Best 2020, Best Books, Best Year-End, Fiction & Literature, Literature

The Best Fiction and Literature Books of 2020 (A Year-End List Aggregation)

“What are the best Fiction and Literature books released in 2020?” We looked at 328 of the top Fiction and Literature books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 37 books, all appearing on 4 or more “Best Fiction and Literature” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 275+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.

Our other Best Of 2020 Articles:

Previous Years: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

All titles have been added to a Bookshop list as well!

Happy Scrolling!



Top 37 Best Fiction and Literature Books From 2020



37.) Breasts and Eggs written byMieko Kawakami

Breasts and Eggs

Lists It Appears On:

  • Time
  • NY Times
  • TMN
  • Pan Macmillan

The story of three women by a writer hailed by Haruki Murakami as Japan’s most important contemporary novelist, WINNER OF THE AKUTAGAWA PRIZE. “Breasts and Eggs took my breath away.”–HARUKI MURAKAMI A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2020 Vogue・Thrillist・The Millions・ Literary Hub・Now Toronto・Metropolis Ja



36.) Exciting Times written byNaoise Dolan

Exciting Times

Lists It Appears On:

  • She Reads
  • Washington Post
  • TMN
  • The Guardian

“This debut novel about an Irish expat millennial teaching English and finding romance in Hong Kong is half Sally Rooney love triangle, half glitzy Crazy Rich Asians high living–and guaranteed to please.” –Vogue A RECOMMENDED BOOK FROM: The New York Times Book Review * Vogue * TIME * Marie Claire



35.) Hurricane Season written byFernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes

Hurricane Season

Lists It Appears On:

  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • NY Times
  • Book Riot
  • The Guardian

Con un ritmo y un lenguaje magistrales, Fernanda Melchor, autora de Falsa liebre explora en esta obra las sinrazones que subyacen a los actos m s desesperados de barbarie pasional. Una novela cruda y desgarradora en la que el lector quedar envuelto, atrapado por las palabras y la atm sfera de terrib



34.) Mayflies written byAndrew O’Hagan

Mayflies

Lists It Appears On:

  • Readings
  • Financial Times
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph

An unforgettable coming-of-age novel that becomes a profound mediation on life, death, and lifelong friendship.



33.) Monogamy written bySue Miller

Monogamy

Lists It Appears On:

  • Publishers Weekly
  • NY Times
  • Bookpage
  • NPR

“A sensual and perceptive novel. . . . With humor and humanity, Miller resists the simple scorned-wife story and instead crafts a revelatory tale of the complexities–and the absurdities–of love, infidelity, and grief.” –O, the Oprah MagazineA brilliantly insightful novel, engrossing and haunting,



32.) Sisters written byDaisy Johnson

Sisters

Lists It Appears On:

  • Publishers Weekly
  • NY Times
  • Bookpage
  • TMN

ONE OF THE TOP TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR– PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR–VULTURE “Daisy Johnson is the demon offspring of Shirley Jackson and Stephen King.” –The Observer “Builds a gothic plot to an artful and shocking climax.”–The New York Times “Ends with a magnificent t



31.) Utopia Avenue written byDavid Mitchell

Utopia Avenue

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Washington Post
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER – The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks. New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice – “Mitchell’s rich imaginative stews bubble with history and drama, and this time the flavor is a blend of Carnaby Street a



30.) Interior Chinatown written byCharles Yu

Interior Chinatown

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Washington Post
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN
  • NPR

2020 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST! One of the funniest books of the year … a delicious, ambitious Hollywood satire. –The Washington Post From the infinitely inventive author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe comes a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, a



29.) Red Pill written byHari Kunzru

Red Pill

Lists It Appears On:

  • Los Angeles Times
  • Financial Times
  • NY Times
  • TMN
  • NPR

From the widely acclaimed author of White Tears, a bold new novel about searching for order in a world that frames madness as truth. After receiving a prestigious writing fellowship in Germany, the narrator of Red Pill arrives in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee and struggles to accomplish anything at a



28.) The Night Watchman written byLouise Erdrich

The Night Watchman

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Washington Post
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN
  • NPR

New York Times BestsellerBased on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes o



27.) Sharks in the Time of Saviors written byKawai Strong Washburn

Sharks in the Time of Saviors

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Powells
  • Amazon
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN

Barnes & Noble Discover pick for March 2020 Amazon Editors’ Pick for March 2020 Sharks in the Time of Saviors is a groundbreaking debut novel that folds the legends of Hawaiian gods into an engrossing family saga; a story of exile and the pursuit of salvation from Kawai Strong Washburn. “Old myths c



