Alright, I’ll admit it — I’ve (quite obviously) been slacking when it comes to blogging. Several of my posts are reviews of what I’d read in the past month or so, but the last one I wrote was from July….of 2020. It’s safe to say: it’s been a minute.

Instead of going through all 35 books I read this year (tied with last year’s count!), I’m just gonna highlight the best ones. Behold, my 2021 favs:

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Rating: A-
Left me feeling: 😂
Overall: This was the first book I chose for the book club I started in my apartment building, and it really got us off to a good start. It’s funny, heartwarming (without being cheesy), and a super easy read.

Reset by Ellen Pao
Rating: A+
Left me feeling: ✊
Overall: I read this book as part of my company’s DI&B reading group (and also facilitated the discussion of it)! This is a nonfiction about Ellen Pao’s historic gender discrimination suit against Kleiner Perkins, a VC firm she worked at for many years. Personally, I hadn’t known about the case before reading the book, but I felt so connected to Pao nonetheless. I saw so many similarities between the VC/finance culture that she described and the tech world, having experienced firsthand what it’s like to work in a toxic, dude-bro environment as a woman of color. This book is engaging, hopeful, and a total must-read.

One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Rating: A+
Left me feeling: 💅
Overall: I suggested this novel for the feminist romance book club I’m in, and although the other members had mixed reviews, I thought it was SO fun. It’s about a plus-sized woman who participates in a Bachelorette-like dating show, and the story touches a lot on fatphobia and the need for a less narrow definition of beauty. On a side note, it also has the most realistic, least-cringey digital dialogue I’ve ever read. (Why do so many authors fail at writing believable online conversations? So often I find that they’re inundated with outdated abbreviations and emojis, making them seem too middle-school-y.)

Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson
Rating: A
Left me feeling: 🔥
Overall: This was a very creative novel about kids who spontaneously light on fire (yup, you read that right)! It’s a pretty short read, but it provides lots to think about and discuss.
Extra Commentary w/ Spoilers (highlight to see): I thought this story executed the metaphor for high-needs children beautifully. I also liked Lillian’s romantic interest in Madison, but a member of my book club who’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community commented that it felt rushed and queer-bait-y to her. Our discussion helped open my eyes to a blind spot of mine — when I see a portrayal of a queer relationship, I want to make sure I evaluate it with the same nuance I would for a hetero one, instead of just jumping on the “Yay! #Representation!” train.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Rating: A
Left me feeling: 😭
Overall: Nearly everyone who recommended this to me said the same two things: 1) it’s incredibly insightful and 2) it’s a tear-jerker. I can attest to both and was in awe of Kalanithi’s approach to life despite a terminal diagnosis.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amar El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Rating: A-
Left me feeling: 🖋
Overall: Full disclosure: the first time I read this, I fell asleep almost immediately. It’s incredibly poetic (the two authors are a poet and sci-fi nerd, respectively), and the flowery writing can make it hard to engage. However, once I got past the first few chapters and got used to the writing style, I was really able to appreciate this novel’s creativity.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Rating: A+
Left me feeling: 👩🏻‍🔬
Overall: This novel was extremely captivating and well-written. The protagonist is a Black female scientist researching addiction, and her internal struggle to reconcile her religious upbringing with her current profession was fascinating.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Rating: A+
Left me feeling: 📝
Overall: Y’know that feeling when you’ve watched a really good slice-of-life movie? That’s how I felt after reading this. This novel details the highs and lows of an aspiring author who lives in Boston, and it does so in a way that’s engaging even though the protagonist’s just a regular person (on a side note, reading a book set in your city is SO cool!).

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Rating: A+
Left me feeling: 🎰
Overall: This novel covers multiple generations of a Korean family during and after the period when Korea was under Japanese rule. The writing was top-notch, and I loved the way Lee switched perspectives so fluidly. Going in, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to understand this book — I really suck at (and dislike) history, and I possessed no background on the Korean War or Japanese colonialism. However, the storytelling provided all the context I was lacking, and I was really able to appreciate this novel for how masterfully it wove together multiple storylines within that historical backdrop. My only warning is that this novel is t h i c k, so only pick it up when you’re in the headspace for a long one.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Rating: A+
Left me feeling: 😱
Overall: I think this is the novel I’ve recommended the most to folks! It’s such a quick read and incredibly engrossing. Michaelides’ background as a screenwriter is pretty apparent in this book because it reads so much like a movie — the pacing is just…. *chef’s kiss*
Extra Commentary w/ Spoilers (highlight to see): I did not see the twist coming at ALL, which is hilarious because it’s kind of the most popular twist ever; Michaelides did a fantastic job throwing me off. My only issue was Alicia’s definition for when something has “killed” her — personally, I thought her dad’s comments (and later, her husband’s) weren’t convincing triggers for a psychological break.

Mating In Captivity by Esther Perel
Rating: A-
Left me feeling: 👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
Overall: I was itching to read this book because I’d listened to so much Esther Perel content — after hearing her in several interviews, I even tuned in to a few episodes of her own podcast Where Should We Begin?. She’s a prominent name in the relationship therapy / “science of dating” world, and it was neat to finally read the work that helped her amass that street cred. In this book, Perel investigates how, if at all, erotic interest and activity can be maintained in long-term relationships. As a society, we’ve accepted the following narrative around sex and passion: there’s a lot of it in the beginning of a relationship, but it fades dramatically over time despite sustained love for one another. Perel uses her decades of experience as a couples therapist and the findings of other accomplished researchers to address this conundrum, and overall I found many parts quite insightful!