The time has come to wrap up 2021! And what better way to think of the past year than sharing the favourite books I read? ๐ With 41 books read in 2021, I am happy to say that it was quite difficult to choose my top 10!
As I already wrote reviews for all books in the list (except one), I decided to go with a super short explanation of each story. For more information, please check the reviews linked ๐ Without further ado, let’s go!
ยง A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A definite favourite. 4 friends. Physical and psychological trauma. Pain. Friendship. Fight. Survival.
Consuming. Heartrending. Recommended for the brave. My review.
ยง MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood
Trilogy. Dystopia. Genetic engineering. Pandemic times. Self-sustaining community.
Must-read. Cautionary tale. My reviews: Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, MaddAddam.
ยง Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Labyrinth. Manipulation. Solitude. The Other. Deception.
Absorbing. Moving. Review will follow.
ยง The Mountains Sing by Nguyแป n Phan Quแบฟ Mai
Vietnamese family. Vietnam’s history. War. Survival. Women power.
Super captivating. Cultural journey. My review.
ยง Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Discrimination. Black. Nigeria. Education. Adaptability. Race. Hair.
Modern Classic. Educative. Must-read. My review.
ยง The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Dystopia. Totalitarian regime. Memory. Forgetting. Friendship.
Daunting. Dark. Action-driven. My review
ยง Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Time-travelling. Lots of coffee. Family. Emotions.
Heart-warming. Captivating. My review.
ยง The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Darรฉ
Nigeria. Hardships. Domestic slavery. Support. Education.
Touching. Eye-opening. Hope. My review
ยง The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E Schwab
Fantasy. Tricky deal. Time. Dark lord. Loneliness and belonging.
Unputdownable. Mesmerizing. My review.
ยง The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
Ethiopia. War. Mussoliniโs invasion. Women soldiers. Lyrical.
Intriguing. Different perspective. My review.
These are my favourite 10 books of 2021! You might have noticed that I bent the rule a little bit, including a whole trilogy in the list ๐
What are your favourite books of 2021? Please let me know, I am in need of awesome books to read!
‘Till next time … happy reading, a very Happy New Year, and stay safe!
Georgiana
Cover photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
Readers' High Tea 
My list comes out the end of January, but I certainly agree with you on A Little Life. I also enjoyed the Maddadam trilogy years ago. I haven’t read any of your others except Americanah.
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Looking forward to reading your list!!
Oh, yes, A Little Life is definitely a top favourite of the year – the most immersive and touching books I’ve ever read.
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Before the Coffee Gets Cold series was also on my best books of 2021 list! I loved it and would honestly be over-the-moon if the author decided to write more โค
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Same here! It would be awesome to read sequels of the books!
Before the Coffee Gets Cold is usually my go-to book(s) to offer as present for my friends. And quite recently the first book was translated in Romania, so I had the chance to offer it to my mom for Christmas ๐
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That’s amazing! I’d love to know your mum’s thoughts when she reads it โค
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love this list !!!
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Thank you very much! ๐ 2021 was a good year in terms of reading!
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I read about a 1/3 of your list and thanks for more great book ideas! Happy New Year and wishing you a 2022 of more fabulous reading!
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Thank you to you, Tierney, for all the great reading ideas shared with me! Have a great 2022!!
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Great choices on here, interested in the Atwood trilogy
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MaddAddam trilogy is amazing! I started reading it by chance, after I signed up for a webinar with Margaret Atwood where the focus was on the first book of the series … so I read it as preparation for the webinar, and I was hooked!
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Will have to check it out
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Great post! Addie larue was on my favourites last year โบ๏ธ and I definitely plan on reading a little life at some point
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