Some Favorite Books of 2021Like this list

25 items

• Braiding Sweetgrass

  Kimmerer, Robin Wall

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  This book gave me so much to think about and appreciate in our world.

• Ink and Bone

  the Great Library

  Caine, Rachel

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  I inhaled this series early in the year. Great characters you are rooting for, and a strong love of libraries, books, and access to knowledge!

• When You Trap a Tiger

  Keller, Tae

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  Winner of the Newbery Medal for 2021, and a real treat of a book.

• Memorial Drive

  a Daughter's Memoir

  Trethewey, Natasha D., 1966-

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  Absolutely devastating but well worth the read.

• All Thirteen

  the Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team

  Soontornvat, Christina

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  I was so sucked into this incredible, real life story. I knew the outcome but was still furiously turning each page in disbelief as I watched the odds stack against the boys. The author did a great job contextualizing just how serious the situation…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Sun Does Shine

  How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

  Hinton, Anthony Ray

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  Anthony Ray Hinton was wrongfully incarcerated and spent 30 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. 30 YEARS. An incredible, hopeful, and infuriating book about injustice and racism and poverty and forgiveness and how much farther we have…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Stranger Diaries

  Griffiths, Elly

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  I love Elly Griffiths' mysteries, especially this new literary-inspired, cozier-feeling series featuring Harbinder Kaur.

• The One and Only Ivan

  Applegate, Katherine

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  It lived up to the hype for me. Now I've got to read the sequel and check out the movie!

• Finding Chika

  A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family

  Albom, Mitch

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  I finished this book at 2am surrounded by a small mountain of tissues.

• The Goblin Emperor

  Addison, Katherine

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  I was so sad when this book ended-- I would have loved to keep exploring the world and spending more time with Maia. Now I have to pick up The Witness for the Dead!

• The Odyssey

  Homer

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  I've read The Odyssey at least 4 times by now, but it was so special to share it with my husband for the first time! This audiobook version is loads of fun.

• Man's Search for Meaning

  An Introduction to Logotherapy

  Frankl, Viktor E. (Viktor Emil), 1905-1997

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  A classic for a reason. It also made for an excellent book club discussion.

• New Kid

  Craft, Jerry, 1937-

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  I don't normally enjoy graphic novels, but this middle grade book about a boy who wants to be an artist was so well suited to this format!

• Song of Solomon

  Morrison, Toni

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  Toni Morrison was a brilliant storyteller. This book floored me and my book club, might be my favorite book by her yet.

• Alanna

  the First Adventure

  Pierce, Tamora

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  The first in another fantasy series that I just could not stop reading!

• The Good Neighbor

  The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

  King, Maxwell

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  While it could have been more concise, it was a pure delight to listen to my childhood fav Levar Burton read this book about another childhood hero.

• Piranesi

  Clarke, Susanna

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  I LOVED this book and made my husband read it immediately after I had finished it. It's best to begin it without any expectations and just let the story wash over you.

• The Joy Luck Club

  Tan, Amy

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  Beautiful, interconnected stories about mothers and daughters, and it's told so masterfully.

• The Anthropocene Reviewed

  Essays on a Human-centered Planet

  Green, John, 1977-

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  Vulnerable and thought-provoking, this is one of my favorite things I've read by John Green.

• Pilgrim Bell

  Poems

  Akbar, Kaveh

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  I love Kaveh Akbar's poetry so, so much. You can check out a sample by reading "The Palace" in The New Yorker.