26.) Summer written byAli Smith

Summer

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Financial Times
  • TMN
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • NPR

“A prose poem in praise of memory, forgiveness, getting the joke and seizing the moment.” –Dwight Garner, The New York Times In the present, Sacha knows the world’s in trouble. Her brother Robert just is trouble. Their mother and father are having trouble. Meanwhile, the world’s in meltdown­–and t



25.) The Cold Millions written byJess Walter

The Cold Millions

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Kirkus 2
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Amazon
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN

A Most Anticipated Book by: The New York Times Book Review * Wall Street Journal * Time * Esquire * The Millions * Vogue * People * New York Post * USA Today * Medium * The Philadelphia Inquirer * NewsdayFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins comes another “literary miracle



24.) The Death of Vivek Oji written byAkwaeke Emezi

The Death of Vivek Oji

Lists It Appears On:

  • Washington Post
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Bookpage
  • TMN
  • NPR

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR’S CHOICE Electrifying. — O Magazine Named one of the year’s most anticipated books by The New York Times, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, and more What does it mean for a family to lose a child they never really knew? One aftern



23.) The Pull of the Stars written byEmma Donoghue

The Pull of the Stars

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Powells
  • Washington Post
  • Pan Macmillan
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph

In Dublin, 1918, a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a small world of work, risk, death, and unlooked-for love, in “Donoghue’s best novel since Room” (Kirkus Reviews) In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city cente



22.) Writers & Lovers written byLily King

Writers & Lovers

Lists It Appears On:

  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • NY Times
  • Kirkus 2
  • Amazon
  • Pan Macmillan
  • NPR

Following the breakout success of her critically acclaimed and award-winning novel Euphoria, Lily King returns with an unforgettable portrait of an artist as a young woman. Blindsided by her mother’s sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the



21.) A Children’s Bible written byLydia Millet

A Children’s Bible

Lists It Appears On:

  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Washington Post
  • Time
  • NY Times 2
  • TMN
  • The Telegraph

Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet’s sublime new novel–her first since the National Book Award long-listed Sweet Lamb of Heaven–follows a group of twelve eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion.Contemptuous of their parents, who pass their



20.) Cleanness written byGarth Greenwell

Cleanness

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Washington Post
  • NY Times
  • TMN
  • Pan Macmillan
  • The Telegraph
  • NPR

In the highly anticipated follow-up to his beloved debut, What Belongs to You, Garth Greenwell deepens his exploration of foreignness, obligation, and desire Sofia, Bulgaria, a landlocked city in southern Europe, stirs with hope and impending upheaval. Soviet buildings crumble, wind scatters sand fr



19.) The Glass Hotel written byEmily St. John Mandel

The Glass Hotel

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Washington Post
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Bookpage
  • TMN
  • Pan Macmillan
  • NPR

LONGLISTED FOR THE GILLER PRIZE The Glass Hotel may be the perfect novel for your survival bunker. –Ron Charles, The Washington Post A New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Bustle, Buzzfeed, GoodReads, Houston Chronicle, Writer’s Digest, Medium, Washington Independent Review of Books, The



18.) Weather written byJenny Offill

Weather

Lists It Appears On:

  • Book Riot
  • Readings
  • Washington Post
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • NPR

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER From the beloved author of the nationwide best seller Dept. of Speculation–one of the New York Times Book Review’s Ten Best Books of the Year–a “darkly funny and urgent” (NPR) tour de force about a family, and a nation, in crisis Lizzie Benson slid into her job a



17.) How Much of These Hills is Gold written byC Pam Zhang

How Much of These Hills is Gold

Lists It Appears On:

  • Book Riot
  • Kirkus 2
  • Powells
  • Readings
  • Washington Post
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Bookpage

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE 2020 CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION 5 UNDER 35 HONOREE A GOOP Book Club Pick “A fully immersive epic drama packed with narrative riches and exquisitely crafted prose.” –San Francisco Chronicle



16.) Jack written byMarilynne Robinson

Jack

Lists It Appears On:

  • Books A Million
  • Kirkus 2
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Financial Times
  • NY Times
  • TMN
  • The Guardian
  • NPR

A New York Times bestseller Marilynne Robinson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, returns to the world of Gilead with Jack, the latest novel in one of the great works of contemporary American fiction Marilynne Robinson’s mythical world of Gilead, Iowa–the setting of he



