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2020 has been a challenging year in many ways BUT, we have all enjoyed some terrific books. What were your favourites this year? how about top 5 Canadian fiction/non-fiction and top 5 books from other countries?

I am omitting my 5-star reread of Ondaatje to give the other books a fair chance (LOL), but aside from that these were my favourite Canadian reads this year:

Frying Plantain - I zoomed through this one and absolutely loved that it immersed me in a Toronto community I was mostly unfamiliar with.
The Glass Hotel - This was the first book that really swept me up after the pandemic began, when my attention span was shot. It was an exhilarating read.
No Great Mischief - This was a slow burn but it came together so masterfully. I want to reread it at some point.
Reproduction - The reviews were mixed on this Giller winner, and I was intimidated by what I'd heard about it, so perhaps my expectations were lowered. I enjoyed every second of it and missed the characters when I was done.
Watching You Without Me - This book is that car crash you cannot look away from - I thought it was so well done. Also, my father had personal care workers for the last few years of his life and we relied on them for so much, so I could easily imagine how things could go wrong if any of those care workers had overstepped their professional boundaries.

All of these non-Canadian titles were 5-star reads for me this year:

Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation - I learned a lot from this book and, to some extent, it made me understand the 2016 U.S. election a bit better.
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations - A graphic memoir that seemed really fresh to me.
Hamnet - Beautiful and sad.
The Line That Held Us - This Southern noir was absolutely bonkers. I couldn't believe how dark and gruesome this one got, but I loved all of it.
Nora Webster - Beautiful and sad, again. Toibin is such an amazing writer.

In no particular order, my top five Canadian books were:
The Wheaton
The Inquirer
Five Wives
Son of a Trickster
Under This Unbroken Sky

My top five non-Canadian books were:
Becoming
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson
The Vanishing Half
Golden Boy

Sadly, I didn't read a lot of Canadian authors this year. Something I would like to pay more attention to in the New Year.

My top 5 Canadian reads this year are:
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination - Margaret Atwood doesn't disappoint.
When The Saints
Holy Wild -poetry that speaks to anyone who's ever felt like they don't fit in.
Worry: A Novel
The Silk Train Murder - a fun start to a series. Character driven.

Non-Canadian favorites:
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants - Lots of elements of this book: botany, myths, Life, serenity, community, responsibility, awareness, inclusion and more. This book is calming, wise, serene and interesting.
A Time for Everything
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
The Summer Guest
Fools Crow

I always love this thread as it gives me more books for my TBR pile!

I read close to the same number of fiction as non-fiction this year which is unusual but here are my favourites:

Non-Fiction That ALL Canadian's should read (IMHO):
From the Ashes - I can't stop thinking of Jesse Thistle's strength and resilience!
The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power - I read this one twice, once for myself and once for a work book club and it has changed my perspective and helped me open my eyes to the racism in Canada.
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City - this was also a second read for me, for a work book club, and I am so grateful to Tanya Talaga for sharing details of the horrible deaths, systemic racism and generational trauma. I have learned so much and think this is another book that all Canadians should read!
Forever Terry: A Legacy in Letters - This book meant a lot to me, as I walked in the 40th anniversary marathon of hope as a survivor! The legacy of Terry lives on!
Extraordinary Canadians - so inspiring to read about everyday people that do extraordinary things... would be a great book to start 2021!
Halfbreed - wow! The strength of Maria Campbell, to survive, to get clean and to share her story!

Fiction:
Greenwood - I will admit that I was skeptical of this book club choice but I LOVED it!
Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club - I may have needed to read the beginning 3x but once I knew the characters, it "did hurt a little" but was such an amazing book!
Hamnet - not Canadian but a terrific tale of Shakespeare's family, reimagined by the author based on bits of history.
The Pull of the Stars - a fabulous tale in another pandemic!
The Forgotten Daughter - another great historical fiction, set in Quebec during the referendum and dealing with the aftermath of the Duplessis orphans.

I struggled with focus this year but looking forward to turning the page to 2021!!!

I agree - great thread for adding to my tbr pile - or moving them up the list.

Top 5 Canadian:
Greenwood- 5 star
Akin - 4 star
Crow Winter - 5 star
A Fine Balance - 5 star
The Forgotten Daughter - 4 star

Top 5 non-Canadian:
The Midnight Library - 5 star
The Book of Lost Friends - 5 star
The Henna Artist - 5 star
The Things We Cannot Say - 5 star
The Stationery Shop - 4 star

Great choices everyone!

