Best Books of 2021

Every page was a pleasure.

I read every single night before I go to sleep. Sometimes it’s only 2 pages to check the box of my bedtime ritual; other evenings I consume multiple chapters, promising myself “just one more paragraph” before I reluctantly bid the characters goodnight. Here are the Top 5 books I devoured in 2021.

1. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
4. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
5. Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

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It has the addictive storytelling of a beach read, yet the smart and polished writing of your favorite novel. This family drama set in 1983 centers around the Riva siblings, a tight knit unit bound by their love for each other and hatred of their father, a philandering rock star who abandoned them as children but still casts a shadow with his omnipresent celebrity.

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I delighted in the constant optimism of this beautifully written book. Adunni is determined, against all odds and in the face of all obstacles, to pursue her education. She knows that education is power, and she wants to have “a louding voice.” As a poor fourteen year old girl in Nigeria she faces an uphill battle, but she never doubts herself, compromises her values, or allows her spirit to be broken.

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This Gothic horror story is creepy, bizarre, and utterly gripping. Set in 1950s Mexico, Noémi, a chic and clever Mexico City socialite, is sent to the countryside to check on the mental health of her newlywed cousin who claims she’s being poisoned by her husband and in-laws. You’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering if fiery Noémi is strong enough to escape.

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I was captivated by the strong heroine in this story of love, loss, and survival. Franny Stone is following what is believed to be the final migration of the Arctic terns, one of the final remaining species of birds that still exist in this novel that forebodes our planet’s extinction crisis. Through masterful, layered storytelling, it becomes clear that Franny isn’t just following the terns into their shared uncertain futures, she’s also fleeing her own troubled past.

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This book is a total mind bend, but in a good way. Julia Power is a smart, talented nurse who works in the Maternity & Fever ward of a Dublin hospital during the height of the flu pandemic of 1918. The parallels between past and present pandemics will keep you glued to the page, and so will the slow burning love story that has a great modern twist on traditional workplace romance.