Myra here.
Every year, I share a list of books that I found to be particularly compelling. This is not an easy thing to do since Goodreads indicates that I have read 370 titles this year. To make a slight twist of sorts, I am sharing my favourites – not across genre as I have done last year. Rather, I am framing my curation of favourite titles read in 2021 using the Litsy meme called #Top21of21. This post is dedicated to adult novels, non-fiction, memoirs, graphic novels.
Given our 2021 reading theme on #SurvivalStories2021 – I made sure that I read quite a number of titles published outside of the US. Essentially, I tried to find books written or illustrated by people who have been colonized, oppressed, marginalized – be it because of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social class, ability, among others. I believe the list of titles here (with the exception of a few) largely reflect that. The list here is not presented in any particular order. I am reserving a whole different post of #Top21of21 just for picturebooks.
(01) The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(02) The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(03) The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Dare (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(04) America Is Not The Heart by Elaine Castillo (Amazon | Book Depository)
(05) The Housekeeper And The Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(06) Kim JiYoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(07) Uzumaki by Junji Ito (Amazon | Book Depository)
(08) Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(09) Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(10) I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti (Amazon | Book Depository)
(11) The Price Of Water In Finistere by Bodil Malmsten (Amazon | Book Depository)
(12) This Is The Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books by Joan Anim-Addo and Deirdre Osborne and Kadija Sesay (Amazon | Book Depository)
(13) A Velocity Of Being: Letters To A Young Reader edited by Maria Popova and Claudia Zoe Bedrick (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(14) This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace (Amazon | Book Depository)
(15) Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson (Amazon | Book Depository)
(16) Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (Amazon | Book Depository)
(17) I, Tituba: Black Witch Of Salem by Maryse Conde (Amazon | Book Depository)
(18) Aya De Yopougon Book 1 by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie (Amazon) – my review here.
(19) Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(20) King Of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
(21) Rule Of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (Amazon | Book Depository) – my review here.
How about you? What is your #Top21of21?
December 29, 2021 at 06:31AM Myra Garces-Bacsal
