My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2021
This list was tough. I'm not gonna lie, this past year I found it really difficult to rank my top 10 favorite books of 2021. And unfortunately, it was because I had a difficult time finding books that fit into a “Top 10” list for me.
(Check out my Top 10 Books of 2020.)
This isn’t to say I didn’t like anything I read. In fact, my average rating for 2021 was 4.3! But I like to choose books for my favorites list that have nestled into my heart. Ones I just can’t shake. And that didn’t happen with many books this past year. Notably, part of the reason for this is because the books that do fit into that category (permanent place in my heart) were re-reads, which I didn’t want to include in my top 10 favorite books of the year.
With all of that said, each of the books here is excellent. I highly enjoyed reading each and every one. So without further ado, let's get into it!
10. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Summary:
In short, this book is about a girl who, due to a series of mishaps, ends up alone on the island where she has grown up. She has to learn how to survive and to heal after the trauma that left her there.
This book was so beautiful. Not to mention I couldn’t put it down.
I love a good “making it on your own” story, which is exactly what this was. It’s a classic middle-grade that has stayed top of mind in the book community for a reason. It's great. The relationship between the protagonist and her dog in particular was sublime.
9. Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
Summary:
During a weekend trip, a recent high school grad and her friends have a near collision in their car. But when they arrive back at the house where they are staying, a mysterious man shows up and informs them that they are now in a 24-hour time loop, and the only way for them to escape is to unanimously decide which one of them will live, dooming the rest to death. It takes more repeats of that same day than they can count before a decision is finally made.
Another book I could not put down. I devoured it in a day.
It was interesting and unique and again hit one of my favorite tropes - stuck in time. The ending was trippy (and I’m still not sure how I feel about it), but it was a wild ride, which I appreciate greatly.
8. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Summary:
An orphaned soldier attempts her first trek across the Shadow Fold (an unnatural swath of darkness filled with dangerous monsters). But as her regiment is attacked, a dormant magic awakens within her, saving her friends and drawng her into a life of magic and politics.
This was the year I discovered Leigh Bardugo.
I watched the first season of this series on Netflix before I read the books, which probably played into my reading experience for better or for worse. But I can’t deny that I had such a fun time reading this trilogy. It won't be finding a place in any all-times favorites, but in terms of 2021, it was a blast.
7. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Summary:
A caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth is sent on a highly classified assignment to look into an orphanage housing six highly dangerous magical children.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, loves this book for a reason.
It is adorable! It did take me a LONG time to get fully into it (I put it down for a few months), but the characters stole my heart and the sweet (and very light) love story was to die for.
6. Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend
Summary:
This is the third installment in the series, so I won’t give a plot for this particular book. Her is what book one is about:
Morrigan Crow is cursed and doomed to die on her eleventh birthday. Instead, a strange and mysterious man whisks her away on the eve of her birthday into a magical land where she competes in a set of trials that determine whether she is admitted into the elite Wundrous Society.
I love the Nevermoor series. It is everything I want in a middle-grade. Whimsical, exciting, and most importantly, I feel like it can be appreciated by children and adults alike.
The writing is superb and I was happy to dive back into the world for this third installment of the series.
5. The Untethered Soul by Michael Alan Singer
Summary:
Put as simply as possible, this is a book about looking inward and transforming your relationship with yourself and the world around you.
This is a spiritual nonfiction book, which may or may not be your cup of tea. As for me, well...I loved it. I feel like if you can get something from this book, you’ll get it in a big way. Unfortunately, based on the reviews I've read, it doesn’t seem like it’s a book for everyone, so take this with a grain of salt. I, however, still carry with me daily nuggets I took from this reading.
4. Namesake by Adrienne Young
Summary:
Again, this is the second in the series, so I’ll give the synopsis for book one: The night after watching her mother drown in a terrible shipwreck four years ago, Fable was abandoned on an island by her father. All she’s thought about in the intervening time is how she can survive, and how she can get off the island and back to him, and earn her rightful place in his crew.
While the finale to this duology wasn’t as much of a slam dunk as the first one (Fable), I still highly enjoyed it. I love Adrienne Young’s lyrical and atmospheric writing and the ending was oh-so-satisfying.
3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Summary:
The back cover copy does more justice than I could in just one sentence. So here it is: Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensues will change their lives will change forever.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is my queen!
This woman can weave a tale like no other. Her writing is incredible. You feel like you know each and every one of her characters. Like you might grab a magazine one day and see them on the front cover. Like everything is unfolding right in front of you. I can’t get enough of her writing and I will always be happy to read everything she comes out with.
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Summary:
This book, which takes place in the same Grishaverse as Shadow and Bone, follows a group of six…shall we say…criminals, in their quest to pull off a million-dollar heist.
In my opinion, Shadow and Bone didn’t come close to this duology. I fell in love with every one of the main characters we followed.
They burrowed into my heart and made me root for them throughout the entire ride. And it was one wild ride.
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Summary:
A man wakes up on a spaceship, millions of miles from home, with two corpses and no memory of why he is there. And that’s all you need to know.
So much fun!
I can’t express how much fun I had reading this book. If you don’t know what it is, pick it up. In fact, the less you know, the better. I was so surprised by the story and that’s just how I wanted it. The main relationship in it is fantastic and the ending made me cry tears of joy.
Writing Craft Books
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
I couldn’t believe it when I realized I only read ONE writing craft book in 2021. That isn’t to say I didn’t consume a ton of podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, and Masterclass lessons, but still. Whoa. I promise to do better in 2022.
With that said, this book was excellent. I highly recommend it. It focuses on drawing out emotions from your readers by analyzing specific ways stories have done this very thing.
And there you have it! My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2021 (plus an honorable writing craft mention). What were some of your favorites?
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