Each winter the ICPL staff vote on TOP PICKS comprising our favorite books published during the current year. Our ten categories for TOP PICKS include Fiction; Young Adult, Picture Books; Middle Grade and Children’s; Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy; Biographies and Memoirs; Nonfiction; and Graphic Novels.
Do our TOP PICKS for MYSTERY and ROMANCE match your favorite reading experiences from 2020? We want to hear about your favorites too!
Stay tuned for the BEST OF THE BEST list for the year which will be awarded from each TOP PICKS category. The title with the most staff nominations will be awarded the honor of ICPL BEST BOOK of 2020. We'll announce the BEST OF THE BEST for 2020 and our pick for BEST BOOK of 2020 on December 31.
We hope you enjoy our favorite MYSTERY & ROMANCE books of 2020 and would love to connect you with any titles that you find interesting!
Before she was Helen
Caroline B. Cooney
MYSTERY Cooney Caroline
"Clementine Lakefield leads a simple life in her retirement community in Sun City, South Carolina. But while she plays cards, substitute teaches, and has learned to text with her niece and nephew, Clemmie is not who she says she is. Behind her carefree facade, she is hiding a lifetime of secrets. When Clemmie's curmudgeonly neighbor goes missing, Clemmie suddenly finds herself at the center of a dangerous conspiracy. From international bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney comes Stealing Helen, an absorbing mystery that explores the danger of confronting your own past life"--
The searcher
Tana French
MYSTERY French Tana
"Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets"--
Beach read
Emily Henry
FICTION Henry Emily
"A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters. Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. But as the summer stretches on, January discovers a gaping plot hole in the story she's been telling herself about her own life, and begins to wonder what other things she might have gotten wrong, including her ideas about the man next door."--Provided by publisher.
Girl gone viral : a novel
Alisha Rai
FICTION Rai, Alisha
One minute, Katrina King's enjoying an innocent conversation with a hot guy at a coffee shop; the next, a stranger has live-tweeted the entire episode with a romantic meet-cute spin and #CafeBae is the new hashtag-du-jour. The problem? Katrina craves a low-profile life, and going viral threatens the peaceful world she's painstakingly built. Besides, #CafeBae isn't the man she's hungry for . . .With the internet on the hunt for #CuteCafeGirl, Jas Singh - bodyguard, friend and possessor of the most beautiful eyebrows Katrina's ever seen - comes to the rescue and whisks her away to his family's home. Alone in a remote setting with the object of her affections? It's a recipe for romance. But after a long dating dry spell, Katrina isn't sure she can trust her instincts when it comes to love - even if Jas's every look says he wants to be more than just her bodyguard . . ."--Publisher's description.
The marriage game
Sara Desai
FICTION Desai Sara
"Layla Santos is the child of first-generation immigrants from India. Her parents run a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in San Francisco and are very traditional in their ways, including a firm belief in the benefit of arranged marriages. Her father, thinking he knows best, signs Layla up for IndianGirlMatch.com and sets up a series of dates without telling her.... Sam Mehta is the self-made CEO of a corporate consultancy specializing in downsizing. Also the child of first-generation immigrants with traditional beliefs, his family treated him like a prince and saw him as a symbol of their social and economic strength. But his sister's marital experience has taught him that parents don't always know what's best for their children, and arranged marriages don't always end in a happily ever after. When life throws Layla and Sam into close quarters, Sam finds himself unexpectedly chaperoning Layla on her dates. But neither can deny the chemistry building between them, and they wonder if perhaps they should make an arrangement of their own.."--
Memorial : a novel
Bryan Washington
FICTION Washingt Bryan
"A rom-com novel about two young people at a crossroads in their relationship"--
Real men knit
K. M. Jackson
FICTION Jackson K. M.
"When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop. Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts. When Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, he and his brothers have different plans on what to do with Strong Knits, their neighborhood knitting store. Jesse wants to keep the store open. His brothers want to tie off loose ends and close shop... Part-time shop employee, Kerry Fuller has kept her crush on Jesse a secret. When she overhears his impassioned plea to his brothers to keep the knitting shop open, she volunteers to help. Unlike Jesse, Kerry knows the knitty-gritty of the business and together they make plans to reinvent Strong Knits for a new generation. But the more time they spend together, the stronger the chemistry builds between them. Kerry, knowing Jesse's history, doesn't believe their relationship can last longer than one can knit one, purl two. But Jesse is determined to prove to her that he can be the man for her forever and always-after all, real men knit."--Provided by publisher.
Take a hint, Dani Brown : a novel
Talia Hibbert
FICTION Hibbert Talia
"Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits - someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom. When big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it's an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae - and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?"--Publisher.
You had me at hola : a novel
Alexis Daria
FICTION Daria Alexis
"After a messy public breakup leaves her face splashed across the tabloids, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez returns to New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country. A casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez, who is worried about his career after his last telenovela character was killed off. A disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had, so Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. Rehearsal leads to kissing, kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. Will the media spotlight on Jasmine destroy her new image and expose Ashton's most closely guarded secret?"--Provided by publisher.
500 miles from you : a novel
Jenny Colgan
FICTION Colgan Jenny
London nurse Lissie needs a change of scene; she's suffering from PTSD after witnessing a violent crime. Cormac, a rural Scotland paramedic, trades places with her. Lissie has never experienced small-town life, and Cormac is a fish out of water in London. Through email, they discover new feelings for their jobs and each other. What will happen when they meet? -- adapted from jacket