We’re going to be talking about all the books that I’ve read in the past year and I’m going to be ranking them from the worst to the best because I like doing that once in a while – I usually do this halfway throughout the year, but I thought you know what at the end of the year, it makes a lot more sense.
We’ll go over them quickly. So the past year I read, I think 35 books two of them were reread, so I won’t be including them in my ranking because I think it doesn’t count, and also I find them a little less interesting to talk about, but I will be talking about all the other ones and I will be ranking them in categories or tiers and will end with the five very best books, the ones that I love the absolute utmost new favorites of the year 2021 we’re going to start at the bottom, the worst of the worst or the most disappointing books. I didn’t completely dislike any of these books. I still gave most of them around two stars and there are quite a lot of very popular books on this list.
Worst Books
1. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
So the book that I enjoyed the absolute least, the worst one that I read this year is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, quite unfortunate, Neverwhere is more like never again, I wrote that down as a joke that I should say. I’m sorry, you know it sounded good in my head until I said that out loud. This is a very good example of a wonderful fantasy concept that gets completely ruined by insufferable characters that the author completely failed to make me root for in any way. I did enjoy the writing style, though, so I might check out more other Neil Gaiman books.
2. Neuromancer by William Gibson
Then a book that I was severely disappointed by was a Neuromancer by William Gibson. I was expecting a blade runner style cyberpunk book. Instead, I got a super action-packed fast-paced cyberpunk that is so full of unexplained techno-jargon that you almost don’t notice that the characters are barely developed at all. I do appreciate this classic sci-fi book for inventing the idea of cyberspace, though, but it just wasn’t for me.
3. Zomerburen by Rianne Robben
Then I was very disappointed in Zomerburen by Rianne Robben. This is a dutch book, an LGBT book about a girl finding out that she’s bi. It wasn’t as in-depth as I hoped that it would be, and I felt like the side characters and the love interest just existed to further the main character’s plot, and it just kind of left me feeling nothing.
4. Tender is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
The next one of the most disappointing books of the year is Tender is The Flesh. This is a horror book about an apocalyptic future where people have to resort to cannibalism because they can no longer eat animal meat properly. Disturbing, yes, kind of interesting to make. You think about animal rights and pets etc.
Yes, I do kind of feel like this was most disturbing. I would have liked it if this book dug a little deeper. I was kind of hoping to walk away from this with new ideas on animal rights and why the way we treat animals is bad, but instead, I just went away from it, knowing what I, what I think we all already know, except more properly discussed it.
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The last of the disappointing books that I read in 2021 is Fahrenheit 451. Yes, this is an interesting attempt at highlighting the importance of critical thinking and knowledge. But overall, the story felt thinly veiled in a layer of condescension, and I also think it showed a lack of understanding of why people in real life might be put off by certain controversial media and why people in real life might be losing touch.
Uneventful Books
With more in-depth media, okay, we are moving up one tier now going to the books that weren’t quite like worst or disappointing, but they were uneventful like books that are just kind of like you know. I think I think that was clear. That makes sense right.
6. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
So, just right above Fahrenheit 451, I have Leah on the offbeat by Becky Albertalli. I think I would have enjoyed this contemporary a lot more. If I read it multiple years ago, when I was still a lot younger when I was reading this book, I just found myself not being able to relate any more to teenagers worrying about prom and crushes. This book also completely lacked any direction because there was just no plot and no sense of where the story was going at all.
7. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
I did appreciate the more assertive main character. Then we have the first of the romance books on this list because this year I discovered the romance genre and I’ve come to the conclusion that I either love them or they end up in this uneventful so-so category. The first one is The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. This is your run-of-the-mill hate-to-love romance. There was some good chemistry, but just like its sex scenes, my memory of this book has just completely faded to black.
8. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Then we have It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again when I was reading this I was like am I reading a romance book, or am I watching a nature documentary the author just kept mentioning his male scent and female sounds and how male looked and how female she felt in his hands? And I was just like are we talking about birds or talking about people – I don’t know we talking about birds in like spring, you know probably, should have been called.
