I read 50 books in the year 2021. My usually goal is 52 books a year, so I came up a few short, but considering how crazy life has been I think I still did okay. It’s not easy to move halfway across the country amid a pandemic and still read a book a week, you know?
Of those 50 books, here are some of my favorites:
The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
This was the first book I read of the new year, and boy did I enjoy it. Written in a fantasy setting, a P. I. tries to help fantasy creatures regain some of their old selves after he destroyed the magic in the world. I think what drew me in was the juxtaposition of a fantasy world with a main character who has a completely normal job. The main character’s part in destroying the magic in the world is parsed throughout the novel so that we don’t fully understand his role until close to the end of the book. Until that point, he’s just a private investigator working with a mish mash of fantasy creatures in a world that is as similar to ours as it is dissimilar. It’s a great concept with even better execution, and it was an excellent way to kick of the new year.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I wrote a review for this book specifically, so you can check it out for a more in-depth explanation of why I like this novel so much. I think it really captures a lot about the teenage experience. There is a specific genre of YA that I really like where authors like Chbosky or John Green put pen to paper and really delve into what it’s like to be a teenager in certain situations. Their books aren’t the most well-written, and the concepts may not be novel, but the accuracy with which they can pen the emotions they’re trying to convey is nearly unparalleled. It’s one of my favorite subsects of genres and anytime I find a book that falls into that category, YA or not, it’s instantly a favorite.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
This book was just really cool. It was a glimpse into the mind of someone incredibly imaginative. First, Chiang had to imagine the sci-fi concepts he covers in his books. Then, he had to write them down, and to our benefit, he wrote them extremely well. I thought the ideas he proposes through his short stories were utterly fascinating, and the book comes with short explanations from the author himself about how he came up with the idea for each story. His explanations really complemented the stories and gave a neat view into the inside of an insanely creative person’s mind. I highly recommend this book.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Yes, this made the favorites list. It was a book I was so ready to dismiss, and instead it became an instant favorite. I don’t know anyone who’s read this book and disliked it. McConaughey’s stories are wildly entertaining, and there are bits of wisdom in each one. It’s really easy to think that his writing is pretentious, but there’s such sincerity in his words that it’s hard to think this way for long. These stories are his experiences, and it’s up to the reader to decide whether there’s wisdom within them or not. I think there is, but someone may think they’re just entertaining stories, and both interpretations are perfectly okay. He makes this apparent from the get-go when he says that this is not an “advice” book. It’s not an advice book, and it’s still 100% worth reading.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
This book overlaps with the category I mentioned earlier. Sylvia Plath is an excellent writer, but more than that, she captured what it’s like to struggle with depression and the idea of who “you” are with such accuracy that I had to put this novel down a few times. There are so many parts I could personally relate to, and even more that I could empathize with. To know it was partly based on Plath’s own life only makes the novel that much more sincere. I would recommend it, but be warned that it could be a tough read to those who have struggled with or are currently struggling with depression.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
This is easily one of the funniest sci-fi novels I’ve every read. I think the humor is similar to Vonnegut, but without the deprecating twists. It’s not necessarily laugh-out-loud humor, although I did laugh aloud a few times, it’s just incredibly witty. This book is one of the foremost books in the sci-fi genre and I think anyone who likes sci-fi should read it. It even solves the question of the meaning of life.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
This is another book I almost expected to dislike. I try to keep an open mind, but going into a fantasy novel where there are dragons and magic spells, yet girls of 12 and 13 are still being married off as “women” doesn’t create fantastic expectations. However, this book (and the rest of the series) is really, really good. Of course there are issues with the writing, mainly that Martin is overly descriptive at times, but for the first three novels I was so engaged with the books that the descriptions only added to the ambience and atmosphere. After that, I was too wound up in the story to care if Martin was lingering on descriptions of food just a little too long. Not to mention, the reason I liked Harry Potter so much is because of how well Rowling described things like the food, the castle, the grounds, etc. Martin follows a similar pattern, only his writing is significantly better. Rowling finished her series, though, so she has that going for her at least.
Well, those are my favorites of the books I read last year. I may make a post of least-favorites at some point, but you guys know how I feel about all that negativity. I like to crap on things as a side note, not as the main post. I’ve already read two books so far this year, and I’m working on the third, so hopefully I’ll get some book reviews up soon!
The Lit Wiz