42. Superlatives for underrated, surprising, and well-loved books we read in 2020

Instead of the "best books of the year" or our "favorite reads from 2020," we're sharing 12 bookish superlatives to highlight some underrated gems, popular favorites, academic reads, and more. Whether you love dark and moody literary fiction or genre-bending contemporary stories, we hope you find a new title to add to your TBR list today.  Follow Novel Pairings on Instagram or Twitter.  Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS to get an audiobook subscription for yourself or purchase a gift.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates on what we're currently listening to.  View all of our recs  and shop our links on the blog.  Books mentioned (affiliate links): We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry (Amazon) Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn (Amazon) Beach Read by Emily Henry (Amazon) Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony (Amazon) Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer (Amazon) You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat (Amazon) Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (Amazon) Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Amazon) Little Weirds by Jenny Slate (Amazon) One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (Amazon) Beloved by Toni Morrison (Amazon) On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Amazon) The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (Amazon) The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (Amazon) Lovely War by Julie Berry (Amazon) The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Amazon) A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier (Amazon) The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda (Amazon) Writers & Lovers by Lily King (Amazon) Sisters by Daisy Johnson (Amazon) The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (Amazon) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (Amazon) Emma by Jane Austen (Amazon)