My Favorite Books of 2021
(in a general order)
Fiction:
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - My all-time favorite book (so far) might be Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See and this one is nothing like it. I am blown away by an author who can weave a story over centuries and somehow knit them together at the end.
- A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet - A brilliant allegory of climate change that depicts the differing attitude between generations. Please do not take it literally!!!
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins - While reading this you live the terror of escaping violence to come to America. If the first chapter doesn’t leave you breathless, I don’t know what will.
- The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - I love stories set in the 1950s. This one takes you on a cross-country escapade with a great cast of characters.
- Life Sciences by Joy Sorman - A teenager is afflicted with mysterious pain and spends years trying to find medical help, and the devastating affect on her life.
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Twin sisters in the south - one lives out her life as an African American, the other leaves to pass as white. Fascinating.
- Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter (fellow Clevelander)- Girl’s lives are determined by the map of freckles and marks on their body. I found this book completely original and beautifully written.
- Bewilderment by Richard Powers. The author of another of my very favorite books, The Overstory, gives a touching and timely story of a father and son.
Non-Fiction
- No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox. I read tons of memoirs and this is one of the best ever. He is funny, charming, honest and a great writer to boot. You’ll love him even more.
- A Promised Land by Barack Obama - Do I need say more? If he didn’t want to lead the free world he could have just been an author.
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle - If you don’t relate to something in this book you can’t possibly be a woman. I wish every young woman could read it before she starts out in life.
- Caste by Isabel Wilkerson - Incredibly researched book about how caste systems, especially America, have shaped history. I thought I knew a lot, but this still opened my eyes.
- Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker - The havoc and tragedy a family goes through while living with multiple siblings with mental illness.
- The Anthropocene Review by John Green. Essays that tell of how humans have shaped this planet. Fascinating.
- In the Dream House by Carmen Machado - Not for the faint of heart but if you like spectacular and original writing give it a try.