My top five reads of the year were:
The Dutch House
Daisy Jones & The Six
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Hamnet
The Historian

Top five Canadian reads:
The Pull of the Stars
Greenwood
The Jane Austen Society
The Woman in the Attic
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know

hi all - changed the title of this one to best of the year so that we can continue to add yearly, the highlights of our year of reading!

Highlights for me this year:

Non-Fiction:
A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future - remarkable author but sad to learn how much our world is changing... hopeful in that we can all make changes.
My Mother's Daughter - loved reading this book, learning about the literal and figurative hurdles Perdita Felicien faced and had an amazing time when she spoke to my work book club.
The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times - all I can say is that Jane Goodall is remarkable!!

Fiction:
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - a beautiful picture book with a gentle message... this will be a book that I gift to for new babies going forward.
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World - poignant!
The Overstory - loved this book and his latest Bewilderment which are both so thought provoking.
Medicine Walk and Starlight - loved my rereads of these two!

Authors:
Enjoyed multiple books by the late Carol Shields, Constance Beresford-Howe and Stuart McLean - such a legacy they have all left for us!

One last book was the "coffee table book" by Dan Levy Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt's Creek which was packed full of recollections, fun facts and great pictures which I enjoyed as we rewatched the series... we all need more laughter, love and kindness and this show captures all of that!

Thanks for updating this list, Susan! 2021 was really hard on my reading/focus (as was 2020, frankly) but the books that stick in my mind that I'd like to note here are:

For Today I Am a Boy (Canadian) - a heartfelt read about a transgender journey. So human. Loved it.

Nothing But the Truth (Canadian) - I reluctantly bought this, basically because I couldn't look away any longer. I was not disappointed! She brought me around to her case, which I guess is exactly what she does by profession!

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times - I'll second Susan's vote on this one. Worth your time, especially these days.

Once Upon a River - magical, outstanding storytelling. Characters still alive in my head!

Here are the books that stood out for me this year:

Non-Fiction:
Black Hole Survival Guide (audio) - this book gave me an understanding of the physics and characteristics of Black Holes. I do not do well with physics; the concepts seem to evade me. But this author, who also narrated the book, made the concepts clear and easy to follow. She's a born teacher.

A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada - while a condensed version of the full History, this gave a very good overview of the Residential School system. This is a good place to start learning.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - this told the story of humankind from the most prehistoric days possible and worked it's way to our present. It's well laid out, thought out and presented. I found it fascinating.

Fiction:
All the Devils Are Here (Canadian) - I enjoyed this continuation of Inspector Gamache's life. There's a lot of healing and family connection in this episode.

The Scarlet Pimpernel - a truly entertaining romp of a story. There is love, heroism, courage, valour and a good story to tie them all together. Just plain fun to read.

In no particular order, my top reads for 2021 were:
The Hate U Give and it's prequel Concrete Rose
Rush Home Road - Canadian
The Huntress
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
Greenwood - Canadian
News of the World
The Four Winds
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

Reposting because I just figured out how to do this with links!

TOP 5 CANADIAN (no particular order)
The Barren Grounds - The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson
Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity -Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity by Pamela Palmater
'Enough to Keep Them Alive': Indian Social Welfare in Canada, 1873-1965 - 'Enough to Keep Them Alive': Indian Social Welfare in Canada, 1873-1965 by Hugh Shewell
The Canadian Fur Trade in the Industrial Age - The Canadian Fur Trade in the Industrial Age by Arthur J. Ray
Indian Horse - Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

TOP 5 INTERNATIONAL (no particular order)
The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation by Hannah Fry
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Genes - A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Gene by Adam Rutherford
Chain of Iron - Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
To Fetch a Felon - To Fetch a Felon by Jennifer Hawkins
Fixing to Die - Fixing to Die by Miranda James

My Favourites reads in 2021 are:

Canadian
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
The Boat People by Sharon Bala

International
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I read a lot of decent books this year, but very few that I enjoyed immensely. My favourites were:

The Agony of Bun O'Keefe 🍁
Piranesi
Certain Woman of an Age (audio) 🍁
The Lincoln Highway

These were my top 5 Canadian reads in 2021:

Rebent Sinner
A Dream of a Woman
Consent
The Underwater Welder
Radiant Shimmering Light

Susan! Allison! Everyone! What eclectic and interesting lists! My TBR mountain has grown... Thanks for sharing!

what are your book highlights of 2022?

