Feature & Giveaway: Favorite Reads of 2020 – Backlist Books

I can barely believe it is December already! 2020 was a hell of a year…I keep thinking about what future generations are going to read about 2020 and just how they will judge us and say things like “No way – that isn’t realistic!” But 2020 happened and it affected readers differently. I know many people who read a whole lot more and others who had difficulty reading at all this year. We saw the shuttering of many bookstores as well as publishing imprints and whole publishing houses being sold off. It definitely was a banner year for the book world.

However, there are still books great books releasing, books being read, and we are here to celebrate our favorite reads of 2020 plus a giveaway! Today we are celebrating the Backlist books we read this year. Backlist books are books that were released prior to the current year, so anything released in 2019 or before.

To enter for a chance to win your choice of any of the books featured in our favorite reads of 2020 just fill out the rafflecopter below to be eligible to win! Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to your country.

Kelly’s Favorite Backlist Reads of 2020

My favorite backlist reads of 2020 are below in no particular order! I also feel like I didn’t read a lot of backlist books…but so far I have read 32 backlist books and a lot of them released in 2019, which makes a lot of sense since I can never keep up with each year’s releases.

• The Kill Club by Wendy Heard – Christy told me to read this adult queer mystery/thriller and she was not wrong! Loved it and totally recommend!
• This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone – This sci-fi short story was poetic and epic and just so impactful. Seriously, read this award-winning short story!
• Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey – I did make a goal to read more adult fiction and it’s no surprise this list is mostly adult fiction – this is a mystery and it is so cool and immersive!
• Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond – This in depth look into the backstory of Stranger Things lore about the beginning of Dr. Brenner’s experiments and how Eleven’s mother was involved.
• Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert – This adult romance is so good. Two people who feel like they are broken and never allow themselves love for many different reasons. If you are looking for a good snarky British romance, you should dive into this series (I read book 2 in 2020 – no waiting this time!).
• Pet by Akwaeke Emezi – This MG sci-fi is just perfect and mind-blowing. Absolutely a must read for all ages!
• The Archive & The Unbound by Victoria Schwab – When I heard the TV adaptation news I knew I had to finish this series so I reread book 1 and dove right into book 2 and LOVED them. TBH I never finished the series because I heard the publisher dropped the series and I was worried I would feel left wanting. But such a cool story and I can’t wait for more!
• The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus – This book was beautiful and lyrical and has my whole heart. One of the best f/f stories I read all year.
• Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert – Every Brandy Colbert book I read I absolutely love. This one about mental health, identity, and family was absolutely gorgeous and deserved all the awards it won and I really hope more people find their way to Brandy’s amazing catalog!
• Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon – Another amazing historical LGBTQ+ story that involves a lot of pain of being gay in 1973, but it is a beautiful story that I think everyone should read.
• Odd One Out by Nic Stone – This is a one of the most realistic, messy, complicated, and yet cute stories about identity and love and friendships. Seriously, really felt so much truth in this one.

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Christy’s Favorite Backlists Reads of 2020

As always, I read A LOT of backlist books, especially Star Wars! Here are my favs, in no specific order.

• Happily and Madly by Alexis Bass: Alexis writes characters people love to hate, and you won’t soon forget them. Happily and Madly is my fav of her books yet!
• Odd One Out by Nic Stone: I found myself all over this book.
• The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus: So lyrical and beautiful and every single person needs to read this book. Bring tissues.
• The Boy Next Story by Tiffany Schmidt: I absolutely adore this series and can’t wait for Get a Clue!
• Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover: This is one of the best books I’ve read, period. If you’re a Star Wars fan, this book will eff you up.
• The Last Wish of Sasha Cade by Cheyanne Young: I knew this book was going to break me and I was totally right.
• All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichdon: This is one of those books that I regret letting sit on my shelves.
• American Royals by Katharine McGee: This book is just a lot of fun.
• The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody: Jana and I read this and then went on a road trip and discussed it the whole time.
• The Last Jedi by Jason Fry: Sorry not sorry for the number of Star Wars books on my lists this year. I adored the addition of the scene at the beginning of this book.
• Daughter of Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan: I loved the dynamic between Nick and Harvey in this book.
• Force Collector by Kevin Schinick: This is one of the best Star Wars books. Fans of Jedi Order need to read it.
• Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse: More Poe. Now.
• Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson: I was prepared to not enjoy this but I was so into the world and characters and meeting Vi later was SO FUN.

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