My Reading List for 2020
It’s no secret 2020 has been a challenging year. While upon reflection, I found it to be surprisingly full, like many of us, I still spent the majority of my time at home. One benefit of our new socially-distant stay-at-home culture was the amount of reading I managed to accomplish. Just like previous years, I’ve compiled a list of the books I’ve read over the last three hundred and sixty-six days, and as always, I want to share them with everyone.
This year was hit-or-miss for me reading-wise. There were books I loved and many books I ended up loathing. I found books I know I will re-read and proselytize, but they were often mirrored by other books I hate-read. I also found myself reading a few histories for pleasure, not something I normally do, and I dipped into science fiction much more than in previous years. Audiobooks (🎧) used to be the mainstay of my daily commute, and this year they became the soundtrack to housework. Not a bad tradeoff. Oh, and as always, I beta-read a couple of great books, and I’m excited to see where those go in the future.
This list correlates with my Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge, but it always includes a few extra since Goodreads doesn’t let me count beta reading, and I don’t list comics or short stories or poetry (new this year!) over there. Remember, this is all strictly reading for pleasure—I typically forgo listing any research/history books I’ve read for a project as I read those differently than I do fiction. This list is always enormous, so l skip reviews except for my favorites in each category. However, I’d invite you to follow me on Goodreads, where I occasionally leave other reviews.
New for this year: with a few exceptions, most links now go to IndieBound instead of Amazon—2020 has been rough on small businesses, and now more than ever, be sure to support your local bookstore. When possible, I am now linking to each author’s personal website—if you’re on the list and I didn’t find your website, please let me know about it. (I won’t link to social media, sorry.)
📚 Novels & Novellas
- Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1)
by Rebecca Roanhorse - Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1)
by Tamsyn Muir - City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
by Cassandra Clare - Prosper’s Demon
by K.J. Parker - The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage Trilogy #2) 🎧
by Brian McClellan - Jade War (Green Bone Saga #2)
by Fonda Lee - Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2)
by Martha Wells - Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland 🎧
by Patrick Radden Keefe - The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War 🎧
by Joanne B. Freeman - They Mostly Come Out at Night (Yarnsworld, #1) (Link goes to Amazon)
by Benedict Patrick - Frank on a Gun-Boat
by Harry Castlemon - A Head Full of Ghosts
by Paul Tremblay - On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington, #1)
by David Weber - The Reign of the Kingfisher 🎧
by T.J. Martinson - RADIO
by J. Rushing - Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)
by William Gibson - The Fireman 🎧
by Joe Hill - The Cipher
by Kathe Koja - The Mist
by Stephen King - Control Point (Shadow Ops #1)
by Myke Cole - Blood Standard (Isaiah Coleridge #1)
by Laird Barron - City of Miracles (The Divine Cities #3)
by Robert Jackson Bennett - The Iron Ship (The Gates of the World #1)
by K.M. McKinley - Vita Nostra (Metamorphosis Cycle #1) 🎧
by Sergey & Marina Dyachenko - Thieftaker (The Thieftaker Chronicles #1)
by D. B. Jackson - BETA READING (Literature)
by REDACTED - Circe
by Madeline Miller - Terrier (The Legend of Beka Cooper #1)
by Tamora Pierce - Red Storm Rising 🎧…. again.
by Tom Clancy - The Only Good Indians
by Stephen Graham Jones - Clutter: An Untidy History
by Jennifer Howard - The Half Killed
by Quenby Olson - The Toll
by Cherie Priest - Jurassic Park …again.
by Michael Crichton - Seveneves 🎧
by Neil Stephenson - Night of the Mannequins
by Stephen Graham Jones - In the Valley of the Sun
by Andy Davidson - Foundation (Foundation #1)
by Issac Asimov - Consider Phlebas (Culture #1) 🎧
by Iain M. Banks - BETA READING (Historical Horror)
by REDACTED - The Worm and His Kings
by Hailey Piper - Wake of Vultures
by Lila Bowen - Metro 2033 🎧
by Dmitry Glukhovsky
🏆 Favorite Novel of 2020
In the Valley of the Sun
This sun-baked vampire horror set in Texas unexpectedly became a new favorite. A surprisingly tense, character-focused narrative. Brutal. Anguished. Tormented. Bloody. Lyrical in ways that remind me of Cormac McCarthy without the weight. It’s not shy of confronting the cracked ugliness of humanity and finding the beauty between the fissures. Davidson is an incredible writer, and I immediately purchased his more recent novel after finishing In the Valley of the Sun. We need more horror like this.
