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Our Favourite Books of 2020 - Dynamic Rankings
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Mod
My adjusted weightings method:
Pos, Book, Average, Adjusted, Count, First Places
1, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, 5.4, 10.1, 5, 0
2, Summer by Ali Smith, 5.2, 10.6, 12, 1
3, I is Another: Septology III-V by Jon Fosse, 5.3, 14.1, 4, 1
4, The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel, 7.1, 14.2, 14, 2
5, Apeirogon by Colum McCann, 5.8, 15.3, 19, 4
6, A Musical Offering by Luis Sagasti, 9.0, 15.5, 5, 1
7, Jack by Marilynne Robinson, 9.4, 15.8, 5, 0
8, The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams, 8.3, 20.2, 12, 1
9, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, 8.7, 20.7, 15, 2
10, Mr Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, 12.4, 20.9, 7, 1
11, Natural History by Carlos Fonseca, 10.0, 20.9, 4, 1
12, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, 10.8, 21.5, 5, 1
13, Tooth and Nail by Chris Bonnello, 1.0, 21.6, 1, 1
14, Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, 12.8, 22.0, 8, 1
15, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, 7.8, 22.1, 19, 1
16, Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward, 10.9, 24.6, 12, 0
17, The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili, 12.9, 24.9, 9, 0
18, Saving Lucia by Anna Vaught, 13.7, 25.4, 6, 0
19, Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, 11.7, 25.5, 15, 1
20, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, 14.1, 26.4, 8, 1
21, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, 9.5, 26.7, 4, 0
22, Lanny by Max Porter, 10.6, 27.1, 18, 0
23, Only a Lodger . . . And Hardly That by Vesna Main, 12.8, 27.3, 4, 1
24, That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu, 12.4, 27.5, 10, 0
25, Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, 12.9, 28.2, 7, 0
26, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, 12.3, 28.6, 4, 0
27, Abigail by Magda Szabó, 12.0, 29.2, 5, 0
28, The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel, 12.6, 31.0, 8, 0
29, Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, 14.4, 31.6, 11, 0
30, The Innocents by Michael Crummey, 17.2, 31.9, 5, 0
31, Broken Jaw by Minoli Salgado, 18.2, 32.5, 6, 0
32, The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi, 15.6, 33.0, 8, 0
33, What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron, 4.0, 33.1, 1, 0
34, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, 19.3, 33.8, 6, 0
35, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan, 17.8, 33.9, 5, 0
36, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, 13.3, 34.2, 15, 0
37, Lote by Shola von Reinhold, 11.5, 35.6, 2, 0
38, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, 15.5, 36.1, 14, 0
39, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, 16.8, 36.3, 11, 0
40, Sisters by Daisy Johnson, 16.1, 36.3, 8, 0
41, The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, 16.2, 36.6, 14, 0
42, Dance on Saturday by Elwin Cotman, 6.0, 38.9, 1, 0
43, Faces on the Tip of my Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano, 17.6, 39.4, 9, 0
44, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, 13.6, 39.6, 5, 0
45, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, 19.5, 41.3, 4, 0
46, The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, 14.0, 44.5, 2, 0
47, Here We Are by Graham Swift, 14.0, 45.9, 2, 0
48, The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, 10.0, 47.2, 1, 0
49, The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips, 15.0, 47.5, 2, 0
50, The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, 17.0, 48.9, 1, 0
51, Dark Satellites by Clemens Meyer, 18.3, 49.3, 3, 0
52, The Nacullians by Craig Jordan-Baker, 24.0, 53.2, 2, 0
Paul-style aggregate of comparisons
Pos, Book, Average, Relative ranking, Count, First Places
1, Summer by Ali Smith, 5.17, 169, 12, 1
2, Apeirogon by Colum McCann, 5.79, 166, 19, 4
3, The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel, 7.07, 109, 14, 2
4, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, 7.79, 93, 19, 1
5, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, 5.40, 83, 5, 0
6, The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams, 8.25, 76, 12, 1
7, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, 8.73, 72, 15, 2
8, I is Another: Septology III-V by Jon Fosse, 5.25, 61, 4, 1
9, Jack by Marilynne Robinson, 9.40, 57, 5, 0
10, A Musical Offering by Luis Sagasti, 9.00, 44, 5, 1
11, Natural History by Carlos Fonseca, 10.00, 42, 4, 1
12, Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, 12.75, 34, 8, 1
13, Tooth and Nail by Chris Bonnello, 1.00, 30, 1, 1
14, Only a Lodger . . . And Hardly That by Vesna Main, 12.75, 24, 4, 1
15, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, 9.50, 20, 4, 0
15, Mr Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, 12.43, 20, 7, 1
17, Lote by Shola von Reinhold, 11.50, 19, 2, 0
18, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, 10.80, 14, 5, 1
19, What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron, 4.00, 8, 1, 0
19, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, 12.25, 8, 4, 0
19, That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu, 12.40, 8, 10, 0
22, Dance on Saturday by Elwin Cotman, 6.00, 5, 1, 0
23, The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, 10.00, 0, 1, 0
23, Abigail by Magda Szabó, 12.00, 0, 5, 0
23, Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward, 10.92, 0, 12, 0
26, The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, 17.00, -2, 1, 0
26, The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, 14.00, -2, 2, 0
28, Lanny by Max Porter, 10.56, -4, 18, 0
29, Saving Lucia by Anna Vaught, 13.67, -5, 6, 0
30, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, 14.13, -9, 8, 1
31, Here We Are by Graham Swift, 14.00, -10, 2, 0
31, The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel, 12.63, -10, 8, 0
33, Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, 12.86, -12, 7, 0
34, The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips, 15.00, -14, 2, 0
35, The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili, 12.89, -15, 9, 0
36, Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, 11.67, -25, 15, 1
37, The Nacullians by Craig Jordan-Baker, 24.00, -28, 2, 0
38, Dark Satellites by Clemens Meyer, 18.33, -30, 3, 0
39, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan, 17.80, -38, 5, 0
40, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, 13.60, -42, 5, 0
41, Broken Jaw by Minoli Salgado, 18.17, -47, 6, 0
42, The Innocents by Michael Crummey, 17.20, -51, 5, 0
43, Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, 14.36, -52, 11, 0
44, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, 19.50, -53, 4, 0
45, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, 19.33, -55, 6, 0
46, Sisters by Daisy Johnson, 16.13, -63, 8, 0
47, The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi, 15.63, -64, 8, 0
48, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, 13.33, -72, 15, 0
49, Faces on the Tip of my Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano, 17.56, -113, 9, 0
50, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, 16.82, -114, 11, 0
51, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, 15.50, -129, 14, 0
52, The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, 16.21, -134, 14, 0
No rankings yet:
Unwitting Street by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky
Mod
My adjusted weightings method:
Pos, Book, Average, Adjusted, Count, First Places
1, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, 5.0, 9.4, 5, 0
2, Summer by Ali Smith, 4.7, 9.7, 12, 1
3, I is Another: Septology III-V by Jon Fosse, 5.0, 13.5, 4, 1
4, The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel, 6.6, 13.5, 14, 3
5, Apeirogon by Colum McCann, 5.3, 14.2, 19, 4
6, A Musical Offering by Luis Sagasti, 8.4, 15.0, 5, 1
7, Jack by Marilynne Robinson, 8.8, 15.0, 5, 0
8, The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams, 7.5, 18.4, 12, 1
9, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, 7.8, 18.5, 15, 2
10, Mr Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, 11.4, 19.7, 7, 1
11, Tooth and Nail by Chris Bonnello, 1.0, 20.0, 1, 1
12, Natural History by Carlos Fonseca, 9.5, 20.0, 4, 1
13, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, 9.8, 20.4, 5, 1
14, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, 7.2, 20.4, 19, 1
15, Saving Lucia by Anna Vaught, 12.2, 22.6, 6, 0
16, Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward, 9.9, 22.7, 12, 0
17, Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, 10.5, 23.7, 15, 1
18, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, 12.8, 24.2, 8, 1
19, Only a Lodger . . . And Hardly That by Vesna Main, 11.5, 24.9, 4, 1
20, That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu, 11.1, 25.2, 10, 0
21, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, 8.5, 25.2, 4, 0
22, Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, 11.6, 25.6, 7, 0
23, Abigail by Magda Szabó, 10.8, 26.8, 5, 0
24, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, 11.3, 26.9, 4, 0
25, The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel, 11.6, 28.7, 8, 0
26, Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, 13.2, 29.5, 11, 0
27, Broken Jaw by Minoli Salgado, 16.2, 29.7, 6, 0
28, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, 17.0, 30.4, 6, 0
29, The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi, 14.3, 30.8, 8, 0
30, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan, 16.2, 31.0, 5, 0
31, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, 11.9, 31.4, 15, 0
32, What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron, 4.0, 32.3, 1, 0
33, Lote by Shola von Reinhold, 10.0, 32.7, 2, 0
34, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, 13.7, 32.8, 14, 0
35, The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, 14.3, 33.3, 14, 0
36, Sisters by Daisy Johnson, 14.5, 33.4, 8, 0
37, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, 15.3, 33.5, 11, 0
38, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, 12.2, 36.5, 5, 0
39, Dance on Saturday by Elwin Cotman, 6.0, 37.1, 1, 0
40, Faces on the Tip of my Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano, 15.9, 37.1, 9, 0
41, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, 18.0, 38.9, 4, 0
42, The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, 13.0, 41.8, 2, 0
43, Here We Are by Graham Swift, 13.0, 42.5, 2, 0
44, The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips, 13.5, 44.7, 2, 0
45, The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, 10.0, 45.0, 1, 0
46, Dark Satellites by Clemens Meyer, 17.0, 45.9, 3, 0
47, The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, 16.0, 46.2, 1, 0
48, The Nacullians by Craig Jordan-Baker, 22.0, 49.4, 2, 0
Paul-style aggregate of comparisons
Pos, Book, Average, Relative ranking, Count, First Places
1, Summer by Ali Smith, 4.67, 152, 12, 1
2, Apeirogon by Colum McCann, 5.32, 147, 19, 4
3, The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel, 6.57, 93, 14, 3
4, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, 7.16, 79, 19, 1
5, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, 5.00, 74, 5, 0
6, The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams, 7.50, 69, 12, 1
7, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, 7.80, 68, 15, 2
8, I is Another: Septology III-V by Jon Fosse, 5.00, 53, 4, 1
9, Jack by Marilynne Robinson, 8.80, 48, 5, 0
10, A Musical Offering by Luis Sagasti, 8.40, 37, 5, 1
11, Natural History by Carlos Fonseca, 9.50, 34, 4, 1
12, Tooth and Nail by Chris Bonnello, 1.00, 27, 1, 1
13, Only a Lodger . . . And Hardly That by Vesna Main, 11.50, 23, 4, 1
14, Lote by Shola von Reinhold, 10.00, 18, 2, 0
15, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, 8.50, 17, 4, 0
16, Mr Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, 11.43, 15, 7, 1
17, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, 9.80, 11, 5, 1
18, That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu, 11.10, 9, 10, 0
19, What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron, 4.00, 6, 1, 0
20, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, 11.25, 5, 4, 0
21, Dance on Saturday by Elwin Cotman, 6.00, 4, 1, 0
22, Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward, 9.92, 0, 12, 0
23, The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, 10.00, -1, 1, 0
23, Abigail by Magda Szabó, 10.80, -1, 5, 0
25, Saving Lucia by Anna Vaught, 12.17, -2, 6, 0
26, The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, 16.00, -3, 1, 0
26, The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, 13.00, -3, 2, 0
28, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, 12.75, -7, 8, 1
29, Here We Are by Graham Swift, 13.00, -9, 2, 0
30, Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, 11.57, -10, 7, 0
31, The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips, 13.50, -13, 2, 0
31, The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel, 11.63, -13, 8, 0
33, Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, 10.53, -25, 15, 1
34, The Nacullians by Craig Jordan-Baker, 22.00, -26, 2, 0
35, Dark Satellites by Clemens Meyer, 17.00, -29, 3, 0
36, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan, 16.20, -34, 5, 0
37, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, 12.20, -37, 5, 0
38, Broken Jaw by Minoli Salgado, 16.17, -41, 6, 0
39, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, 17.00, -45, 6, 0
40, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, 18.00, -51, 4, 0
41, Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, 13.18, -52, 11, 0
42, Sisters by Daisy Johnson, 14.50, -56, 8, 0
43, The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi, 14.25, -60, 8, 0
44, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, 11.87, -63, 15, 0
45, Faces on the Tip of my Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano, 15.89, -104, 9, 0
46, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, 15.27, -105, 11, 0
47, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, 13.71, -113, 14, 0
47, The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, 14.29, -113, 14, 0
Mod
5*:
1 The Mirror & the Light
2 Apeirogon
3 Abigail
4 Animalia
5 Summer
6 Shuggie Bain
7 The Liar's Dictionary
8 Hamnet
9 Mr Beethoven
10 I is Another: Septology III-V
11 Lanny
12 The Eighth Life
13 Saving Lucia
4*:
14 Love and Other Thought Experiments
15 Broken Jaw
16 Sisters
17 The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
18 The Mermaid of Black Conch
19 Minor Detail
20 Tyll
21 Winter in Sokcho
22 Real Life
23 That Reminds Me
24 Faces on the Tip of my Tongue
3*:
25 Hurricane Season
26 The Discomfort of Evening
* not reviewed yet
This is a very strong list, and I found at least something to like in all of them, so being low on this list is not a criticism.
