I thought it would be a pertinent time to compile a list of my ten favourite reads of the past year. 2020 was a decent year for me in terms of how many I got through. By the end of it, I finished 88 books, a few of which number amongst my all-time favourites. The list below is a compilation of my ten favourite reads from 2020. Note that I will only be listing novels, short story collections and non-fiction. I won’t be ranking graphic novels or poetry collections. I hope to write a full review for most of these in the future, so forgive me if their descriptions are rather brief.

10. The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton

Read – 02/02/2020 to 06/02/2020

Genre – Essay collection, history, non-fiction

Rating – 8/10

The Greek Way is a series of essays by American classicist Edith Hamilton, the purpose of which is to justify why the Ancient Greeks matter to today. In lively prose, Hamilton discusses the Hellenic spirit and how it has echoed down the ages to inform Western civilisation. I especially enjoyed her chapter on the interpretation of Greek tragedy.

9. Julian by Gore Vidal

Read – 30/04/2020 to 04/05/2020

Genre – Historical fiction, biographical novel

Rating – 8/10

Julian by American writer and public intellectual Gore Vidal is a work of historical fiction that details the life and achievements of Julian the Apostate – the last pagan Emperor of Rome. A profoundly entertaining and heartfelt novel, Vidal expertly brings his subject to life. I almost could not read the last fifty pages for fear of how things would turn out.

Oh, history is cruel.

8. Funeral Games by Mary Renault

Read – 04/11/2020 to 09/11/2020

Genre – Historical fiction

Rating – 8/10

Funeral Games is the final novel in Mary Renault’s trilogy about Alexander the Great. This volume actually takes place after Alexander’s death, and details the power struggle that occurs amongst his generals as to determine whom shall be his successor. I credit this book for getting me out of a reading slump during the last quarter of the year. As always, excellent writing and characterisation from the queen of historical fiction.

7. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Read – 16/03/2020 to 17/03/2020

Genre – Fantasy, children’s fiction, Bildungsroman

Rating – 8/10

A Wizard of Earthsea is a children’s fantasy novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. Set in the fictional archipelago world of Earthsea, the novel follows a young mage named Ged who unleashes a spirit of evil on the world and must somehow right this wrong. This is an utterly spellbinding novel, with themes that are profound as they are expertly executed. I am much the wiser for having read it.

6. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Read – 14/04/2020 to 18/04/2020

Genre – Fantasy

Rating – 8/10

Assassin’s Apprentice is the first book in Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series of fantasy novels. This novel details the boyhood of FitzChivalry, a royal bastard who begins his training as an assassin for his grandfather, King Shrewd. Robin Hobb has been on my radar for a long time and 2020 was the year I finally decided to dive into her work. I was greeted with a masterwork of fantasy that introduced to me one of the most loveable characters in the entire genre. I urge fans of high fantasy to give this one a read.

5. Iranian Leviathan by Jason Reza Jorjani

Read – 27/12/2019 to 30/03/2020

Genre – History, mysticism, philosophy, non-fiction

Rating – 9/10

Iranian Leviathan is a work by Persian American philosopher Jason Reza Jorjani. It purports to be a “mythic history” of Iran, and traces the philosophical contributions of the Iranian civilisation to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics. Along the way we learn of about the assassins, the magi, Mazdak, Mani, and the Islamic Revolution. The book is genius, brilliant and profoundly mad – phantasmagoric whirlwind romp through the history of a civilisation.

4. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit

Read – 22/07/2020 to 07/08/2020

Genre – Essay collection, memoir, travelogue, non-fiction

Rating – 9/10

A Field Guide to Getting Lost is a collection of meditative essays by American intellectual. This is an beautifully captivating work of contemplation that muses on such themes of wanderlust, loneliness, and being lost – all seen through the lens of moments from Solnit’s own life. I especially liked the essay The Blue of Distance.

3. Fudoki by Kij Johnson

Read – 14/06/2020 to 19/06/2020

Genre – Fantasy, historical fiction

Rating – 9/10

Fudoki is a fantasy novel by American writer Kij Johnson, consisting a dual narrative of a cat without a home who is transformed into a human warrior, and an elderly Japanese princess writing her memoirs. This is an incredibly sad and potent book, one that is about savouring life in all its many facets. Many passages from this book still sneak up on me, from time to time.

2. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

Read – 25/12/2020 to 27/12/2020

Genre – Short story collection, science fiction

Rating – 10/10

Stories of Your Life and Others is the first short story collection by American science fiction writer Ted Chiang. These stories all display an incredible amount of ingenuity and imagination, and gave me much food for thought. Chiang deftly weaves humanism with rationalism until the two are indistinguishable – a feat to be lauded. I am especially enamoured with the eponymous short story.

1. Till We Have Faces

Read – 06/07/2020 to 09/07/2020

Genre – Fantasy, historical fiction, psychological novel

Rating – 10/10

Till We Have Faces is a novel by C.S. Lewis. A retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, Till We Have Faces is written from the perspective of Psyche’s ugly sister, Oruel. In these pages you will find a perfect psychological portrait of jealousy. Lewis tells a tale of how the poisonous imperfections of human nature divorce us from the truth. This is a book that is pertinent to everyone.

Concluding Thoughts

I read a lot of great books in 2020, and it was difficult for me to narrow this list down to ten. Interestingly, it seems that my most successful genres were historical fiction and fantasy, with two of my favourites falling under both categories. Six books on this list were written by women, and four were by men. My hope is that this year’s list will contain more works of classic literary fiction, and represent a more diverse range of works than are presented here. We’ll have to wait and see whether that will be the case.