Top Ten Tuesday: The Best Books I Read in 2021
I read some really great books in 2021.
These are my favorites in no particular order after the first two, which tied for my favorites of the year. Click on the hyperlinked titles if you'd like to read my reviews to learn more.
Imagine Shakespeare's world and his family life back in the time of another pandemic: the Bubonic Plague. I think O'Farrell got it right and I didn't want this book to end. I wanted to stay in the world she created forever. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2020)
Green wrote 40 essays about living in the 'age of man'. The seemingly disjointed topics are all drawn together by Green, a master story-teller and writer. My family members all included the title of one 'favorite' book we read in 2021 in our Christmas letter. My husband, two daughters, and myself all wanted to list this book as our favorite but we decided to spread the wealth around, so three of us had to pick our second favorite to avoid being redundant and boring. (Dutton, 2021)
The author of The Martian hit another home-run with this book set in space around the theme of climate change and technology. This book generated more conversations with others in 2021 than any other book. (Ballantine Books, 2021)
A graphic biography, this book not only highlighted the history of basketball and also the author's experiences with members of the basketball team at the school where he teaches. My review of this title generated more traffic than any other blog review in 2021. (First Second, 2020)
I read a lot of poetry in 2021. This was my favorite of the lot. Clearly Atwood is a talented author, not just a great sci-fi writer. (Ecco, 2020)
5. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
A favorite book club selection. The author attempted to write an American story, combining Odyssey and Huck Finn. It worked on so many levels. (Atria Books, 2019)
Almost all of these short stories made me laugh but they also caused me to stop and think. (Ecco, 2021)
The National Book Award winner for 2021, this book deserves the title. My biggest take away: why do we expect Blacks who gain some degree of fame to all be spokesmen for the Black condition? There is a lot to digest in this funny, odd, surrealist book. (Dutton, 2021)
A book dedicated to books and those individuals who, through their efforts, have saved many of them oblivion. The story of one particular book is told through five people and four time periods. Amazing! (Scribner, 2021)
Count me as the newest O'Farrell fan as two of her books are on my top ten favorites list of the year. This book is a memoir of her life, told through events where she very nearly lost her life. (Knopf Publishing Group, 2017)
This is the book I wish everyone would read in 2022 if they didn't read it in 2021. Kiely points out how we need to talk to each other and our children about what is happening in our country because of our white privilege. It was very helpful to my understanding on the topic. (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2021)
(Five fiction novels, one essay collection, one poetry book, one short story collection, one graphic biography, one memoir, and one nonfiction title...not bad for mixing up my reading and my favorites in one year!)
What is one of our favorite books read in 2021? Please let me know your answers in the comments below.
-Anne
