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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Barnard chapter.

As you can imagine, I had a lot of free time in 2020. With that free time, I read a lot of books! Here are some of my top favorites that I read this past year, in no particular order. 

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Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

By no means a new release, I decided to take a crack at this classic romance this year and am extremely glad I did. Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth Bennet, the quiet and intellectual second-oldest daughter of the Bennet family. At the onset of the novel, as her older sister attempts to woo Mr. Bingley, Lizzie meets and immediately dislikes his friend Mr. Darcy, and from there I’m sure you’re familiar with how the story goes. Even though this book was written such a long time ago, it was still an absolute delight to read, and I did not want to put it down!

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth

Considered a YA classic, this novel follows Cameron Post after her parents tragically die and she begins to come to terms with her sexuality. While the movie (also definitely worth watching) follows Cameron after she is sent to a conversion camp, the book covers much more ground, delving into her life before conversion therapy and following her coming-of-age story. Cameron as a character is funny and relatable, and her journey throughout this book had me hooked the whole time. 

Dig, A.S. King

Another YA novel, Dig follows five characters in a suburban Pennsylvania town that discover their ties to each other and the town’s potato farm as the story progresses. While potatoes don’t sound like the most interesting subject of a novel, Dig also delves into themes of adolescence, race, and class. The speculative, even magical, twist that A.S. King adds to most of her novels makes the story all the more intriguing. 

The Secret History, Donna Tartt

I will admit, I am very late to the party with this one, but I am so glad I picked it up this past year. While it’s definitely not for everyone, Tartt’s novel about pretentious classics students swept up in a murder when their attempted bacchanal goes wrong had me obsessed by the end of the first chapter. The story has some crazy twists and turns, but by the end of the novel, I knew that it had become a new favorite. 

Real Life, Brandon Taylor

Brandon Taylor’s debut novel follows a gay, Black graduate student who clashes with his circle of friends and the inherent white privilege in academia over the course of the story. Taylor’s writing is simple but elegant, and the portraits of characters that he paints are complicated and nuanced. While this novel leaves a subtler impression than some of the others on this list, it is by no means to be glossed over and is truly one of the best-written books I’ve ever read. 

Middlegame, Senan McGuire

Part fantasy, part sci-fi, and part coming-of-age, Middlegame almost transcends genre. I could tell you the novel follows alchemically-created twins Roger and Dodger, who each hold half of the universe in their subconscious, but that is by no means the whole story. While the first half has the reader thinking the book is going one way, the dramatic twist in the middle has you second-guessing all of your expectations. McGuire is such an amazing writer, and as you watch the two main characters grow up, you quickly fall in love with both of them. If you’re a fan of any of the genres mentioned above, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett

This novel has gotten a lot of hype this past year, but it truly deserves it. Following the lives of two light-skinned Black women who are able to pass as White in a small town in the South alongside their daughters, The Vanishing Half is a haunting book about race, family, and identity. It’s one of the faster reads on this list which, hopefully, compels you to pick it up as soon as you can, because it’s more than worth a read. 

The Poppy War, R. F. Kuang

The Poppy War is the first book in a grim-dark fantasy series inspired by the Sino-Japanese wars that follows Rin, who is admitted to a prestigious military school and has to learn how to earn her place both at the school and on the battlefield, all while a power she doesn’t quite understand is growing inside her. The Poppy War is intense and gripping, full of magic and violence, and was by far one of the most exciting books I read this year. 

Well, there you have it. Hopefully, these descriptions encouraged you to pick up and try one of these books for yourself. Happy reading!

Francesca (she/her) is a sophomore at Barnard College majoring in English and minoring in History. She's originally from Los Angeles, California. She loves reading, writing, astrology, and watching way too much tv.
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