15.) Memorial written byBryan Washington

Memorial

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Kirkus 2
  • Washington Post
  • Amazon
  • NY Times
  • Bookpage
  • TMN
  • NPR

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick! “Truly unlike anything I’ve read before. Bryan Washington’s take on love, family, and responsibility is as complicated and true as life itself. I can’t stop thinking about it.” –Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House “Made me think about the nature of love, a



14.) Piranesi written bySusanna Clarke

Piranesi

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Readings
  • Washington Post
  • Financial Times
  • Bookpage
  • TMN
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph

New York Times Bestseller! From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality. Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousa



13.) Real Life written byBrandon Taylor

Real Life

Lists It Appears On:

  • Book Riot
  • Washington Post
  • Financial Times
  • NY Times
  • TMN
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • NPR

A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZE A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE “A blistering coming of age story” –O: The Oprah Magazine A novel of startling intimacy, violence, and mercy among friends in a Midwestern university town, from an electric new voice. Almost everything about Wallace is at odds wi



12.) The Mirror and the Light written byHilary Mantel

The Mirror and the Light

Lists It Appears On:

  • Bookpage
  • NY Times
  • Kirkus 2
  • Time
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Washington Post
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph

The brilliant #1 New York Times bestseller With The Mirror & the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with her peerless, Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs t



11.) Transcendent Kingdom written byYaa Gyasi

Transcendent Kingdom

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Kirkus 2
  • Amazon
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Bookpage
  • Worldly Gentleman
  • Library Journal
  • NPR

A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK! INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER Yaa Gyasi’s stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national best seller Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama. Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at



10.) Homeland Elegies written byAyad Akhtar

Homeland Elegies

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Time
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • NY Times 2
  • Worldly Gentleman
  • Library Journal
  • NPR

A “profound and provocative” new work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Disgraced and American Dervish an immigrant father and his son search for belonging — in post-Trump America, and with each other (Kirkus Reviews). “Passionate, disturbing, unputdownable.” — Salman Rushdie A deeply person



9.) Luster written byRaven Leilani

Luster

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Powells
  • Amazon
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN
  • Pan Macmillan
  • NPR

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER So delicious that it feels illicit . . . Raven Leilani’s first novel reads like summer: sentences like ice that crackle or melt into a languorous drip; plot suddenly, wildly flying



8.) The Lying Life of Adults written byElena Ferrante ; translated by Ann Goldstein

The Lying Life of Adults

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Financial Times 2
  • Kirkus
  • Kirkus 2
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Washington Post
  • Bookpage
  • The Telegraph
  • The Guardian

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER. Soon to be a NETFLIX Original Series. A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL set in a divided Naples by ELENA FERRANTE, the New York Times best-selling author of My Brilliant Friend and The Lost Daughter. “There’s no doubt [the publication of The Lying Life of



7.) A Burning written byMegha Majumdar

A Burning

Lists It Appears On:

  • Readings
  • She Reads
  • Washington Post
  • Time
  • Amazon
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN
  • Library Journal
  • NPR

A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK! For readers of Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, and Jhumpa Lahiri, an electrifying debut novel about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise–to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies–and find their lives entangled in the wake of a ca



6.) Leave the World Behind written byRumaan Alam

Leave the World Behind

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Kirkus 2
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Powells
  • Washington Post
  • Bookpage
  • TMN
  • The Telegraph
  • Library Journal
  • NPR

A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!Finalist for the 2020 National Book Award (Fiction)A Recommended Book From: Vogue * TIME * The Washington Post * Buzzfeed * The Boston Globe * The Wall Street Journal * Elle * Vulture * Newsweek * NY Observer * Refinery29 * The New York Post * Town & Count



5.) Such a Fun Age written byKiley Reid

Such a Fun Age

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Kirkus 2
  • Washington Post
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Bookpage
  • TMN
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • Worldly Gentleman
  • NPR

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A REESE’S BOOK CLUB x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK PICK “The most provocative page-turner of the year.” –Entertainment Weekly “A great way to kick off 2020.” –Washington Post “I urge you to read Such a Fun Age.” –NPR A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhila



4.) Deacon King Kong written byJames McBride

Deacon King Kong

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Powells
  • Washington Post
  • Time
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Amazon
  • NY Times
  • Bookpage
  • NY Times 2
  • TMN
  • Worldly Gentleman
  • NPR

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the author of the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird and the bestselling modern classic The Color of Water, comes one of the most celebrated novels of the year. In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known as Sportc



3.) Shuggie Bain written byDouglas Stuart

Shuggie Bain

Lists It Appears On:

