Year in review: 21 of the best new books in 2021
Year in review: 21 of the best new books in 2021
In his 1994 novel "The New Life," Turkish novelist and Nobel Prize winner , "I read a book one day and my whole life was changed." A good book can not only change us, but it can make us laugh, cry, or fall in love with characters; it can whisk us to places and manifest worlds we can only imagine.
To bring you a list of the best books of 2021, dove into year-end lists featuring the bests books of the year from vetted publications and analyzed data on popular book-rating sites to get a gauge for 21 books that won out the year in acclaim and popularity. Titles are organized chronologically.
These books feature villains and heroes; they span all sorts of genres, from historical fiction to fantasy; and some were even written by historians, poets, and Pulitzer Prize winners. Whether it's a gift book containing a poem by the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, the first novel in a proposed trilogy about a Midwestern family, or the fictional story of a humanoid who serves as an artificial friend, these books moved us and many other readers alike this year.
Keep scrolling to see whether your favorite book of the year made the list.
鈥楢 Court of Silver Flames鈥 by Sarah J. Maas
The story of Nesta Archeron, who feels lost in the world surrounding her, and the warrior, Cassian, 鈥淎 Court of Silver Flames鈥 is the fourth novel in the 鈥淎 Court of Thorns and Roses鈥 series by Sarah J. Maas. This series is inspired by several fairy tales, including 鈥淏eauty and the Beast鈥 and 鈥淭am Lin.鈥 The novels in the series are in the works of being from 鈥淥utlander鈥 creator Ron Moore.
鈥楢ll That She Carried鈥 by Tiya Miles
This tale by historian Tiya Miles is one of resilience and love. It tells of three generations of women and a bag packed with a few items that was originally passed down from an enslaved mother named Rose to her daughter Ashley, who gets sold. Eventually, Ashley鈥檚 granddaughter, Ruth, embroiders words and the family history onto the bag. Miles鈥 鈥淎ll That She Carried鈥 also garnered this year鈥檚 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
鈥楾he Anthropocene Reviewed鈥 by John Green
The inspiration for this book of essays by bestselling author John Green comes from his . The title meaning is tied to the Anthropocene, which, , is 鈥渁n unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth鈥檚 history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet鈥檚 climate and ecosystems.鈥 In the book, Green reviews everything from sunsets to the QWERTY keyboard.
鈥楤eautiful World, Where Are You鈥 by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney, who wrote 鈥淣ormal People鈥 and 鈥淐onversations with Friends,鈥 brings readers a tale of four people who do their best to connect in a modern world. Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon get together, navigate sex and relationships, break up and try to figure out life. 鈥淏eautiful World, Where Are You鈥 earned numerous accolades, having taken home the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction as well as Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.
'Broken' by Jenny Lawson
By sharing her struggles with both mental and physical health in her most recent book, Jenny Lawson鈥攆ondly known by her many fans as "The Bloggess"鈥攃ontinues to prove that we are not alone. Lawson uses her pitch-perfect humor and anecdotes from her life with her husband Victor, who is almost as well-known to her fans as she is, to bring "Broken" to life. This instant New York Times bestseller is the follow-up to "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" and "Furiously Happy."
鈥楾he Committed鈥 by Viet Thanh Nguyen
鈥淭he Committed鈥 is the sequel to 鈥淭he Sympathizer,鈥 Viet Thanh Nguyen鈥檚 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Nguyen鈥檚 latest novel focuses on the nameless hero as he attempts to find his way in 1980s France with his blood brother and friend, Bon. Born in Vietnam and raised in the United States, Nguyen is the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and a professor at the University of Southern California.
鈥楥rossroads鈥 by Jonathan Franzen
The sixth novel from Jonathan Franzen, 鈥淐rossroads鈥 is meant to be the first in a proposed trilogy. It centers on a Midwestern family at a crisis point and takes place almost entirely over the course of a single day during the 1970s. The Hildebrandt family includes husband and father Russ Hildebrandt, an associate pastor, his wife Marion Hildebrandt, and their three children, all of whom have come to a moral crossroads. , critic Dwight Garner remarked the character Marion as 鈥渙ne of the glorious characters in recent American fiction.鈥
鈥楥rying in H Mart鈥 by Michelle Zauner
Michelle Zauner takes readers through her life, from her beginnings as one of the only Asian American kids in her class in Eugene, Oregon, to her time spent with her grandmother in Korea, through her early adulthood, which pulled her further from her Korean culture. 鈥淐rying in H Mart鈥 also explores how her mother鈥檚 terminal cancer diagnosis brought her back to her cultural roots. Apart from being a bestselling author, Zauner is also the frontwoman and songwriter of the Grammy-nominated indie rock band Japanese Breakfast.
鈥楨mpire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty鈥 by Patrick Radden Keefe
The bestselling author of 鈥淪ay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland鈥 brings readers an examination of three generations of a family whose wealth came from one drug, Valium, and whose fall came due to another. The Sacklers watched their family name crumble due to their role in the opioid drug epidemic. 鈥淓mpire of Pain鈥 follows the family鈥檚 business beginnings, including the purchase of Purdue Frederick, a drug manufacturer, to the disgrace they鈥檝e faced due to the legal battles and investigations surrounding their role in the health crisis caused by the drug they created and marketed, OxyContin.
'Harlem Shuffle' by Colson Whitehead
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead recreates 1960s New York City in his latest novel. "Harlem Shuffle" focuses on Ray Carney, a man who sells furniture to support his family, though it isn't enough. Carney's cousin offers him a chance to get in on a heist at the Hotel Theresa, also known as the "Waldorf of Harlem," but when things go wrong, Carney has to figure out how to save himself, his cousin, and make some money from the heist, all while maintaining his reputation as a responsible family man.
