My 20 Favorite Books of 2021

I set a target of reading 53 books in 2021 and ended up reading … 53. I am nothing if not goal-oriented.

Unlike most years when I mix fiction and non-fiction fairly evenly, I read much more fiction this year (and the non-fiction I read didn’t knock my socks off).

Here are my 20 favorite books from the year, arranged in convenient semi-related pairs.

The Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead
The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner

The Great Circle is jumps back and forth between a woman aviator in the early days of flight and the actress in today’s Hollywood who is going to play her in the biopic of her life. Absolutely brilliant novel.

The Lost Apothecary is also historical fiction with the same framing device, jumping between an apothecary in 18th century England who sells potions to help women murder men, and a modern-day American on holiday in England who tries to unravel the mystery. Smashing.

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield

Project Hail Mary is Andy Weir’s follow-up to The Martian. Space. Aliens. Science. Take my money.

The Apollo Murders, written by Actual Astronaut™ Colonel Chris Hadfield, is an alternate history novel about one of the last Apollo missions, involving spies in space and Russian cosmonauts. It’s wildly implausible, not a literary masterpiece, and yet still quite entertaining if you like astronaut books.

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
The Queen’s Gambit, by Walter Tevis

I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but The House in the Cerulean Sea is the sweetest book about a lonely man who is sent from the Department of Magical Youth to investigate a sort of orphanage for magical beings. This description is not doing it justice, and if you think this sounds stupid, give it a chance anyway. It’s a complete delight.

Speaking of orphanages, you probably already saw The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, but did you know it was based on a novel written 40 years ago and it’s freaking great.

Yearbook, by Seth Rogen
Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come, by Jessica Pan

If you think Seth Rogen is funny, you’ll probably laugh a lot at Yearbook, which is basically an autobiography filled with jokes about being a Jewish stoner. If you don’t think Seth Rogen is funny, spoiler alert, the book is mostly filled with jokes about being a Jewish Stoner.

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come is one introvert’s account of the year she spent combating loneliness by learning to be more outgoing. Funny, uplifting, and filled with helpful advice for introverts (and lonely people).

The Man Who Died Twice, by Richard Osmon
We Were Never Here, by Andrea Bartz

The Man Who Died Twice is a sequel to last year’s favorite The Thursday Murder Club, which you should read first. Old folks at a British retirement home solving murder mysteries. Very fun and funny.

And if you’re into thrillers, there were a number of candidates for this second slot. We Were Never Here follows two thirtysomething girlfriends who meet up for world travel and get involved in murders. You could also read The Last Flight or The Last Thing He Told Me, two other solid thrillers from this year.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by VS Schwab
The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey

What if you made a deal with the devil to never grow old, but as part of the deal you would be instantly forgotten by everyone you meet. That’s the conceit behind The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, one of my favorites of the year.

I don’t want to give away the secret of The Echo Wife, but it’s about a scientist who has perfected human cloning and the unintended consequences she faces. My favorite (non-space) sci-fi of the year.

The Guest List, by Lucy Foley
The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley’s schtick is mysteries told from multiple points of view in remote locations. If you like that sort of thing (I like that sort of thing) you’ll dig both of these. If you don’t like that sort of thing, these books will drive you bonkers.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If you haven’t read Daisy Jones and the Six, go read that one first (see last year’s favorite 20 books). Reid writes poppy soap operas about the lives and loves of rich people. Both of these are fluffy delights.

How Lucky, by Will Leitch
How Not to Die Alone, by Richard Roper

How Lucky is a mystery in which the hero is a young adult confined to a wheelchair with a horrible debilitating disease. Sounds like a downer, but it’s super funny with a fresh voice. Highly recommended.

How Not to Die Alone has been described as this year’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and well, that’s pretty accurate. If you like books about social misfits (or you are a social misfit) this one’s for you.

The Lesson, by Cadwell Turnbull
The Humans, by Matt Haig

I have to admit that The Lesson didn’t completely come together for me, but it’s stuck with me since I read it. Aliens park a ship over the U.S. Virgin Islands and are mostly peaceful except when they aren’t. It’s not really about space aliens. Worth a read.

Matt Haig is one of my favorite authors, and The Humans didn’t disappoint, in which an alien has to come live among earthlings and try to fit in. Two of his previous books (The Midnight Library and How to Stop Time) made my favorites list last year.