My favourite Canadian reads this year:
Emancipation Day
The Listeners
Mouth to Mouth
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory
Sea of Tranquility

Best books read in 2022 for me were:

Washington Black
Rabbit Foot Bill
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest

All Canadian! 62% of the books I read this year were by Canadian authors.

Top Reads for 2022

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Hench
You & I, Rewritten

When We Lost Our Heads

So many positive comments everywhere about O’Neill’s new book! Okay - onto the TBR mountain it goes��

In no particular order...

Canadian Fiction:
The Break
The Strangers
The Lightkeeper's Daughters
Looking for Jane
Under the Maidenhair

International Fiction
The Rose Code
Hamnet and Judith
The Paris Library
The Women of Chateau Lafayette

Non-Fiction
Lookout: Love, Solitude, and Searching for Wildfire in the Boreal Forest - Canadian
Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II

Fiction:
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (re-read)
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMutry
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Nonfiction:
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley 🍁

It is always great to reflect on my year of reading.

My highlights in fiction were:
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies
Greenwood - a reread for Canada Reads but one of my favourite books ever!!
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands - I am not a huge graphic novel fan but read this for Canada Reads and it has stuck with me
The Marriage Portrait - loved this book!
All the Colour in the World - from the Giller short-list and a unique writing style which suited my lack of focus and reminded me of art history that I haver been discussing with my daughter relating to her classes.

My highlights in non-fiction were:
Locavore: From Farmers' Fields to Rooftop Gardens - How Canadians Are Changing the Way We Eat - an older book which makes me reflect on and strive to eat more local food.
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less - a great read which made me rethink how I communicate
Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things - best PD book of my year!!
Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey From My Doorstep to the Arctic - was happy to meet this author and am still marvelling at his journey from long-point to the arctic.
The Joy of Appreciative Living: Your 28-Day Plan to Greater Happiness in 3 Incredibly Easy Steps - I studied appreciative inquiry for my research project in uni so enjoyed this application to daily life.

As per the last 4 or 5 years (since I got my current job, really) I have read far less than I wished. However, I did read some really notable books this year:

Like Susan, Greenwood was a highlight for me! I loved it.

I also really enjoyed FINALLY reading The Scarlett Letter. So much packed into a pretty short book. Hasn't lost an ounce of meaning since it was published over a century ago.

Bright Burning Things was a stream-of-consciousness read, which is a style I really love, but it's not everyone's cup of tea, I get that. This book sucked me right in.

While very lengthy, I really loved Fayne in 2023. The writing and imagination was incredible - so vivid and real. Months later I'm still thinking about the story and I can't look at a swamp without being transported back!

We Spread is a local-to-me author, and it was another quietly unsettling book by him. I work in healthcare, and I also have a family member beginning her journey with dementia, and so this book struck me hard.

The best non-fiction I read is one that also strikes me often in my days... Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know really has changed the way I think about people and my interactions. I think if everyone read this, our daily interactions would be very different, and possibly easier.

I love reading all your highlights! My TBR keeps growing. I have had The Marriage Portrait on my shelf for too long, needs to get a bump.
My favs of 2023are :
Fayne
Learned by Heart
I Only Read Murder
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Yellowface
Looking forward to al my new discoveries in 2024. Happy Reading Everyone.

There are definitely some books listed above that I need to get to!

My top 5 Canadian reads in 2023:
This Is How We Love
Mazebook
Study for Obedience
Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club
Adult Onset

My non-Canadian 5-star reads in 2023:
Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir
A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom
Know My Name

Well. My 2023 Best are:

CanLit:
Sheila Heti: Pure Color.

All time fav:
Alice in the Wonderland
Through the looking glass
Winnie the Pooh
😳

My favourite reads of the year:

Fiction:
I Capture the Castle
The Grapes of Wrath (re-read)
Romantic Comedy
Hello Beautiful
The Thursday Murder Club

Non-fiction:
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution
How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times 🍁
The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood

Canadian:
How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times 🍁
The Adversary: A Novel 🍁
A Fine Balance 🍁
The Book of Form and Emptiness 🍁
When We Were Vikings 🍁

My top reads for 2023:

Fiction
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett
Horse
Lessons in Chemistry
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Moon of the Turning Leaves - Canadian

Non-fiction
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Escape To Honour : the gripping true story of Hans Nütt, a young German who escaped from the Nazis to join the French Resistance and work as a British spy - Canadian

With 11.5 hours left until the new year, I just finished another book that MUST be added to the "best of" list!

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama blew my mind and will become a long-time favourite of mine. I LOVED IT. If you haven't read it already, I bet you'll love it, no matter who you are, where you work or what your family situation is!

