Books, Books, Books! Shelves Overflowing in 2021. . .
Here it is, my 2021 Reading List. I started to go back and put an asterisk next to books that stood out for me, but there were too many disparate reasons for books to stand out, in different categories, and I decided I’d just let it stand, as is. The only highlight I’ve added is to use green lettering for titles of the books I read in French or Italian.
If you want to know more about any of the books, clicking on the link for the month will take you back to the post in which I shared my Reading Journal entry. And some of the links (for the first few months of the year) will take you to a post from my now-defunct separate Reading Blog (now transferred and integrated with this one). A few links will even take you to the duplicate post I tried for a month or two on the main blog before I folded the two together. From summer onward, I’d done that and have been finding it so much easier to have all my posting in one place. I’ve tinkered a bit with format since then (instead of just posting photos of my hand-written Reading journal entries, I’ve been transcribing those entries) . . . and I’m quite content with what I’m doing now.
I’m also very content to see more commenters joining the book chat here — if you haven’t already, you might want to visit some of the conversations that follow each post, replete with richly varied suggestions for your Want to Read list.
1. At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond Essay collection; women’s lives; swimming
2. Virginie Grimaldi, Quand nos souvenirs viendront danser French, contemporary fiction, aging, married life, parent-child relationship, mother-daughter
3. Anthony Horowitz, The Word is Murder Mystery, Meta-fiction, Writing/Publishing, London
4. Ian Rankin, A Song for the Dark Times Mystery, police procedural, Aging detective, Scotland
5. Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain literary fiction, poverty, addiction, coming-of-age, Scotland, Glasgow, mother-child, Booker prize
6. Diane Cook, The New Wilderness, literary fiction, dystopic, mother-daughter, environmental writing, American contemporary, speculative fiction, Booker shortlist
7. Denise Mina, The Less Dead, mystery, women’s lives, poverty, prostitution, Scotland, Glasgow
8. Jane Smiley, Perestroika in Paris, contemporary fiction, fable/fairytale for adults, equestrian, Paris, talking animals 9. Elena Ferrante, The Lying Life of Adults, literary fiction, fiction in translation, Italy, Naples, coming-of-age, lives of girls and women, family, marriage
10. Clare Hunter, Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle, memoir, creative-non-fiction, cultural history, sewing, embroidery, activism
11. Cécile Coulon, Une Bête au Paradis, contemporary fiction, French contemporary fiction, en français, love and disappointment, family generations, country/farm life.
12. Christobel Kent, A Secret Life, domestic thriller, set in contemporary London and suburbs
13. Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, memoir, self-help, winter, reflection, slowing down
14. Thomas King, Indians on Vacation, literary fiction, contemporary fiction, First Nations/Native American writer, European vacation, armchair travel with a twist, aging protagonist, longterm marriage
15. Elly Griffiths, The Lantern Men, mystery, female protagonist, feminist writer, Ruth Galloway series, archaeology, academe, set in England
16. Anthony Horowitz, Moonflower Madness, mystery, meta-mystery, book-within-a-book, female protagonist, set in England
17. Siberian Haiku Jurge Vile; Illustrator, Lina Itagaki; Translator, Jura Avizienis. Graphic novel; Autofiction; historical fiction; YA/children’s literature.
18. The Alice Network, Kate Quinn. Historical fiction; Spy novel; romance; strong female protagonist; WWII
19. The Midnight Library, Matt Haig. Speculative fiction; sci-fi; philosophical fiction; depression/suicide; possibilities of life
20. The Wild Silence, Raynor Wynn. Memoir; Writing; Adventure; Outdoor Life; Illness; Spouse with Illness; Environmental Writing; Iceland; Hiking
21. White Ivy, Susie Yang, Contemporary fiction; thriller; romance; immigrant narrative; class/ethnicity/gender; American society
22. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V.E. Schwab, Fantasy; Gothic; romance; historical fiction
23. Il n’est jamais trop tard pour éclore: Carnet d’une Late Bloomer, Catherine Taret. Memoir; self-help
24. The Searcher, Tara French. Mystery/thriller; Set in rural Ireland
25. Nervous Conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga. Literary fiction; bildungsroman (coming-of-age); adolescent girl; (post-) colonialism; Africa; Zimbabwe; education
26. Unto Us a Son Is Given, Donna Leon. Mystery; set in Venice, Commissario Brunetti series
27. The Actress, Anne Enright. Literary fiction; Mother-daughter novel; Women’s lives; Theatre; Dublin; Mental health
28. The Adventures of Isabel, Candas Jane Dorsey. Mystery/Thriller; Pop Culture; LGBTQ;
29. The Mournable Body, Tsitsi Dangaremba. Literary fiction; Women’s Lives; Africa; Post/Colonialism
30. The Dead Season Christobel Kent. Mystery; Set in Florence; Aging protagonist; Longstanding Marriage
31. The Museum of Modern Love, Heather Rose. Literary fiction; NYC Art world; Marina Abramovič; Marriage 32. House of Names, Colm Toibin Literary fiction; Greek myth retold
33. The Benefit of Hindsight, Susan Hill. Mystery; Simon Serrailler series; set in England
34. My Heart: A Novel, Semezdin Mehmedinovič, translated by Celia Hawkesworth. Auto-fiction; Illness; Road trip; Immigrant narrative; Bosnian war; father-son; marriage.