  • Kirkus 2
  • Readings
  • Washington Post
  • Financial Times
  • Time
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • TMN
  • Pan Macmillan
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • NPR

NATIONAL BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDShuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher’s policies have put husbands



2.) Hamnet written byMaggie O’Farrell

Hamnet

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Kirkus 2
  • Powells
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Readings
  • Financial Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • NY Times
  • Bookpage
  • NY Times 2
  • TMN
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • Worldly Gentleman
  • Library Journal

England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young, alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on in this national best seller and winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. “All too timely … [An] exceptiona



1.) The Vanishing Half written byBrit Bennett

The Vanishing Half

Lists It Appears On:

  • Worldly Gentleman
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Book Riot
  • Kirkus 2
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Powells
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Readings
  • Washington Post
  • Financial Times
  • Time
  • Amazon
  • NY Times
  • Bookshop Santa Cruz
  • Bookpage
  • NY Times 2
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • NPR

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” –Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal “A




The 275+ Additional Best Fiction and Literature Books Released In 2020



#BookAuthorLists
38ActressAnne EnrightKirkus 2
   Powells
   
Washington Post
39AfterlifeJulia AlvarezKirkus 2
   Bookpage
   TMN
40AmnestyAravind AdigaKirkus 2
   
Pan Macmillan
   NPR
41Anxious PeopleFredrik BackmanGoodreads
   Amazon
   NPR
42Apeirogon: A NovelColum McCann
Library Journal
   TMN
   Amazon
43BestiaryK-Ming ChangKirkus 2
   
Los Angeles Times
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
44Black SundayTola Rotimi AbrahamKirkus 2
   TMN
   NPR
45Crooked HallelujahKelli Jo Ford
Publishers Weekly
   
Washington Post
   NPR
46Days of DistractionAlexandra ChangKirkus 2
   
Washington Post
   NPR
47Djinn Patrol on the Purple LineDeepa AnapparaNY Times
   TMN
   NPR
48EarthlingsSayaka Murata Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)
Financial Times 2
   NY Times
   TMN
49Inside Story: A NovelMartin Amis
The Guardian
   
The Telegraph
   
Financial Times
50Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982Cho Nam-JooNY Times
   TMN
   NPR
51Little EyesSamanta SchweblinNY Times
   TMN
   
The Guardian
52Mexican GothicSilvia Moreno-Garcia
Barnes & Noble
   
Washington Post
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
53Migrations: A NovelCharlotte McConaghy
Library Journal
   Amazon
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
54MissionariesPhil KlayKirkus 2
   NY Times
   NPR
55My Dark VanessaKate Elizabeth RussellGoodreads
   Powells
   TMN
56RodhamCurtis Sittenfeld
Washington Post
   
The Guardian
   NPR
57Run Me to EarthPaul YoonKirkus 2
   
Washington Post
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
58The Discomfort of EveningMarieke Lucas Rijneveld ; translated by Michele Hutchison
Financial Times 2
   Kirkus
   Kirkus 2
59The MerciesKiran Millwood HargraveNY Times
   Amazon
   
Pan Macmillan
60The Mountains SingNguyễn Phan Quế MaiBook Riot
   She Reads
   NPR
61The Office of Historical CorrectionsDanielle EvansKirkus 2
   
Washington Post
   
Barnes & Noble
62The SilenceDon Delillo
Pan Macmillan
   
The Guardian
   
The Telegraph
63ValentineElizabeth Wetmore
Washington Post
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
   Bookpage
64What Are You Going ThroughSigrid NunezKirkus 2
   Readings
   NPR
65A Girl Is a Body of WaterJennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Washington Post
   Powells
66An Inventory of LossesJudith Schalansky, trans. from the German by Jackie Smith
Financial Times 2
   
Publishers Weekly
67Barn 8Deb Olin UnferthTMN
   NPR
68Beach ReadEmily HenryPowells
   NPR
69BeheldTaraShea Nesbit
Publishers Weekly
   NY Times
70Beowulf: A New TranslationMaria Dahvana HeadleyKirkus
   Kirkus 2
71Big SummerJennifer WeinerGoodreads
   
Washington Post
72Burnt Sugar: A NovelAvni Doshi
The Guardian
   NPR
73Clap When You LandElizabeth AcevedoTMN
   NPR
74Collected StoriesShirley Hazzard Brigitta Olubas (Editor) Zoë Heller (Foreword by) & 1 moreKirkus 2
   Kirkus 2
75Dear EdwardAnn NapolitanoGoodreads
   
