My Favorite Books of 2020

[@MatthewSciarappa]

Qs for you: 1. What video are you most proud of on your channel? 2. What pasta shape is most optimal?

[@bookling_of_bohemia]

My heart is weeping with joy at an English-native-speaker reading and loving Ota Pavel.

[@InfiniteText]

NEW KITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTY!!!!!

[@dom6741]

if you liked the iliad read the song of achilles!!

[@eliintheabyss226]

I'm crying the description of Pericles was amazing

[@cathy2142]

As a caregiver to our medically fragile daughter and only child i think this will be hard but worth reading for me😢❤

[@dorottyadenke4124]

OMG, this is the first time ever that I see a Hungarian book in a foreign (for me) booktube video. Thanks so much, it warms my heart

[@orsolyatoth7440]

Oh, I am so happy that you liked The Door! As a Hungarian, this just warms my heart. Szabó has a number of amazing books, and it is great to see that her work is now getting attention abroad as well.

[@dorottyadenke4124]

it's funny that we used the same term "warms my heart" for the same thing. :) (I didn't see your comment back then)

[@thegrimmreader3649]

Truly fantatstic list of favorites here! Yes to Lila! (as the most perfect cat name AND as being a bit more beloved than Gilead even), yes to Henry James!!! I'm so glad I got a copy of "The Door" when the NYRB was having it's sale. I may even try Hobbs again, bc you are such a fan. I need to reread James, but I really liked "Wings of the Dove" and yes even "The Golden Bowl". So those are two I'd recommend. Thank you for a great video! :-)

[@themaddingcrow]

I love the variety of books! One of my favorite books last year was Rebecca Solnit's memoir Recollections of my Nonexistence

[@heatherberry2865]

Great list, thank you. Just finished reading the Border, and I cannot stop thinking about, one of my top reads of 2020!

[@Gagging4Lit]

Really want to read Portrait of a Lady and more Marilynne Robinson. The Cromwell trio was one of my faves. As well as What Belongs To You by Garth Greenwell (American writer but set in Bulgraria).

[@Faye_L]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who legitimately loves The Iliad! One of my fave books of all time. And I adore that Penguin Deluxe edition, it's crazy gorgeous.

[@Everynameisreserved]

As a Hungarian I am so happy when people are reading Magda Szabó ☺️. She is my favourite writer of all time.

[@kirstys4352]

Yes! Lila! My fav of the quartet.

[@MargaretPinard]

Ooh, I love your picks! So glad to see another video from you 😍Also followed on Twitter--getting rare to see BookTubers with Twitter anymore...

[@dorianegeorge6434]

Question, you definitely convinced me to read the Illiad, but since you said it was not your definitive translation I wondered if you had an idea of which translation you'd pick next time around? The list is formidable, I've chosen five to start with!

[@anne-marie339]

Love hearing your thoughts on these! I've eyed Szabó's books in my local indie but have yet to pick any up... I might have to rectify that this year! I read the Bridgerton books (including spinoffs) a number of years ago but enjoyed them all - and I definitely consumed the series in about 4 sittings because it was so addictive! Questions for your Q&A video: How have your reviews changed (if at all) without the public star rating on Goodreads/KZbin? What's your favourite/funniest part of having your new kitty (behaviour, event, etc.)? Editing to say that I read Négar Djavadi's Disoriental in 2020 and it was an astoundingly beautiful book exploring family, the Iranian revolution, personal identity, trauma, immigration/refugee experiences. The writing is stunning and I was completely enveloped in the story - one of my top reads for sure.

[@JasmineReads]

Adored this, Jennifer!! Lots of books I hadn't heard of, so thank you 💐 Border sounds fascinating. 2021 is the year I pick up Joan Didion and Marilynne Robinson!!

[@user-yg6ft1iu1i]

I also read the Door and the Border. Some favorites from the past year The Ten Loves of Nishino , Convenience Store Woman. Sayaka Murata. In the order of the Border, On The Plain of Snakes Paul Theroux, explores Mexico and the issues of the US Mexico border and more. The Private lives of Trees. Alejandro Zambra. Our Man in Havana Graham Greene and number one The Discomfort of Evening Marietta Lucas Rijneveld

[@gaildoughty6799]

If you liked Portrait of a Lady, you’ll probably like The Bostonians and/or Washington Square. ETA Omg! Beautiful Ball of Fluff. I’m in love.

[@lidiapiferrer]

"The door" is a novel that lingers in my memory even now, years after reading it. I agree with your opinion. Thank you for sharing your favorite books.

[@dr.laurafreshman3498]

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore, Heavy by Kiese Laymon, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell all my best fiction reads of the year that shall not be named....I finished memoir When Time Stopped : A memoir of my father’s war by Arianna Neumann just before midnight on NY Eve and welcomed 2021 sighing in its gorgeously wrought wake. Love your reviews....love Didion and Marilyn Robinson is and always shall be unparalleled this reader’s mind. Housekeeping ...sigh the glory. I’m off to find a copy of Lila and a spot on the couch between three of my furry fellows...creamy white golden retrievers in my case! Happy new year and happy reading Jen!

[@myreadinglife8816]

I’m rereading When He Was Wicked right now. It’s delightful!

[@MishelleLexi]

Questions. Can you recommend something a bibliophile would enjoy doing in New York? And where is your favourite bookshop you've ever been? Happy new year.

[@Asi895]

Happy new year Jennifer, hope you’re 2021 is healing and peaceful and just the right antidote to the year that has been. I look forward to your videos and appreciate your insights on books (and life)- it feels like a casual chat with a friend. Something really basic I am curious about and could be a potential question for the Q&A is your reading habits- Do you read multiple books at a time or a single book, or have particular time for reading etc.? I can only commit to a book a time, and which can be good but also makes me a very slow reader if the said book is a difficult read (in 2020 I only read 16 books, and that was an increase from previous years!)

[@marianryan2991]

I adored Lila too. My favorite fiction of the year was Austerlitz by Sebald, which I think you would get on with if you haven't read it yet. Favorite nonfiction were memoirs, The Undying by Anne Boyer and Fierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick. I need to read more Gornick!

[@annharbaugh2991]

I love your videos and the fact that you're a cat person. I really enjoyed The Snow Child and Father Melancholy's Daughter last year. I also loved rereading Less and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet for my book clubs. Gilead was also a 2020 read and I plan to read Lila this year. Thank you for some great videos.

[@cashew3099]

How do you read a lot when you’re busy? I’m still trying to figure that out. I love the video so far, you’re the best 💫

[@alldbooks9165]

Lila ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I read Gilead first and wonder if Lila was more heartbreakingly beautiful because I knew how much John Ames loved her.

[@nikkivenable3700]

I just bought The Door. I've never heard of it until now...and it sounds right up my alley. This was a great list! I already have a few of these books based on your recommendations throughout the year. You never steer me wrong. Also, I have the Gilead trilogy ready to read...or I should say I read the first two years ago, but never read Lila...so now I'm just going to do a read through all back to back. Such a great trilogy. I know Jack is the 4th book released, but it's really not getting great reviews...so I'll stick with the first 3. Anyway, thank you for all you do. You are a gem.

[@acruelreadersthesis5868]

Blue Nights was one of my top books of 2020 as well. Have you seen Come and See, a Russian film directed by Elem Klimov? It deals with the same time and place as Bloodlands and you might find it interesting. The Iliad is one of my favorite books. Very happy you like it so much! Questions: - Favorite classical composers? - Favorite plastic artists (e.g., painting, sculpture, architecture, etc.)? - Favorite contemporary musical artists?

