I Know You're Reading My Thoughts Simpsons
When information technology comes to the volume-publishing industry, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic take been far-reaching — and, honestly, something of a mixed bag. For one, folks are spending more time at dwelling, so whether they need to acquire a new skill, deepen their knowledge or escape to a virus-free world for a few hours, books are a welcome solution.
In fact, the Los Angeles Times found that Bookshop.org, an online retailer that aims to support independent bookstores in response to Amazon's growing influence, saw a 400% increase in sales since the shutdown in March, and, to date, has raised over $nine.56 million for indie sellers. However, an increment in demand for print books has put some strain on the production of those books, which means a rise in ebook and audiobook sales and subscription sign-ups for services like Libro.fm and Audible. And while it'southward great that folks are getting their reading materials somewhere, the rise in ebook sales, specifically, means less revenue for authors, publishers and brick-and-mortar bookstores.
All of this to say, information technology'due south been a twelvemonth of ups and downs — but, on the actual book-release side, information technology'south been a lot of ups. While we tin can't squeeze in all of our favorites from 2020 here, we have rounded upwardly a stellar sampling of must-reads.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Debut writer Leah Johnson has written an incredible commencement novel — 1 that the publisher describes as "a smart, hilarious, Black girl magic, own voices rom-com by a staggeringly talented new writer." Chances are, if yous haven't read You Should See Me in a Crown, you've at least seen other people reading this bonafide hit (and before long-to-be archetype).
In the novel, Liz Lighty, who has "ever believed she's too Black, too poor, too awkward to polish in her minor, rich, prom-obsessed Midwestern town," dreams of getting abroad past way of an elite college with a world-famous orchestra — well, until her financial assistance falls through. After realizing at that place's a scholarship available for prom queen and king, Liz has to suffer the competition — and alluring new girl Mack — every bit she navigates high school, relationships and settling into her own queerness and queer joy.
New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett has crafted a stunning novel most twin sisters who, despite being inseparable as children, choose to live in two very unlike worlds — one Black and 1 white. After running away from their pocket-size Blackness community in the Southward as teens, one sister ends up living in that very town they tried to leave, while the other secretly passes for white, fifty-fifty to her husband.
Although they accept seemingly ended up in very dissimilar places, with very different outlooks and identities, the sisters notice that their fate is intertwined. "Bennett's tone and fashion recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson," writes Kiley Reid of The Wall Street Journal. "Simply it'southward especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison'southward 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye." Without a doubt, The Vanishing Half is a shortlyhoped-for classic.
Homie by Danez Smith
Graywolf Press notes that Danez Smith'south Homie is a "magnificent anthem virtually the saving grace of friendship," one that was written in the wake of the loss of one of Smith's close friends. The poems collected here face topics similar violence and xenophobia and the feeling that aught is quite worthwhile in the face up of these, and other, mean forces. That is, until you get that one text — that one knock on the door — from a friend who knows only what you need.
Without a dubiety, these poems are some of Smith'south well-nigh powerful. Their ode to friendship has been called "expansive" and "big enough to hold a vast mosaic of emotion and style, of life and expiry, of survival and resilience, of hurting and joy" by Lambda Literary. Beau poet Tish Jones perhaps put it best, saying, "Homie is how we survive ― in verse," which feels particularly necessary in 2020.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
In this debut paranormal novel, Yadriel, a young trans boy, is determined to show himself, and his gender, to his traditional Latinx family. This leads Yadriel to perform a ritual — one he hopes will assist him find the ghost of his murdered cousin. But things don't always go as planned, especially when yous're dealing with the supernatural. The ghost Yadriel really summons is Julian Diaz, the resident bad male child, who has some loose ends to tie upward before he passes on. And the longer the ii boys work together, the more than Yadriel wants Julian to stay.
Early on, Amusement Weekly dubbed Cemetery Boys "groundbreaking" — and that couldn't be more true. "It was […] really of import for me to write a book where LGBTQIA and Latinx kids could run into themselves being powerful heroes," author Aiden Thomas said in an interview. "Right at present, these kids are living in a world where a lot of hate and suffering is zeroed in on them. I wanted them to see themselves being supported and loved for who they are. I wanted to write a fun volume with good representation that they could escape into and have a happy ending."
Felix Ever After past Kacen Callender
In Felix Always After, Stonewall and Lambda Laurels-winning author Kacen Callender crafts a landmark YA novel about Felix, a transgender teen who fears that he's "i marginalization too many — Black, queer, and transgender — to ever go his own happily ever-later on." When a transphobic student publicly posts Felix's deadname and photos on campus, our protagonist plots his revenge — and, throughout the course of the novel, navigates both cocky-discovery and a blossoming, unexpected first love.
Intricately plotted and beautifully written, Felix E'er Later on is an essential read. In a starred review, Booklist notes that "From its stunning comprehend art to the rich, messy, nuanced narrative at its centre, this is an unforgettable story of friendship, heartbreak, forgiveness, and self-discovery, crafted past an author whose obvious respect for teen readers radiates from every page."
Most American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha
Almost American Girl marks another work of nonfiction, merely, this fourth dimension, 1 that sits firmly in the graphic memoir category. In the piece of work, the on-the-page version of author Robin Ha is quite close to her single female parent, and then when a vacation to Alabama leads to a surprise, permanent relocation, Robin is upset — non merely because her mom is getting married and uprooting their life in Seoul, but because she wasn't permit in on the plan beforehand.
Completely cut off from her friends, unable to speak English and grappling with a new step-family, Robin turns to comics — an escape that begins to shape Robin'south future. Booklist notes that, "With unblinking honesty and raw vulnerability…presented in full-color splendor, [Ha's] energetic style mirrors the constant move of her adolescent self, navigating the peripatetic turbulence toward adulthood."
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
"It'due south Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America," The Guardian notes, "and after a slow-burn down showtime Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird." If that doesn't grab your attending, nosotros're non certain what will. Set in 1950s Mexico, this bestseller puts a twist on the gothic horror genre while still checking all of the genre'due south boxes: an isolated mansion, a charismatic aristocrat and a brave young woman.
When she receives a letter of the alphabet from her recently married cousin, Noemí Taboada sets off from High Place, a house in the Mexican countryside, to save her kin from impending doom. Of grade, it wouldn't be gothic horror if the house wasn't full of secrets. "Deliciously creepy… Read it with your lights on," Vox warns, "and know that strange dreams might begin to haunt you, as they haunted Noemí."
Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women That a Movement Forgot past Mikki Kendall
Mainstream feminism has its detractors, but information technology also has its internal failings. Through a series of essays, Mikki Kendall spotlights the ways in which mainstream feminists stymie the movement past not taking into account the basics of survival — access to nutrient, quality didactics, safety neighborhoods, safety medical intendance and a living wage.
While feminism stands for equity past definition, its aims ofttimes assist out its almost privileged supporters and leave out BIPOC, disabled and LGBTQ+ folks. "If Hood Feminism is a searing indictment of mainstream feminism, information technology is likewise an invitation," NPR notes. "[Kendall] offers guidance for how nosotros can all do better." Without a doubt, this landmark work cements the fact that Kendall is a leading vox in Black feminist thought and feminism.
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom With Illustrations by Michaela Goade
"H2o is the commencement medicine," reads We Are Water Protectors. "It affects and connects u.s. all." Inspired by the myriad Ethnic-led movements happening beyond North America, this breathtaking picture volume is a sort of call to activeness, wrapped in lyrical prose and watercolor illustrations crafted by #OwnVoices writer Carole Lindstrom and artist Michaela Goade.
Booklist notes that the book was "written in response to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline [and] famously protested by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe" and that "these pages carry grief, but it is overshadowed by hope in what is an unapologetic call to action." No matter one's age, We Are Water Protectors is a must-read, ane that gets to the center of the things that matter and puts Indigenous ideas, groups, creators and leaders rightfully at the center of the motility to safeguard our planet from human-caused climate change and devastation.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Without a uncertainty, Isabel Wilkerson is all-time known as the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of bestselling book The Warmth of Other Suns, and, much like that popular and essential work, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents aims to examine truths that are often left unspoken, or go unaddressed, in America. As its name suggests, the book examines the caste system that shaped our country — that continues to define our lives and create hierarchies.
"Equally we become about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight bandage down in the aisles, guiding the states to our assigned seats for a performance," Wilkerson writes. "The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about ability — which groups have information technology and which practise not." This immersive, essential read will open your optics to all that lies beneath the surface, and, hopefully, one time y'all've seen information technology you lot won't exist able to await away.
