What I Read in 2020 / by Beth Winegarner

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I read a lot in 2020, I think to distract myself for a few minutes or hours at a time from what was going on in the world around me. Granted, a lot of what I read was heavy and difficult, but I often like reading books that help me grow.

I also attended a lot of book events this year — only one or two in person (the last one was for the launch of Danielle Svetcov’s book “Parked”) and many more online. I appreciated virtual book events because I didn’t have to go anywhere, and I could attend events happening all across the country. Even when we go back to in-person events I hope some live-streaming options will remain available.

If you’d like to follow along with what I’m reading in 2021 and beyond, you can add me on Goodreads. And now, on with the list!

  1. “H is for Hawk,” Helen Macdonald

  2. “You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-acceptance,” Chani Nicholas

  3. “Fangirls: Scenes from Modern Music Culture,” Hannah Evans

  4. “Open Me,” Lisa Locascio

  5. “Binti #1,” Nnedi Okorafor

  6. “How Not to Let Go,” Emily Foster

  7. “Dog Medicine,” Julie Barton

  8. “Covet,” J.R. Ward

  9. “Parked,” Danielle Svetcov

  10. “The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook,” Matthew McKay, Jeffrey Wood and Jeffrey Brantley

  11. “Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause”

  12. “First We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety,” Sarah Wilson

  13. “Insecure in Love: How Anxious Attachment Can Make You Feel Jealous, Needy, and Worried and What You Can Do About It,” Leslie Becker-Phelps

  14. “Death Wins a Goldfish,” Brian Rea

  15. “Blossoms and Bones,” Kim Krans

  16. “Daisy Jones and the Six,” Taylor Jenkins Reid

  17. “Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames,” Lara Maiklem

  18. “At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond,” (anthology)

  19. Water Log,” Roger Deakin

  20. “The Power,” Naomi Alderman

  21. “KTLN,” Alee Karim

  22. “A Black Women’s History of the United States,” Daina Ramey Berry and Kali N. Gross

  23. “Brown Album,” Porochista Khakpour

  24. “Big Girl,” Meg Elison

  25. “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,” James Nestor

  26. “Braiding Sweetgrass,” Robin Wall Kimmerer

  27. “Real American,” Julie Lythcott-Haims

  28. “Invisible Gifts,” Maw Shein Win

  29. “Bury Me in Thunder,” Moira J.

  30. “The City We Became,” NK Jemisin

  31. “Wow, No Thank You,” Samantha Irby

  32. “Writing Ourselves Whole,” Jen Cross

  33. “Every Heart a Doorway,” Seanan McGuire

  34. “Gideon the Ninth,” Tamsyn Muir

  35. “Emergent Strategy,” adrienne maree brown

  36. “The Mermaid, The Witch and the Sea,” Maggie Tokuda-Hall

  37. “Axiom’s End,” Lindsay Ellis

  38. “Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun,” Faith Adiele

  39. “She Votes: How U.S. Women Won Suffrage, and What Happened Next,” Bridget Quinn

  40. “The Tower at Stony Wood,” Patricia McKillip

  41. “The Companions,” Katie Flynn

  42. “Resistance,” Tori Amos

  43. “Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and the Revolution in the Americas,” Roberto Lovato

  44. “Find Layla,” Meg Elison

  45. “You Can Keep That To Yourself,” Adam Smyer

  46. “Occult London,” Merlin Coverley

  47. “The Five,” Hallie Rubenfold

  48. “Paranormal London,” Gillian Pickup

  49. “Hench,” Natalie Zina Walschots

  50. “Hyperbole and a Half,” Allie Brosh

  51. “Solutions and Other Problems,” Allie Brosh

  52. “My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts,” Resmaa Menakem

  53. “Inferno,” Catherine Cho

  54. “Proper English,” K.J. Charles

  55. “The Story of Dion Fortune” (as-told-to)

  56. “Stalking Tender Prey,” Storm Constantine

  57. “A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life,” Ayelet Waldman

  58. “Pagan Britain,” Ronald Hutton

  59. “Maid of the King’s Court,” Lucy Worsley

  60. “My Dark Vanessa,” Kate Elizabeth Russell 

  61. “Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema,” Lindy West

  62. “Fat,” Hanne Blank

  63. “What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat,” Aubrey Gordon

  64. “Wired for Love,” Stanley Tatkin

  65. “So You Want to Talk About Race,” Ijeoma Oluo

  66. “Magic Lessons,” Alice Hoffman

  67. “The Body is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love,” Sonya Renee Taylor

  68. “Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America,” Ijeoma Oluo

  69. “The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You,” Elaine N. Aron