Compared to 2019, which was an incredible year for genre reads, my 2020 wasn’t quite as special. That said, there were several books I had really been looking forward to, but didn’t manage to read when they were published, so it’s possibly my own fault. This makes it even more important to comb through the best-of lists and get to at least some of the last year’s books this year.

If you are interested in the method behind my madness, read the first post in the series. The bottom line is I have been going through the ‘best books of the year’ lists to see which books from 2020 I would (still) like to read. And for a more complete picture, I am also listing the books from the best-ofs that I did already read when they came out, and a few that I am not planning to get to, for various reasons. For my own ‘bookkeeping’ reasons, the ‘yet to read’ section actually includes some books that I read in January 2021, which is probably confusing, but it’s my blog and I am free to scare off readers with my badly structured posts.

The list of (what I think are) great books published in 2020 that I did not read in 2020

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Possibly the most hyped SFF book of last year, about a young woman in the 18th century France who makes a deal with the devil: she will live forever, but no one will remember her. I’m not sure I’ll love it (I liked but didn’t love A Darker Shade of Magic), but feel I should give it a try.

The Network Effect by Martha Wells. Yeah, I have nothing to say in my defence here. I love Murderbot the misogynous AI/secret softie and have read all the four novellas in the series, but somehow didn’t manage to get to the novel. I will remedy this shortcoming soon.

The House at the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This is apparently an extremely heart-warming fantasy about magically gifted orphans that I’ve seen pretty much in every single 2020 ranking. One of those books I would not have picked out myself, but no one seems to have a bad word to say about it.

The Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhoarse. This was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, a fantasy inspired by the pre-Columbian Americas by the author of The Trail of Lightning. It came out in the end of the year and I in fact picked it up in January and read it in a few days. It is good, but fell perhaps a little short of my expectations (which were, admittedly, huge).

The Once and Future Witches by Alix. E. Harrow. I was not a huge fan of The Thousand Doors of January (many others were, though, so take it as you will), but I loved Harrow’s short story A Witches Guide to Escape, which makes me want to read this one, too. Set in 1893, it has witches, suffragettes and sisterhood.

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi. This is the last instalment in Scalzi’s Interdependency series and I have actually managed to read this one in January, too. Like the first two books, it’s fun and fast and twisty: not something to pick when you want a deep exploration of the human existence.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. Novik has taken the magical school trope and turned it into something rather dark, I hear, featuring a school that literally kills most of its students. I suspect however that if forced to choose, I will read her Spinning Silver first, it’s been waiting on my shelf for ages.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. This looks like a really fascinating fantasy – bone magic, an evil empire, Asian-inspired setting. Not as hyped as some other books on this list, but recommended by several people whose taste I trust.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. A late addition to the list, I found this through booktube and then realised it was also on the NPR’s list, which is massive, but consistently good. I was mostly drawn in by the fact that this has a Lipan Apache protagonist (and author) and I don’t know much about indigenous American cultures.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Another YA, this ghost story/boy-on-boy romance is almost universally loved by everyone who has read it. It sounds sweet and lovely and is probably a rather quick read.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I have not read The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I have heard many good things both about that and Turton’s next book. It is 1634 and bad things are happening on a ship sailing for Amsterdam. I am promised a genre-bending mystery and I’m excited.

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda Hall. A queer adventure story that has pirates and mermaids, this sounds like excellent fun. I like when traditionally masculine and Europe-centric genres and themes are turned into something different, so I have high hopes for this.

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood. In the same vein (not in terms of pirates and mermaids, but taking traditional genres and doing something different with them), we have death cults, mages, assassins, spies, conspiracies – and a lesbian lady orc as the protagonist.

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. This isn’t really my usual territory, but I’m very intrigued by this story that looks at the dark side of superheroes and how the main character goes from hero worship to working for the villains (or not?). It seems witty and rather dark at the same time and I cannot read about Asian-inspired empires and Sapphic romance all the time.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee. Talking about Asian-inspired empires and Sapphic romance, both are present in Lee’s latest book – plus a magical mechanical dragon! I read this one as soon as I got my hands on it in January, as I absolutely adore the author. But I have to admit that while this was a solid, enjoyable book, I loved The Machineries of Empire (and also Lee’s short stories) much more than this.

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. A dystopian novella about two very gifted black children, this is clearly a timely book and has been much praised. Some of my trusted Goodreads friends have been more critical, but I’m still interested in picking it up (and it’s only 176 pages).

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko. I have read this one already too. I’m sorry! But that’s the last one, I promise. It’s a really nice YA fantasy with an African-inspired setting, ‘the best have been chosen’ trope that I love and themes of self-actualisation and fate. Fast and gripping and fascinating, if occasionally a bit rushed.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I’m getting similar energy to the Raybearer from this, although Legendborn takes place in our own world and in the present day. A young black girl goes to high school, discovers her powers and a magical secret society. I have only heard good things about this one.

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran. A young queen, her spymaster, lots of backstabbing and an Irish author. I’m on board (also hoping for some Sapphic romance between the two).

