Below is a list of my favorite books that I read this year. Some, but certainly not all, were published in 2020. It’s become somewhat of a tradition here at Dang Dude. I am not a visionary for doing this, but it’s fun, and people seem to respond in a positive way to it. A little behind the scenes peak. Every year it’s kind of difficult to remember what I read. I don’t really keep a running list of things I’ve read, so I have to go off of library checkout lists, looking at my shelves, and pure memory. Problems of my own laziness. It’s not the most efficient system, but it works for me. A book I love is probably missing from this list, but I’ll eventually remember it and add it to some list at some other time. In any case, my predilection for fiction, genre fiction especially, should be patently obvious to anyone reading this. Not that I have anything against non-fiction, but it smacks of work to me, so nonfiction really has to clear a high bar to get on this list. Sorry to all those nerds out there who were looking to “learn something.” You’ll have to go somewhere else. In any case, if you don’t like any of these books, that’s not my fault!
On a personal note, my good friend Julie recently asked a group of friends for their favorite books they read this year. She then combined those recommendations into a mega list and sent it out to everyone. It was great. I’ve got lots of great recommendations for things to read in 2021. However, I must apologize to Julie. I gave her my list, but in the intervening days finished a book that cracked my top ten, and did not update the list I gave her. I know that she occasionally reads Dang Dude, so I hope this reaches her. Julie, I’ve added a new book to my list. I hope that’s okay.
1. Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
Susanna Clarke stormed onto the lit scene with her debut book Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Sixteen years later she published her second book Piranesi. Without spoiling too much, it takes place in a strange world, inhabited by only a few solitary people. A relatively short novel, Clarke manages to cram in wonderful characters, memorable lines, and beautiful imagery in only a few pages. Truly a magical and mysterious read from a master of modern fiction.
2. The Jakarta Method, Vincent Bevins
The only non-fiction work on my list this year The Jakarta Method slaps. Written by journalist Vincent Bevins, this work will make you rethink America’s role in the Cold War. By discussing the lengths that the American state would go to stop communism, Bevins provides a necessary correction to common understandings of the time period. Bevins covers international relations in terms of politics, but also gets under the skin of several influential actors of the time, sketching out convincing characterizations throughout the book. Very well done.
3. The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu
An older book, but a straight banger nonetheless. The first in a trilogy, Three-Body Problem examines how Earth would deal with alien contact. Several chapters of the book take place from the viewpoint of a character who is inside a video game, which is extremely my shit. Written by one of China’s leading authors, this work starts during China’s Cultural Revolution, and moves throughout time from there. Ken Liu’s translation offers several helpful footnotes for those not familiar with the cultural references. I cannot wait to read the other two.
4. The Memory Police, Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Synder
This book takes place on an island where things are disappeared. At the risk of spoiling anything else, I’ll stop there. A story of people trying to cope with bad circumstances beyond their control. A decidedly melancholy affair, Ogawa has created a beautifully realized world. At a sentence-level this book works very well too. Beautiful prose is not something that I usually go on about, but this is a particularly well written book.
5. The Baron of Magister Valley, Steven Brust
I love Steven Brust. I’m a little surprised I haven’t written a full essay about him for Dang Dude yet. So, when he comes out with a new thing, I read it. The Baron of Magister Valley did not disappoint. A re-telling of The Count of Monte Cristo, this book allows Brust to really let his love of language and verbose wordplay shine. He never lets the pithy asides get in the way of a hot action-packed revenge story, however. Strikingly emotional, and realistically rendered, this is worth a read, even for those not familiar with Brust’s oeuvre.
6. Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh
The oldest book on this list, Cyteen won the Hugo award in 1989. A science-fiction classic, it follows the lives of people decades after space travel has created several colonies in deep space. It deals with ethical questions of human experimentation and cloning. It also manages to create a deeply human story, telling a story of love, brotherhood, greed, and revenge. People don’t really write books like this anymore, so it was a pleasure to read.
7. Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir
I’ve written about this book on Dang Dude already. You can check out what I said before here. The only thing I really have to add is that my uncle read it based on my recommendation and liked it. So there you go.
8. The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi
Probably the most pulpy entry on my list, The Gilded Wolves is about a band of thieves trying to save the world. Working out of a fancy hotel, a group of misfits must infiltrate fancy parties, deal with emotional needs, and serve up pastries to the rich, all while trying to save the lives of those they love. A great beach, or quarantine, read, you’re guaranteed to have a good time with this one.
9. A Burning, Megha Majumdar
This is the late entry to my list that I mentioned earlier. A critical darling, it’s been mentioned on a bunch of 2020 lists. I don’t like it as much as everyone else seems too, but it’s still very good. Written in the viewpoint of three different people, it takes aim at India’s political, cultural, and economic life. A cutting take on life in modern India, it never lets its social takes get in the way of good world building and emotional story-telling.
10. Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King
King is the GOAT and Mr. Mercedes only extends his streak of hits. While more of a detective novel than a horror work, it still is decidedly dark and gruesome. The first in a connected series of novels, Mr. Mercedes follows a retired detective and some friends as they try to stop a serial killer from striking again. King manages to sit in the tropes of the genre without letting them overpower the narrative, or destroy the pacing. Worth reading.
Honorable Mentions: Secret Commonwealth – Philip Pullman, The Montraven Tomes – Dylan Shearer (lol), Virtual Light – William Gibson,