The 30 Most Anticipated Books of 2020... So Far
The buzzed-about reads everyone will be talking about in the new year.
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What does 2020 have in store? As we look into our crystal balls, we predict that there are no guarantees. Is there anything we can count on besides cupcakes, puppies, rainbows, Twitter and Oprah? Yes, in fact: our forecast is that there will be no shortage of thrilling reads, from gritty mysteries and soul-stirring memoirs to a slew of auspicious debuts. Mildred D. Taylor and Hilary Mantel bring their respective epic series to a close. Award-winning novelist Colum McCann uses fiction to bridge chasm in the Middle East. New works from previous Oprah's Book Club picks Sue Monk Kidd and Imbolo Mbue are on the horizon, while celebrated songstress Alicia Keys will release an audacious autobiography through Oprah's new book imprint. Those and others make up our list of the best books to look forward to in 2020 so far—and that's just the first half of the year!
1. All the Days Past, All the Days to Come, by Mildred D. Taylor
Taylor is the author of the seminal, Newbery-winning classic Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry—a book many writers cite as the first time they truly saw themselves in fiction. More than 40 years lter, Taylor caps off her sweeping saga of the Logan family. Shop Now
Out January 7, 2020
2. Long Bright River, by Liz Moore
Moore's third novel is a blistering literary mystery about a female cop in Philadelphia whose opioid-addled sister has gone missing. It's as much a family drama (and tragedy) as it is a whodunnit. Shop Now
Out January 7, 2020
3. Topics of Conversation, by Miranda Popkey
Each of the chapters in this exacting, exhilarating debut novel records a deeply intimate discussion the capricious, now-38-year-old narrator has had over nearly two decades with friends, maternal figures, and later, fellow single mothers. Our guess is that this book will be the topic of many conversations in 2020. Shop Now
Out January 7, 2020
4. Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis, by Ada Calhoun
Based on the wildly popular reported piece originally published on Oprah.com, Calhoun's exploration of the socioeconomic stresses that plague Gen X women is—contrary to its title—a palliative read, if only to say, "I'm not alone!" Shop Now
Out January 7, 2020
5. American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
Buckle your seatbelts for this pulse-pounder about a Mexican woman who flees her homeland with her young son after a drug kingpin wipes out the rest of her family—including her husband, a journalist who was investigating the cartel. Harrowing and heart-rending, Cummins' debut lays bare the beating heart of the border crisis. Shop Now
Out January 21, 2020
6. A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende
Allende's The House of Spirits is an indisputable classic of magical realism. Here, she launches an epic journey into the Spanish Civil War, squared on the romance of a man and woman caught up in its wake. Shop Now
Out January 21, 2020
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