December 31, 2020

When 2020 first dawned in January, I was in a reading zone. I had my library request list set up so there was little downtime between books, and I logged in enough books to keep me reading for months.

And then came COVID-19, and the entire world shutdown, including my local library. I didn’t expect that to hit me as hard as it did. I have a pretty extensive home library, and I love re-reading books. I thought I’d be fine.

I was not fine.

I was champing at the bit to read a new book, an unknown book, a library book. When the libraries finally reopened for curbside pickups, I launched right back into my list like a woman possessed. While I didn’t get to read as many books as I wanted because of the shutdown, the books on this list helped get me through the pandemic, so I am grateful for each and every one. Some books I read fast, some I took my time, some I finished, some I’m letting go, and some I’ll re-read in a heartbeat.

So, here it is: Book List 2020!

TitleAuthorGenreAge Range
The Girl Who Drank the MoonKelly BarnhillFantasyChildren
FoundrysideRobert Jackson BennetFantasyAdult
The Cruel PrinceHolly BlackFantasyYA
The City of BrassS.A. ChakrabortyFantasyAdult
The Kingdom of CopperS.A. ChakrabortyFantasyAdult
The Empire of GoldS.A. ChakrabortyFantasyAdult
The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetBecky ChambersSci-FiAdult
A Closed and Common Orbit Becky ChambersSci-FiAdult
Record of a Spaceborn FewBecky ChambersSci-FiAdult
Murder for ChristmasFrancis DuncanMysteryAdult
The Missing PrinceJohn FlanaganFantasyChildren
The Return of the TemujaiJohn FlanaganFantasyChildren
The Paper MagicianCharlie M. HolmbergFantasyAdult
The Poppy WarR.F. KuangFantasyAdult
Crazy Rich AsiansKevin KwanContemporaryAdult
China Rich GirlfriendKevin KwanContemporaryAdult
Black Wings BeatingAlex LondonFantasyYA
The Adventure Zone: Petals to the MetalClint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey PietschGraphic Novel/Fantasy/HumorAdult
The City and the CityChina MievilleFantasy/MysteryAdult
The Starless SeaErin MorgensternFantasyAdult
The Whisper ManAlex NorthMysteryAdult
A Deadly EducationNaomi NovikFantasyAdult/YA
To Sleep in a Sea of StarsChristopher PaoliniSci-FiAdult
Guards! Guards!Terry PratchettFantasy/HumorAdult
The Wee Free MenTerry PratchettFantasy/HumorChildren
Such a Fun AgeKiley ReidContemporaryAdult
EdgedancerBrandon SandersonFantasyAdult
Blood of ElvesAndrzej SapkowskiFantasyAdult
The Time of ContemptAndrzej SapkowskiFantasyAdult
Baptism of FireAndrzej SapkowskiFantasyAdult
The Tower of SwallowsAndrzej SapkowskiFantasyAdult
The Lady of the LakeAndrzej SapkowskiFantasyAdult
Season of StormsAndrzej SapkowskiFantasyAdult
The Fountains of SilenceRuta SepetysHistorical FictionYA
The Bone Shard DaughterAndrea StewartFantasyAdult
The Hate U GiveAngie ThomasContemporaryYA
I Don’t Wait AnymoreGrace ThorntonNon-fictionAdult
The MartianAndy WeirSci-FiAdult
CursedThomas WheelerFantasyYA

The financial stress of 2020 also meant that I could not purchase or subscribe to literary magazines as much as I wanted to, but here are the magazines that I did read this year:

TitlePublishing Format
After Dinner ConversationDigital
F(r)ictionPrint/Digital
Santa Clara ReviewPrint/Digital

And of course on top of all that I read oodles of short stories, fanfics, and works-in-progress that are too numerous to list here. Despite all the chaos, I think I had a pretty great literary year, and I can’t wait to see what 2021 will bring for me to read.

Curious about any of the above books? Have some opinions about them you’d like to share? Want to recommend books to read? Come follow me on Twitter @JennaCGlover, Instagram @jennacglover, and Goodreads, or leave a comment below.