The Best 15 Books I Read in 2021
I’m at a point where I’m so burnt out that I can’t pay enough attention to anything. Many nights, I crash on my couch and just sit there. I’ll put on Netflix, or some streaming service, and barely watch what’s on. I just feel blank.
The only activity that’s helped has been going for walks and listening to books. I can’t read much with my eyeballs because like I said, I don’t have the attention span. But listening while walking is calming and takes all the effort out of my eyes.
You might be feeling the same way. Maybe you’re anticipating a Christmas break full of downtime, but you don’t have the energy to do anything. Not read, not watch movies, not see friends. May I suggest an audiobook and a walk?
Here are 15 suggestions broken down into strange categories!
Best Thrillers
This is the genre that I reach for most often. However, I’m starting to get overwhelmed with options and find that there aren’t many GOOD ones. I liked these ones because they felt different and surprised me. There weren’t any unreliable female narrators or predictable tropes.
The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave. A woman’s husband goes missing and she’s left to pick up the pieces with his daughter.
The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz. A teacher at a Vermont writing workshop hears the plot of an amazing novel by one of his students. That student eventually dies having not written the novel with no next of kin. The teacher steals the plot, publishes the novel, and is CONSTANTLY anxious.
Goodnight Beautiful - Aimee Molloy. A newly married couple moves to the husband’s hometown Upstate New York. The husband is a therapist and rents a room for free in a beautiful Victorian house. LOTS of twists and turns!!
Northern Spy - Flynn Berry. A Northern Irish single mother works for the BBC and sees a news story about the IRA robbing a store. Except, her sister is the one robbing the store.
Best “Self-Help”
I’ve said this before, but I read a lot of self-help or personal development for work. I have a lot of favorites, but these are the top recommendations. Also, Atomic Habits always.
Playing Big - Tara Mohr. I suggest this for any woman who wants to be CEO, doesn’t want to be CEO, wants to be a #girlboss, or wants to be a #couchgirl. She helps you find purpose based on your values, wants, and needs and helps you discover what “playing big” means to you.
Good Morning Monster - Catherine Gildiner. This almost reads as a thriller. It’s written by a psychiatrist in Canada and walks through the stories of a few of her patients. They’re truly horrific stories. The good news is that we get to follow their journey through therapy and see them overcome their past. It’s both heavy and light-hearted at the same time.
Best Works of Fiction
The Midnight Library - Matt Heig. It’s A Wonderful Life meets Sliding Doors, but good?
The Lincoln Highway - Amor Towles. I don’t know what it is about Amor Towles, but I love every single one of his books. A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my favorites of all time. Barely anything happens in these books, but they’re written so well and are entertaining with fantastic characters.
Best Short Stories
Five Tuesdays in Winter - Lily King. I generally prefer reading fiction through novels rather than short stories, but she is a great writer and the stories are AMAZING. I’m still thinking about them!
Best Hilarious Non-Fiction
You Won’t Believe What Happened to Lacey - Amber Ruffin. Amber Ruffin and her sister share all the hilariously horrible stories of racism her sister, Lacey, has dealt with! It’s terrible!!! As the title suggests, you won’t believe it.
The Wreckage of My Presence - Casey Wilson. I was a huge fan of Happy Endings and always enjoyed Casey Wilson. Still, I wasn’t expecting this to be SO GOOD. She is funny, charming, and vulnerable. It’s sad and sweet.
Best World War II Historical Fiction
Another genre I reach for a lot!!
Dear Mrs. Bird - AJ Pearce. A woman gets a job at a women’s magazine and is responsible for responding to letters written for the advice column, Dear Mrs. Bird. However, Mrs. Bird is old-school and mean, so the woman starts sneaking in some responses of her own under Mrs. Bird’s name. Also, it’s World War II in London so World War II stuff happens.
Most Fucked Up Non-Fiction
If You Tell - Gregg Olsen. I listen to A LOT of true crime, and this is one of the VERY WORST things I’ve ever read. It kept me engaged, but it scared me. I had to alternate between this and another light-hearted book so I didn’t lose my mind. It’s basically about a house of horrors with an abusive mother. Ugh, so terrible.
Best Jane Austen Novel
Pride and Prejudice. I had never read this before and I just loved it. I’d seen the adaptation from the ’90s (with Colin Firth, of course) but never actually read it. I really enjoy Jane Austen’s writing and I think this is her at her best. Although, Emma holds a special place in my heart too.
Best Genre I Don’t Know How To Describe (Fantasy? Sci-Fi? Young Adult?)
House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune. Wow, this book was delightfully weird. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook to get a sense of the characters. It’s about a caseworker who goes to different orphanages with magical youth and monitors them to see if they should stay open or not. Then he gets sent on a secret mission by Extremely Upper Management to an orphanage in a seaside town that houses “monstrous” magical beings. They are HILARIOUS and cute and I want to meet them all.