My Favourite Books of the Year

It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m sitting here writing this post before the festivities begin. As many of you know, I am an avid reader and this year was no exception. I’m starting what I hope will be an annual tradition and sharing my very favourite books of 2021. Many of the books are 2020 and 2021 releases and others are classics or books that have been on my must-read list for ages. In case you’re wondering what kind of reader I am and if we might enjoy the same kinds of books, my favourite books are historical fiction and literature, but I enjoy and read all kinds of books, including biographies, other non-fiction, teen fiction, science fiction, thriller, mystery, travel, and personal growth.

This is the first year I have read a total of 50 books. I credit this accomplishment almost entirely to the Ottawa Public Library virtual checkout system, the Libby app, and Audible. My reading is divided equally between paper books, e-books that I read on my Kobo Clara, and audiobooks. Since I spend at least half my working hours making crafts for my Etsy shop, I can breeze through audiobooks fairly quickly. I usually have three books on the go at a time, one from each category.

2021 Books

This is my list of books completed in 2021, in order of completion.

The Christmas Sisters – Sarah Morgan

Winter Street (Winter #1) – Elin Hilderbrand

Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell #2) – Hilary Mantel

The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett

The Tea Rose (The Tea Rose #1) – Jennifer Donnelly

The Midnight Library – Matt Haig

City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert

A Promised Land – Barack Obama

Canada – Mike Myers

The Henna Artist (The Henna Artist #1) – Alka Joshi

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – Bruce D. Perry

The Rose Code – Kate Quinn

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

The Four Winds – Kristin Hannah

Age Against the Machine With Melissa Doyle – Melissa Doyle

A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Jonny Appleseed – Joshua Whitehead

The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power – Desmond Cole

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur  (The Henna Artist #2) – Alka Joshi

The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #2) – Julia Quinn

Anxious People – Fredrik Backman

Kindred – Octavia E. Butler

The Dutch House – Ann Patchett

Letters Across the Sea – Genevieve Graham

The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner

Walden – Henry David Thoreau

Dear Mrs. Bird (The Emmy Lake Chronicles #1) – A.J. Pearce

The Alice Network – Kate Quinn

The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Nightengale – Kristin Hannah

The Friend Zone (The Friend Zone #1) – Abby Jimenez

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Foundation (Foundation #1) – Isaac Asimov

The Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone #2) – Abby Jimenez

The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love – Sonya Renee Taylor

Beartown (Beartown #1) – Fredrik Backman

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy #1) – Douglas Adams

Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Perfect on Paper – Sophie Gonzales

Finding Fraser – K.C. Dyer

The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave

Arsenic and Adobo – Mia P. Manansala

The Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy #2) – Douglas Adams

The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles

Life, The Universe and Everything (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy #3) – Douglas Adams

Anne of Green Gables – Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Avonlea – Lucy Maud Montgomery

Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao

The Breadwinner – Deborah Ellis

*Note: All of the above books are first time reads for me except for the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I read these (more than once) over thirty years ago and they are a beloved favourite series of mine. It was comforting to re-read two of these over the holidays.

My Favourite Books

My favourite books are those that I rated as five-star books and that also stand out to me when I look back at the year. I’m linking each book to the Goodreads page so you can read the description and ratings of each.

Top 10 Favourite Fiction (in no particular order)

The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett, 2020

The Midnight Library– Matt Haig, 2020

City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert, 2020

The Rose Code– Kate Quinn, 2021

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir, 2021

The Nightengale – Kristin Hannah, 2015

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2017

The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles, 2021

Anne of Green Gables Series – Lucy Maud Montgomery, 1908

Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao, 2021

Top 3 Favourite Non-Fiction

A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015

The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power – Desmond Cole, 2020

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2013

Least Favourite Book

Let’s start with my least favourite book before moving on to my favourites. I’m likely going to receive some backlash for this because I’m a Canadian (and a former Torontonian) and doesn’t every Canadian love Mike Myers? Unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy his book, Canada. I just found it repetitive and kind of lame. His depiction of Canada was dreary and uninspiring and I don’t feel that way about this country, even back in the 70’s which I do have some recollection of. His perspective is exactly that, his perspective, and I think it could resonate with some people. I also didn’t find him to be a very engaging storyteller and much of it just fell flat.

Favourite Book of the Year?

So, do I have a single most favourite book of the year? My two favourite fiction books were The Midnight Library and The Rose Code. They were such different books but I was fully engrossed and inspired by both. The Midnight library helped me to grapple with some of the difficult questions of existence and life choices in a fascinating and unique way. I’m a huge fan of time travel books and I loved this book for some of the same reasons I love the best time travel books.

The Rose Code was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down. I was transported to another place and time and wanted to learn everything I could about code breakers and the life they led. I particularly enjoy reading books about the lives of women in different time periods, and this ticked all the boxes for me. It was quite suspenseful and the character development was excellent.

My favourite non-fiction book of the year was Braiding Sweetgrass. It was a lovely read, full of interesting stories, and it was a book that shared wisdom and life lessons. Robin Wall Kimmerer is an incredible Indigenous storyteller and this is a book I know I will return to time and again.

Summary

I hope this post has helped you to find a new book to read in 2022. Happy New Year’s Eve friends- enjoy the celebration! So, what are you reading?