All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
Journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George K. Johnson explores his childhood and college years in a serial of personal essays that tackle topics like gender identity, toxic masculinity, Black joy and alliance. Schoolhouse Library Journal points out that All Boys Aren't Blue's "conversational tone will leave readers feeling like they are sitting with an insightful friend."
Since we don't often see a memoir written specifically for young adults, this intimacy makes the volume all the more meaningful, specially for young queer Blackness readers. This can't-miss memoir-manifesto is also beautifully written — full of lovely language and untold amounts of guidance and support. "This championship opens new doors," Kirkus Reviews notes. "[…T]he author insists that nosotros don't have to anchor stories such equally his to tragic ends: 'Many of us are still here. However living and waiting for our stories to exist told―to tell them ourselves.'"
Teen Titans: Beast Male child by Kami Garcia With Illustrations by Gabriel Picolo
Writer Kami Garcia and artist Gabriel Picolo brought us the bestselling Teen Titans: Raven a little while ago, detailing Raven Roth'south pre-superhero origins. At present, the creative dream squad is back with Teen Titans: Beast Boy, a coming-of-age graphic novel entry about everyone's favorite green, shapeshifting teen, Garfield Logan.
For the uninitiated, DC'due south Teen Titans sees a irresolute lineup of young adult heroes taking on bad guys, just Brute Boy happens before whatever of that. For every bit long as Gar can remember, he'south been disregarded — and eager to stand out in his small-town high schoolhouse. Despite his best friends' insistence that he shouldn't care what the pop kids think, Gar accepts a life-altering challenge, but it's not just his social status that'll change every bit a result.
The City We Became (Not bad Cities #1) by Northward.K. Jemisin
"Every bully urban center has a soul. Some are aboriginal every bit myths, and others are equally new and destructive every bit children. New York? She's got six." And that's just the jacket re-create for The City Nosotros Became. In the novel, some of the earth's biggest cities are revealed to be live. When New York City tries to join in, its sentience is spread to living embodiments of the metropolis' boroughs.
Written by Hugo Honor-winning writer N.K. Jemisin, this glorious and gripping work of speculative fiction volition transport you right into a vividly imagined version of NYC where five strangers must come together to protect the city they love. The New York Times praised The Urban center We Became, noting that it "takes a wide-shouldered stand on the side of sanctuary, family and beloved. It'south a joyful shout, a reclamation and a phone call to arms."
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson
In the book earth, Noelle Stevenson might be best-known as the author-illustrator of Nimona and creator of Lumberjanes, two bestselling queer comic series. Exterior of publishing, Stevenson was the creator of and showrunner for Dreamworks' lauded reimagining of She-Ra, which came to an stop earlier this year. But Stevenson also has some personal stories to share, and the result is The Fire Never Goes Out.
This illustrated memoir is full of essays and personal mini-comics that chart eight years of her young adult life — and all of the ups and downs that punctuated that span of time. Total of wit and vulnerability, The Fire Never Goes Out spotlights how the intertwining of one'southward fine art (and career) with 1's personal growth and discovery can be the most hard — and fulfilling — mural to navigate.
The But Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones, who is a member of the Blackfeet Native American Nation, wrote ane of the year's well-nigh highly anticipated horror novels — and all that anticipation certainly pays off. The Merely Good Indians centers on the tale of four childhood friends who grow up, move away from home and then, a decade subsequently, discover that a vengeful entity is hunting them for an act of violence they committed long ago.
The novel combines horror, drama and social commentary quite flawlessly, proving NPR's statement that "Jones is one of the all-time writers working today regardless of genre." Rebecca Roanhorse, the bestselling author of Trail of Lightning, wrote that "Jones boldly and bravely incorporates both the difficult and the beautiful parts of contemporary Indian life into his story, never once falling into stereotypes or easy answers but also not shying away from the horrors caused past cycles of violence."
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
In this successor to her bestselling novel Homegoing, author Yaa Gyasi follows up her debut with something so raw and intimate. In Transcendent Kingdom, Nana, a gifted high school athlete, is a victim of the opioid epidemic, while his sis, Gifty, is a PhD candidate at Stanford who struggles between finding herself in difficult science and faith.