35. The Butterfly Man, Heather Rose. Mystery; Tasmania; Redemption.
36. Floating in a Most Peculiar Way, Louis Chude-Sokei. Memoir; African diaspora; Black Lives Matter; Black America; Jamaica; Biafra.
37. Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid. Literary fiction; Bestseller; Coming-of-Age; Race and Privilege; Black Lives Matter; Childcare. Comedy of Manners
38. The Detective’s Daughter, Lesley Thomson. Mystery/Thriller; Series; London; Female detective.
39. Ghost Girl, Lesley Thomson, Mystery/Thriller; Series; London; Female detective.
40. The End of Your Life Book Club. Will Schwalbe. Memoir; End-of-life; mother-and-son; Cancer; Lives of Women.
41. The Lost Children Archive. Valeria Luiselli. Literary fiction; Road trip; Contemporary American family; immigration; refugee children; art of documentary; children’s perspective
42. What We Carry, Maya Shanbhag Lang. Memoir; Mother-daughter; Aging parent; Dementia; Indo-American; immigrant narrative; high-achieving women
43. Sarajevo Blues, Semezdin Mehmedinovič, Trans. from Bosnian & with introduction by Ammiel Alcalay. poetry; essays; Bosnian war; trauma; witness; journalism (limitations, dangers of)
44. Burnt Sugar, Avni Doshi. Literary fiction; Mother-daughter narrative; set in India; women’s lives; dementia; artist’s life; mis-bildungsroman;
45. A Darkness Descending, Christobel Kent. Mystery; Set in Florence; Sandro Cellini series
46. In Altre Parole/In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri, trans. Ann Goldstein. Memoir: Writing; Italy/Italian; Language; Identity; Immigrant narrative
47. The Detective’s Secret. Lesley Thomson. Mystery; Female detective; Detective’s Daughter Series; Set in London.
48. A Month in Siena. Hisham Matar. Memoir; Travel; Art — Siena School.
49. The Sentinel. Lee Child and Andrew Child. Mystery; Jack Reacher Series.
50. Luster. Raven Leilani. Literary Fiction; Dysfunctional Love Story; Young Black Female Protagonist; Race and Racism in US; Art / Creativity.
51. Slough House Mick Herron. Thriller; Slough House series; Spy Novel; Political Satire; Set in (post-Brexit) London.
52. Rainbow Milk. Paul Mendez. Literary Fiction; Coming-of-Age Narrative; Second-Generation Jamaican-British; Set in England, mostly London; Black Gay Male; Exploration of Sexuality.
53. Letters to Camondo. Edmund de Waal. Creative Non-Fiction; Epistolary; Paris; Belle Epoque; anti-Semitism; architecture; design; decor.
54. The Marco Effect, Jussi Adler-Olsen. Mystery; Police Procedural; Nordic Noir; Department Q Series; Set in Denmark.
55. The Weight of Ink, Rachel Kadish. literary fiction; historical fiction; Jewish history; academic mystery; London.
56. Northern Spy, Flynn Berry. Thriller; Northern Ireland; Sisters; Terrorism.
57. A Private Cathedral, James Lee Burke. Mystery; New Orleans; Dave Robicheaux series.
58. Heaven and Earth, Paolo Giordano. Trans. Anne Milano Appel. Literary fiction; Books in Translation; Italian writer; set in Puglia (and Iceland!); love story; coming-of-age; eco-fiction; eco-agriculture; religion/spirituality.
59. Monogamy, Sue Miller. Literary fiction; American contemporary; Domestic fiction; Marriage; Aging; Women’s lives; Female artist.
