My Books of 2021

I’ll finish 2021 on about 130 books, way ahead of my Goodreads Challenge target of 100 (yay!)

I just thought I’d take a few minutes to share some of the BRILLIANT books I’ve read this year – 5 fiction, 5 non-fiction. Hope you find something to pique your interest here, just in case Santa didn’t bring you enough books!

This will be my last post of 2021, so wishing you all a Happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2022. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog this year or chatted to me on Twitter – it has been an absolute pleasure.

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My Top 5 Fiction Books of 2021

*Imagine ‘Top of the Pops’ style countdown music. If you don’t remember ‘Top of the Pops’, don’t tell me because I’ll feel ancient*

Honourable mentions to several books that I couldn’t squeeze onto this list but that were five star reads for me – especially ‘Ariadne’ by Jennifer Saint, ‘The Shadow in the Glass’ by J J A Harwood, ‘The Appeal’ by Janice Hallett, ‘The Shadows of Men’ by Abir Mukherjee, ‘A Corruption of Blood’ by Ambrose Parry, ‘Dead Ground’ by M W Craven, ‘Circus of Wonders’ by Elizabeth Macneal, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ by Emily Bell and all the other Bonnie MacBird books that didn’t fit the list!

And now, without futher ado…

In fifth place, we have ‘The Three Locks’ by Bonnie MacBird – these Sherlock Holmes retellings (this is the 4th in the series) are pitch-perfect – there’s a gorgeous warmth in the relationship between Holmes and Watson and the plotting and pacing is brilliant. My review is here – and, to be honest, I could have picked any of the series for any spaces on this list.

In fourth place, ‘A Woman Made of Snow’ by Elisabeth Gifford. This is a vivid and highly engaging dual-timeline story that is set between Scotland and the Arctic. Expect amazing scenery and historical detail, plus a moving and mysterious story about families and their secrets. My review is here.

Third spot to ‘The Dangerous Kingdom of Love’ by Neil Blackmore. I loved this bawdy and immersive historical tale of political wranglings within the court of James I. It’s narrated by Francis Bacon, a gay man living during hostile times – my review is here.

Coming in second is ‘The Spirit Engineer’ by A J West, a late entry to the list but an excellent tale of spiritualism in Edwardian Belfast. This is a genuinely eerie and shocking tale and one I couldn’t put down. My review is here.

In first place is ‘Mary Jane’ by Jessica Anya Blau – this is a novel that felt like summer and perfectly recaptured the feeling of being young and in an adult world that doesn’t always make sense. Mary Jane is a fourteen-year-old growing up in 1970s Baltimore who experiences a summer that changes her outlook on the world. A gorgeous, nostalgic hug of a book – even if you didn’t experience 1970s Baltimore! My review is here.

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My Top 5 Non-Fiction Books of 2021

Again, there are a lot of great books that I couldn’t squeeze onto this list – special mention to ‘The Glamour Boys’ by Chris Bryant, ‘The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls’ by Mona Eltahawy, ‘Written in Bone’ by Sue Black, ‘Traitor King’ by Andrew Lownie, ‘The Shadowy Third’ by Julia Parry, ‘The Five’ by Hallie Rubenhold and ‘Meet the Georgians’ by Robert Peal.

In fifth place is ‘Jews Don’t Count’ by David Baddiel, a short but powerful essay on why anti-semitism isn’t considered racism by a lot of people who should know better. A review of this never made it onto my blog (totally my fault), but I wholeheartedly recommend this engaging and fascinating book.

In fourth place is ‘My Mess is a Bit of a Life’ by Georgia Pritchett, a hilarious but also insightful memoir about living with anxiety. Pritchett is a comedy writer who has worked on a whole host of top TV shows, yet struggles with imposter syndrome. My review is here.

Third is ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes, a fresh look at the women of the Greek myths. This is both really enlightening and entertaining – Haynes is a Classicist and stand-up comedian so the complex material is presented really engagingly. My review is here.

In second place, ‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans. I adored this book about women who made the transatlantic crossing by water during the early twentieth century – before air travel took over the route. There is glamour and glitz on board the ocean liners, but also stories of war, workers and migration. My review is here.

First place goes to a book that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it: ‘Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe. This is about the Oxycontin scandal in America and how one family – the philanthropic Sacklers – were behind the shocking events that allowed and even encouraged widespread opiate addiction in the USA. It’s eye-opening but also brilliantly told – my review is here.

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