🏅 Favorite Novel Runners-up of 2020
RADIO
by J. Rushing
A jazz-infused, opium-soaked, historical fantasy that explodes from the opening chapter and never relents until its final pages. A thoroughly fresh debut that’s unlike anything I’ve read before. Rushing brings his unique, well-researched world of 1920s Paris to life with a captivating voice. Don’t expect a saccharine overly-romantic version of Paris; this is a stained, broken, and bloody place—a welcome addition to modern fantasy literature. Jim’s a friend of mine, so be sure to read my interview with him.
City of Miracles
In recent years, the Divine Cities have become one of my favorite urban fantasy series, mostly for its fresh approach to the genre, atypical characters, and serious exploration of themes oft-ignored within mainstream fantasy. With City of Miracles, Bennett wrapped up the trilogy with a heartbreaking yet thoroughly satisfying ending. This story is a bit tighter and more focused than the previous two while wrapping up various loose ends rather nicely. It’s rare to find a final book in a series that resonates with me as much as City of Miracles did—it’s easily my favorite book in the trilogy.
🎈 Honorable Mentions of 2020
I started doing Honorable Mentions in 2018 so I could highlight some of the other standout novels from my year of reading. Below you’ll find many more excellent books, I’ve listed them in order of reading.
- Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
A unique southwestern approach to post-apocalyptic urban fantasy. - Prosper’s Demon by K. J. Parker
A subversive fantasy with a fresh voice and plenty of twists. Nice quick read. - The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
An excellent sequel, one of the best examples of massive and complex military operations in fantasy. - The Field of Blood by Joanne B. Freeman
Phenomenal nonfiction detailing the history of violence in Congress leading up to the U.S. Civil War. - The Cipher by Kathe Koja
Deeply unsettling transgressive horror that felt far too familiar. Visceral and enthralling. - Blood Standard by Laird Barron
A dark crime/P.I. novel with a heart and a sense of humor. I will be reading more in this series. - The Iron Ship by K.M. McKinley
Thoroughly fresh fantasy—huge world, great characters, interesting plot, unique setting. Nearly made my runner up list. - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Disturbing modern horror built around the experiences of first-nation people and the rural poor. - Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard
The history of stuff told from an all-too-relatable personal experience. Ended up buying a few copies for my family. - Seveneves by Neil Stephenson
The moon is destroyed, and humanity only has a short amount of time to survive. - The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper
Unique cosmic horror that explores gender identity, relationships, and poverty with a fresh perspective.
📜 Short Stories
- An Inhabitant of Carcosa …again.
by Ambrose Bierce - And Now His Lordship is Laughing
by Shiv Ramdas - How the Trick is Done
by A.C. Wise - The Yellow Sign …again.
by Robert W. Chambers - Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the
Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island
by Nibedita Sen - Give the Family My Love
by A. T. Greenblatt - The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power
by Karen Osborne - The Masque of the Red Death …again.
by Edgar Allen Poe - The Repairer of Reputations …again.
by Robert W. Chambers - Paper Menagerie
by Ken Liu - Seasons of Glass and Iron
by Amal El-Mohtar - Tideline
by Elizabeth Bear
🏆 Favorite Short Stories of 2020
The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power
by Karen Osborne
Generation ship! Class struggle! Religious ritual! Rebellion! Murder! Control! The complexity told within this genre-mashup was astounding. Such a rich world crafted in a way that feels effortless while maintaining a rich narrative was impressive. It’s no secret I’m drawn to stories that are hard to pigeon-hole into a specific genre, and that is fully represented here. Well worth a read.
