And, finally. What we’ve all been waiting for: the best books I read in 2021! I’m so proud of myself for reading so much this year. I read over 60 books! It was so hard to narrow down this list to the best of the best. My criteria was this: if I would read it again, or recommend it to someone else no matter what their taste in books is, it earns a spot on this list. I’m confident that almost anyone could enjoy these (listed in the order that I read them):
In The Dream House
I whizzed through this book in about a day. It’s themes are heavy (CW for sexual assault and domestic violence), but the chapters are succinct and beautifully written. If you are queer, or even if you’re not, it’s a must-read.Pizza Girl
For some reason, I can’t get this book out of my head. I didn’t rate it very highly when I first read it, but it still stands out to me. It’s a short read involving teen pregnancy and a classic pizza shop with a very mysterious customer. The ending is what really sold me (it’s wild).Before The Coffee Gets Cold
This book gets the award for most-recommended. I cannot count how many people I’ve told to read this book! This fantasy novel set in a Japan coffee shop strikes a beautiful balance between heartwarming and deeply serious and is the most universally recommendable on this list.Last Night at the Telegraph Club
I read a few YA novels in 2021, and this is by far my favorite. The setting (the underground drag bars of 1940s San Francisco), characters (queer teens figuring out their identities), and ending (bittersweet) were all perfect. If you are looking for a book to get you back into reading after a long hiatus, this is the one.Broken Horses
As far as celebrity memoirs go, this one is the cream of the crop. And I’m not biased because I’m a huge Brandi Carlile fan! I think that even if I truly had no idea who she was, I still would have enjoyed the book. I read this multiple times this year, which is incredibly rare for me. It’s a jubilant portrait of an artist who has overcome adversity to let her talents shine.The Book of Difficult Fruit
We all know I absolutely love a collection of essays, and this was no exception. This book walked the fine line of informative and educational while still being deeply personal. Each chapter about a different rare fruit, the author compares the properties of each fruit to chapters of her own life.Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl
I have a very important announcement to make. My favorite book of all time used to be How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee, and while I still love that book, my new favorite is now Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein. The first time I read this book was back in 2019, and I’ve now read it multiple times since. Nothing makes me feel quite like this book, it’s almost as if Brownstein is shining a light straight into my soul.Detransition, Baby
This is probably the most popular book of 2021 that made it onto this list. Everyone is talking about it, and for good reason. Reading this book was like watching a TV show with all the dramatic twists and turns that keep you hooked until the end. This book was hilarious, gut-wrenching, sorrowful, invigorating, and energetic all at once.Fun Home
I’m a bit late to the game with Alison Bechdel, but I’m glad that I’ve finally arrived. This book made it onto the list because I, too, was a graphic novel naysayer until I read Fun Home. The story is only made more interesting by the delightful drawings.When Brooklyn Was Queer
I soaked this up like a sponge. I had tears in my eyes as the author described important events in queer history that happened decades ago in the very neighborhoods I’ve lived in and frequented. I’m not a history person whatsoever, and history is one of my least favorite genres, but this book changed the game and was written in a very compelling way. If you live in Brooklyn, this is a must-read.Eileen
This came out a while ago and already had it’s heyday, but I’m here to bring it back to your attention. Hello! Read Eileen! The fact that I hate true crime podcasts and thrillers is a huge testament to how incredible this book is. The ending of this book is 100% worth slogging the first few chapters.Outlawed
I unfairly judged this book by it’s cover. Thinking that it would be a relic of today’s cowboy pop culture moment, I only read it because it was available to download on my library app and I had nothing else to read. I was surprised at how complex and layered the story was, which makes it appealing to different crowds. Outlawed falls somewhere between Holes and Handmaids Tale, and if that’s not intriguing to you, I don’t know what is.Girls to the Front
It’s my goal to make sure everyone in my life knows about zine culture, the women’s punk underground, and the Pacific Northwest’s impact on music in the 90s. Although this book covers a very niche topic, I think the themes of girlhood, musical expression, and activism are relatable to much more than just a punk fan or zine reader (although in my opinion, everyone should read zines).
What was your favorite book of the year?