Washington Post
76Fiebre TropicalJuli Delgado LoperaKirkus 2
   
Publishers Weekly
77FractureAndrés NeumanPowells
   
Financial Times 2
78GodshotChelsea BiekerPowells
   NPR
79His Only WifePeace Adzo MedieShe Reads
   NY Times
80Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem RenaissanceZora Neale HurstonTMN
   Book Riot
81I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe MeJuan Pablo Villalobos ; translated by Daniel HahnKirkus
   Kirkus 2
82If I Had Your FaceFrances ChaShe Reads
   NPR
83IndelicacyAmina CainPowells
   Readings
84Lake Like a MirrorHo Sok Fong ; translated by Natascha BruceKirkus
   Kirkus 2
85Long Bright RiverLiz MooreTMN
   NPR
86Man of My TimeDalia SoferKirkus 2
   NY Times
87Mr Wilder and MeJonathan Coe
The Guardian
   
The Telegraph
88New WavesKevin NguyenKirkus 2
   NPR
89Nights When Nothing HappenedSimon Han
Washington Post
   TMN
90One Night Two Souls Went WalkingEllen CooneyKirkus 2
   NPR
91Pizza GirlJean Kyoung FrazierTMN
   NPR
92Ready Player TwoErnest Cline
Books A Million
   
Washington Post
93Sansei and SensibilityKaren Tei YamashitaKirkus 2
   TMN
94Something to Talk aboutMeryl WilsnerKirkus 2
   NPR
95SummerwaterSarah Moss
Pan Macmillan
   
The Guardian
96Take a Hint, Dani BrownTalia HibbertKirkus 2
   NPR
97That Time of YearMarie NDiaye ; translated by Jordan StumpKirkus
   Kirkus 2
98The Awkward Black ManWalter MosleyKirkus 2
   
Washington Post
99The Bass RockEvie Wyld
The Guardian
   
The Telegraph
100The Cactus LeagueEmily NemensTMN
   NPR
101The City We Became: A NovelN. K. JemisinKirkus 2
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
102The Dominant AnimalKathryn Scanlan
Publishers Weekly
   
The Guardian
103The Evening and the MorningKen Follett
Barnes & Noble
   
Washington Post
104The FallenCarlos Manuel Álvarez ; translated by Frank WynneKirkus
   Kirkus 2
105The Girl with the Louding VoiceAbi DaréGoodreads
   Amazon
106The Golden CageCamilla Läckberg ; translated by Neil SmithKirkus
   Kirkus 2
107The Index of Self-Destructive ActsChristopher BehaKirkus 2
   
Library Journal
108The King at the Edge of the WorldArthur Phillips
Washington Post
   NY Times
109The King of WarsawSzczepan Twardoch ; translated by Sean Gasper ByeKirkus
   Kirkus 2
110The KingdomJo Nesbø ; translated by Robert FergusonKirkus
   Kirkus 2
111The Knockout QueenRufi ThorpeKirkus 2
   TMN
112The Lehman TrilogyStefano Massini ; translated by Richard DixonKirkus
   Kirkus 2
113The New WildernessDiane CookAmazon
   
Washington Post
114The ResistersGish Jen
Washington Post
   TMN
115The RoommateRosie DananKirkus 2
   NPR
116The SearcherTana FrenchTMN
   NPR
117The Young TeamGraeme Armstrong
Pan Macmillan
   
The Guardian
118These Ghosts Are FamilyMaisy CardBook Riot
   Kirkus 2
119This Mournable BodyTsitsi Dangarembga
Financial Times
   
The Guardian
120Tokyo Ueno StationYu Miri, trans. from the Japanese by Morgan GilesNY Times
   
Publishers Weekly
121WantLynn Steger StrongKirkus 2
   NPR
122We Ride Upon SticksQuan BarryBook Riot
   Kirkus 2
123You Had Me at HolaAlexis DariaKirkus 2
   
Bookshop Santa Cruz
12410 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange WorldElif ShafakPowells
12528 SummersElin HilderbrandKirkus 2
126A Castle In The CloudsKerstin GierNPR
127A Certain HungerChelsea G. SummersTMN
128A Good Neighborhood: A NovelTherese Anne FowlerNPR
129A Heart of Blood and AshesMilla VaneKirkus 2
130A Room Made of Leavesnull
The Telegraph
131A Saint from TexasEdmund White
Publishers Weekly
132A Shadow IntelligenceOliver HarrisKirkus 2
133A Small Crowd of StrangersJoanna RosePowells
134A Theatre for DreamersPolly Samson
The Telegraph
135A Time for MercyJohn Grisham
Books A Million
136AfterlandLauren Beukes
Washington Post
137Against the Loveless WorldSusan AbulhawaShe Reads
138All Adults HereEmma Straub
Washington Post
139All the Devils Are HereLouise PennyKirkus 2
140Alligator and Other StoriesDima Alzayat
Pan Macmillan
141AlmondWon-Pyung Sohn Sandy Joosun Lee (Translator)Amazon
142American DirtJeanine CumminsGoodreads
143And I Do Not Forgive YouAmber Sparks
Washington Post
144As You WereElaine Feeney
The Telegraph
145Barcelona DaysDaniel RileyTMN
146Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the CafeToshikazu Kawaguchi
Pan Macmillan
147Black Bottom SaintsAlice RandallKirkus 2
148Black SunRebecca RoanhorseKirkus 2
149Blacktop WastelandS. A. CosbyNY Times
150Bluebeard’s First WifeHa Seong-nan, trans. from the Korean by Janet Hong
Publishers Weekly
151CirceMadeline MillerPowells
152City of GirlsElizabeth GilbertPowells
153Code Name HélèneAriel LawhonBookpage
154Correspondents 
Pan Macmillan
155Creatures: A NovelCrissy Van MeterNPR
156CrossingsAlex LandraginTMN
157Daring and the Duke: The Bareknuckle Bastards Book IIISarah MacLeanKirkus 2
158Dead LandSara ParetskyKirkus 2
159Dear AnnBobbie Ann MasonKirkus 2
160Dear JustyceNic StoneNPR
161DocileK. M. SzparaTMN
162Dominoes at the CrossroadsKaie KelloughTMN
163DriftsKate ZambrenoTMN
164DriftwoodMarie BrennanKirkus 2
165Eight Perfect MurdersPeter SwansonKirkus 2
166Empire Of Wild: A NovelCherie DimalineNPR
167Even As We Breathe: A NovelAnnette Saunooke ClapsaddleNPR
168Every Reason We Shouldn’tSara FujimuraNPR
169Everywhere You Don’t BelongGabriel BumpNY Times
170Fair WarningMichael ConnellyKirkus 2
171Felix Ever AfterKacen CallenderBook Riot
172Fifty Words for RainAsha LemmieAmazon
173Followers: A NovelMegan AngeloNPR
174Four by FourSara MesaTMN
175Fresh Water for FlowersValérie Perrin
Bookshop Santa Cruz
176FuriaYamile Saied MéndezShe Reads
177Girl Gone Viral: A NovelAlisha RaiNPR
178GoldilocksLaura LamKirkus 2
179Good Citizens Need Not FearMaria Reva
The Guardian
180Happy and You Know ItLaura HankinBookpage
181Headliners: An Enemies-To-Lovers RomanceLucy ParkerNPR
182Heart Of Junk: A NovelLuke GeddesNPR
183Here We Are: A NovelGraham SwiftNPR
184High As The Waters Rise: A NovelAnja KampmannNPR
185Homie: PoemsDanez Smith
Bookshop Santa Cruz
186I Hold a Wolf by the EarsLaura van den BergTime
187If I Had Two Wings: StoriesRandall KenanKirkus 2
188IgifuScholastique Mukasonga, trans. from the French by Jordan Stump
Publishers Weekly
189Include Me OutMaría Sonia CristoffTMN
190It Is Wood, It Is StoneGabriella Burnham
Publishers Weekly
191KingdomtideRye CurtisPowells
192Like A BirdFariha RóisínNPR
193Like Lovers Do: A Girls Trip NovelTracey LivesayKirkus 2
194LikesSarah Shun-Lien Bynum
Publishers Weekly
195Little Bandaged DaysKyra Wilder
Pan Macmillan
196Little FamilyIshmael Beah
Library Journal
197Little GodsMeng JinPowells
198Loathe At First Sight: A NovelSuzanne ParkNPR
199Love Lettering: A Witty and Heartfelt Love StoryKate ClaybornKirkus 2
200LowJeet ThayilTMN
201Make Russia Great AgainChristopher Buckley
Washington Post
202Mansour’s EyesRyan Girod, trans. from the French by Chris Clarke
