2020 Staff Picks - Fiction

2020 Staff Picks: FICTION

We all spent a lot of time reading this year, and staff have recommended some of their favorites in 2020 Staff Picks: Fiction. Our book list includes both print and digital titles available now. 

Several of us enjoyed escapist and fantasy fiction. Jacilyn recommended a new title, The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, describing it as "a cross between dystopian, historical fiction, and fantasy, with some creepy thrown in. It features a biracial protagonist who lives in an isolated town controlled by authoritarian followers of the Father, intent on rooting out the evil influence of the Dark Mother. Henderson writes in a very lyrical, descriptive way that made it very easy to get sucked into the story. There is truly no black and white to this story, only varying shades of grey, which made the story feel more realistic." She notes that it's the first book of a series, and she's excited to read more of Henderson's work. I’m very excited to read more of Henderson’s work.

Heather recommended titles by Stephen King, while Nate recommended Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, saying that he thought it had "a kind of low-key creepiness. The book was much better than the series that HBO produced. However, the series and the book are different enough that if somebody watched the series, they will still be able to enjoy the book."

Jenna enjoyed the Inspector Gamache mystery The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny, and Kate liked the playful senior character of Maud in the mystery An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten. 

We hope you'll check out some of our favorites - happy reading!