📚The best underrated gems of 2020
Plus the NPR Book Concierge and LGBTQ books to look forward to in the new year
Hi, readers!
With a month of reading left to go, I’m not yet ready to set my best books of the year in stone. But most of the 2020 releases I’m still hoping to get to are big, buzzy books, so today I’m going to share my first 2020 favorites list: Best Underrated Gems. One of the best things about reading submissions for the Aspen Literary Prize was that it introduced me to books I never would have picked up otherwise. This included books that felt like precious gems meant just for me and books that I couldn’t believe hadn’t made a splash on bookstagram and beyond. I know that many readers enjoy picking up a book that feels more under-the-radar, so I hope you find something that surprises you in the very best way.
This week in books.
This week I read…
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Oh my god did I love this book!!! This was a recommendation from a Patreon community member at one of our Biblio Brunch meetings, and the recommender wasn’t sure I would love it because this is somewhat of a puzzle book. And it is a puzzle. But unlike books where the author creates a complicated maze to show you how clever they are (or that’s how I tend to read them), this book creates its literal and figurative labyrinth to show readers something real and beautiful about the world. I think this is a book that’s best to go into blind, but I think fans of Circe and The Secret History would really enjoy this one even though they are vastly different stories. This is a stunningly lovely book, and I assure you that you can trust Susanna Clarke to take you on this journey in exactly the right pace and style. Amazon | Bookshop
My Antonia by Willa Cather. I reread this book for the first time without my teacher lens after having taught it for five years running. I’ll save my full thoughts for Tuesday’s episode of Novel Pairings, but I enjoyed this a LOT more when approaching it merely as a reader without having to think about getting teenagers to read and understand it. Amazon | Bookshop
Now I’m reading…
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. I’m slowly making my way through this on audio. What astonishes me is that a lot of Wilkerson’s ideas seen basic and straightforward, but a lot of the specific history I’m encountering is completely new to me. Amazon | Bookshop
I’m in between paper books at the moment but I’m contemplating this buzzy fantasy novel that everyone’s raving about and this backlist critical darling that I’ve been meaning to read forever.
I put aside…
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore. This isn’t a “did not finish,” I just found that I couldn’t lose myself in a romance right now. I’ll be picking it back up again when my brain decides we’re okay with light, frothy reads. Amazon | Bookshop
And I picked up…
I got a lot of great bookmail from publishers this week (the 2021 releases are starting to roll in). I’m particularly excited about this fun romance, this debut set in a charming Irish village, and this multigenerational family saga about isolation and intimacy from MCD.
8 Wonderful Underrated Gems of 2020
I’m going to have a lot of fun with best-of lists this year, because I read way more frontlist titles than I ever have before. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite underrated gems that were published in 2020. Some of these are (thankfully!) showing up on end-of-year lists now so they may have already caught your eye. But I tried to feature books that I didn’t see all over bookstagram, on blogs, or on the book podcasts I listen to. Hopefully a few of these will be new to you and perfect for a gift or your 2021 TBR.
Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unsferth. For a laugh-out-loud funny book about finding your place in life and chicken farming (yes, you read that right). Amazon | Bookshop
Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford. For a gorgeous multigenerational story form an Indigenous author. Amazon | Bookshop
Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump. For a witty and sharp story about a young Black man in Chicago that explores friendship, reinvention, and identity. Amazon | Bookshop
Fiebre Tropical by Julia Delgado Lopero. For one of the best narrative voices I’ve ever read and a story that explores the intersection of immigration, evangelicalism, and sexuality. Amazon | Bookshop
Inheritors by Asako Serizawa. For an evocative and lyrical multigenerational saga about the lingering impact of WW2 and colonialism in Japan. Amazon | Bookshop
Members Only by Sameer Pandya. For a funny satirical story about one terrible week that touches on micro-aggressions, campus culture wars, and stereotypes. Amazon | Bookshop
A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan. For a charming, quirky heroine crafted with nuance by an autistic author. Amazon | Bookshop
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn. For a haunting family story about a child with mystical gifts trying to navigate a changing landscape in Hawaii. Amazon | Bookshop
Bookish reading.
My favorite end-of-year book list is the NPR Book Concierge. It’s an interactive app that helps you find exactly what you’re looking for in your next read.
The New York Times Books Critics shared their favorite books of the year.
I really like the New Yorker’s Best Books We Read in 2020 list because it includes new releases and backlist gems.
It’s that fun time of year when we’re getting best of lists and anticipated upcoming releases. This list of 32 LGBTQ books that will change the literary landscape has me excited for a great year of reading.
If you read and enjoyed Fleishman is in Trouble, you have to read this short story follow-up “Fleishman is in Lockdown.”
End notes.
Watching: The Undoing. I’m not sure this show was good in the end, but it did keep me riveted and I was incredibly eager to see how it all would end. If you’re looking for a distracting watch, this is it. (Trigger warning for extremely graphic violence against women). I’m also rewatching The West Wing. PSA: It’s going to be taken off Netflix on December 25th!
Listening: Pop Culture Happy Hour now has daily episodes! I only listen when I’m at least mildly interested in the subject their discussing, but I always appreciate their thoughtful, but brief, takes on pop culture of the moment.
Making: We got a buttercup squash in our CSA box this week. I’d never heard of buttercup squash, but we did some digging and made this soup. It was quite delicious!
Loving: The NPR Book Concierge. Yes, it’s it linked above too, but this is my favorite way to find books that I missed from earlier in the year and I want to make sure you see it!! After perusing it for a while, I ordered this graphic novel about the Brontës and this YA novel set at a Swiss chalet.
Readers, I hope today’s email helped you discover a new-to-you book that sounds just right for the end of the year or your 2021 TBR. For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. Michelle and I love hearing from you!
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Happy reading!
Sara