Top 10 Reads in 2021

Every year, this is one of my favorite posts. I love sharing books I’ve read and truly enjoyed, in the hopes that someone will take up a read and adore it just as much. I have no pattern and,I don’t keep up with the newest and best-selling novels. I choose based on the mood I’m in, and as you will see, I was non-fiction heavy this past year. You may also notice a recurring social theme in my choices.

Here are my top 10 reads in 2021.

10. ”Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation” by Anne Helen Petersen

Non-fiction. I left this book thinking, “Wow… it all makes sense now.” All my generational complaining wasn’t for naught when I look back and think “How did my parents do it???” They truly were different times and it is eye-opening to see how much the American Dream is changing. I recommend this read to Baby Boomers with Millennial children (Hi Mom).

9. “The Body: A Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson

Non-fiction. Bryson is really good at explaining facts in a readable and entertaining manner. He and Mary Roach have to be some of my top non-fiction writers. This book was incredibly fascinating, humbling, and at times, terrifying. It was an instant motivator to get off my butt because our bodies are astonishing machines and it is shameful to put them to waste.

8. ”The Stranger” by Albert Camus

Fiction. Thank goodness. I can’t believe this was on my high school assigned reading list - it’s straight up depressing…. but incredible. It’s a simple read about a simple man tangled in the complexities of society and its expectations. The simple honesty of Camus’ words will make you see how absurd our world has become.

7. “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” by Yuval Noah Harari

Non-fiction. Are you noticing a theme yet? Harari is so good at asking those questions you are too scared to ask yourself. If you’re ready to face them, read this book. My full review is listed here: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Book Review

6. ”2666” by Robert Bolaño

Fiction… sort of? This book will make you Keanu Reeves “Whoa”. It’s dark, heavy (literally - it’s about 900 pages), and brutal. This will make you hate people and leave you feeling hopeless for the world. Nothing about this is beautiful, yet it is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I don’t get it either. My full review is listed here: 2666 Book Review

5. “The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses” by Peter Brannen

Non-fiction. Which is terrifying. Books like these make me wish I had pursued being a Geologist, but I may have jumped into a volcano by now after realizing how much we are contributing to our demise. Do yourself a favor and don’t read “The Body” (#9) if you are going to follow it up with this book on past mass extinctions and how our future one may come to pass. Talk about a waste of evolutionary genius! Nonetheless, this was an absolutely thrilling and engaging read into the past. I couldn’t put it down.

4. “The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers” by Eric Weiner

Non-fiction. I wish I had this book in place of that Philosophy class I almost failed in college. I have always despised Philosophy, and did until I was stuck in Covid lock-down and forced to think of nothing else but the meaning of life. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking to dip your toes into a world of deep thought. My full review is listed here: The Socrates Express Book Review

3. “Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women” by Kate Moore

Non-fiction. Moore does a terrific job of getting this point across: we may know something, but do we accept it? And there are so many parallels today that statement can relate to. Vaccines, climate change, the shape of the earth… the extent people will go to live safely in denial astounds me. My full review is listed here: Radium Girls Book Review

2. “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson

Non-fiction. A lot of deep breaths were taken during this one. You will also be prone to feeling that a mass extinction of our species is rightly justified for the crimes we’ve committed not just against other animals or of our planet— but to ourselves. My full review is listed here: Caste Book Review

1. "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, & Shape Our Future" by Merlin Sheldrake

Non-fiction - and the most light-hearted read for me this year. I learned new words, and new theories in this one. We can learn a few things from Fungi and their symbiotic relationships to apply to our human life interactions. In fact, Fungi might just be the one thing that saves us all. My full review is listed here: Entangled Life Book Review