By the way... have you ever looked at the Books Mentioned In This Topic section on the right hand side? What a very cool collection of "best of" recommended books from this group of people!

Good morning everyone... it is that time of the year to reflect on a whole year of books... what are your favourites? What would you recommend the rest of us to pick up? Any surprises?

Time to share my faves! I love this thread annually.... :)

I read 22 books this year, which was slightly lower than my goal. I miss the days where I read one a week, but over the past 5 or 6 years I've been in a much more demanding job, and so I just don't have the time (and possibly mental space). Nevertheless, here were my faves of the year!

... and! I'm half way through an experiment... in 2024 I read only female authors (including trans) and in 2025 I'm intending to ready only male authors (including trans). I'm curious to know if I will ultimately FEEL different at the end of each year.

Only 20% of my books this year were Canadian. Other countries were USA, England and Ireland.

68% of my reads were fiction in 2024.


Top Fiction:

Both Madeline Miller's books were all-absorbing and wonderful: Circe and The Song of Achilles

The very old The Enchanted April was innocently awesome, silly and soul-fulfilling.

Tom Lake in audio by Meryl Streep was really, really great.

Old Babes in the Wood: Stories had some parts that were full-on Margaret Atwood soul-filling. Other bits weren't my cup of tea, but overall, I did like this collection of short stories from the Universal Queen of All Authors.


Top Non-Fiction:

I loved Untamed

I found Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted an inspiration

My top 5 Canadian books read in 2024:
The Waiting Hours by Shandi Mitchell
Chrysalis by Anuja Varghese
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
Bow Grip by Ivan Coyote

My top 5 non-Canadian books read in 2024:
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Foster by Claire Keegan
24 Hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy by Nora Neus
On Grief: Love, Loss, Memory by Jennifer Senior
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

I reread A LOT of books this year so I don't have as much new material to pick from as usual. I also didn't prioritize any specific content, Canadian or otherwise.

My top 8 new books this year were:
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Grieving Room: Making Space for All the Hard Things after Death and Loss by Leanne Friesen 🍁
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant 🍁
The Binding by Bridget Collins
The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein 🍁
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton

These are in no particular order. I am so happy to have some Canadian titles on the list!

@AllisonP - I love your challenge... not sure that I could stick to that as I tend to see new things and be so keen to pick them up.

@Susan and Allison Hikes - I see you both had Doppleganger in your lists!

My top 5 fiction:
The Covenant of Water - like Allison Hikes, I love this one as well as his earlier Cutting for Stone
The Rose Code - loved learning about the codebreakers at Bletchley park and as an added bonus go to meet this author this fall!
The Women - as a nurse, the experience was horrifying but shed light on how women can be invisible despite bravery and doing amazing things
A Gentleman in Moscow - so beautifully crafted
By Any Other Name

Non-Fiction
Hope by Terry Fox - should come with tissues but so inspiring and yet sad
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - a beautiful, quick read
The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story of Two Elite Agents Who Became One of the Most Decorated Couples of WWII - amazing bravery by a man and a woman supporting the French resistance... and how her story was almost lost
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
Her Name Was Margaret: Life and Death on the Streets - not the best writing but a shocking story of the failure of the mental health system in Ontario

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World was one of my five star books as well, and the only Canadian one. I'd also add The Poet X, In the Lives of Puppets, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and The Word for World Is Forest to that.

Looking back over my list, I did not read a lot of Canadian content, though I did discover Lily Chu who writes really fun rom-coms set in Toronto, so I assume she is Canadian although her ŷ������ bio doesn't say.

I haven't been very active in this group this year, but I always enjoy this thread. I made it a goal to read fewer American books this year, but that didn't translate into reading more Canadian books. I ended up reading more European books instead.

My top fiction reads were:
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv
Tom Lake
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Little Wartime Library
real ones - Canadian

My top non-fiction reads were:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Three Against the Wilderness - Canadian
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

I loved The Immortal Life of HL and think that ALL health care professionals should have to read this one!!

I loved that book, too, Susan and Gail! It was a bookclub read, and afterwards we watched the movie.

That's an awesome way to share the story with your book club @Kathleen!!

this thread has inspired me to download Doppelgänger from the libby site!

I LOVED The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks which I read years ago and still feel like it is active in my heart and soul and mind! That one really hit home for me.

And like you, Susan, I feel like Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World needs to be put up the list! Lots of great recommendations from people I trust (which is basically everyone in this group) :)