I read 77 books this year, about 25 fewer than last year. My average rating on Goodreads was 3.4, lower than last year’s 3.6. Was it a great year for reading? Not really. But it was a good year. There were some diamonds in the rough.
The best – 5 star books (according to me):
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“I loved the characters. I loved the flow of the story. And I particularly loved how the author first presents America through the eyes of a Nigerian, then turns around and presents Nigeria through the eyes of someone who is kind of American but also still kind of Nigerian. Among other things, it made me want to hop on a plane and go visit Lagos.”
26 Marathons: What I’ve Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life From Each Marathon I’ve Run by Meb Keflezighi
“If you enjoy running books, this is a must-read. I’ve read dozens of running books at this point, but this one is one of the exceptional few that really resonate. I read Meb’s last book, Meb for Mortals, and it was good, but not great. This one is great. Meb’s outlook on running and life is just so worthy of emulation. His great attitude, hard work over not just years but decades, and just wonderful personality make him a person to admire. I was so inspired reading about the marathons of his career. His record is really incredible – NY, Boston, bronze and fourth at the Olympics. This is especially incredible considering that he wasn’t really *that* fast compared to the Bekeles and Kipchoges of the world. But he kept showing up and raced strategically, and it paid off for him.”
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
“I honestly believe this book will be lifechanging for me. It is so full of clarity on some of the most difficult points of life – how to age and how to die. It’s almost impossible to consider how to live when you cannot care for yourself – or how to help your most loved ones in that situation. After reading Gawande’s book, I feel much more equipped to handle that eventuality, both for myself and others. Then, the hardest question of all, perhaps, how to die. It’s an unacceptable truth that we all die, or made acceptable only with an unshakeable belief in God and Heaven. Either way, how to manage the last months, weeks and days? Again, I feel better having read this.”
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
“Fantastic read with a lot of relevance both in the United States and also with regard to our relationship with China. I loved the characters in this historical fiction and learning a bit more about Tiananmen Square and the Cultural Revolution.”
5 star books for kids:
The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
“Esther Hautzig’s family’s life was saved by being deported from Poland in cattle cars to Siberia. Their family, left behind in Poland, were all murdered by the Nazis. This is the fascinating story of Esther’s five years in Siberia as a deportee trying not to starve but also chasing boys and courting her teachers’ approval. The book does not shy from the truth of death but is never sordid and doesn’t dwell on the gruesome. For me, it’s just the right level for a child of 10 or so.”
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Alcevedo
“This was one of the better young adult books I’ve read. It’s theoretically written in poetry; I felt like prose to me, but either way, the writing is beautiful. I listened to the audiobook, and the two narrators were excellent.”
Racso and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Conly
“I loved this as a kid, and now my kids, especially my third grader, love it as well. I think it’s actually much better than Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, though that one is good as well.”
4 star books – all worth reading
My favorites from this list, the ones that stick out in my mind as I review the list of not-quite-fives at the end of the year, are all in bold.
- Better by Atul Gawande
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
- The End of October by Lawrence Wright
- Actress by Anne Enright
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman
- What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan
- The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong (for kids)
- Complications by Atul Gawande
- One by One by Ruth Ware
- The Ultimate Bicycle Owner’s Manual by Eben Weiss
- The New Wilderness by Diane Cook
- The Comeback by Daniel de Vise
- Genome by Matt Ridley
- Out of Thin Air by Michael Crawley
- Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
- The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
- Ghosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd Parry
- A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet
- Running Home by Katie Arnold
- Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter
- Bravey by Alexi Pappas
- The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald
- Running for My Life by Lopez Lomong
What was your best read this year? Or just a book that jumps in your mind when you think about good reads of 2021?