What were your favourite books of 2021?

[Tobcho 349]

Queer Fiction I read this year:

Trumpet,  Jackie Kay

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, Andrea Lawlor

Orlando, Virginia Woolf

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Voung

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennet

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

Hot Milk, Deborah Levy

Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi

Giovanni's Room, Baldwin

 

Not specifically queer fiction: 

Portnoy's Complaint, Philip Roth

The Importance of Music to Girls, Lavinia Greenlaw

In the city of love's sleep, Lavinia Greenlaw

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

Circe, Madeline Miller

Frankenstein, Shelley

The Tin Drum, Gunter Grass

 

Non-fiction:

Dear Senthuran, Akwaeke Emezi

more I can't think of rn

 

My standouts: The Vanishing Half; Trumpet; Orlando; The Tin Drum; Portnoy's Complaint

 curious about other suggestions in the same vein! Have you read any of these and what were your thoughts? 

[AlexanderMagno 10,746]

I don't usually read books recently published, so not sure about new ones.

 

But this year I've read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Kundera and I was completely in love with it. Sometimes, like every two or three years, I get to read one author who totally blows me away and I end up immediately devouring every book he/she has written. This year was Kundera (two years ago was Gabriel García Marquez. There really is a reason why these writers are classics).

 

Also re-read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke, and I think it was better than I remembered. Very good Fantasy book.

 

Finally, read a translation of the oldest known manuscript of One Thousand and One Nights, and I just love these curiosities. Even if the book is not that good, just knowing how old it is and how its History is wrapped in mystery makes me love the reading itself.

[RudraCNG 13,605]

20 minutes ago, monster4life231 said:

What were your thoughts on Animal Farm? I think Orwell has such amazing prose and I really enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek nature of the book. 

I really enjoyed it and yeah, Orwell has incredible ways to build a history from his political views, although sometimes it left me a bad taste in my mouth (Snowball, for example, or the fact that no matter how hard you fight against it, the system will always win). Of course it was completely intentional, as it was on 1984.

[SharkmanthaC 105,636]

The only book I've read that hasn't been about education this year is House of Gucci (actually not quite finished with it). It's a decent read if you're interested in the history of the family, etc.

[Moonlight on Water 13,681]

2 hours ago, monster4life231 said:

I went to Haworth earlier this year which is where the Bronte sisters lived. I was going to buy Wuthering Heights while I was there, but I didn't end up getting it. However, I love the Kate Bush song so I might end up reading it!

You have to!! It's such a fascinating book, and I envy you for going there

[Born This Way 1,646]

I didn't read any books this year even though I bought six of the most popular recommendations from gay book tiktok.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Maurice by E. M. Foster

And the first book in the new Star Wars series Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

I think if I just make myself start Red, White, and Royal Blue, I'll be on a roll and read all of them. But I really want to read that first cuz it seems like the one that's most my type of book.

[Nite 2,928]

I had three favorites this year, none of them came out in 2021 though I think:

Children of Time

Spoiler

Imagine a scientist trying to "re-do" evolution by dropping some apes and a virus to speed up evolution on a fresh, earth-like planet. Except something goes wrong and the virus hits spiders instead of apes. 

Jeder kann zum Mörder werden (English title would be something like "Everyone can become a murderer"; the book hasn't been translated that I know of)

This one's written by a forensic psychologist and was fascinating. It explains some real cases where people turned into murderers and it makes clear that it could theoretically really be everyone. 

Anansi Boys

I love Neil Gaiman so much and this one was so precious. The characters were adorable and different and I didn't see the plot coming. This quote from the book was one of my favorites:

Spoiler

Each person who ever was or is or will be has a song. It isn't a song that anybody else wrote. It has its own melody, it has its own words. Very few people get to sing their song. Most of us fear that we cannot do it justice with our voices, or that our words are too foolish or too honest, or too odd. So people live their song instead.

 

 

 

 

[Mother of Puppies 34,394]

I only read 2 books this year during my summer vacation. One was House of Gucci, which was soooo interesting & I also read „an unquiet mind“ by Kay Redfield Jamison.

 

I must say I enjoyed HOG way more than the other one which was kinda depressing tbh

[Grace 338]

On 12/23/2021 at 4:43 PM, Born This Way said:

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

THIS IS MY SHIIIIIIIIIIIT

 

ITS SO GOOD I REREAD THIS WHOLE SERIES THIS YEAR LOL

[SevenWonder 3,115]

My friend's novel: "U, Up?" by Catie Disabato. It's an amazing read and was on the NY Times list of best mystery novels of the year. 

Fun fact: Not only is Catie a fantastic writer, she's the person who turned me into a Gaga stan during ARTPOP!