60. Dove Mi Trovo, Jhumpa Lahiri. Literary fiction; Italian; Single woman.
61. Bear, Marian Engel. literary fiction; Canadian fiction; feminist; post-colonial; wilderness setting.
62. The House with No Rooms. Lesley Thomson. Mystery; Female detective; Set in London; Detective’s Daughter series. ** Missed this in my August post, but have since got back and added an entry there.
63. Hold On, but Don’t Hold Still. Kristina Kuzmič. Memoir; Parenting; Single Parenting; Humour; Self-Help; American immigrant narrative; Croatian connection. Read as an E-book borrowed from VPL
64. Burn the Place. Ilian Regan. Memoir; Coming-of-Age; Food; Regional food; Foraging; Female Chef; LGBTQ; Restaurant Culture. Borrowed hardcover from VPL
65. Instructions for a Heatwave. Maggie O’Farrell. Literary fiction; London; 1976 heat wave; family; marriage. Borrowed from VPL, hardcover
66. The Lying-Down Room. Anna Jaquiery. Mystery; Police procedural; Commandant Serge Morel series; Paris setting. Hardcover, borrowed from VPL
67. The Guest List, Lucy Foley. Mystery/Thriller; Comedy of Manners; Wedding drama; Ireland. Hardcover, borrowed as Fast Read from VPL
68. Clever Girl, Tessa Hadley. Literary fiction; coming-of-age novel; women’s lives; 60s/70s England (London, Bristol). Hardcover, borrowed from VPL
69. From the Ashes. Jesse Thistle. Memoir; First Nations/Indigenous peoples/Métis; coming-of-age; substance abuse/addiction; Every Child Matters. Borrowed privately, trade paperback.
70. Trieste, Daša Drndić. Trans. Ellen Elias-Bursać. Documentary fiction; European history; Holocaust; Trieste; Croatian writer.
71. The Other Black Girl. Zakiya Dalila Harris. Thriller; popular fiction; Black Lives Matter; women’s lives; Black writer; American fiction; Young Black women’s lives; Social Commentary; Publishing; Hair; Set in NYC.
72. Death in the Rainy Season. Anna Jacquiery. Mystery novel; police procedural; Serge Morel series; Cambodia.
73. Lying in Wait. Liz Nugent. Psychological/Domestic thriller. Set in Dublin.
74 Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Becoming Everyday French. John von Sothen. Memoir; Ex-pat life; Life in France; Life in Paris; Married Life; Family Life; Aging Parents; Speaking/Living in a Second Language.
75. Piranesi. Susanna Clark. Fantasy; Literary fiction (won 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction).
76. The Nest. Kenneth Oppel. Children’s literature; YA novel; Supernatural; Psychological; Siblings; Wasps.
77. A Tiding of Magpies. Steve Burrows. Mystery; Police Procedural; Birder Murder Series; Set in England; Birding. Immigration.
78. Silent Voices. Anne Cleeves. Mystery; Police Procedural; Vera Stanhope series; set in England; strong female protagonist.
79. Seating Arrangements. Maggie Shipstead. Literary fiction; Social satire; Comedy of Manners; Set on New England island; Wedding, Family, Marriage.
80. Une Ritornelle ne fait pas le printemps. Philippe Georget. French; Roman policier; Mystery; Police Procedural; Gilles Sebag series; set in Perpignan, France.
81. Hamnet. Maggie O’Farrell. Literary fiction; Historical fiction; Shakespeare; late 16th-century England; Strong female protagonist.
82. Standard Deviation, Katherine Heiny. Literary fiction; Comedy of manners; Comic Fiction; Marriage; Parenting; Asperger’s; New York City.
83. The Whitstable Pearl Mystery. Julie Wassmer. Mystery novel; Female protagonist; Set in England; Whitstable Pearl series.
84. The Door. Magda Szabo. Translator, Len Rix; Literary Fiction; Hungarian writer; Books in Translation; NYTimes 10 Best Books; Women’s Lives; Female Writer; Hungarian politics and history.
85. Oh William. Elizabeth Strout. Literary fiction; Contemporary American writer; Female writer; Women’s lives; Marriage; Poverty; Childhood trauma; Memory.
86. Le Pays des Autres. Leila Slimani. Literary fiction; En français; 1st of projected trilogy, a generational saga; family history; Moroccan history; French colonial history; historical fiction. Available in an English translation (by Sam Taylor) as The Country of Others.
