Our Favorite Books of 2020

Every year we ask our booksellers to do the impossible and pick the book that was their favorite read of the year in each of three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and kids books. Not necessarily their favorite new book—just the one book they picked up and read and loved.

Here are our picks for 2020...

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The Vanishing Half: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel) By Brit Bennett Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780525536291
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Riverhead Books - June 2nd, 2020

Black Bottom Saints: A Novel By Alice Randall Cover Image
$26.99
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ISBN: 9780062968623
Published: Amistad - August 18th, 2020

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Circe By Madeline Miller Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316556323
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Back Bay Books - April 14th, 2020

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The Pull of the Stars: A Novel By Emma Donoghue Cover Image
$28.00
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ISBN: 9780316499019
Published: Little, Brown and Company - July 21st, 2020

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Don Quixote By Miguel de Cervantes, Edith Grossman Cover Image
$24.99
ISBN: 9780060934347
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ecco - April 26th, 2005

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The Orchard: A Novel By David Hopen Cover Image
$27.99
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ISBN: 9780062974747
Published: Ecco - November 17th, 2020

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Michael Kohlhaas By Heinrich von Kleist, Michael Hofmann (Translated by) Cover Image
By Heinrich von Kleist, Michael Hofmann (Translated by)
$14.95
ISBN: 9780811228343
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: New Directions - March 31st, 2020

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Pale Colors in a Tall Field: Poems By Carl Phillips Cover Image
$23.00
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ISBN: 9780374229054
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - March 3rd, 2020

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March: Pulitzer Prize Winner (A Novel) By Geraldine Brooks Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143036661
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - January 31st, 2006

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Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1) By Rebecca Roanhorse Cover Image
$27.99
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ISBN: 9781534437678
Published: Gallery / Saga Press - October 13th, 2020

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Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel By George Saunders Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780812985405
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - February 6th, 2018

Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic (The Practical Magic Series #1) By Alice Hoffman Cover Image
$27.99
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ISBN: 9781982108847
Published: Simon & Schuster - October 6th, 2020

The Fire Next Time (Vintage International) By James Baldwin Cover Image
$14.00
ISBN: 9780679744726
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Vintage - December 1st, 1992

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The Groom Will Keep His Name: And Other Vows I've Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance By Matt Ortile Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781541762794
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Bold Type Books - June 2nd, 2020

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How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America By Heather Cox Richardson Cover Image
$29.99
ISBN: 9780190900908
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Oxford University Press, USA - April 1st, 2020

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex By Angela Chen Cover Image
$26.95
ISBN: 9780807013793
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Beacon Press - September 15th, 2020

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Vesper Flights By Helen MacDonald Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780802128812
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Grove Press - August 25th, 2020

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Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory By Caitlin Doughty Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9780393351903
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - September 28th, 2015

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The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir By Michele Harper Cover Image
$29.00
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ISBN: 9780525537380
Published: Riverhead Books - July 7th, 2020

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The True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives By Diane Johnson, Vivian Gornick (Introduction by), Diane Johnson (Preface by) Cover Image
By Diane Johnson, Vivian Gornick (Introduction by), Diane Johnson (Preface by)
$17.95
ISBN: 9781681374451
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: NYRB Classics - June 23rd, 2020

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Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own By Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780525575320
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Crown - June 30th, 2020

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Daily Rituals: How Artists Work By Mason Currey (Editor) Cover Image
By Mason Currey (Editor)
$25.95
ISBN: 9780307273604
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf - April 23rd, 2013

The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad By Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein (Supplement by) Cover Image
By Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein (Supplement by)
$28.00
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ISBN: 9781538701515
Published: Grand Central Publishing - June 16th, 2020

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning By Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316453691
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - March 10th, 2020

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In My Garden By Charlotte Zolotow, Philip C. Stead (Illustrator) Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780823443208
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Neal Porter Books - March 24th, 2020

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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost, Susan Jeffers (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Robert Frost, Susan Jeffers (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780525467342
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers - September 24th, 2001

The Moon Keeper By Zosienka, Zosienka (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Zosienka, Zosienka (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062959522
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: HarperCollins - March 10th, 2020

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What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future By Oliver Jeffers Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780593206751
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Philomel Books - October 6th, 2020

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The List of Things That Will Not Change By Rebecca Stead Cover Image
$16.99
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ISBN: 9781101938096
Published: Wendy Lamb Books - April 7th, 2020

One Time By Sharon Creech Cover Image
$16.99
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ISBN: 9780062570741
Published: HarperCollins - September 8th, 2020

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Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1) By Tracy Deonn Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781534441606
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books - September 15th, 2020

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Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9781250076960
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Square Fish - February 6th, 2018

Crooked Kingdom: A Sequel to Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9781250076977
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Square Fish - September 4th, 2018

You Should See Me in a Crown By Leah Johnson Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781338503265
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Scholastic Press - June 2nd, 2020