I agree with your comments HughThe top 13 feature a dozen of my favourite reads of the year (I read Lanny last year)
I did not dislike any of these – even the last five were still solid 3* reads for me and I can easily see why people with slightly different tastes would think they were the best books of the year.
Nice to see two of the authors are now forum members.
1. Tooth and Nail (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
2. The Mirror and The Light (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
3. Summer (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
4. Shuggie Bain (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
5. Apeirogon (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
6. Hamnet (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
7. Lanny https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
8. The Glass Hotel (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
9. Jack (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
10. That Reminds Me (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
11. The Living Sea of Waking Dreams (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
12. Mr Beethoven (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
13. Love and Other Thought Experiments (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
-----------------------------------------------
14. Liar’s Dictionary (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
15. A Musical Offering (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
16. Piranesi (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
17. The First Woman (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
18. Sisters (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
19. Tyll (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...)
20. The Mermaid of Black Conch (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
21. Real Life (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
22. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...)
23. Broken Jaw (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
24. Animalia (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
25. Hurricane Season (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
-----------------------------------------------
26. Natural History (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
27. The Innocents
(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
28. Only a Lodger … and Hardly That
29. The Discomfort of Evening (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...)
30. The Death of Vivek Oji (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
31. Faces on the Tip of My Tongue (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
35 for me. Generally low on this list isn't a criticism - although I make an exception for 32-35 where it is. Lanny and Animalia should probably be higher but I put my 2020 5 star reads first.1 Only a Lodger . . . And Hardly That, A Fictional Autobiography
2 The Discomfort of Evening
3 Winter in Sokcho
4 Lote
5 Natural History
6 That Reminds Me
7 When We Cease to Understand the World
8 I is Another Septology III-V
9 The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
10 Animalia
11 Lanny
12 Apeirogon
13 Love and Other Thought Experiments
14 Shuggie Bain
15 The Liar's Dictionary
16 Summer
17 The Mermaid of Black Conch A Love Story
18 Broken Jaw
19 Hurricane Season
20 Jack
21 A Musical Offering
22 Saving Lucia
23 Faces on the Tip of My Tongue
24 Mr Beethoven
25 The Nacullians
26 Minor Detail
27 The Living Sea of Waking Dreams
28 Piranesi
29 Tyll
30 Hamnet
31 Earthlings
32 Real Life
33 The Eighth Life for Brilka
34 Dark Satellites
35 The Mirror & the Light
1. Mr Beethoven2. Love and Other Thought Experiments
3. Tyll
4. Lanny
5. Saving Lucia
6. Real Life
10. Hamnet
20. Summer
40. The Mermaid of Black Conch
52. Apeirogon
53. Shuggie Bain
1. Septology2. The Eighth Life
7. Hurricane Season
15. The Discomfort of Evening
16. Tyll
17. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
35. Faces on the Tip of My Tongue
1. Summer2. Apeirogon
3. A Musical Offering
5. The Liar's Dictionary
6. Faces on the Tip of my Tongue
7. Tyll
8. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
9. Shuggie Bain
10. Love and Other Thought Experiments
11. Lanny
12. Dark Satellites
I enjoyed them all. In the second grouping (5-11), the difference in their rank ordering is minuscule (#11 is almost as good as #5), just reflecting my personal taste. The first three, however, were standouts from the rest.
12/12 update - Dark Satellites added to my ranking. Unlikely to be edited again as the two remaining books I'd like to read from the nominations (The Nacullians and Mr Beethoven) are currently unavailable in the US or on kindle.
