2020 was the year of quarantine, which meant one thing: tons of Reading! That said, I wanted to continue my annual tradition of listing my top 5 books of the year. These will include Literature, Short Stories, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction. Also, at the end of my list I will include my honorable mentions from the genres above…
1: “Stoner” – John Williams (Fiction)
Sub-Genres: Psychological Fiction, Realism
At Number One: John Williams’ Novel Stoner… Perhaps the most underappreciated author and/or book in all of American Literature. This book is as sound as it gets when considering craft and structure. Arguably a very anti-climactic, melancholic, and bland plot that makes you reconsider every word and sentence when you finally close it at its end. A story of William Stoner, a professor of English at a Missouri College, who attempts to distance himself from his poorer upbringing. He looks to become a scholar and educator at the highest level. After several professional and emotional failures he comes to realize that he is destined to remain stagnant, held beneath the drowning surface of solitude and loneliness, perhaps a result of an unpredictable fate or his own foolish decision-making. One of the closest representations of human emotion ever captured in prose during my 24 years of reading. This story is about a man’s life and his downfall into seclusion.
2: “The Crossing” – Cormac McCarthy (Fiction)
Sub-Genres: Transcendental, Western Fiction, Historical Fiction, Bilingual, Nihilistic
Cormac McCarthy once again finds himself at Number Two on my top books of the year (last year’s was “Blood Meridian”) This classic from McCarthy is as much engaging as it is abominable. The Picaresque structure of his novels are unforgettable, and The Crossing is one of the best. It follows a young boy by the name of Billy Parham who sets out to capture a wolf that has been terrorizing his farm in southern New Mexico and its livestock. When the Young boy finally catches her, he decides to bring her back to the mountain range in Mexico where he believes she is from. What follows is one of the bleakest and most heart wrenching coming-of-age stories McCarthy has written. Billy and his brother Boyd take three trips to Mexico, each as dark as the last. It is on these wandering journeys where Billy learns of love, loss, and the cruelties of Human Nature. Note, the dialogue in this book is nearly half untranslated Spanish.
3: “When Nietzsche Wept” – Irvin Yalom (Fiction)
Sub-Genres: Biographical Fiction, Teaching Novel, Historical Fiction
This is a very interesting book. I chose to place Yalom’s novel on my list for two reasons. (1) It is a fascinating Biographical fiction that has to do with the wonderous philosophies and scientific advancements of the late 19th century, specifically the furthering of Psychology and how we may define the subject today. (2) The novel takes place at the same time frame as my own Novel in Progress. My novel also has to do with the limitations of science and medicine in the late 19th century, so it was interesting to hear more about the research that Yalom conducted when approaching this book. This book follows the relationship of Friedrich Nietzsche and Doctor Josef Breuer as the latter attempts to solve Nietzsche’s hysteria and depression through new, yet unpublished tactics. Little does Breuer know, these techniques (with the help of his friend and colleague Sigmund Freud) would revolutionize behavioral science and help create psychoanalysis as we know it today. A wonderful read!
4: “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” – Gabriel García Márquez (Fiction – Novella)
Sub-Genres: Mystery, Pseudo Journalism, Novella
This novel was offered to me at my Master’s Residency this last August. I had only read a small amount of García Márquez, so I decided to join the class, not knowing it would totally blow me away! Here is a short summary from the Review I did on this book. You can find that review by clicking HERE! García Márquez tells a first person account of a murder that has taken place in the small coastal town in Colombia where the narrator grew up. Instead of present tense, it is told from the narrator’s perspective during an investigative return to the town a quarter century later. In an attempt to understand the reasoning behind the murder of Santiago Nasar, a man who was a well-known local, the unnamed narrator turns to the townspeople; who still harbor secrets, guilt, and unrest from nearly 27 years before.
5: “Upstream” – Mary Oliver (Nonfiction)
Sub-Genres: Essays, Naturalism, On Writing
Rounding out the Top 5 Books of 2020 is Upstream by the lovely Mary Oliver. This is a phenomenal read. The late Oliver explores the Art of Observation and asks us all to be mindful of the Nature that surrounds us everyday. I also reviewed this book HERE! The acclaimed poet covers a variety of topics in this collection including what it means to be a creative, how to observe the natural world, and how to take advantage of the “creative and whimsical urges that live within us.” She discusses her influences and praises some of the greats; including Wordsworth, Emerson, Poe, Whitman, and Frost. On the topic of these great writers she discusses the significance of Transcendentalism and Romanticism in poetry and literature while providing generous examples of her own artistic labors. More important than anything else, this book is a call to action. A text that provides its reader with an intriguing consideration: How far have you distanced yourself from Nature?
Below are some Honorable Mentions by Genre
My number one honorable mention is “Butcher’s Crossing” by John Williams (Fiction) I felt that placing it on the top 5 with another one of his novels would be overdoing it, but I truly cannot suggest his writing more. This book is one the most beautiful and accurate historical accounts of the American West. Check it out! Sub-Genres: Transcendental, Western Fiction, Historical Fiction
Poetry:
- “The Galleons” – Rick Barot
- “Poems 1962-2012” – Louise Glück
Fiction:
- “Nothing but the Night” – John Williams
- “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” – Milan Kundera
- “The Dharma Bums” Jack Kerouac
- “Ceremony” – Leslie Marmon Silko
- “The Pure and the Impure” – Colette
- “Outer Dark” – Cormac McCarthy
Nonfiction:
- “The Peregrine” – J. A. Baker
- “The Anatomy of Evil” – Michael H. Stone
Collection (Short Stories):
- “Close Range” – Annie Proulx
- “Friend of my Youth” – Alice Munro
- “A Collapse of Horses” – Brian Evenson
- “The Knife Thrower” – Steven Millhauser
Classics:
- “The Turn of the Screw” – Henry James
- “The Portrait of a Lady” – Henry James
- “The Great Gatsby” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
I hope that you enjoyed my attempt at narrowing down the best of the best! Let me know what books you liked reading this year by leaving me a comment on this post or sending me a message on Instagram. I am constantly looking for my next book and suggestions are always welcome.
–OHW–
OSCAR H. WHITE 
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