Publishers Weekly
203Many People Die Like YouLina Wolff
Financial Times 2
204Master of PoisonsAndrea HairstonKirkus 2
205Members OnlySameer PandyaNPR
206Minor DetailAdania ShibliNY Times
207Miss IcelandAuður Ava ÓlafsdóttirNPR
208Modern TimesCathy Sweeney
The Guardian
209Moonflower Murders: A NovelAnthony HorowitzNPR
210Must I GoYiyun LiTMN
211Network EffectMartha WellsTMN
212Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American WestLauren Redniss
Bookshop Santa Cruz
213One by OneRuth WareKirkus 2
214One To Watch: A NovelKate Stayman-LondonNPR
215Oona Out of Order: A NovelMargarita MontimoreAmazon
216Or What You WillJo WaltonTMN
217Out of MesopotamiaSalar Abdoh
Publishers Weekly
218Party Of TwoJasmine GuilloryNPR
219PewCatherine Lacey
Publishers Weekly
220Plain Bad HeroinesEmily Danforth
Washington Post
221Postcolonial Love Poem: PoemsNatalie Diaz
Bookshop Santa Cruz
222Precious YouHelen Monks TakharKirkus 2
223Rainbow MilkPaul Mendez
The Guardian
224Reality, and Other StoriesJohn Lanchester
The Guardian
225Recipe For Persuasion: A NovelSonali DevNPR
226Redhead by the Side of the RoadAnne Tyler
The Telegraph
227Rest and Be ThankfulEmma GlassKirkus 2
228Ring ShoutP. Djèlí ClarkTMN
229Robert Ludlum’s the Bourne EvolutionBrian FreemanKirkus 2
230Rules for Being DeadKim PowersPowells
231Saint XAlexis SchaitkinNY Times
232Salt SlowJulia Armfield
Pan Macmillan
233ScorpionfishNatalie BakopoulosNPR
234Sea WifeAmity GaigeNY Times
235Season of the WolfMaria ValeKirkus 2
236Self CareLeigh SteinBook Riot
237Sex And Vanity: A NovelKevin KwanNPR
238Shiner: A NovelAmy Jo BurnsNPR
239Simon the FiddlerPaulette Jiles
Washington Post
240Small PleasuresThe School of Life Alain de Botton (Editor)
The Telegraph
241SnappedAlexa MartinNPR
242SnowJohn Banville
Financial Times
243So We Can Glow: StoriesLeesa Cross-SmithNPR
244Storm BirdsEinar Kárason
Financial Times 2
245Straight from the Horse’s MouthMeryem AlaouiTMN
246Take Me ApartSara SligarKirkus 2
247Taste of SugarMarisel Vera
Washington Post
248TemporaryHilary Leichter
Publishers Weekly
249The AbstainerIan McGuire
Publishers Weekly
250The Aosawa MurdersRiku OndaNY Times
251The Beauty of Your FaceSahar MustafahNY Times
252The Blind LightStuart Evers
Pan Macmillan
253The Book of Two Ways: A NovelJodi PicoultAmazon
254The Book of V.Anna SolomonKirkus 2
255The Boy In The FieldMargot LiveseyNY Times
256The Boyfriend ProjectFarrah RochonNPR
257The Butterfly LampshadeAimee Bender
Publishers Weekly
258The Daughters of ErietownConnie Schultz
Washington Post
259The Death of JesusJ. M. CoetzeeNY Times
260The Devil of Downtown: Uptown GirlsJoanna ShupeKirkus 2
261The Disaster TouristYun Ko-EunTMN
262The Doll FactoryElizabeth MacNeal
Pan Macmillan
263The Down DaysIlze HugoTMN
264The Duke Who Didn’tCourtney MilanNY Times
265The Enlightenment of the Greengage TreeShokoofeh AzarTMN
266The ExilesChristina Baker KlineKirkus 2
267The Glass KingdomLawrence OsborneNY Times
268The Great Offshore Grounds: A novelVanessa Veselka
Bookshop Santa Cruz
269The HarpyMegan Hunter
Pan Macmillan
270The Hiding GameGwen Strauss Herb Leonhard (Illustrator)
Pan Macmillan
271The HoleHiroko OyamadaTMN
272The Invisible Life of Addie LarueV. E. SchwabKirkus 2
273The Jane Austen Society: A NovelNatalie JennerAmazon
274The Last Great Road BumHector Tobar
Publishers Weekly
275The Last Taxi DriverLee DurkeeKirkus 2
276The Liar’s DictionaryEley Williams
The Guardian
277The Lives of Edie PritchardLarry WatsonKirkus 2
278The Lost Book of Adana MoreauMichael ZapataBookpage
279The Memory MonsterYishai SaridNY Times
280The Midnight LibraryMatt HaigGoodreads
281The Missing AmericanKwei QuarteyNPR
282The Most Precious of CargoesJean-Claude Grumberg
Pan Macmillan