Some of these books, alas, are not out in the US yet, and although I do make an effort to buy books from the UK, they are the usually the ones I am particularly keen to read. So I've got 19 out of the list above to rank, and the vast majority of them are among my favorite reads of the year, so it's quite hard to do this. Thanks for the challenge.1. Hamnet
2. Summer
3. The Liar's Dictionary
4. The Death of Vivek Oji
5. Piranesi
6. Here We Are
7. Deacon King Kong
8. The Mirror and the Light
9. Jack
10. The Weekend
11. Transcendent Kingdom
12. Shuggie Bain
13. The Beekeeper of Aleppo
14. Apeirogon
15. Lanny
16. The Glass Hotel
17. Love and Other Thought Experiments
18. Sisters
19. Real Life
5*1. Shuggie Bain
2. The Eighth Life
3. Apeirogon
4. Hurricane Season
5. Real Life
6. Broken Jaw
7. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
4*
8. Lanny
9. Tyll
10. Hamnet
11. Love and Other Thought Experiments
12. That Reminds Me
3*
13. Faces on the Tip of my Tongue
2*
14. The Discomfort of Evening
This would look different if I did it again tomorrow, but...1. A Musical Offering
2. I is Another: Septology III-V
3. Apeirogon
4. When We Cease to Understand the World
5. Summer
6. Only a Lodger . . . And Hardly That
7. That Reminds Me
8. Natural History
9. The Glass Hotel
10. Dark Satellites
11. Saving Lucia
12. Shuggie Bain
13. The Liar's Dictionary
14. Mr Beethoven
15. The Mermaid of Black Conch
16. Tyll
17. Love and Other Thought Experiments
18. The Eighth Life
19. Animalia
20. Hamnet
21. Sisters
22. Minor Detail
23. The Nacullians
24. Hurricane Season
25. Piranesi
26. Broken Jaw
27. Faces on the Tip of my Tongue
28. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
29. The Living Sea of Waking Dreams
30. Lanny
31. The Discomfort of Evening
PS I haven't checked whether it is consistent with my ratings, I've just gone by gut feel from my memories of each book.
Edited: 31 Dec 20201. Apeirogon
2. Summer
3. Saving Lucia
4. Shuggie Bain
5. Lanny
--------------------
6. Winter in Sokcho
7. The Discomfort of Evening
8. Natural History
9. Hamnet
10. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
11. Abigail
---------------------
12. The Death of Vivek Oji
13. Hurricane Season
I don't really understand all of these numbers and I hope i'm doing this right--my ranked reads of 2020, from this list:1. Tyll
2. Liar’s Dictionary
3. Winter in Sokcho
4. What Happens at Night
5. Earthlings
after that my rankings of books from this list is a big puddle of "there was much to admire in these novels but they were not my favorites" category, and these are:
6. Hurricane Season
7. The Mirror and the Light
8. The Innocents
9. Shuggie Bain
10. Interior Chinatown
11. Real Life
12. Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
13. Apeirogon
and then, here at the end of my list, are two that I really didn't care for very much:
14. The Discomfort of Evening
15. Lanny
that's all I've read so far.
The Mermaid of Black ConchLanny
Hamnet
Love and other Thought Experiments
Apeirogon
The Mirror and the Light
Saving Lucia
The Discomfort of Evening
Shuggie Bain
The Liar’s Dictionary
Real Life
The Death of Vivik Oji
The Glass Hotel
That Reminds Me
Winter in Sokcho
The Enlightenment of Greengage Tree
Piranesi
Excellent list of books. I have quite a few of the ones I've not read on the shelf. I am gathering them in hopes of reading most by the end of the year, so anticipate some revision in my list.Dec 19 edit - I thought I had edited this two days ago, but edits not here, so now I have 4 books to add.
Dec 21 edit - another finished.