[@tabatha82]

I'm so glad I found your channel! The Door broke my heart (in the best way) last year, and since I live in Hungary one of my 2021 goals is to read more Hungarian authors. I'm also thinking of reading more romance and Julia Quinn is sort of a romance legend? gonna pick up one of her books and hopefully I'll fall in love with her :)

[@30dgal]

Your new kitty is a mushy mush! I love that your first book is a master's terrible one- you are my kind of person :) Thank you for getting me onto Robin Hobb's books, I think I'm the only one that actually prefers the Farseer over the Ship series. I only liked a few of Julia Quinn's books, if you are looking for good historical romance, I recommend Tessa Dare.

[@gemma2275]

Hi, Jennifer nice to meet you ^^ I'm happy to see the "hellish year" has still managed to sneak in some amazing reads for you :) Man, I gotta read them Marilynne Robinson eventually, right? Like I know I will love it but the actual buying and reading is the problem ;) I'm the Illiad type as well - originally I thought that the more linear plot progression of Oddyssey will suit me better but after reading both it was the Illiad that I had a better time with. Molly recently talked about her love for the "them mans on the boat sailing home" as one of her favourites so I feel like Homer is getting more love than his decomposed body would've predicted at this point. Please do the video on the Regency romance series as I think it would be delightful to watch ^^ At first I was going to yell for you to introduce the cat on the lap but clearly at the end of the video she makes a glorious appearance. She's so cute! You'll be insane only when she starts talking back about what a shitty taste in books she thinks you have.

[@Tinahgirl83]

I would actually love to see a review of the Bridgerton series. Regency romance and fantasy romance saved my life in 2020, because I couldn’t read anything else. Now I have loads on standby, and whenever I’m feeling down I read some and am instantly entertained and feel better. I feel no shame. Lol. I decided to take a lead out of Simon’s (from Savidge Reads) book and just call them pleasures instead of guilty pleasures. Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sarah J. Maas, and Grace Draven are now my new best friends in my head. 😂😂 I’m planning to read both The Iliad and The Odyssey in the near future. I read them years ago but don’t remember much. Also, can I just say that I love the variety in this list? (And yes, I did go and order The Masochist after watching this.)

[@cunningba]

Ah, Pericles! 60+ years ago it was my favorite play of Shakespeare. It lacks nothing in the way of over-the-top melodrama and outrageous coincidence that my 10-12 year old self craved. I read the plot summary when I read Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and thought it the most fun of the lot. My tastes have changed over the years and it would no longer be my top choice. Still, I can see what appealed to me then. Hurray for Fagles' Iliad! I read it last year after discussing with Reesha (For the Love of Classics) what translation she should read. She is a young doctor in Dubai, raised in Pakistan, so the ubiquitous references to Greek mythology in Homer were difficult. She started out reading the Pope translation, which made it doubleplus difficult. Finally she got the 3-book Fagles set of the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid. That inspired me to get the Fagles' translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey from the library and read those last year. I found them really easy going and enjoyable, though it was far from the first time I had read them. I started out way-back-when, sometime before Lamb, with the Classics Illustrated comic book of the Iliad, progressed to the Rouse translations of Homer in high school, and the Lattimore translations my freshman year in college. I reread the Lattimore translations (along with supplemental books of notes) in 2019, along with The Aeneid, Quintus Smyrnaeus' Post-Homerica, Hesiod's Theogony, Madeleine Miller's Song of Achilles and Circe, Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls, and Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad. This month I discovered a book at my library containing some excellent translations of the early Greek tragedies: The Greek plays: sixteen plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides / new translations edited by Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm, Random House Modern Library Edition. I'm about half-way through that right now. Since I've had the Delphi Classics editions of the complete works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides sitting on my Kindle e-shelf for a while, I decided to read those concurrently since there's about a 50% overlap with the Modern Library edition. So I finished Aeschylus a couple of nights ago and am now working on Sophocles. Really enjoying these. I know I read some of these before, probably extra-curricular reading during my freshman year, and enjoyed them. But, that was a while ago.

