2021 Book Roundup

This year I got back into reading more regularly. Not gonna lie, some weeks I didn't read at all and then some weeks I read like a feral animal digging into a pack of hamburger. I have no sense of organization and my time management skills are unimaginably bad, so this is the way I stutter through life.

So, here's a list of the books I read, not in any particular order, with non-Amazon links where they can be found:

This was a really good read. It deals a lot with loss, messy relationships, the kind of secrets we leave behind, and how we keep the people we love alive after they're gone through stories and memories. Not gonna lie, this one had me crying in bed at 1am, but in a good way. If you have a chance, absolutely read this.

Absolutely loved this one. Autobiographical account of the author's experience navigating complicated relationships, cultural barriers, and the feeling of grief that comes with feeling like an outsider in what should be your community.

So this one gripped me so tight while reading that I did that thing where you start reading at like 8pm and think "I'll go to bed in a little bit" and then it's 2am and you're on the fourth "just one more chapter and I'll put it down". Abandonment, prejudice, and the fear of the unknown. When I hear the phrase, "the mortifying ordeal of being known," from now on, this book immediately pops into my head.

Samantha Irby gets it so hard the book threw me backwards into the drywall. I have been seen and justifiably scalped. If your organs are unionizing against you and the thought of doing literally anything makes you tired, this book is for you.

A retelling of an ancient Greek tale, Miller scrubs the heterosexual paint off of a classic. Very good, very gay. The inescapable reach of fate vs human persistence. Struggle despite futility. Love, loss, and retribution. A big wooden horse.

Wonderful story about the struggle of the past and the present. A man haunted by the injustice of the Japanese internment seeks resolution. A cycle of paternal silence, disappointment, and tension begs to be broken. Made me think of Everything Stays a lot. Another one of those, "wait, it's 2am already?" books.

A book that answers the question none of us asked: what if we released hippos into the Mississippi river? Murder, betrayal, and lots of gay characters. Wonderfully, spectacularly violent.

Swordfighting lesbian necromancers in space. Mysterious and otherworldly, but the dialogue and characters are so well written it feels real. Walks the line between sci-fi and fantasy in a way that I've never seen and left me wanting more. After Christmas I plan on getting the sequel, and the fact the third book isn't already out is a crime.

EDIT: Also felt like I should leave y'all with Tor.com's The Best Books of 2021 (according to their reviewers) because I'm definitely gonna be checking out some of the titles on there. No Gods, No Monsters looks really good so watch this space for another addition bc I have some vacation time coming up and I'm ready to sit around doing absolutely nothing but drinking tea, reading books, and playing video games.