(For a complete list of books that I read in 2021, go here.)
I’m both surprised and disappointed by my book count this year! I actually went on vacation (???) and had long solo train and plane rides (???) and I STILL didn’t read as much as I did last year. I do wonder if part of that is because several of the books I read were very long — 600, 700 pages — and the fact that I had several DNFs this year, but these reasons feel like excuses. All that being said, here is a list of the best books I read in 2021:
Mexican Gothic — Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 9/10
Are you looking for an escape? Would you like to be distracted for a few hours? I would suggest this book. It reminded me (once again) of Lovecraft Country with a tiny smidge of VanderMeer’s Annihilation.
Little Eyes — Samanta Schweblin. 9/10
If you like Black Mirror and/or stories about tech going bad or being creepy, this is for you! Schweblin is probably one of my favourite authors right now.
White Ivy — Susie Yang. 9/10
For some reason I thought this was a thriller and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a compelling drama. And the writer’s first novel!
Fever Dream — Samanta Schweblin. 9/10
Again, Schweblin is such a great writer. Her books are so eerie and strange and wonderful. Is she the best novella writer today? Maybe!
Nemesis Games — James SA Corey. 9/10
What can I say other than if you like sci-fi, read this series! This is the fifth book in the Expanse series and it focuses on the personal lives of the crew, which is a nice change. It was a bit too long, but that’s to be expected at this point.
Sand Castle — Frederick Peters & Pierre Oscar Lévy. 9/10
As I get older, time has sped up and each passing year has felt shorter. This out-of-control rush of time is something I wasn’t prepared for and is a source of near-constant existential dread. Death is what gives life meaning, but it is also fucking terrifying. For this reason, stumbling into a place where people age a year every thirty minutes is my personal ultimate horror story. I thought about this graphic novel a lot after I finished it.
American War — Omar El Akkad. 9/10
I read a review that called this book one of the first great fiction books about climate change and you know what? That’s accurate! I also saw it referred to as “cli-fi,” which 😑.
The worst books I read in 2021, and the books I didn’t finish:
The Kindest Lie — Nancy Johnson. 6/10
Whoooo boy. You guys know I don’t like to give bad ratings to books because writing a book is hard and getting it published is also hard and people deserve credit for getting that far. But yikes, this wasn’t great. With several tweaks, it could’ve maybe worked as a YA novel about race? Maybe? 😬😬😬
The Troop — Nick Cutter. DNF.
This is a horror novel with a fantastic premise and honestly, great writing. However, the gore and body horror was way too much for me — and then the animal torture scenes started. NO THANKS!!! SEE YOU NEVER!!
The Removed — Brandon Hobson. DNF.
I almost finished this book but stopped reading it to start something else. I remember liking it, so I will go back to it.
The White Tiger — Aravind Adiga. DNF.
This book lost my interest about a quarter of the way in. I might go back to it, but it’s lower on my list of books to return to.
I Hate Men — Pauline Harmange. DNF.
This is a novella that I got halfway through. I liked it, and I’ll return to it eventually.
Gross Anatomy — Mara Altman. DNF.
I got about a quarter of the way through and lost interest.
A Peculiar Peril — Jeff VanderMeer. DNF.
This was a really tough one to stop reading. I like VanderMeer, but he can get in his own way with his writing style, which can lean towards using a million ten-dollar words when five two-dollars words would’ve worked better. This is a 600-page YA book that I slogged through for weeks before giving up at around page 400.
I know, I was watching 