87. Hidden Depths. Ann Cleeves. Mystery novel; Police procedural; Female detective series; Vera Stanhope series; set in Northumberland, England.
88. Astonish Me. Maggie Shipstead. Literary fiction; ballet; romance; marriage; parenting; gifted children.
89. And the Birds Rained Down. Jocelyne Saucier. Translated by Rhonda Mullins. Literary fiction; books in translation; setting in Northern Ontario; life in the woods; old people/aging; photography; 20th century history and legend; love story; mystery.
90. My Name is Leon. Kit de Waal. Literary fiction; Set in 1980s Birmingham; Black child in foster situation; Race/Class; Child Welfare.
91. Se una notte d’inverno un viaggiatore. Italo Calvino. Read in Italian; Italian Literature, 20th century; Reading and Readers; Phenomenology of reading; postmodern narrative. Translated into English by William Weaver as If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller.
And that’s 2021’s reading done and listed. I restrained myself from picking a top five or ten (because I would likely have ended up with Top Three or Four in Seven Different Categories!), but if you have a few standouts from last year’s reading that you could share here, we might all want to add them to our 2022 list. Were you able to read much last year? I know many whose spirits were too sapped for long-form (book) reading, and others (like me!) who sank (escaped!) into it even more. . . did the pandemic or other social or economic or politic or environmental conditions change what or how you read? Comments open below. The microphone is all yours.
Piping up here for the first time…just to say ‘thank you’ for this interesting list!
I am new to your blog, so don’t know yet how similar our tastes may be (the only book on the list I read was ‘Hamnet’), but I am intrigued! Will have to check out what the local library has…
Greetings from Eugene, OR, Claudia
Author
Thanks for “piping up”! 😉
Have you read other books by Maggie O’Farrell? I loved Hamnet, and before that really enjoyed Instructions for a Heat Wave. Have just finished The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and was captivated and moved by it as well. Good luck with your library — I think we’re really spoiled here!
Ahh…I did read Esme Lennox as a follow-up, and I did like it. (I enjoyed Hamnet too, but thought it had maybe been over-hyped a bit…it didn’t quite meet my high expectations.)
Anyway, I am confident there are books on your list that I will like, and thank you for the tags that make it easier to choose.
Eugene has a wonderful library – we moved here from San Diego, so were used to a large library system, but we have not felt any ‘fall-off’. Well-curated to use a word I use sparingly if ever.
And like Wendy, I am in awe of your reading volume! I love to read, and escapism is as good a reason as any – in these times, especially – but I am far from the 100 books I used to read annually. Too many distractions, I guess, and I was hesitant to even pipe up (I had almost commented on the PJ story a few weeks ago), just because…do I need even just one more thing to engage me? But then I love a good book list, so thank you again!
Author
Libraries are so important — I’m glad you have a good one where you are now.
I’m glad you piped up 😉
I have read 7 of the books on your list, but not all last year. There are a number of works on the list by authors I have read, like Ann Cleeves, but not these particular ones. So many good suggestions for the coming months. Right now I am packing my overnight bag for a road trip to Boston. A family wedding which is finally happening! I will be driving up with my son and his crew, staying at a hotel overnight and coming home the next day. My daughter and son in law have already taken the train It’s his nephew who is the groom. My dad was from Boston, and as a child would visit family regularly but I have not been in the area in years. Finding myself both excited and anxious given the weather lately and of course the pandemic.
Author
Enjoy your visit to Boston. I understand both the excitement and the anxiety, but I know you’ll take all precautions, and how wonderful to be taking a trip and seeing family you haven’t gathered with for some time.
I’m in awe of the number (and quality) of books you read! I started keeping a list of my books read around mid-year and felt accomplished when I read four books in a month. It’s quite satisfying to see the list steadily growing. My favorites were The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. I liked the Osman so much I bought the sequel for myself for Christmas. I rarely buy books new as I have a charity bookshop nearby where most books are only a dollar, but. I just couldn’t wait!
I’m still sticking to mostly upbeat books without much suspense in an effort to maintain my mental health and hopefully decent sleep. I’ve taken some notes from your list, so thank you. That Detective’s Daughter sounds appealing.
Author
It is satisfying to keep a list, and most importantly, I find that books I would otherwise forget (and have, in fact, forgotten) come back to me with pleasure and surprise when I read my list a few years later, especially since I jot down my few notes about them. I suspect you’ll find the same.