It happened one spring because all of these characters were twitter patterns. It’s a fun word. I just wanted to say that word: oh, the sun is shining through what is this? This looks like someone’s about to snipe me.
9. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazlewood
Next in the uneventful tier, we have The Love Hypothesis aka another reason why I’m never going to trust tick-tock recommendations again as a bio student. I fully expect to like adore this like bio, sciencey, nerdy love romance, I would advise the two main characters to take some classes in chemistry, though, because they had none.
There’s a fine line between creepy and cringy and to me this book just constantly toppled over into cringe territory, especially because all of the romantic moments were forced upon them by side characters, and I did very often feel a little bit uncomfortable with the age gap between them and like the maturity difference between them. I do want to give this book credit for wonderfully having some pretty important topics like sexual assault in the workplace and also the problem of kind of tyrannical supervisors in academia.
10. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Then we have a book that may seem a little bit out of place among the other books on this list, but that is The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a story about a butler that looks back on his life. It’s very nostalgic very emotionally nuanced. I understand why so many people love this book. It’s just one of those cases where I just know that this probably just isn’t my genre, and I do prefer Ishiguro's speculative work.
11. Then we have Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Then we have Written in the Stars. You would think that a romance between like crystal astrology, indie girly, and a cool, powerful, suit-wearing power woman would be the perfect hate-to-love romance. There’s nothing wrong with this book. I did have a fun time reading it. It just didn’t stick to the old brain folds at all.
12. The Atlas Six by Olivier Blake
Then the last one in the uneventful slash kind of disappointing category we have The Atlas Six by Olivier Blake. If you’re going to write a super cool, dark academia about the library of Alexandria, maybe show the library of Alexandria. At some point I don’t know, maybe give some descriptions about what everything looks like very dope characters loved him. But what happened in this book, Nothing, the villains, get introduced, and then you never hear about them again. Extremely important events happen off-screen. The entire story felt like it took place in a gray box because nothing was properly described. I did have a good time because the characters were so cool, but it felt like a waste of such a cool concept. Okay, those were all of my more disappointing books.
Good Books
We are now heading into the good territory, so you can all let out the breath, you didn’t know: you’ve been holding because all the books I’m going to, be talking about how I enjoyed so. If you see any of the books that you liked, I enjoyed them too.
13. A Hope In The Dark by Rebecca Solnit
The first book in the just good category was A Hope In The Dark by Rebecca Solnit. This is a pretty nice non-fiction book about the importance of hope in politically desperate times. The main message, for me, I think, is how hope is always necessary to be able to take steps forward, and even if you know that, like perfection is unattainable, that shouldn’t stop you, but that’s a force to propel you forward.
14. The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
Then we have The Girl and the Ghost, which is a wonderful middle grade, the fantasy that incorporates aspects of Malaysian folklore, the girl, from the title being like this perfectly virtuous nice little girl, and the ghost from the title being kind of like a toxic, inflammatory BFF that is jealous of everyone. They had a super interesting dynamic. It was kind of all vibes, no plot for a while, but I think where this book went wrong was when it started by Introducing a plot that was kind of unnecessary.
15. Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit
Next, is Men Explain Things To Me also by Rebecca Solnit, another essay collection of like a range of topics around feminism, about the importance of language in feminism, our need to always categorize and review everything we see, and the unfortunate reality of how women always need to seem credible to be even slightly being taken seriously.
16. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Then we have another issue, the guru book that is Klara and the Sun. Ishiguro is just good at creating very nuanced and emotionally honest scenes, and he did it again in this story. That is basically from the perspective of artificial intelligence. Robot girl made me this book made me want to just like throw down my book multiple times. Just because of like how shocked I was by things that were happening. My main problem with this book is that for a story that is trying to explore concepts like artificial intelligence and morality, it could have explored concepts like artificial intelligence and morality a bit more.
17. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Then we have the all-time favorite of many people, and that is The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab, a book that is about the main character that is cursed to have everyone forget about her immediately after they meet her. This book had a pretty forgettable main character. I mostly loved all the chapters from the second main character, henry and honestly, his character saved the book for me. Schwab shows her storytelling prowess with this one, just not her characterization prowess, but that’s okay.
18. Wonder Smith by Jessica Townsend
The last in the good tier we have Wonder Smith. I want to say that this book, this series, this middle-grade series, should be the next harry potter like it’s fun. It has magical school trials, and villains that are, inevitably tied to the main character, and on top of that, it deals with like interesting themes for a middle-grade book. For example, a big theme in wonder smith. The second book in the series is like the falsification of history. I recommend the author for writing these oh shoulder again, scandalous.
Great Cool Books
Okay and now we are going to move on to the wonderful great cool books tier, which I think in the end most of the books that I read this year fall into this tier, which it’s good because it means I enjoyed a lot of the books That I read these are all books I would recommend it to everybody. They are great. Wonderful gave all of them four stars and I just want to gush about them.
19. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Let’s begin, first, we have Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. The book has the same ghibli nature, cottage gore vibe, even though the plot is a very different, funny character, banter magical thunder battles spells potions. If you feel like you need a warm hug, you need to read this book.
20. She Drives me Crazy by Kelly Quindleen
Then we have, She drives me crazy. Do you ever go into a young adult contemporary book just for like the funsies romance, and then you are hit with like such an emotionally honest story about breakups and teenage problems and people having good communication with each other because that would that’s what this book was.
21. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Then we have, Take a Hint, Dani Brown. Talia Hibbert has become, I think, my favorite romance author this year. She is so good at writing interesting characters with their problems and their b plots that also have perfect chemistry with each other. That can retain that chemistry throughout the entire book. Even after they’ve already come together. In the third act, miscommunication is always resolved very quickly. It’s never annoying if you think that you’re not a fan of romance books, I highly recommend checking out Talia Hayward.
22. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Next, we have My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. This is a good example of one of those sad unhinged woman books. Do not read this if you want your main characters to be likable, I loved it. There’s just something addicting about reading a book about a woman that just has completely stopped caring about everything, but at the same time, is like a wonderful exploration of depression and makes you as a reader. Also, have this hazy cramped feeling. I think the author did a very good job of creating that atmosphere.
23. Dune by Frank Herbert
Next up, we have Dune. I read this book of course because the movie came out it’s one of those books that just kind of gets better and better the longer it’s been since you read it and the more you thought about it. I will be honest. It took me a very long time to get through it, and I know the diehard fans don’t want to admit this, but honestly, if it takes half of your 600-page book to get to the point that is also blurbed on the back of the book. There are some pacing problems there, but all the reverence is true. Wonderful world-building, interesting characterization, an interesting exploration of themes like colonialism and religion and prophecy, also great character design, and I think more books should have cool characters a design like this book has.
24. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Then we have a classic. I didn’t read a lot of classics this year, but I did read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley when I started reading this. I fully expected just like a green monster, a horror story, but instead, I got a wonderful story about an ambitious scientist driven by this sickly thirst for innovation and a monster that is mostly just angry with his creation, with his existence with his creator. He’s lonely – and I am going to – do the annoying thing and say that I think this book is kind of dark academia.
25. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Then another book that I loved is Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. I always thought that general fiction was not my thing, and this book proved me wrong. This book is written like an epos of a multi-generational character, profile centering around what it’s like being a black woman in the UK from you know, 60s Marxists to homophobic mothers very well done I highly recommend it.
Top 10 Books
Okay, now we are entering the top ten we’re still in the generally just good, wonderful tier, but we are entering the top ten.
26. Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
So the next book is still in the great books here we have a Trick Mirror. I think this is the non-fiction version of the unhinged woman book. It’s a collection of essays about being a woman in the age of the internet and also self-delusion. This book made me think wow. I never had an original thought in my mind. Ever in the best way possible, then we have the first of the romance books that I did like. You can see the distance between the romance books on this list.
27. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Next, we have Well Met by Jen DeLuca. I both hate and love this book. I love this book because it has renaissance fairs. I hate to love romance incredibly good chemistry and banter a love interest who’s, an English teacher that tells the main character to watch her language. You may think Leonie if you love that, if you love all that, how could you also hate it? Well, I hate this book because it ruined itself in the last 50 pages, with the most unnecessary, stupid miscommunication third act, plotline that I’ve ever encountered and I’m just going to pretend that those last 50 pages don’t exist.
28. Normal People by Sally Rooney
Next up we have Normal People by Sally Rooney. Yes, I am a basic 20 something year old that has fallen in love with a sally Rooney book. Yes, I have also fallen for Sally Rooney's. No quotation mark character, the study of two sad people that just are in love and don’t know how to communicate with each other. This is one of those books that constantly makes you almost cry, and I think that those types of books are better than books that make you full-on cry.
29. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins
Next, we have The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins, reads put something in her book that makes them so addicting. This book lures you in with its promise of famous people and celebrity gossip, and then you stay because you just love these characters. So much and you want to keep reading because you know you want to know, what’s going to happen to them, and you just want to know if they’re happy, you want to know what the plot’s going to do and you just want to keep reading it.
Wonderful Category
Then the last in the Wow, so wonderful category we have, I know I’m almost embarrassed to admit it but yes, I’m one of those people now as well.
30. Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
We have Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, there’s just there’s no escaping this book, a book that is a romance between the prince of England and the first son of the United States of America. That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it – and it is this whole book – is ridiculous but like in the best way possible.
Top 5 Wonderful Books
Then last but not least, we have come to the top of my ranking, the last tier just the absolute best of the best wonderful fantastic books, my new favorites, let’s just go through them quickly.
31. The Bronzed Beast by Roshani Chokshi
We have The Bronzed Beast by Roshani Chokshi the perfect book series for anyone who loved all kinds of mythology as a child, but then didn’t do anything with it when they got older, because life kind of got too busy. This book could never be made into a movie because no amount of movie magic could do the beautiful descriptions and settings in this book. Justice is the third book in the series kind of full of small plot holes and conveniences. Yes, do I care, No, I should I just want to read about my angsty-found family
32. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Next, we have Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Whatever you expect from the story when you first start reading it, it’s probably wrong. This book throws you in the deep and then once you think, you’re kind of happily floating around a kind of understanding of what’s going on, it hits you with a wave and then another wave and then a tsunami, and then you’re stranded on an island and you’re like where am I, what do I do, and then, in the end, it all makes sense and you find yourself thinking about it for weeks.
33. Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Next up we have my absolute favorite romance read of the year and that is Act Your Age Eve Brown also by Talia Hibbert. Literal pure happiness, encapsulated in book form. Yes, it does all the usual things right. You know great characters, great chemistry, blah blah blah, but it also just genuinely makes you so happy for these characters. This is what hate to love should be.
They start by not liking each other, but then they overcome their prejudices and they found out that they’re like perfectly just compatible they’re the only people who understand who the other is it’s sappy. I know, but I do fall for it.
34. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins
Next, on the list of my favorite books of the year is The Yellow Wallpaper. I never thought that a short story could pack such a punch, but this one did. I guess this technically also counts as a sad unhinged woman book, it combines two things I love feminism and horror, how could I not like that.
35. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Then my favorite book of the year, you probably have already seen this coming, you know what’s coming, it is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Have you ever had a vivid dream that kind of makes no sense when you think about it, it’s a dream, but it’s so real and it feels so palpable all the settings so magical, that’s exactly what this book is, The night circus is the epitome of no plot just vibes and the vibes were good.
Those were all the books that I read in the past year.