[@DDB168]

I have that same edition of The Illiad, but I've never read it. I dont know why. It just seems difficult 😂

[@josephinewinter]

i'm sorry about your loss

[@erinsmith8074]

I would not guess by looking at your channel that you would ever read a Bridgerton novel, not a negative at all (heavy historical romance reader here). I would be interested in your thoughts on the series as a whole 😍

[@andrewrussell2845]

Interesting selection! I've got Homer's Iliad on my shelf, to read at some point. Stand out reads for me in 2020 were Rohinton Mistrys A Fine Balance, Eimar McBride's A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing, Colum McCann's Apeirogon and Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

[@ChaoticBibliophile]

I read The Friend in 2020 and ADORED it, so I definitely need to read What Are you Going Through

[@GuiltyFeat]

I also read Passing for the first time last year together with another Larsen novella Quicksand which may be even stronger. I've read a handful of Henry James and The Portrait of a Lady is the best of the ones I've read. I can't see myself going back to him any time soon.

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

Congrats to you on your reading 📖 for 2020 well done 👍 please stay safe love from John in Australia xxx I agree with you on the shakes spear book 📖 and can I please ask you how you are able to read that many books 📚 in a year

[@FlyingElectra]

So, I have Ota Pavel on my TBR because of you as well as Homer's books. I also have added Bloodlands to my to-buy list (I found it in French which is great because my step father will be able to read it as well). As for Marilynn Robinson, the translation in French mixed the titles, so I thought I read Gilead but then I was told I read Lila but listening to you, no I'm sure I read Gilead.. I'm lost, I have to buy the other one to find out ! I read it in French while on vacation in the Caraibbean Islands because the only library was selling terrible books and it was the only one I was tempted and it was really good. Good to see you so happy to talk about your books and Lila is sooooo pretty ! And I have to disagree, I didn't like really didn't like The door (la porte), the writing was fine but the characters - they were driving me mad ! But this book is famous and is a must read in France too and people either love it (like you) or hate it (like me). As for the questions, I know you read for work and you read for pleasure - do you have a plan ahead of your reading ? or do you switch between a book for work and a book for fun ? Oh I almost forgot mentioning Sigrid Nunez, I want to read her as well. Other question : how do you find and choose your personal reading ? I know about your interest in Eastern European authors but other than that ???? Are you a morning or an evening reader ? Do you still read in Russian ? That's it - bonsoir !

[@Lulubobble]

Oh my goodness your KITTEN!!!!! Yes, books, BUT YOUR KITTENYKITTEN!!!!

[@CezzL]

I've been very tempted to try out the Bridgerton books ever since watching that show. I love Passing. I read that years ago and it became one of my favourites. I'm interested to see how the film goes. I feel like Rebecca Hall is a good choice to take on that subject given who her mother was. I've read all of Joan Didion's fiction but still haven't gotten around to any of her non-fiction. I've heard so many positive thing about Blue Nights and The Year of Magical Thinking. I have that edition of The Iliad on my wishlist - I've heard it's the most accessible version and can't wait to read it. Question for you: Can you tell the story of how you got into publishing?

[@lyddie465]

passing was one of my favourite books too!! so, so stunning. what book is nostalgic for you? also oMG your CAT i love her

[@JasmineReads]

I absolutely loved this, Jennifer! What a fun selection 😊 Can you believe I've never read any Marilynne Robinson? I actually received Gilead for Christmas, so 2021 is the year I'm going to try her! My favourite reads of the year were Les Miserable by Hugo, as well as Empire of Gold by S A Chakraborty, the final book in the Daevabad Trilogy! (You may like that fantasy series, seeing as you love Robin Hobb 💕)

[@AnaMoShoshin]

OMG that kitten!

[@rachaellundy-davis7957]

I absolutely love Joan Dideon!

[@taaptee]

great video, thank you!

[@FlyingElectra]

Oh yesssss 🥳 First I have to watch the news for the new curfew but so good to see your face pop up on my screen !

[@nocturnus009]

I just finished Mexican Gothic & enjoyed it... As much as I enjoyed The City We Became. I started the year with certain dark things. I need to deep dive into Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s bibliography. That back catalogue has some insights my mind need to have exposed.