283The New AmericanMicheline Aharonian Marcom
Library Journal
284The Old DriftNamwali Serpell
Los Angeles Times
285The Only Good IndiansStephen Graham Jones
Bookshop Santa Cruz
286The Poet KingIlana C. MyerKirkus 2
287The Prettiest StarCarter SickelsKirkus 2
288The Queen of TuesdayDarin Strauss
Washington Post
289The Redshirt: A NovelCorey SobelNPR
290The RegretsAmy Bonnaffons
Publishers Weekly
291The ReturnNicholas Sparks
Books A Million
292The Secret Lives of Church LadiesDeesha PhilyawKirkus 2
293The Seventh PerfectionDaniel PolanskyKirkus 2
294The Shadow KingMaaza Mengiste
The Telegraph
295The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying VampiresGrady Hendrix
Barnes & Noble
296The Story of a GoatPerumal Murugan N Kalyan Raman (Translator)
Los Angeles Times
297The SubtweetVivek ShrayaBook Riot
298The Sunken Land Begins to Rise AgainM. John Harrison
The Guardian
299The Thursday Murder Club: A NovelRichard Osman
Bookshop Santa Cruz
300The TunnelA. B. YehoshuNY Times
301The Vanished BirdsSimon JimenezKirkus 2
302The Voice in My EarFrances Leviston
The Guardian
303The War of the PoorEric Vuillard Mark Polizzotti (Translator)
Pan Macmillan
304The Women in Black (paperback release)Madeleine St. JohnPowells
305The Wonder Boy of Whistle StopFannie Flagg
Books A Million
306The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and IvanaMaryse Condé
Financial Times 2
307The Worst Best ManMia SosaNPR
308The YieldTara June WinchBook Riot
309Thin GirlsDiana ClarkeKirkus 2
310This Is My AmericaKim JohnsonNPR
311Three Apples Fell From the SkyNarine AbgaryanShe Reads
312To Be a ManNicole Krauss
Financial Times
313Trouble the SaintsAlaya Dawn JohnsonKirkus 2
314Truthtelling: Stories, Fables, GlimpsesLynne Sharon SchwartzKirkus 2
315TyllDaniel Kehlmann Ross Benjamin (Translator)
The Guardian
316Upright Women WantedSarah GaileyBook Riot
317Walking on the CeilingAysegül SavasPowells
318What Happens at NightPeter CameronKirkus 2
319When No One Is Watching: A ThrillerAlyssa Cole
Bookshop Santa Cruz
320When We Cease to Understand the WorldBenjamin Labatut
The Guardian
321Where the Wild Ladies AreAoko MatsudaTime
322White IvySusie Yang
Washington Post
323Why I Don’t Write: And Other StoriesSusan MinotNY Times
324Wild SwimsDorthe Nors
Financial Times 2
325Winter CountsDavid Heska Wanbli Weiden
Los Angeles Times
326Woven in MoonlightIsabel IbañezShe Reads
327You Deserve Each OtherSarah HogleNPR
328You Will Never Be ForgottenMary South
Pan Macmillan


27 Best Fiction and Literature Book Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Amazon Best literature and fiction of 2020
Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble’s Best Fiction of 2020
Book Riot Best Books of 2020 (So Far)
Bookpage Best Books of 2020: Fiction
Books A Million Our Top 5 Fiction Books of 2020
Bookshop Santa Cruz Best Fiction of the Year 2020
Financial Times Best books of 2020: Fiction
Financial Times 2 Best books of 2020: Fiction in translation
Goodreads Best Fiction
Kirkus Best Fiction in Translation of 2020
Kirkus 2 Best Fiction Books of the Year
Library Journal Best Literary Fiction of 2020
Los Angeles Times The 20 reads book people actually want this year
NPR NPR’s Book Concierge
NY Times 100 Notable Books of 2020
NY Times 2 The 10 Best Books of 2020
Pan Macmillan The best literary fiction of 2020
Powells Best Fiction of 2020
Publishers Weekly Best Fiction Books
Readings The best international fiction books of 2020
She Reads Best international books of 2020
The Guardian Fiction
The Telegraph The best novels of 2020
Time The 10 Best Fiction Books of 2020
TMN The 2021 Tournament of Books Long List
Washington Post 50 notable works of fiction in 2020
Worldly Gentleman The Best Books of 2020