Books · 2020
A World Turned Inward and Stories Unleashed
In a year defined by pandemic lockdowns and global social upheaval, literature provided both solace and sharp commentary. Readers turned to powerful historical epics, deeply personal memoirs, and bold speculative fiction that reflected humanity's resilience.
- Barack Obama · Memoir · Bestseller
A Promised Land
Barack Obama’s deeply personal presidential memoir detailed his early political journey and his first term in the White House, becoming a global publishing phenomenon.
- D. Stuart · Fiction · Award-Winning
Shuggie Bain
Winning the 2020 Booker Prize, Douglas Stuart’s heart-wrenching debut novel captured a young boy's devotion to his struggling mother in 1980s Glasgow.
- M. O'Farrell · Fiction · Award-Winning
Hamnet
Maggie O'Farrell’s haunting reimagining of William Shakespeare's family life explores the profound grief behind the creation of his immortal play Hamlet.
- Brit Bennett · Fiction · Bestseller
The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett’s gripping novel examined race, identity, and family through the divergent lives of twin Black sisters, one of whom chooses to pass as white.
- S. Clarke · Fantasy · Award-Winning
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke made a triumphant return with a luminous, surreal mystery set in an infinite labyrinthine house filled with tide-swept halls and classical statues.
- H. Mantel · Hist. Fic. · Bestseller
The Mirror & the Light
Hilary Mantel brought her monumental Thomas Cromwell trilogy to its tragic and majestic conclusion, chronicling the final downfall of King Henry VIII’s chief minister.
- I. Wilkerson · Non-Fic. · Influential
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Isabel Wilkerson's groundbreaking study reframed American race relations through the lens of a rigid, unspoken hierarchy akin to those in India and Nazi Germany.
- N.K. Jemisin · Fantasy · Influential
The City We Became
Three-time Hugo Award winner N.K. Jemisin brought New York City to life as a sentient entity defended by five human avatars against an ancient cosmic evil.
Enjoyed your trip back in time?