My top 10 books for 2021
Thursday, December 30, 2021 at 09:39AM
There are two problems, as I see it, with these year-end compilations. The first is that they’re generally considered the province solely of professional critics. Why not complement “official” best-of lists with those of your friends? Ask them what they loved this year, or have them compile their favorite works of all time. From the introduction to the 2021 NYT Top 10 list.
I’m writing this with two days left in 2021 and about 200 pages left to read in my 75th book. If I finish, I finish; if I don’t, I don’t. It’s been a good reading year. My goal was only 48 books and I whizzed by that. I tended to spend a lot more time reading than watching anything on Netflix or Prime. Not sure if that will be a continuing trend or not.
Spurred by the comments from the NYT, I’m listing my favorite books of the year. I’ve excluded the regulars I read like Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, and Gabriel Allon. The books listed tend to be original works. I read both fiction and nonfiction, with the non-fiction being often more impactful than the fiction. I deliberately this year tried reading authors new to me (or in the case of James Lee Burke, not read for many years) since last year I re-read a lot of books.
Here we go - with a short description…
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Wolf Kill by Cary Griffith. Rewrite of the original Sam Rivers mystery set in northern MN. Read a lot of MN authors this year.
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Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. Extremely interesting and readable take on the world of superheroes and supervillains.
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A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy Burkes gritty poetic style and the ambiance of Louisiana.
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The Stoic Challenge by William B Irvine. An “advice” book that I continue to think about with strategies I actually use. Recommended by a friend.
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Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay. Set in the Manilla, a heartfelt family tale dealing with poverty and drug use.
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The River at Night by Erica Ferencik. This is a retelling of Deliverance with a female cast set in northern Maine.
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The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Great narrator on the autism scale, building personal empathy for “neurological divergence.”
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A Libertarian Walks into a Bear by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. Great, humorous commentary on anti-government communities when faced with problems that need governmental action.
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Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein. Listening to this explanation helped me understand the political division tearing the country apart.
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Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. Set on a Native American reservation, good cultural descriptions along with they mystery.
I’m not sure what my reading “theme” will be for next year, but I have 32 titles already on my want-to-read list, including some re-reads. Seems like I learn of a new title of interest every week so I doubt I’ll run low on stuff to read anytime soon.
What titles made your best of ‘21 list? Top 2 or top 200, please share!
Reader Comments (4)
Here's my top 10 for 2021 (in the order that I read them). Any or all of these are worth reading:
Nobody Hitchhikes Anymore by Ed Griffin-Nolan
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
No Exit by Taylor Adams
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Hiding Place by CJ Tudor
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J Ryan Stradal
Razorblade Tears by SA Crosby
The Plot by jean Korelitz
Raft of Stars by Andrew Graff
Taste by Stanley Tucci
Thanks, Eric. Appreciate the time you spent to make and send the list. I'll check some of these out.
I like Portis as as well. Try his Dog of the South sometime.
Doug
Loved Patron Saints of Nothing, too, Doug! Have to say I was ignorant about life in the Phillipines, and that book helped educate me. Also enjoyed The Midnight Library this past year and have binged on Matt Haig's other nonfiction books, too. Learned a lot about indigenous culture from The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. Thanks for sharing your list!
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll add them to my VERY long "to-read" list!
Hope all is well with you!
Doug