The 10 Most Anticipated Books Of 2020, According To Independent Bookstores

For those who are ready to curl up with a book in the new year and want to know what to read next, I asked 10 independent bookstore staffers to share their top pick for a 2020 title, in any genre, they’re looking forward to selling to their customers. The results, presented in chronological order by publication date, range from memoir to a writing guide and other nonfiction to literary suspense, young adult and other genres.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books, January 7)

Alex Brubaker, Manager, Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: “Pulsating with breathtaking suspense and boundless compassion, Long Bright River is the kind of genre-defying novel that, once the final chapters close, you instantly implore people to read. Topical yet timeless, its page-turning narrative wrestles with the fissures and wreckage that addiction can inflict on a family—and a city. Liz Moore is a force, and Long Bright River should be on top of everyone's to-read list come January.”

Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun (Grove Press, January 7)

Benjamin Nockels, Co-Owner, Commonplace Books, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, “Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give by Ada Calhoun is the lone book that I gift to newly engaged and recently married couples I encounter at Commonplace. The wisdom, candor, and abundant hope of this book should be cherished and treasured; that marriage is neither a nonsensical ‘happily-ever-after’ to be dismissed as fairytale nor an antiquated institution to be ridiculed and abandoned altogether by X, Y, and Z generations is the medicine to a cynical society’s soul.

I’m fully prepared that this January 2020 release might just stand the test of time and be my next favorite book of the year thanks to passages like this: ‘Since turning forty a couple of years ago, I’ve become obsessed by women my age and their—our—struggles with money, relationships, work, and existential despair. Looking for more women to talk to for this book, I called my friend Tara, a successful reporter a few years older than me who grew up in Kansas City. Divorced about a decade ago, she has three mostly-grown children and lives on a quiet, leafy street in Washington, D.C., with her boyfriend. They recently adopted a rescue dog. ‘Hey,’ I said, happy to have caught her on a rare break from her demanding job, ‘do you know anyone having a midlife crisis I could talk to?’ The phone was silent. Finally, she said, ‘I’m trying to think of any woman I know who’s not.’” 

Timely, humane, raw, honest, and sincere. This is my kind of book, one that will land front and center of our Intentionalist (a word we made up to identify with those attempting to live more intentionally in all ways) section. We have a philosophical saying around Commonplace: We don’t read to escape life; we read to more fully and deeply engage it. This is that book. A personally universal guide.”

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum (Catapult, January 7)

Kelly Justice, Owner, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia: “It may seem like a strange choice, but I'm very excited to have this book for my customers. There aren't enough honest resources about the odd industry of books and navigating our world as a writer. And I think that people who love books are also interested in how our world works. This book is a great resource and an entertaining read. It is bold and brutal and screamingly funny! This book is also chock-full of representation of writers of all kinds and it's very well-organized.

We do a lot of programming specifically on behind-the-scenes of publishing and bookselling at Fountain. I'm delighted to be able to have this to just be able to hand to people who are interested and may not be able to come to all of our programs!”

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston (Amistad, January 14)

Danielle Mullen, Owner, Semicolon Bookstore in Chicago: “I love Zora Neale Hurston's writing, so I’m elated that these stories have been compiled so effectively. Readers will enjoy the chance to dive into Zora’s mind and experience her outstanding writing and character development once again, and based on the pre-read, it’s definitely worth the ride!”

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (Flatiron Books, January 21)

Tim Smith, Operations Manager, Schuler Books in Grand Rapids and Okemos, Michigan, and Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan: “Everyone will be talking about this book in 2020. This book is the story of Lydia Quixano Pérez. It starts in Acapulco where she runs a bookstore. The book begins with a family gathering where most of her family, including her journalist husband, are murdered by the dominant cartel. The rest of the book chronicles Lydia’s journey to escape the cartel with her young son Luca. They head for Denver, as they are simultaneously pained by their grief and hopeful for a new life absent of the fear of the cartels. This book is a rare mix of exploration of current issues surrounding immigration while also being a beautiful novel about the connections between people in extraordinary circumstances. This book has stayed with me far past the reading of it. My thoughts often turn to Lydia’s experiences as a parent, and a bookseller. This is an important book, and one you won't want to miss.”

My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland (Tin House Books, February 4)

Michelle Malonzo, Buyer, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, Arizona: “My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland is a tour de force. It's a genre-defying combination of autobiography, memoir and criticism that is positively breathtaking. As Shapland unearths Carson’s many love letters to women she begins to investigate the language Carson uses to describe herself versus the language and story others have used to portray her, and in the process Shapland is able to come to terms with her own queerness and becoming that is tender, moving and poignant. Shapland’s writing is lyrical and exquisite and reminds me of Ocean Vuong and Saeed Jones. I reread it immediately upon finishing it. No one has ever really written about this part of Carson McCullers life. And what Shapland does is serve as witness to the queer loves stories of women that many tried to bury or abandon and celebrates those stories. More than anything, this is a book about love.”

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (Crown, February 25)

Jeff Kinney, Owner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts, and author of Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book #14): “Our readers love a well-researched historical book, and nobody does it better than Erik Larson, the author of The Devil in the White City. In his newest epic, The Splendid and the Vile, Larson takes us to London during the Blitz.”

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit, March 24)

Karen Finlay, Owner (with Jon Burchard), Alibi Bookshop in Vallejo, California: “Science Fiction/Fantasy is one of the most popular sections in our store, and Hugo Award Winner N. K. Jemisin is one of the most popular authors. If we sell the first in her ‘Broken Earth’ trilogy, a few days later they’re back for the rest. We think her fans old and new are eagerly anticipating the first in her new series.”

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas (Custom House, May 12)

Angela Maria Spring, Owner, Duende District Bookstore, Washington, DC: “Duende District’s staff and customers have always been very passionate about supporting powerful debut books by women of color authors, especially stories that aren’t told specifically through the lens of our oppression, and deliver strong writing and innovative plays on literary tropes. With that in mind, we are very excited about Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. Set at an uber-exclusive private college, the desultory young heroine has a mystery past of her own, and is joined by a cast of strange students and administrators, within the sprawling, elegant decay of the mansion that houses the school and its haunting secrets, Thomas’s debut novel is a dark, delicious gothic read that hits all the right spots in the best way. If you want a book you can’t put down for even a second, this is it.”

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (Tor Teen, June 2)

Kalima DeSuze, Owner, Cafe con Libros in Brooklyn, New York: “Many in my circle are ignorant to the history of Black people and Portland. It was written in the state’s laws that Black people could not settle nor remain there after emancipation. This book, situated in Portland, brings this unknown history front and center as it discusses race, racism, representation and identity. The creativity and ingenuity of YA is that the genre is designed to take complicated and robust social/political issues and make them palatable to their chosen audience, which is always a good thing for adults like me who want both substance and escape all at once. In addition to the storyline being critical and fun, the book cover is drop dead gorgeous. It features two beautiful women of color who are in harmony versus the trope of competition. All things about this book are transgressive and feminist, which as the only feminist bookstore in Brooklyn, our community will love!”