Favourite Books 2021

My reading year has been a bit of a weird one. I know that I have read quite a lot but I always find picking my favourite books is difficult. I have obviously read some great books this year so here they are:

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green 

I love John Green, I feel that it is quite a well-known thing so it's no surprise that it made my favourite books of the year! The Anthropocene Reviewed is a pivotal book that represents current society. This book made me feel all the emotions. I laughed, almost cried and I tried to sit at the moment. It is a great book and I highly recommend especially if you wanted to give John Green a second chance. 

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba

I had heard a lot about The Upper World a while before I read the book and I have to admit that I was really excited so it made me anticipate even more. I picked it up really quickly and raced through it. It was the last 100 pages that really got me as I finished it all in half an hour. I can't wait to see where it goes next in the sequel and it was a great sci-fi read. 

Bookishly Ever After by Lucy Powrie

After reading the first two books in the series, I was really excited for the final book in the series. It was a cute and heartfelt story and I really did love how it ended. The book also focuses on one of my favourite characters from the series and I loved the bookshop setting. There was some great autism representation and the Paper & Hearts Society got the ending they deserved. 

Flying Tips by Flightless Birds by Kelly McCaughrain

The biggest surprise of the year has to be this book. I really did love this. The characters were really great and the story had some really good emotional beats throughout the story. There are some lovely brother and sister relationships in the book and I loved that this was one of the focuses of the story. I do just recommend it!

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata with Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)

Getting into more Asian literature this year, I was keen to read Convenience Store Woman and I was quite happy that I did because I loved it. There were bits that I really connected to especially as I read it when I just left my job working at KFC and this represented how I felt so much. It was especially important when I trained a new starter on my last day. We are all replaceable!

Would You Rather by Kate Heaney

I never expected to love this as much as I did. I would be lying if I didn't spend a lot of the year thinking about my sexuality and I think because it took me so long to read. I loved Kate Heaney's writing and it was such an important memoir and book of essays for me. I read this for the ugliest colour prompt and it is definitely not ugly on the inside.

The Crossing by Manjeet Mann

A verse novel which I literally only just wrote a review on, The Crossing was a really great and emotional read. With two great lead characters, it explores the refugee experience as well as grief. Manjeet Mann knows how to write a great story and I will definitely continue to read more of her books in the future. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi with Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator)

A book on this list that I also felt a little lukewarm about it until the ending. The ending made me quite emotional and I ended up really enjoying it. I think that the book is also a grower and I loved it a lot more after I read it. The book has an emotional core and I really do want to read the sequel. 

Lost Cat by Mary Gaitskill

This one is probably the weirdest one of the year, not because it was bad by any means but because it is really not a book anyone would expect on this list. I was first attracted to the book by the cover because I can't resist a cat on the cover but the book was definitely so much more than that. It is an exploration of loss and loneliness and was just a great book to read this year.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green 

Having not really enjoyed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, I was a little bit apprehensive about it so when I read A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour, I was quite shocked, because I really loved it. The characters, the story, the writing and the overall message. It was just so great. The Green brothers just know how to write a good book. 

The Boy I Am by K.L. Kettle 

This is the first book on this list that is dystopian and I am starting to think that I just love a good one! This one is slightly different though as it takes place in a matriarchal society. I loved how the world was set up and the main character was really easy to connect to it the grand scheme of the story. It was fast-paced and I enjoyed the story overall. 

Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

I have read a lot of poetry this year but this is one of my favourites. I loved all of the writing in the collection and even though I did not identify with everything, I thought that Danez Smith's writing was raw and highly impactful. I have read more from Danez Smith since and will continue to do so. 

Gut Feelings by C. G. Moore 

One of my early books of the year, Gut Feelings is a great verse novel that details C.G. Moore's invisible disability. It is an important and impactful book that I read super quickly that I want everyone to read. C.G. Moore's book is well-written and it had great illustrations that matched the book really well. I can't wait to read more from him especially after Fall Out as well so he is definitely one to watch!

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 

Everyone has been loving The Fifth Season, over the last couple of years but I am definitely on the hype. I love a book that focuses on New York City and I think that with the five different avatars, I may really love the diversity of the city that it became! I also love the side characters as well in the story and the mix of sci-fi and magical realism like elements. I can't wait for the sequel when it finally comes out!

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern 

I was really surprised Flawed as I have read from her in the past and although I enjoyed her books, I wasn't completely blown away. I think part of it is because I love the odd dystopian read and this just hit at the right place and the right time. I still need to read the sequel but I am sure that I will love it when I do. 

Disfigured by Amanda Leduc 

I have thought a lot about my disability this year and this book may be one of the reasons. Amanda Leduc and I have a similar condition and I connected to it a lot when I was reading it. Also, the ideas in the book were ones that I thought were really important and I agreed with. I know Amanda Leduc has written more books so I hopefully will read more from her in the future. 

Last Bus To Everland by Sophie Cameron 

I loved Sophie Cameron's first book so when I read Last Bus To Everland I still had a great time reading it. The book was very emotional and the Scottish setting always makes me really excited and I loved reading about it. I also loved all of the relationships in the book from the parents to those in Everland itself. The book also has a great ending and I can't wait to read from her in the future.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi 

Everyone loves this book so when I finally got around to it, I was really quite excited. Even though I enjoyed the book just after I read it, it was the time after when the love really set in. It did grow on me as the ideas on the book really did develop in my mind. I can't wait to read more from Akwaeke Emezi in the future.  

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

At the beginning of the year, I was quite frustrated because I had attempted to read this in 2020 but didn't manage to finish it. It didn't click with me but when I started to listen to the audiobook and something special happened. I completely loved it, the characters, the story, I was completed head over heels. Of course, the redemption arc is that I had to put it on this list. 

What are some of your favourite books of the year? Let me know in the comments below!

See you soon, 

Amy