Dec 27 edit - 1 more added
Dec 31 - Final edit with changes & an addition
5 Star
1. Apeirogon by Colum McCann
2. When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut
3. Jack by Marilynne Robinson (for the series)
4. Summer by Ali Smith (for the series)
5. The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel (for the book & series)
- - - - - - -
6. Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward
7. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John
8. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
9. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
10. Deacon King Kong by James McBride
11. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
12. Lanny by Max Porter
13. Piranesi by Susannah Clarke
14. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
15. Mr Beethoven by Paul Griffiths
16. The Innocents by Michael Crummey
4 Star
17. Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo
18. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
19, Lote by Shola von Reinhold
20. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Salgado
21. Broken Jaw by Minoli
22. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
23. The King at the Edge of the World
24. Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann
25. The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili
3 star
26. Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
27. Real Life by Brandon Taylor
2 star
28. The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
1. Apeirogon2. Tyll
3. Faces on the Tip of my Tongue
4. Lanny
5. The Liar's Dictionary
--distant last:
6. Hurricane Season
5*1. Animalia
2. The Mirror and the Light
3. Lanny
4. Hamnet
5. Minor Detail
6. The Mermaid of Black Conch
7. Summer
8. The Discomfort of Evening
9. Shuggie Bain
10. When We Cease to Understand the World
11. The Waking Sea of Dreams
12. Mr. Beethoven
13. That Reminds Me
14. Apeirogon
15. (The Liar’s Dictionary)
16.(Only a Lodger, and Hardly That)
4*
16. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
17. Tyll
18. The Secret Lives of the Church Ladies
19. Winter in Sokcho
20. Sisters
21. Here We Are
22. Love and Other Thought Experiments
23. Abigail
24. Hurricane Season
There are a few books on the list that haven't been published in the US, but will likely be 4 or 5 stars for me.5 stars:
1. Deacon King Kong
2. Tyll
3. The Mirror and the Light
4. Interior Chinatown
5. Secret Lives of Church Ladies
6. Dance on Saturday
7. King at the Edge of the World
8. Apeirogon
9. Real Life
10, Lanny
4 stars:
11. Earthlings
12. Shuggie Bain
13. Transcendent Kingdom
14. Glass Hotel
15. Death of Vivek Oji
3 stars:
16. Piranesi
I will probably read more, but for now: 1. The Liar's Dictionary
2. Love and Other Thought Experiments
3. Summer
4. Interior Chinatown
5. Hamnet
6. Jack
7. The Eighth Life
8. Shuggie Bain
9. Tyll
10. Aperiogon
11. Abigail
12. Piranesi
13 Animalia
14. Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
15. Beekeeper of Aleppo
16. Secret Lives of Church Ladies
17. Sisters
18. Deacon King Kong
19. Hurricane Season
20. Mirror and the Light
21. That Reminds Me
22. Real Life
23. Winter in Sochko
24. Saving Lucia
25. Faces on the Tip of My Tongue
26. Glass Hotel
27. Mermaid of Black Conch
28. Minor Detail
29. Death of Vivek Oji
30. Lanny
31. Earthlings
32. Discomfort of Evening
33. Innocents
I have not read many of this year's list, and I know I don't post regularly but I always follow the discussions and enjoy your enlightening comments and reviews. I hope to participate more next year.1. Hamnet
2. The Mirror and the Light
3. Piranesi
4. Apeirogon
5. Shuggie Bain
6. Transcendent Kingdom
List updated - 1/13/21
1. The Mirror & the Light 2. The Innocents
3. Shuggie Bain
4. Hurricane Season
5. Piranesi
6. Sisters
7. Lanny
8. The Glass Hotel
9. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
1 Natural History2 Apeirogon
3 Shuggie Bain
4 The Mirror and the Light
5. A Musical Offering
6. Summer
7. Lanny
8. Hamnet
9. The Eighth Life
10. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
11. That Reminds Me
12.Tyll
13 Abigail
14 Animalia
15. Piranesi
16. Minor Detail
17. Transcendent Kingdom
18 Deacon King Kong
19 The Death of Vivek Oji
20. The Discomfort of Evening
21. Hurricane Season
I based the rating of Summer and The Mirror and the Light on the individual books. Had I rated them as series they would have ranked Smith (one) and Mantel (two) with others following in order.
Here's my ranking of the 13 books I've read. I have to say, it's hard to separate the books at the top... and the ones at the bottom!The ones I loved:
1. Apeirogon
2. The Death of Vivek Oji
3. The Mirror and the Light
4. When We Cease to Understand the World
5. The Discomfort of Evening
6. Piranesi
7. That Reminds Me
The ones I didn't:
8. The Eighth Life
9. Shuggie Bain
10. The Liar's Dictionary
11. The Living Sea of Waking Dreams
12. Sisters
13. Hamnet
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The Mookse and the Gripes
Books mentioned in this topic
The Weekend (other topics)What Happens at Night (other topics)
When We Cease to Understand the World (other topics)
Winter in Sokcho (other topics)
Abigail (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Charlotte Wood (other topics)Peter Cameron (other topics)
Benjamín Labatut (other topics)
Elisa Shua Dusapin (other topics)
Magda Szabó (other topics)
More...
I strongly encourage numbering them 1,2,3,...,number of books read - if you omit the numbers, I will assume that this is what you want, which may save you time.
NB I have also decided that for the league tables, I need to treat all lists as numbered 1,2,3,...,number of books, because anything else causes problems keeping the two sets of lists consistent - as I see it there is no other fair and easy way to generate the first table excluding 2019 nominations.
Please post one list per person and use edit where necessary. I will keep this open until at least the end of the year.
Please do not post general chat here - it may be deleted to keep this tidy!
These are the 53 nominated books (please do not vote for anything else!):