My favourite book of 2020 is one that I read as part of the Shadow Giller project: Noopiming by Leanne Betamosake Simpson. A link to my review is here. I tend to place myself within characters when I read, and I guess that in this time of stay-at-home-to-control-the-spread-of-Covid, I could really identify with the narrator, a frozen lake. Go figure. I also found comfort in the worldview of the novel, that of the interconnectedness of all beings.
Other Canadian novels are also standouts, including the Giller winner, How to Pronounce Knife (Souvankham Thammavongsa) and Giller shortlisted Polar Vortex (Shani Mootoo), and one that hasn't received the attention it deserves: The Subtweet (Vivek Shraya) -- all three of which I reviewed in May and spoke about with Jenny on her Reading Envy podcast episode 196.
Two more Canadian novels from 2020 that I hope more people will read are: Misconduct of the Heart (Cordelia Strube) and Good Citizens Need Not Fear (Maria Reva). The title links will take you to my reviews.
The Black Lives Matter movement prompted me to read some outstanding nonfiction that has given me a greater understanding of underlying issues. The best of these are:
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (Isabel Wilkerson); Just Us: An American Conversation (Claudia Rankine); Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You (Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi); and The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power (Desmond Cole). The last two were both reviewed in my June round-up.
It's a three-way tie for best poetry of 2020: Fleche (Mary Jean Chan); An American Sunrise (Joy Harjo) and Dearly (Margaret Atwood).
Best graphic novel is easy: Clyde Fans (Seth).
Best comics format nonfiction is a tie: Good Talk (Mira Jacob) and Dancing After TEN (Vivian Chong and Georgia Webber).
Two picture books tie for best. One is from Australia, first published in 2018: Tales from the Inner City (Shaun Tan) and the other one from Canada, I Will See You Again created by Lisa Boivin, a Dene artist and bioethicist from Deninu K'ue First Nation in the NWT. If you are an adult who doesn't read picture books, you are missing out! It's great to share picture books with children but you can also enjoy them perfectly well on your own.
Best Queer Audiobook: Shuggie Bain (Douglas Stuart) read by Angus King.
Best Audiobook Nonfiction-that-reads-like-fiction: In the Dream House (Carmen Maria Machado) and Little Weirds (Jenny Slate) both of which are read by their authors (reviews are here).
Best Memoir Audiobook: The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer and Care (Anne Boyer) read by Amy Finegan. (My review is here along with a bunch of other great audiobook recommendations.)
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