And I know that feeling of treating yourself to a new book. (I haven’t read Richard Osman’s books yet, but keep hearing they’re very good, so someday. . . ; I loved all Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series, all her books, in fact).
I am fairly new to your newletter/blog. So far love your reading list(s). You have introduced me to some wonderful books. I go in phases of reading constantly to hardly at all. However I found I was stuck in one genre (British mystery writers). I have now read and loved Elizabeth Stroud novels and Maggie O’Farrell.
Looking forward to sampling many more. It is a challenge to find some books at our library, Interior BC. We have recently moved from Edmonton Alberta and I must give a huge shout out to the fantastic library there.
Thank you for sharing your love if reading
Author
Does your library have a reciprocal borrowing arrangement with other regional libraries? When we lived on the island, we had access to books from all branches of the Vancouver Island Regional Library. Big or small, though, we are so lucky to have libraries! Can’t imagine not having one nearby — we’d have to invent them all over again!
You have introduced me to so many great authors, between you and Sue Burpee you’re practically a public service! I think the fact that we’re from very different corners of the world makes things interesting, although it’s surprising how alike our lives are too.
Anyhoo, many thanks.
Jules
Author
You’re very welcome! Isn’t it fun to be able to connect this way from all over the world.
I’ve read nine of the books on your list but no where near as many books as you have read this year. If you enjoyed Denise Mina, you might like her book Conviction, or have you already read it? I appreciate seeing your list. Sounds like a solid list of good reads.
Author
I did read Conviction, in July 2020 my list tells me. I thought it was a great romp — in fact, I wrote in my journal that it was something of “a shaggy dog story.” Very different from her Alex Morrow series (which are my favourites so far).
You’ve been a source of some very good titles and authors for me — thank you!
Hi Frances, now that’s such an impressive list I’m embarrassed to post mine!
During much of 2020 and 2021, I just couldn’t seem to concentrate properly when reading and I completely lost my reading mojo. If I picked up a book and couldn’t get into it immediately, I didn’t persist. I read fairly light books and also reread some books I had enjoyed before as I knew I wouldn’t have to focus too much😊
My meagre list includes:
The Thursday Murder Club/ and The man who died twice, Richard Osman
Apples never fall, Liane Moriarty
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, Gail Honeyman
The Survivors/ The lost man/The dry, Jane Harper
Fleishman is in trouble, Taffy brodesser-akner
All our shimmering skies, Trent dalton
Humankind, Rutger Bregman
Bewildered, Laura waters
Ella minnow pea, Mark dunn
Thank you for your extensive list! Definitely worth investigating!
Author
Please don’t be embarrassed and let’s not compare. We all do that too much, don’t we? At least, I know I do.
I’ve only read Fleishman Is in Trouble from your list, but I’ve been meaning to get to Jane Harper’s books, and I keep hearing from others who enjoyed Richard Osman’s books (as does Wendy from No. Calif., see her earlier comment). I’ll have to check some of those other titles. Thanks!
I think what I liked best about Richard Osman’s two books was they made me laugh out loud several times. Sad to say, but it made me realize I haven’t been laughing much lately.
Brava Frances!
I’ve read 22 of the books that are on your list,and maybe ten of them are waiting in a pile to be read,real-next to my bed- or digital.
Your list is a source of plethora of wonderful books (and it is so important to emphasize that some of them are in french and italian!). To echo Julie: you and Sue are actually the public servis! I’ve find so many authors and books here and at High Heels and am so grateful for you both. It is such a joy to find new,unread authors one likes, with (possibly) many books to enjoy in the future
Dottoressa
Author
Thanks, Dottoressa. I’m so pleased you find some inspiration here for your reading list. You can tell from my list (and my reading posts) that you are a constant reading inspiration to me as well. xo
Are you a very quick reader Frances ? I read a lot but don’t get through half the books you do . I do like to check out the books on your list & any mentioned by everyone else . Plus seeing the titles of any I’ve enjoyed always brings back happy memories . How very personal our reads are & why should it make us sad if someone dismisses our favourites as not worth reading ? I’ve just started Patchwork by Claire Wilcox which I’m enjoying very much .
Author
I am a pretty quick reader, Wendy. (and I’d rather read than clean, and I don’t have a garden like yours).
So true what you say about how personal our reading choices are — luckily, as we acquire the confidence and, shall we say, the gravitas of age, (along with the wrinkles and the grey hair) we care less and less. If a good portion of my reading list comprises mystery novels, well, tant pisas the French say (if only I could pull off the moue and shrug combo.
