Welcome to a special Best of 2020 edition of Full Shelf!
This week, I am going to attempt to round-up all of the 2020 best of business books lists and put them in one place.
I am also going to post my meta-analysis of the big lists and what those lists collectively say about the books you should be reading as we reach year’s end.
- getAbstract’s International Book Awards 2020 (getAbstract) – The Switzerland-based summary service names their favorites in October, normally to match the annual activities at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Their winners included Good Economics For Hard Times, Think Outside the Building, and Subtle Acts of Exclusion.
- Your Complete Guide to the 10 Best New Business Books of 2020 (Inc. Magazine) – I always love editor-at-large Leigh Buchanan‘s list and commentary. After reading her list, I decided I needed to go back and check out Always Day One and Experimentation Works.
- Our books of the year (The Economist) – The magazine’s book coverage covers a wide range of categories. Their six business book selections for the best of 2020 hit on technology (No Rules Rules and No Filter), economics (The Price of Peace and Fully Grown), and globalism (The Myth of Chinese Capitalism and Open).
- The 2020 Porchlight Business Book Awards Longlist (Porchlight Books) – Porchlight Books’ awards program started back in 2007. Today, they recognize 40 books across eight categories, with a noted emphasis on inclusion. They announce the category winner later this month and their Business Book of the Year in January.
- Best Business Books 2020: Story time (Strategy+Business) – S+B gathers editors each year to cover seven genres of business books. This approach provides a unique context for both the books and how they fit into the year. Their Top Shelf included Think Outside the Building, Humanocracy, Revolver, Tiny Habits, The Price of Peace, Experimentation Works, and Restoring the Soul of Business.
- Longlist for the 2020 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award Announced (BookPal) – Book retailer BookPal announced their fifteen category longlist in November. Each category has five selections with a broader coverage of topics ranging from Big Ideas to Women in Business. They announced their shortlist for the OWLs last week.
- Best business and leadership books of 2020 (Amazon.com) – The editors at Amazon chose 20 books for their 2020 lists. Their list is always solid with good how-to books and narrative non-fiction titles. Adam Davidson’s The Passion Economy and Designing Your Work Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans are both in my next-to-read stack.
- Andrea Benoit Wins 2020 National Business Book Award (nbbaward.com) – Canada has their own national recognition for the best business book of the year. This year, Andrea Benoit won for her book VIVA MˑAˑC: AIDS, Fashion, and the Philanthropic Practices of MˑAˑC Cosmetics.
- Financial Times / McKinsey Business Book of the Year 2020 (FT.com) – In its 16th year, The Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of The Year Award always pulls together an interesting list that focuses on global topics. The winner this year was No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram by Sarah Frier. On their site, you can find the shortlist, longlist, and commentary from the judges’ panel on this year’s winner.
