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The New York Times

New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year 2020

New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year 2020 names 10 books across 2 categories. 9 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Fiction

  1. A Children's Bible by Lydia Milletsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Deacon King Kong by James McBridesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrellsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtarsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennettsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. A Promised Land by Barack Obamasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolkersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Shakespeare in a Divided America by James Shapirosource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Uncanny Valley by Anna Wienersource (opens in a new tab)
  5. War by Margaret MacMillansource (opens in a new tab)

About the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year

nytimes.com blocks automated reads, so counts come from Wayback Machine or archive.nytimes.com copies of each year's page; 2024 and 2025 are counted from Book Riot and Kirkus reports of the NYT list. Titles drop subtitles.

Organization: The New York Times. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2020