I’m fascinated by photos of books (not the curated for Zoom type, but the natural ones)…and yours generated so many thoughts…I pulled all my Margaret Atwood for my daughter a while back…did they return? AS Byatt…Possession…should reread. Mill on the Floss…remember reading it as a young person (from the Adolescent section of the library ha ha), such melodrama. Elegance of the Hedgehog…I am rarely surprised but that one caught me. Andre Alexis reminds me…not sure if I ever ranted to you about Fifteen Dogs…but I did to my vet, I thought there were parts were the science wasn’t sound and he agreed with me oh ha ha, it still makes me crazy but in the energizing write-an-essay-about-it kind of way that some books do. (I saw that vet for a long time, he’s retired now…he drove through a snowstorm on Boxing Day one year to get meds for my cat and bring them to me, I waded to the main road to meet him…if ever there was a standard for excellent service that would be it. Plus listening to my literary criticisms.)
Have a good weekend. So tired of shoveling here, but the snow just keeps coming. 🙂
Author
Ha! That photo was definitely not a curated one. I just realized as I went to “publish” this post that I had no photo, so turned to the nearby bookshelf, pointed and clicked. Love your stream-of-consciousness response. Not sure that science was the point of Fifteen Dogs (insert tears of laughter emoji) but I can see that if that struck me, it could rankle. And oh, so tough to let those caregivers retire — my longtime dentist, who met my four-year-old son and I at the back door of his clinic once to let us in after hours, my son’s mouth dripping where two baby teeth had been knocked loose in a fall at his daycare (they were somehow tucked neatly back into their sockets and my son called our dentist “my friend Rob” forever after.
I should reread Possession as well. And Mill on the Floss for that matter. And yes the Hedgehog. . .
Why is there no correlation between fatigue at shovelling and incidence of snowfall (oh wait . . . ) Happy weekend anyway?
I have read 9 of the books on your list, several more are already on my lists, and I see, as I peruse, that more must be added. I commend you for posting the entire list again and it reminds me of what I had missed or forgotten. I did not do that this year, but I read so many books, I was intimidated by the possibility and I am not good about finding brief descriptions of intersest.
I love the photo of the bookshelf. That too opens worlds of possibilities..
Author
We can’t do it all, right? For a number of years, it has suited me to keep an ongoing written record of what I’ve read. Most of my life, I didn’t do this.Glad you find the lists I share helpful.
Thank you for such a wonderful resource, which I’m sure I’ll refer to often when I’m looking for something new and good to read. I finished Instructions for a Heatwave yesterday. I enjoyed the pace of it and the unravelling of the minutiae of family relationships. O’Farrell painted believable portraits of the various characters with kind attention to their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Her love of Connemara was a highlight of the final part of the story. Thanks for the recommendation.
Author
You’re very welcome — Isn’t Instructions so very good!
Thanks for this list & notes of the contents. I’m always looking for recommendations for books.
We pick up interesting books at our neighborhood Little Free Libraries and enjoy seeing ones we donate leave & return. We also get many books at thrift stores.
I just finished The Weird Sisters and enjoyed it. It had an interesting and initially somewhat disconcerting first person plural narration.
Keep warm!
Author
I often check out the contents of any Little Free Libraries I pass — I like the way they bring a random selection together. I haven’t read The Weird Sisters — but I can imagine the effect of that “we”!
I love seeing shots of people’s bookshelves, thanks for sharing!
This is a very inspiring number of books read in a year – I’ve added many titles to this year’s to-read list.
The books that stayed with me have been pure escapism: The Hatbox Letters by Beth Powning, The Witch Elm by Tana French, Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing and The Wonder Spot – both by Melissa Bank, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, The Nightengale by Kristen Hannah.
When I’m in the need of comic relief with a side of snark, any David Sedaris books are absolute keepers.
I’m not always drawn to poetry, but What Kind of Woman – actually everything Kate Baer writes, is gold. The edited messages that she posts on Instagram are so clever and perfectly reveal what’s so discouraging about messages to women, and anyone https://www.instagram.com/katejbaer
Thanks again for the recommendations. Happy reading in 2022 🙂
Author
It was a year for escapism! And I’m so with you on David Sedaris books — there are passages I can’t read out loud because I’m laugh-crying too hard, especially in the earlier books.
Thanks for the recommendation of Kate Baer!