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BKLYN BookMatch: Our Favorite Books from 2020

It was a difficult year, to put it mildly, but at least we had books. In this list, BPL librarians and staff recommend their absolute favorites from 2020, in every genre and age group. Most books were published this year, some were published earlier, and all were a much-appreciated distraction.

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50 items

Writers & lovers : a novel
King, Lily, author.
Format:

A portrait of the artist as a young woman, yes! It's funny even when it focuses on death, it grapples with grief and creative pursuits and financial hardship, and it is SO romantic. I plan to reread it often.

Godshot
Bieker, Chelsea
Format:

Surprising, sad and intense, full of sparkly capes and unforgettable characters. The ending made me cry!

Evening
Rapoport, Nessa
Format: Book

A shiva story, a love story, a sister story, a mystery, and an ode to book-loving, Type B girls everywhere.

A burning
Majumdar, Megha, author.
Format: Book

Strong, individually-voiced characters; devastating story; couldn't put it down!

Vesper Flights
MacDonald, Helen
Format: Book

A stunning, captivating essay collection about birds and boars, migration and meadows, butterflies and deer and so much more.

The city we became
Jemisin, N. K, author.
Format:

NYC literally comes to life and fights against unseen evil, and isn't that the energy we need now?

So we can glow : stories
Cross-Smith, Leesa, 1978- author.
Format:

Bite-size, lyrical, delicious stories with titles like “Tim Riggins Would’ve Smoked” and “Girlheart Cake with Glitter Frosting.” I opened this collection every time I needed to counteract the news.

Parakeet
Bertino, Marie-Helene, author.
Format: Book

A bride-to-be is suffering from cold feet when her dead grandma returns to her in bird form. The story is fast-paced and the writing is incredible, you'll want to jot down every line.

The cult of smart : how our broken education system perpetuates social injustice
deBoer, Fredrik, author.
Format: Book

This book explains how heuristics and private money have led us down the wrong road in education.

Pizza girl : a novel
Frazier, Jean Kyoung, author.
Format: Book

Sad, funny, weird, unexpected: a wild ride! This is also my favorite book cover of 2020.