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu. I have wanted to read something by Liu for a long time and short stories are usually a good place to start, before trying something more ambitious like his Dandelion Dynasty series. This has both SF and fantasy.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix. I only realised after taking the photo that this book probably wasn’t on any of the best-of lists, although it featured on The Guardian’s intermediate round-up of the best SFF. But so what. I cannot resist a secret society of booksellers, especially one that has left-handed members who specialise in combat and right-handed members who focus on the intellectual stuff. Actually, I feel like reading this right now.

Things that are suspiciously absent from the list

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini. This was the Goodreads science-fiction book of the year, but I wasn’t impressed by his Eragon series and wonder if I really want to read 880 pages of his SF. If you have read this and think I’m wrong, please let me know!

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. Looks like I’m not going to read the Goodreads winner for the fantasy category either… It’s not that I look down on Maas, what I’ve read from her has been entertaining and she’s massively popular, which I have lots of respect for. I just don’t think I like her enough to invest in a new series where the first book alone has over 800 pages? 800 is clearly the new 500.

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Koval. This is not on my list because I have not read the first two and I feel very guilty about it. I really should get to it.

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. Yes, same here. Despite of being a massive Sanderson fan girl, I haven’t even started The Stormlight Archive series (well, I have started the first book twice, but it’s such an investment and a rather slow burn…). Sometimes I wish I was a teenager with a broken leg.

Anything by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I mean, the guy is as crazy as Sanderson and I think published two books this year. I was an early convert and read the first books in the Shadows of the Apt series when they came out and liked them a lot. But then I somehow got left behind and I have made a promise not to read anything by Tchaikovsky until I have read Children of Time.

Things I already read in 2020 and encountered on the lists, too

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. My most-anticipated book of the year and I did rate it, but not as highly as The Broken Earth trilogy (which, to be fair, is one of the best things ever written in my view). Still very much worth reading, of course, especially if one likes New York or having some Lovecroftian touches in one’s urban fantasy.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsin Muir. Well, what can I say about my favourite lesbian necromancers in space? It is an insane book both literally and metaphorically and it also takes a crazy amount of patience to get through the first 300 pages. On the other hand, it does pay off in the last 150, especially if you have been paying attention. If you liked Gideon the Ninth, I encourage you to stick with it (it is also a good idea to reread the first book before this one). If you were lukewarm about the first one, don’t torture yourself.

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark. An excellent novella about racism and evil and Ku Klux Klan in a slightly alternate 1920s America. There are definitely horror elements here, but even if it’s not usually your thing (it isn’t mine), I still recommend reading it – the book is very good and the horror is entirely fitting.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. Another alternate America, but this time the genre is more ‘queer dystopian western’. This is a lot of fun – I mean, travelling librarians against fascists? Of course it is.

Seven of Infinities by Aliette de Bodard. I love Bodard’s Xuya Universe and have enjoyed all her novellas that take place in that setting. Seven of Infinities is not an exception, although it’s not my favourite of the ones I’ve read. As is usually the case, you can expect the Vietnamese-influenced worldbuilding, spaceships, mystery and (queer) romance.

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo. I enjoyed The Empress of Salt and Fortune a lot and I liked When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain just as much. I love the world (yes, it is Asian! So shoot me!), I love the fairytale-like storytelling and the steady, fair, decent protagonist.

The order of Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho. Of all the Asian-inspired stories I read last year (I read many, not all of them were published in 2020), this was possibly my least favourite, but it was still very enjoyable. Thieves walk into an inn and end up leaving with a nun and that’s only the beginning.

Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott. This has been described as gender-swapped Alexander the Great story in space. And it is, but you have to keep in mind that Alexander/Princess Sun is a teenager here. If the YA flavor doesn’t bother you, this is fast-spaced, high-stakes space opera that is enjoyable as long as you don’t pause for too long to think about probabilities and other such details.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. This was a positive surprise – I am usually not the greatest fan of the multiple universes, but here it was done in a way that I really enjoyed (even if there is one major problem with the set-up – I managed to ignore it most of the time). I liked the main character – who is one of the few that can travel between the different worlds – and I also liked how apart from just being a gripping, twisty story it also managed to explore what makes us who we are and how the context we are born into shapes us.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This book was all over Bookstagram for months and I can see why. It is a very atmospheric tale that addresses some very contemporary questions in a historical (Mexican) gothic setting. It didn’t fully work for me, but I’m glad that I read it, even if I prefer her Gods of Jade and Shadow.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel. While this is perhaps technically a genre novel, it reads more like literary fiction to me (hence it was also mentioned in my fiction post). No matter the genre, it is certainly worth reading – but more for the atmosphere and emotions and impressions than any deep insight, in my view.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Another one that I’ve seen in both literary fiction and fantasy rankings. It was one of my favourite books in 2020 and I recommend going in as blind as you can. It is a meditative, quiet, intimate read, but also rather quick.

Have I missed something important? Anything you think I should definitely read?