Books Update: 10 Best Books of 2020

The best fiction and nonfiction of the year, as chosen by editors at The New York Times Book Review.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 11, 2020 Luis Mazón Dear Reader, This is it — insert drumroll — our 10 Best Books of 2020. These are the five fiction and five nonfiction books that editors at the Book Review believe to be the strongest, most exciting, most important books of the year. These are books of the highest quality, ones that deliver both at the sentence level and as a whole what it is we think the author is trying to achieve. Deciding which books qualify is a yearlong process, one that begins — believe it or not — every January, by which point editors will have read books coming out through March and April, with an eye on the big books expected for the remainder of the year. We work as a team, nominating possible titles and meeting every couple of months (and later, every couple of weeks) to share our thoughts on what we’ve read. Books get added to and dropped from the list up to the very end of the year. At many points, we pause and ask ourselves: “What have we missed? What books should we be considering? Does something from earlier in the year bear reconsideration?” And then we go back to reading, discussing and debating. It all ends in a final blind vote, often several rounds of blind voting. In the end, we feel good — even great — about the books that make the list, though there is always a little heartbreak for each of us on the personal favorites that didn’t make the final cut. At a live event on Nov. 23, we discussed our 10 Best as well as some of our personal favorites, which was recorded via Zoom as a special episode of the podcast. Meanwhile, on this week’s podcast, our guests are Jo Nesbo, who joins us to talk about “The Kingdom” and the art of Nordic noir, and David Michaelis, author of a recent biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. P.S. There are a lot of other great books in this week’s issue, and anything reviewed after our Holiday issue last week will be contenders for the 10 Best Books of 2021. Until then … Please stay in touch and let us know what you think — whether it’s about this newsletter, our reviews, our podcast, our literary calendar, our Instagram or what you’re reading. We read and ponder all of it. I even write back, albeit belatedly. You can email me at books@nytimes.com. Pamela Paul Editor of The New York Times Book Review @PamelaPaulNYT Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Like this email? Sign-up here or forward it to your friends. Have a suggestion or two on how we can improve it? Let us know at newsletters@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. The 10 Best Books of 2020 The editors of The Times Book Review choose the best fiction and nonfiction titles this year. THE BOOK REVIEW PODCAST Jo Nesbo Talks About ‘The Kingdom’ Nesbo discusses his latest novel, and David Michaelis talks about his new biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. FICTION Fiction A Sheltered Teenager Moves to Miami and Learns a Few Things In David Hopen’s debut novel, “The Orchard,” faith gets put to the test as a boy comes of age. By David Goodwillie Fiction In This Debut Novel, a Chinese Immigrant Keeps His Sleepwalking Sister’s Secrets Simon Han’s “Nights When Nothing Happened” exposes the tedium and tension of life as a foreigner in America. By Thessaly La Force Fiction Why Can’t Women Be Serial Killers, Too? In Chelsea G. Summers’s “A Certain Hunger,” a psychopathic food critic literally consumes the men she targets. By Amy Silverberg Fiction Characters Protesting the Times, When the Real Problem Is Time Itself In Charles Baxter’s new novel, “The Sun Collective,” an aging couple‘s search for their missing son leads them to a quasi-anarchist group. By Jess Walter Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NONFICTION Nonfiction Our House Is a Very, Very, Very Fine House These books will help us feel a little bit better about being stuck inside. By Judith Newman Nonfiction The Truth About David Sedaris More than any of his other collections, “The Best of Me” defines who he is and how he’s grown as a writer. By Andrew Sean Greer nonfiction John Brown and Abraham Lincoln: A Study in Contrasts H.W. Brands’s “The Zealot and the Emancipator” looks at how two opponents of slavery chose very different paths to abolition. By Sean Wilentz nonfiction Fareed Zakaria Looks at Life After the Pandemic Zakaria’s “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World” analyzes the social and political impact of Covid-19. By Josef Joffe nonfiction Groomed to Be President Fredrik Logevall’s “JFK” brings the young Jack Kennedy to life with telling detail and knowing insights. By David M. Kennedy Nonfiction The Best of the Kennedys? Neal Gabler’s “Catching the Wind” makes clear that Ted Kennedy’s record in the Senate far outshone the legislative accomplishments of his brothers. By Jeff Shesol Nonfiction Hilary Mantel Takes On Royals and Rebels in a Book of Essays “Mantel Pieces” compiles nearly 30 years of the author’s work for The London Review of Books. By Fernanda Eberstadt Nonfiction The Deadliness of the 2014 Ebola Outbreak Was Not Inevitable In “Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds,” the public health expert Paul Farmer examines the structural and historical inequalities that led to Ebola’s devastating toll. By Steven Johnson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT nonfiction What America Owes to the Greeks and Romans Thomas E. Ricks’s “First Principles” examines what the founders learned from ancient texts and how that affected the future of the country. By Virginia DeJohn Anderson nonfiction Mexico’s War on Its Citizens’ Bodies In “Grieving,” the Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza delivers a searing indictment of her country’s epidemic of violence and a poignant meditation on its grief. By Melissa Del Bosque nonfiction The D.I.Y. Way to Heal the Social Fabric: Don’t Do It Yourself Robert Putnam’s “The Upswing” looks at how America has shifted from common purpose to individualism, to the greater detriment. By Robert Kuttner Nonfiction When It Comes to Aging Parents, Information and Solidarity Are Key In her memoir, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” Elizabeth Berg tells the story of her parents’ decline. By Alex Witchel Nonfiction This Memoirist Got By With a Little Help From Strangers In “Group,” Christie Tate walks readers through an unusual therapeutic journey. By Dani Shapiro The Shortlist Dissecting Black Love, White Tears and Racialized Sexual Panic Three new books on race and relationships explore how white attitudes about sex and emotions have shaped our history. By Anna Holmes CHILDREN’S BOOKS Children’s Books J.K. Rowling’s New Non-Potter Children’s Book If “The Ickabog” — about a land of plenty that due to a monstrous lie becomes a land of fear — sounds familiar, it’s pure coincidence. Really. By Sarah Lyall Children’s Books How Did Ancient Cultures Experience Reading? The first book in David Bowles’s new graphic novel series, “Rise of the Halfling King,” shows kids how a hieroglyphic script might have captivated the Mayans. By Grace Lin FEATURES By the Book Jerry Seinfeld Rarely Laughs While He’s Reading “The written word is tough.” Sketchbook Dreaming About the Ideal Library If your fantasies turn toward curling up with a book or perusing endless miles of shelves, we have some food for your imagination. By Grant Snider New & Noteworthy, From Schopenhauer to the Pope A selection of books published this week; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading. On Barack Obama’s Memoir and Other Letters to the Editor Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review. 11 New Books We Recommend This Week Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times. Inside the List Let Cassandra Campbell Tell You a Story. She’s a Pro. The voice behind hundred of audiobooks speaks out about what inspires her. By Elisabeth Egan New in Paperback: ‘Driving While Black’ and ‘Life Isn’t Everything’ Six new paperbacks to check out this week. By Jennifer Krauss Best Sellers Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All Lists New International Books Illustration by Thoka Maer Your sneak preview of books coming out in 2020 from around the world. Get globetrotting. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Books from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018