In Episode 72, Catherine Gilmore (@gilmoreguide) and I share the best backlist books we read in 2020 and the high priority backlist books on our TBR lists.

This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

Announcements

• Sarah’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide
• 2021 Rock Your Reading Tracker

Highlights

• Catherine and my 2020 backlist reading stats.
• Things that motivate Catherine and I to read more backlist throughout the year.
• The pressure Catherine and I sometimes feel to read mostly new releases (which inhibits our backlist reading).

The Top 5 Backlist Books We Read in 2020 [9:55]

Sarah

• Know My Name by Chanel Miller (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [10:06]
• Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh | Buy from Amazon [13:17]
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb | Buy from Amazon [17:02]
• I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [20:19]
• American Predator by Maureen Callahan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [25:02]

Catherine

• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (My Review)| Buy from Amazon [11:23]
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy | Buy from Amazon [14:32]
• American Royals by Katharine McGee | Buy from Amazon [18:11]
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman | Buy from Amazon [22:08]
• All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg (My Review) | Buy from Amazon[26:33] 

2020 Backlist Underrated Gems [29:07]

Sarah

• The Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [29:14]
• My Times Among the Whites by Jennine Capo Crucet | Buy from Amazon [33:16]

Catherine

• The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao | Buy from Amazon [31:20]
• The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:45]

Big Name Backlist Books We Finally Read in 2020 [36:57]

Sarah

• Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:07]
• Evicted by Matthew Desmond (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [39:14]

Catherine

• Blowout by Rachel Maddow | Buy from Amazon [38:16]
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee | Buy from Amazon [40:19]

Authors Whose Backlist We’ve Been Meaning to Dig Into [41:46]

Sarah

• The Girls of Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe | Buy from Amazon [41:59]
• Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett| Buy from Amazon [44:16]

Catherine

• The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson | Buy from Amazon [43:03]
• Case Histories by Kate Atkinson| Buy from Amazon [45:54]

High Priority Backlist Books on our TBR Lists [46:58]

Sarah

• Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke | Buy from Amazon [47:01]
• Kindred by Octavia Butler | Buy from Amazon [48:01]
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro | Buy from Amazon [49:39]
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen | Buy from Amazon [51:01]
• Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow | Buy from Amazon [52:36]
• Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff | Buy from Amazon [53:03]

Catherine

• The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan | Buy from Amazon [47:32]
• Philistines at the Hedgerow by Steven Gaines | Buy from Amazon [48:32]
• The Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon | Buy from Amazon [50:15]
• The Story of the Great British Bake Off by Anita Singh | Buy from Amazon [51:58]
• Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne | Buy from Amazon [53:16]

Other Books Mentioned

• Majesty by Katharine McGee (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [19:06] 
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [22:36] 
• Mindhunter by John E. Douglas | Buy from Amazon [25:59] 
• The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule | Buy from Amazon [26:07] 
• All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg (My Review)| Buy from Amazon [26:33] 
• Writers and Lovers by Lily King (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [26:59]
• Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan | Buy from Amazon [32:15] 
• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:31]
• Long Bright River by Liz Moore (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:31]
• The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [42:09]
• Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson | Buy from Amazon [43:59]
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson | Buy from Amazon [45:55]
• Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke | Buy from Amazon [47:27]
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | Buy from Amazon [50:00]
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen | Buy from Amazon [51:22]
• She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey | Buy from Amazon [52:36]
• The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [53:03]

Other Links

• “Hijacked by Grief”, The Guardian (editorial by Lucy Grealy’s sister)

About Catherine

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Catherine started The Gilmore Guide to Books over 6 years ago after wrapping up a career as a corporate librarian. She loves books and reading (surprise!) and currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI.