The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List from 41 Lists

December 19, 2021
61 Books
Stats
lithub

Lithub's Emily Temple has read 41 lists totalling 952 books to distill the most frequently included titles that zigzag between fiction and non-fiction and back again.

Details	Rating	Readers Count
Intimations	3.67	25 reads
What Are You Going Through Sigrid Nunez	3.8	13 reads
The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir Wayétu Moore	0	1 read
Notes on a Silencing Lacy Crawford	4.25	6 reads
The Cold Millions Jess Walter	3.86	8 reads
Vesper Flights Helen Macdonald	4.33	6 reads
Homie	4.58	12 reads
Rodham Curtis Sittenfeld	4.03	22 reads
My Dark Vanessa Kate Elizabeth Russell	4.27	200 reads
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments Aimee Nezhukumatathil	4.3	16 reads
Utopia Avenue David Mitchell	4.06	35 reads
His Only Wife Peace Adzo Medie	3.7	11 reads
The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones	3.85	151 reads
The Night Watchman Louise Erdrich	4.19	38 reads
The New Wilderness Diane Cook	3.67	10 reads
When No One is Watching Alyssa Cole	3.62	99 reads
African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song	0	1 read
Sharks in the Time of Saviors Kawai Strong Washburn	4.21	20 reads
Jack Jack Marilynne Robinson	0	0 reads
The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson	4.17	69 reads
Actress Anne Enright	0	1 read
Plain Bad Heroines Emily M. Danforth	3.6	42 reads
Blacktop Wasteland S. A. Cosby	4.43	40 reads
The Undocumented Americans Karla Cornejo Villavicencio	4.21	17 reads
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue V. E. Schwab	4.1	741 reads
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X Les Payne Tamara Payne	4.75	6 reads
Mexican Gothic Silvia Moreno-Garcia	3.75	397 reads
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot Mikki Kendall	4.27	60 reads
Interior Chinatown Charles Yu	3.98	99 reads
Real Life Brandon Taylor	4.17	36 reads
Writers & Lovers Lily King	3.94	68 reads
Minor Feelings Cathy Park Hong	4.13	35 reads
The Death of Vivek Oji Akwaeke Emezi	4.18	69 reads
Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid	3.87	228 reads
The Glass Hotel Emily St. John Mandel	3.82	177 reads
Wow, No Thank You.: Essays Samantha Irby	4.05	40 reads
Piranesi Susanna Clarke Viktor Janiš (translator)	4.23	780 reads
How Much of These Hills Is Gold C Pam Zhang	4.17	32 reads
Uncanny Valley Anna Wiener	4.06	70 reads
Just Us Just Us Claudia Rankine	0	0 reads
A Promised Land Barack Obama	4.27	150 reads
A Children's Bible Lydia Millet	3.65	32 reads
The City We Became N.K. Jemisin	3.87	213 reads
The Lying Life of Adults Elena Ferrante Ann Goldstein (Translator)	3.61	25 reads
Hidden Valley Road Robert Kolker	4.19	10 reads
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir Natasha Trethewey	4.33	11 reads
Shuggie Bain Douglas Stuart	4.33	78 reads
Cleanness Garth Greenwell	3.9	13 reads
The Office of Historical Corrections Danielle Evans	4.2	50 reads
Weather Jenny Offill	3.48	36 reads
The Mirror & the Light Hilary Mantel	4.27	19 reads
A Burning Megha Majumdar	3.34	25 reads
Homeland Elegies Ayad Akhtar	4.45	15 reads
Memorial Bryan Washington	3.35	39 reads
Caste Isabel Wilkerson	4.44	121 reads
Hamnet Maggie O'Farrell	4.14	135 reads
Deacon King Kong James McBride	4.21	34 reads
Luster Raven Leilani	3.58	86 reads
Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi	4.19	98 reads
Leave the World Behind Rumaan Alam	3.2	124 reads
The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett	4.19	297 reads

Details	Rating	Readers Count
Intimations	3.67	25 reads
What Are You Going Through Sigrid Nunez	3.8	13 reads
The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir Wayétu Moore	0	1 read
Notes on a Silencing Lacy Crawford	4.25	6 reads
The Cold Millions Jess Walter	3.86	8 reads
Vesper Flights Helen Macdonald	4.33	6 reads
Homie	4.58	12 reads
Rodham Curtis Sittenfeld	4.03	22 reads
My Dark Vanessa Kate Elizabeth Russell	4.27	200 reads
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments Aimee Nezhukumatathil	4.3	16 reads
Utopia Avenue David Mitchell	4.06	35 reads
His Only Wife Peace Adzo Medie	3.7	11 reads
The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones	3.85	151 reads
The Night Watchman Louise Erdrich	4.19	38 reads
The New Wilderness Diane Cook	3.67	10 reads
When No One is Watching Alyssa Cole	3.62	99 reads
African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song	0	1 read
Sharks in the Time of Saviors Kawai Strong Washburn	4.21	20 reads
Jack Jack Marilynne Robinson	0	0 reads
The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson	4.17	69 reads
Actress Anne Enright	0	1 read
Plain Bad Heroines Emily M. Danforth	3.6	42 reads
Blacktop Wasteland S. A. Cosby	4.43	40 reads
The Undocumented Americans Karla Cornejo Villavicencio	4.21	17 reads
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue V. E. Schwab	4.1	741 reads
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X Les Payne Tamara Payne	4.75	6 reads
Mexican Gothic Silvia Moreno-Garcia	3.75	397 reads
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot Mikki Kendall	4.27	60 reads
Interior Chinatown Charles Yu	3.98	99 reads
Real Life Brandon Taylor	4.17	36 reads
Writers & Lovers Lily King	3.94	68 reads
Minor Feelings Cathy Park Hong	4.13	35 reads
The Death of Vivek Oji Akwaeke Emezi	4.18	69 reads
Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid	3.87	228 reads
The Glass Hotel Emily St. John Mandel	3.82	177 reads
Wow, No Thank You.: Essays Samantha Irby	4.05	40 reads
Piranesi Susanna Clarke Viktor Janiš (translator)	4.23	780 reads
How Much of These Hills Is Gold C Pam Zhang	4.17	32 reads
Uncanny Valley Anna Wiener	4.06	70 reads
Just Us Just Us Claudia Rankine	0	0 reads
A Promised Land Barack Obama	4.27	150 reads
A Children's Bible Lydia Millet	3.65	32 reads
The City We Became N.K. Jemisin	3.87	213 reads
The Lying Life of Adults Elena Ferrante Ann Goldstein (Translator)	3.61	25 reads
Hidden Valley Road Robert Kolker	4.19	10 reads
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir Natasha Trethewey	4.33	11 reads
Shuggie Bain Douglas Stuart	4.33	78 reads
Cleanness Garth Greenwell	3.9	13 reads
The Office of Historical Corrections Danielle Evans	4.2	50 reads
Weather Jenny Offill	3.48	36 reads
The Mirror & the Light Hilary Mantel	4.27	19 reads
A Burning Megha Majumdar	3.34	25 reads
Homeland Elegies Ayad Akhtar	4.45	15 reads
Memorial Bryan Washington	3.35	39 reads
Caste Isabel Wilkerson	4.44	121 reads
Hamnet Maggie O'Farrell	4.14	135 reads
Deacon King Kong James McBride	4.21	34 reads
Luster Raven Leilani	3.58	86 reads
Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi	4.19	98 reads
Leave the World Behind Rumaan Alam	3.2	124 reads
The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett	4.19	297 reads

The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List from 41 Lists

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The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List from 41 Lists