[My 2020 in Books] Favourite Books Read in 2020

Myra here.

Yesterday, I shared my round-up post on my Year of Reading International Literature #ReadIntl2020 challenge. Today, I am excited to share my best reads this year, arranged according to genre.

Do note, though, that these are not necessarily books published in 2020, but books I read this year. A few of these titles have also not been featured here yet – but have actually inspired me to come up with our reading theme in 2021, which we will be announcing in a few days’ time.

Top Five Poetry Books Read in 2020 (out of 17 read)

(1) Long Life by Mary Oliver (Amazon | Book Depository)

(2) Just In Case You Want To Fly by Julie Fogliano and Christian Robinson (Amazon | Book Depository)

(3) I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe and Pauline Young (Amazon | Book Depository)

(4) Can I Touch Your Hair? by Irene Latham and Charles Waters and Illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (Amazon | Book Depository)

(5) Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration by Samara Cole Doyon and Kaylani Juanita (Amazon | Book Depository)

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Top Ten Nonfiction Reads (out of 140 read)

(1) No Friend But The Mountains by Behrouz Boochani and Translated by Omid Tofighian (Amazon | Book Depository)

(2) Incidental Inventions by Elena Ferrante and Illustrated by Andrea Ucini and Translated by Ann Goldstein (Amazon | Book Depository)

(3) Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham (Amazon | Book Depository)

(4) Frida by Sebastien Perez and Benjamin Lacombe (Amazon | Book Depository)

(5) My Night In the Planetarium by Innosanto Nagara (Amazon | Book Depository)

(6) Hector by Adrienne Wright (Amazon | Book Depository)

(7) Mama Africa! by Kathryn Erskine and Charly Palmer (Amazon | Book Depository)

(8) The Power Of Her Pen by Lesa Cline-Ransome and John Parra (Amazon | Book Depository)

(9) We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade (Amazon | Book Depository)

(10) The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam (Amazon | Book Depository)

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Top Five Graphic (or Illustrated) Novels (out of 19 read)

(1) Tales From The Inner City by Shaun Tan (Amazon | Book Depository)

(2) Saga Book 3 by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan (Amazon | Book Depository)

(3) Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Amazon | Book Depository)

(4) Monster Portraits by Del Samatar and Sofia Samatar (Amazon | Book Depository)

(5) Pretending Is Lying by Dominique Goblet (Amazon | Book Depository)

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Top Ten Literary Fiction (out of 34 read)

(1) Iza’s Ballad by Magda Szabo and translated by George Szirtes (Amazon | Book Depository)

(2) Three Summers by Margarita Liberaki and translated by Karen Van Dyck (Amazon | Book Depository)

(3) The Lying Life Of Adults by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein (Amazon | Book Depository)

(4) The Winter Of The Witch by Katherine Arden (Amazon | Book Depository)

(5) A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman translated by Henning Koch (Amazon | Book Depository)

(6) The Book Of Disquiet (Definitive Edition) by Fernando Pessoa translated by Margaret Jull Costa (Amazon | Book Depository)

(7) Men In The Sun by Ghassan Kanafani translated by Hilary Kilpatrick (Amazon | Book Depository)

(8) The Woman From Tantoura by Radwa Ashour translated by Kay Heikkinen (Amazon | Book Depository)

(9) On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Amazon | Book Depository)

(10) Revenge by Yoko Ogawa translated by Stephen Snyder (Amazon | Book Depository)

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Top 20 Picturebooks/Middle Grade (out of 193 read)

(1) Some Days by Maria Wernicke translated by Lawrence Schimel (Amazon | Book Depository)

(2) Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki (Amazon | Book Depository)

(3) I Go Quiet by David Ouimet (Amazon | Book Depository)

(4) I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James (Amazon | Book Depository)

(5) Story Boat by Kyo Maclear and Rashin Kheiriyeh (Amazon | Book Depository)

(6) One Girl by Andrea Beaty and Dow Phumiruk (Amazon | Book Depository)

(7) Little Bird by Germano Zullo and Albertine (Amazon | Book Depository)

(8) Cicada by Shaun Tan (Amazon | Book Depository)

(9) Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal (Amazon | Book Depository)

(10) The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van T. Rudd (Amazon | Book Depository)

(11) The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang and Khoa Le (Amazon | Book Depository)

(12) Forever by Beatrice Alemagna (Amazon | Book Depository)

(13) My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano and Jillian Tamaki (Amazon | Book Depository)

(14) Wherever I Go by Mary Wagley Copp and Munir D. Mohammed (Amazon | Book Depository)

(15) Your Name Is A Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Luisa Uribe (Amazon | Book Depository)

(16) The Phone Booth In Mr. Hirota’s Garden by Heather Smith and Rachel Wada (Amazon | Book Depository)

(17) Migrants by Issa Watanabe (Amazon | Book Depository)

(18) Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo (Amazon | Book Depository)

(19) The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy (Amazon | Book Depository)

(20) Julian At The Wedding by Jessica Love (Amazon | Book Depository)

How about you? What are some of your best reads this year?