My Favorite Books of 2021- for what it's worth

 My Favorite Books of 2021

(in a general order)

Fiction:

1. 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. 
2. 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!!!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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. 
5. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker - The havoc and tragedy a family goes through while living with multiple siblings with mental illness.
6. The Anthropocene Review by John Green. Essays that tell of how humans have shaped this planet. Fascinating.
7. 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.