🏅 Favorite Short Story Runners-up
Paper Menagerie
by Ken Liu
This heartbreaking story about magical origami, cultural identity, and family was the first piece of fiction to win a Hugo, a Nebula, and a World Fantasy Award. And after reading it, it was easy to see why. Touching and reflective. A masterwork of speculative short fiction.
💥 Graphic Novels
- Preacher: Book One
by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist) - Saga, Vol. 8
by Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Artist) - Preacher: Book Two
by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist) - Once & Future, Vol. 1
by Kieron Gillen (Author), Tamra Bonvillain (Artist), & Dan Mora (Artist) - American Vampire, Vol. 2
by Scott Snyder (Author) & Rafael Albuquerque (Artist) - Paper Girls, Vol. 2
by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist) - Preacher: Book Three
by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist) - Die, Vol. 2
by Kieron Gillen (Author) & Stephanie Hans (Artist)
🏆 Favorite Graphic Novel of 2020:
Preacher: Book One
by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist)
I didn’t expect to like Preacher. I bounced off the series hard when I was younger, writing off Ennis as a “blasphemous shock jock” and nothing more. But revisiting it as a middle-aged adult revealed a different sort of comic. The offensive transgressive material is still there, but beneath it is something much more—a book with more heart and humanity than one would be able to judge by its surface and laced with merciless satire that still rings relevant twenty-five years later.
🏅 Favorite Graphic Novel Runner-up of 2020:
Paper Girls, Volume 2
by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist)
Volume 1 nearly made my runner-up list last year. On the surface, it’s a time-jumping story about a group of friends caught in the middle of a future war. But beneath those sci-fi trappings, there is so much more here. It’s a book about being a kid and the expectations therein, complications with friendship, and the complexities of growing up. The characters are fantastic, and the story moves along at a clip, making it impossible to put the trade down. I’m ready for volume 3.
🎭 Poems
So this year, I’m including some of the poems I read in 2020. I hinted at doing this last year. But this is really a trial run. In reality, I read more poems than listed below, but I didn’t do an outstanding job keeping track of them. Because this is the first time for poetry on this list, I’m going to skip picking a favorite. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track next year.
- Small Kindnesses
by Danusha Laméris - The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendel Berry - Beneath the Sweater and the Skin
by Jeannette Encinias - The Woods
by Melanie Batista - I Confess
by Alison Luterman - The Waste Land …again.
by T. S. Eliot - Near a Raven
by Mike Keith - Insha’Allah
by Danusha Laméris - We Lived Happily During the War …again.
by Ilya Kaminsky - Christmas Greetings to Felis …again
by H. P. Lovecraft …again. - Passing Solstice
by Ken Hada - Winter Solstice
by Hilda Morley - Childhood Memory from the Old Victorian House on Warner
by Beth Cato - Raw With Love
by Charles Bukowski
So that’s my reading list for 2020. It’s been an interesting year in reading for me. As promised, we now have a poetry section, and I hope to expand that in the future. There are some great poems there, so be sure to explore them further. Despite my ups and downs, I’m overall quite happy with the books, stories, graphic novels, and poetry I read over the last twelve months. They were excellent distractions from the chaos of the year, and it was refreshing to lose myself in other worlds. 2020 will be behind us soon, and I am looking forward to the worlds I’ll discover in 2021.
How about you? What were the standout books, graphic novels, short stories, or poems you read this year? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment and let me know!
Are you looking for a good book? Want to see my reading lists from previous years? Check any of the links below and see what I was reading in the bygone days of old.
• 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 •
Next year, why not join me? Goodreads does a reading challenge every year, and I am an active participant. First, follow me on Goodreads (leave me a review while you’re there), and once the New Year arrives, participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2021.
Want to stay in touch with me? Sign up for Dead Drop, my rare and elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. I work hard to make sure it’s not spammy and full of interesting and relevant information. SIGN UP TODAY →
K. M. Alexander 
You must be logged in to post a comment.