27 Books for 2021
For the last few years, my New Years’ resolution has been to read more books than I read the last. This year I hit that goal with 3 books more, woot woot!
If I finish a book then it’s a good book. I will never settle by reading a whole book through even if I don’t like it. I attribute this rebellion to being forced to read To Kill a Mockingbird three times during my high school education. Be prepared for my thoughts on 27 really great books. I will be evaluating them in the order in which I read them.
Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut
I’m going, to be honest, this was a weird one, but my love for Vonnegut as an author will never waiver. If you like psychological thinkers in a comedic writing style then this is the book for you. If you also like post-apocalyptic, mutant siblings, and just a touch of incest, then this is definitely the book for you! But really, this book was highly entertaining while making you look differently at society as we know it.
2. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
You might have seen this sci-fi movie in theaters as I did, but after reading this book I can say the movie did not do this story justice. This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. This book checks off all my sci-fi must-haves and made sure to give me an alternative perspective on the world we live in.
3. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
I love a World War II fiction! This middle-grade book is a short read but will leave you in all the feels. To be honest, this book doesn’t stick out to me a lot in my memory so the details of the events are a little blurry. But I remember enjoying it and that’s enough for me!
4. Dr. Sleep by Stephen King
If you have read The Shining then this book is a must-have. I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Shining but I like that there was a lot of closure with what happened to Danny as an adult.
5. The October Country Stories by Ray Bradbury
This is a great classic book to read, especially during the spooky season! It is a collection of nineteen short stories from Ray Bradbury and I wouldn’t say they are all scary but definitely bizarre.
6. The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
I feel like I was catching up on my middle school reading list this year. This book was about a young girl with a club foot in London during WWII. It shows how because of the war, she was able to escape her abusive household and live a better life.
7. The Institute by Stephen King
Stephen King sure loves to write about kids with special powers. This newer book is about a boy who has the power to control things with his brain. There is “The Institute” that finds kids with special abilities and kidnaps them for their benefit. It’s kind of like Matilda meets a concentration camp.
8. Everything is F*cked by Mark Manson
I am not a big fan of self-help books because I feel like a lot of them are pretty elitist, but I loved this book. It makes you take a realistic view of our world and society and learn how to be content with how it is.
9. Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
Ugh, I loved this book so much and obviously had to watch the movie right after! This book is about a young boy in Italy who falls in love with a house guest. I am not a big romance reader but the imagery and the description of love are unreal. Disclaimer: There is a weird peach scene, just try to pretend that didn’t happen.
10. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
Can you tell Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author? This book is a novel framed as a memoir of a fictional character who is awaiting his trial for his actions as a Nazi propagandist. As always, Kurt makes you think about our world differently and shines a lot onto issues in our society.
11. Authority by Jeff Vandermeer
Okay, I know that I said I won’t finish a book if I don’t like it. I guess I wasn’t totally honest when I said that. I really didn’t like this book, but I felt like I had to read it since I read the first one in the series. The next book in the series is much better, and I will get to that review later.
12. Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut
Man, I just realized if you don’t like Vonnegut you’re really going to hate this list. Jailbird is about a fictional man who has just been released from prison for his small role in the Watergate scandal. It sounds like it would be super political and overly complexed but it’s an easy read and an interesting story.
13. The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero
If you haven’t seen this movie or the movie The Room you HAVE TO! This book is about the production of the movie The Room - the worst movie ever made, and was recently turned into a movie start the Franco brothers.
14. Find Me by Andre Aciman
This is the prequel to Call Me by Your Name and follows the lives of Elio and Oliver as adults. I was kind of confused because according to the end of the first book, this wasn’t supposed to happen, but I am SO glad it did!
15. The Martian by Andy Weir
Okay, I guess I actually didn’t like this one that much either. I’m big into character-driven stories and this book had only one and was about astronaut stuff, so it wasn’t my cup of tea. I was interested in reading it since Andy Weir started off as a self-published author and has made so much success from it.
16. The Light Between Oceans
FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR! I literally cried for two hours at the end of this book. It is about a couple that takes care of a lighthouse on an island away from civilization and is trying to have a baby. After several miscarriages, they find a small boat washed ashore with a dead man and an alive baby. The couple decided to pretend that the baby is their own instead of reporting their finding to the authorities. Ugh, it’s so good!
17. The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin
This historical fiction is about Charles Lindbergh who is famous for making the first non-stop flight from New York City to Paris. It is told from the perspective of his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh who was also an aviator but did not receive much recognition since she was a woman.
18. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini
This book follows two women living in Afganistan during political turmoil. It is a story of resilience and also the struggles that the county has faced throughout history. It is beautifully written and will suck you in.
19. Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer
This is the last book in this trilogy. I like this one better than the second one because I left with closure and there was more going on.
20. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book is written in interview style and followers a reporter who is interviewing a famous rock band after they are all retired. I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending.
21. The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
I personally like Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns better, but this was another beautiful book. It follows the story of two young Afgan boys. One is wealthy while the other is a servant. This book ignites conflicting feelings about the main characters and brings about some disturbing topics.
22. Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
Another classic that is a must-read. I loved the Tim Burton movie so I figured I had to read this book at some point!
23. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone by J.K Rowling
I know, I can’t believe I am just now reading this in my adult life. But I came from a conservative Christian background! I am so glad that I read this and can start a Harry Potter obsession later on in life.
24. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
As I said before I love a narrative following people affected by WWII. This book is different as it is about a blooming romance between two prisoners in the concentration camps.
25. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling
Do I really need to write a review on Harry Potter? Nah.
26. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
I was drawn to this book by its simplistic and stylish cover. I am a firm believer in judging a book by its cover and this book did not disappoint. This book is composed of short stories that are all a little bit bizarre. Most of the stori’s endings were a bit disappointing, but the content was so interesting and beautifully written that I can’t complain.
27. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling
I had to finish out the year with one more Harry Potter book because man do I have a long way to go.