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

So glad you loved 🥰 The Door. I recommend House On Endless Waters by Emuna Elon The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue The Erratics by Vicki Laveau Harvie After The Silence by Louise O’Neill The Less Dead by Denise Mina Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

[@browngirlreading]

Great list!

[@KayAmpersand]

I like the way you described Border - I hope more people in the region read it. Snyder is such a good writer, especially when you consider the topics. Question for you: where do you find the translated books you read?

[@Lauskjor]

Id love to hear your thoughts on the Witcher series and a fantasy novel called Howls Moving castle? This is one of my favourites and your thoughts and commentary are always so thoughtful and lovely to listen to!

[@lindaleehall]

The Door-yes, what you said.

[@sixofbooks3909]

Such a cute kitten! Lol

[@rebeccamaclean6242]

I loved How I Came to Know Fish!

[@MinestroneChad]

Ah, lovely! I read The Iliad in 2020 too. It was such a slog but I adored how encompassing it was? All the descriptions of the soldiers like waves breaking on rock and wheat chaff in the wind - not to mention the sentence biographies for everyone killed - made it feel like the whole world bent towards this war and that nothing would ever be so important again. Wild. Could feel my brain swelling with the weight of the Trojan war 😂 Also, it's a really tiny book but I'd love to recommend you The Little Snake by A.L. Kennedy. And I'd like to ask, what is it that you value about making videos, what is it that has you coming back to share your thoughts? ✨

[@mame-musing]

“Bloodlands” sounds really interesting yet, disheartening in terms of humans behaving horribly. “The Portrait of a Lady” is one of those books I keep meaning to read and instead I get distracted by other shiny objects. Your very positive review is a good motivation for me to just get to it. I really enjoyed “The Wings of the Dove” when I read it years ago and I recommend it. A few months ago I read the novella “Daisy Miller” which was definitely a disappointment. (“The Custom of the Country” by Edith Wharton covers similar territory of the spoiled American heiress in Europe. Wharton’s Undine Sprague is a much more interesting character than James’ Daisy Miller)

[@andrewrussell2845]

Hi Jennifer. I bought the Iliad late last year and was wondering - is there any prep I can do before starting it, or do you think I should just dive in cold? I know next to nothing about Greek mythology other than something about a Trojan Horse and a guy taking an arrow to the heel! 😂

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

I think it might be helpful to do a quick scan of Wikipedia to know the beats of the story! It's good to remember that the Greek audiences would've known all the details beforehand, so there's really no such thing as a "spoiler." And regardless of what edition you chose, I'd try to read the introduction by Bernard Knox from the Fagles edition I show in this video. I found it incredibly useful at providing signposts and explaining certain cultural subtleties. But overall I don't think there's too much prep needed to have a good reading experience - the story really speaks for itself!

[@andrewrussell2845]

@@InsertLiteraryPunHere thanks Jennifer! That's really helpful and supportive.

[@twokatstabbie]

I could only get halfway through Bloodlands, I just couldn't take any more details of the atrocities and the numbers. You did warn me, though.

[@SunriseFireberry]

For Q &A. Name a book that would you ban from being sold in the USA and why? Also. Would you promote fiction books with nude illustrations to

[@chrissymisha1182]

What are your recommendations for someone trying to get into literary fiction? Especially for those of us without a literature degree.

[@rachelh5901]

Whenever I read a Shakespeare ranked list that has Pericles at the bottom I'm like, well, sorry you're allergic to FUN, I GUESS????? That play is a train wreck but also one of the most goddamn delightful things I have ever read. Also, yes, the Iliad is SO MUCH BETTER than the Odyssey. I love it so much. Can I ask one of your worst books of 2020 for your Q&A? The disaster year deserves at least one literary rant.

[@MargaretPinard]

That review of Pericles 😆🤣😆

[@iceandfireBOOKS]

Do you have any classics you want to tackle in 2021?

[@UltimateKyuubiFox]

Kitty!

[@Emmareads15]

Oh my god, kitty!!!!

[@danielleptc]

Dear Jennifer, talking to cats is an unerring sign of sanity!