and information on my phone. It transported me to a place I knew little to nothing about and I learned a lot.
Friends and Strangers, J Courtney Sullivan	I liked this. I always enjoy her books. This wasn’t the best, but it was worth reading. Also, I liked it better than the other book I read with a similar premise (Such a Fun Age).
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennet	I couldn’t put this down.
The Lying Life of Adults, Elena Ferrante	I hated it.
Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi	I like this a lot. It wasn’t as good as her book Homegoing, but it was very good.
All Adults Here, Emma Straub	I liked this a lot
The Giver of Stars, Jo Jo Moyes	Unexpectedly, I loved this. I was really tired of her books - they seemed formulaic and phoned in, but this was great.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, V. E. Schwab	While I typically like books about time travel, this was not well-written and rather heavy handed and obvious.
Monogamy, Sue Miller	I loved this
Pretty Things, Janelle Brown	I thought that the ending was a little lackluster, but it was readable.
Memorial, Bryan Washington	Loved this.
Luster, Raven Leilani	Hard to describe. I couldn’t put it down but can say I liked it either.
Afterlife, Julia Alvarez	Interesting
The Girl with the Louding Voice	I liked it.
Want, Lynn Steiger Strong	Couldn’t put it down/not sure I liked it.
Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld	If we are rewriting history, I think we can do better.

Read my audiobook reviews for the year, here.