With the holidays approaching and much of the world holed up over COVID-19, there’s no time like now to curl up near a fireplace and open a book on North Korea.

DPRK watchers have had very little access to the country in 2020, with North Korea shutting out tourists and keeping its borders closed for 11 months now and counting. But the good news is that several new books came out this year, and all of them offer a fresh look at what’s going on in Pyongyang and beyond.

Here’s a shortlist of 2020 releases for those interested in North