My Favorite Fiction Reads of 2021
/Looking over last year’s “Favorite Books” post reminded me of how “sludgy” my brain felt in 2020. I could barely read, it seemed some days.
And I didn’t choose great books. In fact, I remember having a hard time even choosing books to put on my favorites list.
Here’s what I wrote last year: “Although I read some very good books, I felt like I didn’t find anything that moved my soul.”
This year, I am happy to report, was a much better reading year. In fact, I’d say I read more than a couple “soul moving” books this year—I’ll be sure to note them when I get to them.
Despite 2021 being a better-in-quality reading year than 2020, I didn’t reach my reading goal. I increased my Goodreads Challenge from 55 books in 2020 to 60 this year, but I just didn’t quite get there.
I read 55 books this year, which is fewer books than I’ve read since 2018, but I’m not mad about it. This was a challenging year for me, personally, and it was sometimes difficult to even concentrate to read, so I’d say 55 was a good number for me.
I think I’ll set the same goal for next year: 60 books. Let’s see how things shake out, shall we?
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So here we go. I’m going to separate my books into two posts: fiction and non-fiction. Today is fiction day. The next post will highlight my non-fiction favorites.
*Note, I’m using a few affiliate links here. I might be able to buy a book with my earnings. Maybe.*
Fiction Favorites 2021
Anxious People by Frederik Backman
I think this was the first book I read in 2021, so it’s hard to even remember what the book was about, but I do remember how it made me feel. I laughed and I cried. I related and I cringed. This is a book that is largely character-driven—I mean, how many books do you read that take place almost entirely in one apartment?—and I’m finding that these are the books I like best. I will definitely be returning to this one at some point.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This is not a new concept (Hello, “It’s a Wonderful Life”!), but Matt Haig does a great job with an age-old question: what if I had made different choices for my life? How would things have played out differently? It’s definitely not in my usual genres of realistic or historical fiction—this one is slightly in the sci fi realm, but not too far that I didn’t enjoy it. And it could be life-changing for some. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
***Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger
After being recommended to me for years, I finally tried reading William Kent Kruger, and wow, am I ever glad I did! This is one of those “soul moving” books I was talking about earlier. First of all, Kruger can write like nobody’s business. This is one beautifully written book. And second, he writes a wonderfully compelling story. This is a coming-of-age novel set in Minnesota in the 1960s. It’s part character-driven and part mystery, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. One of my favorites for the year.
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers because her characters are flawed, but oh-so-realistic. In this book, she writes about a family trying to figure out why the father has suddenly disappeared. The mother calls her children together to solve this family mystery, and, you guessed it, secrets come to light and resentments unfold. I’ve read three books by this author now, and have yet to be disappointed by her writing.
***The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
I’m starring this one because it was one of my favorites. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted, yet profound, mystery, this is your book. This book is funny (written by a well-known British comedian who I had never heard of), smart, and fun. I loved it so much that I’ve recommended it to more people than any other book this year. It’s about four friends who live in a retirement community in England who, of course, solve murders. But it’s more than that. It’s about aging and love and loss and loneliness and friendship. Please, please, please give this one a try.
***The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
Yes, this is the sequel to The Thursday Murder Club. I wasn’t going to read it so soon after reading the first one, but since I liked the first book so much, I decided to read the sequel too. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I liked this one even better than the first! The plot is a little complicated and twisty, but the main characters are still there, solving murders and getting into a little trouble themselves. Their friendships deepen, and the care they show for each other is really touching. Still as warm and witty as the first. These are books I’ll read again and again. And I hope-hope-hope they’ll be made into a movie (I’ve heard Steven Spielberg bought the rights).
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
I had always heard that this first book by the author of A Gentleman in Moscow was his best, so this year I decided to check it out. I still like AGIM better, but this was very, very good. It reminded me of The Great Gatsby with a female heroine. If you’re looking for a well-written saga about a by-gone era—New York in the late 1930s—this book might just be for you. I loved it.
***The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
I still want to know how she knew. Seriously. How did she know how people would react in a pandemic? Brooks wrote this book in 2002—almost 20 years before the pandemic that changed our lives broke out. And yet, reading this book about a pandemic in the 1600s in the middle of a modern-day pandemic was mind-boggling. Brooks must have done a ton of research to write this, but she must also have had incredible insight into the human condition because she got it sooooo right. This book is based on a real event in a real town in England in 1666, when the plague broke out and the town decides to quarantine itself. Nobody out. Nobody in. For a full year. How will the townspeople live? How will their community survive? If you like historical fiction as much as I do, this might be a good one for you. And if you figure out how Geraldine Brooks knew how people would respond to a pandemic, please let me know.
The Paris Hours by Alex George
Another great historical fiction read—this time the setting is 1927 Paris. The heavy-hitters are there—Marcel Proust and Gertrude Stein—but they take a secondary role to the real main characters, the everyday Parisians who serve them. This book takes place over 24 hours, and it’s one of those stories that makes you wonder where it’s going and how on earth it will all come together. But it does and it works. And it’s really well done. I liked this one a lot.
So there you have it. In no particular order, these are my favorite fiction reads of 2021. Now I’d like to hear from you. What were YOUR favorite books of 2021?? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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