鈥楾he Hill We Climb鈥 by Amanda Gorman
In January 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history when she recited a poem to commemorate Joe Biden鈥檚 becoming the 46th President of the United States. This keepsake gift edition of the poem, titled 鈥淭he Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country,鈥 includes a forward by Oprah Winfrey. Gorman began writing at a young age, and the Harvard University grad was only 22 years old when she read her inspirational poem鈥攚hich touched on themes of unity and healing鈥攁t the presidential inauguration.
鈥楬ow Beautiful We Were鈥 by Imbolo Mbue
Opening in 1980 in the fictional African village of Kosawa, 鈥淗ow Beautiful We Were鈥 tells the tale of locals sickened by capitalist corporate gain. Imbolo Mbue鈥檚 latest novel finds a determined village woman taking on an American oil company as children are poisoned from toxic drinking water. Mbue鈥檚 2016 debut novel 鈥淏ehold the Dreamers鈥 garnered the African native a spot on The New York Times Best Seller list in addition to the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award.
鈥楰lara and the Sun鈥 by Kazuo Ishiguro
A humanoid named Klara waits on display in a store to be chosen, becoming a keen observer of the human condition in the interim. She is part of a future world where AIs have replaced many human workers. Klara is eventually placed with a girl to be her artificial friend and help her get through life until college. Kazuo Ishiguro, who also wrote the Booker Prize-winning novel 鈥淭he Remains of the Day,鈥 was longlisted for this year鈥檚 Booker Prize for 鈥淜lara and the Sun.鈥
鈥楾he Last Thing He Told Me鈥 by Laura Dave
In this thriller, Hannah鈥檚 new husband Owen asks her to do one thing before he disappears: take care of his daughter Bailey. As Hannah and Bailey join together to find Owen, they realize he isn鈥檛 the man they thought him to be. Produced by Reese Witherspoon鈥檚 production company Hello Sunshine, Jennifer Garner will replace Julia Roberts as the star of the book鈥檚 upcoming on Apple TV+.
'Malibu Rising' by Taylor Jenkins Reid
In her latest novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid focuses on the fictional and famous, a prominent Southern California family, and one night in their lives. It's 1983, and the Riva family is throwing their annual end-of-summer party in Malibu, but nothing goes quite as expected. The follow-up to the 2019 novel, "Daisy Jones & The Six," which examines the dynamics of a 1970s rock band, "Malibu Rising" became a New York Times bestseller.
鈥楴o One Is Talking About This鈥 by Patricia Lockwood
Poet and memoirist Patricia Lockwood pens her first novel with 鈥淣o One Is Talking About This,鈥 a book that examines social media and the stronghold the internet has on people. A finalist for the 2021 Booker Prize, this novel features a female narrator whose viral social media post offers her unbelievable opportunity, though she falls into the internet rabbit hole known as 鈥渢he portal,鈥 and only climbs out after urgent real-life matters pull her back. Lockwood became known for her memoir, 鈥淧riestdaddy,鈥 which drew on her life as the daughter of a married Catholic priest and won her the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
鈥極n Juneteenth鈥 by Annette Gordon-Reed
Perhaps Annette Gordon-Reed鈥檚 鈥淥n Juneteenth鈥 provides such an interesting historical account because the author herself was a part of history as the first Black child to enter an all-white school system in Conroe, Texas, in the mid-1960s; or maybe it is because she is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian who teaches at Harvard Law. Either way, the book, part history and part memoir, explores Juneteenth鈥檚 origins in her home state and its historic journey to becoming what it is today, and a day finally recognized by the entire nation.
鈥楶eople We Meet on Vacation鈥 by Emily Henry
Emily Henry provides another foray into romantic escapism with 鈥淧eople We Meet On Vacation,鈥 the tale of Alex and Poppy, two best friends who take annual vacations together until they have a falling out and are no longer on speaking terms. When Poppy comes to realize that the last time she was happy was on her final vacation with Alex, she understands that they must take one more vacation together to try to right old wrongs. Henry also wrote The New York Times bestseller, 鈥淏each Read.鈥
鈥楶roject Hail Mary鈥 by Andy Weir
Andy Weir wrote the bestselling sci-fi novel 鈥淭he Martian.鈥 The debut novel was and was eventually adapted into a major motion picture directed by Ridley Scott starring Matt Damon. In 鈥淧roject Hail Mary,鈥 Weir delivers yet another space-centric story with the tale of a solitary survivor who must work to save humanity from extinction even though he remembers nothing of his mission. Screenwriter and director Drew Goddard, who brought 鈥淭he Martian鈥 to the silver screen, has already been slated to do the same for Weir鈥檚 latest novel, with .
'The Sentence' by Louise Erdrich
A ghost story of a haunted Minneapolis bookstore and the previously incarcerated book clerk working there, "The Sentence" takes place over one year from All Souls' Day 2019 to All Souls' Day 2020. Not only does Erdrich's novel take place during the pandemic, but it also focuses on Native American culture鈥攁 topic that runs central in many of the previous works written by Erdrich, who is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, just like her mother and grandfather before her.
鈥榃hen We Cease to Understand the World鈥 by Benjam铆n Labatut
Benjam铆n Labatut brings us stories of great thinkers, using fiction to examine the real lives behind these geniuses and luminaries. Physicist Erwin Schr枚dinger, mathematician Alexander Grothendieck, chemist Fritz Haber, and physicist Werner Heisenberg are some of the brilliant minds the author takes a deeper look at while examining their lives as well as the benefits and costs to some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs. 鈥淲hen We Cease to Understand the World鈥 was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2021.