And in the wake of Nana's decease, the siblings' Ghanaian family, who telephone call Alabama home, must grapple with grief, faith and addiction. Entertainment Weekly has noted that Transcendent Kingdom is "poised to be the literary event of the fall," while bestselling author Roxane Gay has called it a "gorgeously woven narrative… Non a discussion or idea out of place."
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Accolade for Interior Chinatown — and for proficient reason. Dubbed "one of the funniest books of the yr" by The Washington Mail, the novel centers on Willis Wu, a man who doesn't retrieve he's the protagonist of his own life. Instead, Willis views himself as "Generic Asian Human," or some other background character or prop. That is, until he stumbles upon the clandestine history of Chinatown and his family unit's legacy.
In exploring race, pop culture, assimilation, immigration and more, Interior Chinatown is part-Hollywood satire and role-moving masterpiece. "Yu has a devilish practiced time poking fun at the racially blinkered ways of Hollywood," the New York Journal of Books notes. "[Interior Chinatown is] rollicking fun, and its reclamation of Asian American history, with all its attendant sorrows and hopes, holds out the possibility of a new, true story ahead."
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
Helen Macdonald had an instant bestseller on her hands with H Is for Militarist, an award-winner about Helen, who was dealing with grief over her father's decease, and her goshawk Mabel, whose temperament was not dissimilar Helen's. In some ways, that book reinvigorated the nature-writing genre, proving that the lessons nosotros larn from the natural world tin can make for the stuff of moving memoir.
In her latest work, Vesper Flights, Macdonald collects both old and new essays on a wide range of topics into a poignant look at what it means, and how it feels, to brand sense of the world around the states. The Wall Street Journal calls the book "Dazzling… Macdonald reminds u.s.a. how marvelously unfamiliar much of the nonhuman globe remains to united states of america."
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
In her debut novel, Kalynn Bayron sets her story 200 years after Cinderella found her prince. The fairy tale is over, and, as the title states, Cinderella Is Dead. Following Cinderella's success story, teenage girls are required to nourish the kingdom's ball so that the men in omnipresence can select their future wives. Non a suitable match? Well, the girls that go unchosen aren't ever heard from once more.
All of this is made way more complicated when Sophia realizes she would rather ally Erin, her babyhood all-time friend. Fearful of what's to come, Sophia flees the ball and ends upwardly in Cinderella's mausoleum, where she meets a descendant of the princess' family unit. The two team up to take out the king — and, in the process, they uncover some rather interesting secrets almost the kingdom's past…
The Gravity of Us past Phil Stamper
If there'southward one thing we can't get plenty of during this depressing year, information technology's the thrill of start beloved — and all of those other life experiences that just aren't the same in 2020. Luckily, The Gravity of Us offers a welcome escape. The YA novel centers on Cal, a teenager with half a meg followers on social media, who finds himself a fish out of water when his family relocates from Brooklyn to Houston for his dad's piece of work.
Of course, his dad'south work is a chip more than anarchistic: He'south a NASA astronaut, readying to embark on a highly publicized mission to Mars. Soon enough, Cal falls caput-over-heels for Leon, a fellow "Astrokid," and all seems well and skilful until Cal discovers something virtually the Mars program. "[It's a] large-hearted, witty, and intensely relatable debut," writes bestselling YA novelist Karen K. McManus (One of U.s. Is Lying). "[Information technology's] almost reaching for your dreams without losing what grounds you."
Save Yourself past Cameron Esposito
When Cameron Esposito was a kid, she wanted to exist a priest. What bowl-cut-touting, unaware queer kid wouldn't, especially when said kid is raised Catholic? Well, Esposito ended up being a wildly successful stand up-up comic, which, if you remember about information technology, is kind of like delivering a sermon. Kind of. In Save Yourself, Esposito supplies funny, insightful tales that range in topic from her coming out while at a Catholic college to the messiness of first beloved.
Esposito says she wrote the memoir because it was something she needed as a child, "because there was a long time when she thought she wouldn't brand it" as a queer person so used to seeing stories of tragedy play out for folks like her. "Esposito writes with her signature deadpan humor," The Seattle Times notes, "merely her story is much more nuanced than your typical celebrity memoir."
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