We asked local librarians to list some of their favorite and most popular books of 2020:
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Hoover Library
contributed by Amanda Borden, Pam Bainter, Stephanie Beaver, Krysten Griffin and Samm Hamilton
For Adults:
“His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope” by John Meacham and John Lewis
“Mrs. Everything” by Jennifer Weiner
“Leave Only Footprints” by Conor Knighton
“The Dutch House” by Ann Patchet
“Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson
“Beach Read” by Emily Henry
“The Rakess” by Scarlett Peckham
“The Institute” by Stephen King
“Vesper Flights” by Helen Macdonald
“The Dead Are Arising” by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
“Maids” by Katie Skelly
“Tigers, Not Daughters” by Samantha Mabry
“Harleen” by Sejic Stjepan
“Mostly Dead Things” by Kristen Arnett
“Giver of Stars” by JoJo Moyes
Upcoming Releases:
“The Silent Wife” by Karen Slaughter
“Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey
“Magic Lessons” by Alice Hoffman
“World Travel: An Irreverent Guide” posthumously by Anthony Bourdain
“Bombshell” by Sarah MacLean
“A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas (series)
“The Crown of Gilded Bones” by Jennifer L. Armentrout (series)
O’Neal Library
contributed by Gloria Repolesk, Amanda Westfall, Matt Layne, Michelle Cheng, Anthony Vacca and Lindsy Gardner
For adults:
“Transcendent Kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi
“Dear Edward” by Ann Napolitano
“Pew” by Catherine Lacey
“Deacon King Kong” by James McBride
“The Mercies” by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
For teens:
“You Should See Me in a Crown” by Leah Johnson
“Furia” by Yamile Saied Méndez
“Dragon Hoops” by Gene Luen Yang
“Fable” by Adrienne Young
“Darius the Great is Not Okay” by Adib Khorram
For children:
“Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon” by Simran Jeet Singh Jeet
“The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver” by Gene Barretta
“All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of teh Thai Boys’ Soccer Team” by Christina Soontornvat
“96 Miles” by J.L. Esplin
“City Spies” by James Ponti
“Class Act” by Jerry Craft
“Big Ideas that Changed the World” by Don Brown
“Kitty and Dragon” by Meika Hashimoto (Early Reader)
“Unicorn and Yeti: Cheer Up” by Heather Ayris Burness (Early Reader)
“Dozens of Doughnuts” by Carrie Finison (Picture Book)
“Swashby and the Sea” by Beth Ferry (Picture Book)
“The Hike” by Pete Oswald (Picture Book)
Babysitters Club Graphic Novel: Claudia and the New Girl by Ann M. Martin
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena (Picture Book)
Upcoming Releases
For adults:
“Outlawed” by Anna North
“A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” by George Saunders
“Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro
“Zorrie” by Laird Hunt
“Ridgeline” by Michael Punke
For children:
“Dog Man: Mothering Heights” by Dav Pilkey
“Comic Science: Digestive System” by Jason Viola
“Someone Builds the Dream” by Lisa Wheeler (Picture)
“Big Ideas: A Shot in the Arm” by Don Brown
“Ways to Grow Love” by Renee Watson (Picture)
“She Persisted: Nellie Bly” by Michelle Knudsen
“Fox and Chick: The Sleepover” by Sergio Ruzzier (Early Reader)
Homewood Library
contributed by Judith Wright, Leslie West and Laura Tucker
For adults:
“Untamed” by Glennon Doyle
“Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and The Last Trial of Harper Lee” by Casey Cep
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
“An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones
“Becoming” by Michelle Obama
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Then She Was Gone” by Lisa Jewell
For teens:
“Stamped” by Jason Reynolds
“Clap When You Land” by Elizabeth Acevado
“Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas
“We Are Not Free” by Traci Chee
“The Magic Fish” by Trung Le Nguyen
For Children:
“You Matter” by Christian Robinson
“When Stars are Scattered” by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Upcoming Releases
“The Unwilling” by John Hart
“Mother May I” by Joshilyn Jackson
“Dusk Night Dawn” by Anne Lamott
Vestavia Hills Public Library – Joi Mahand
For adults:
“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett
“The Guest List” by Lucy Foley
“The Mountains Sing” by Nguyen Phan Que Ma
“The Only Good Indians” by Stephen Graham Jones
“Ring Shout” by P. Djeli Clark
