# Your Top Ten books of 2021 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 31, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998 "2021-12-31T18:46:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/1 "2021-12-31T18:46:37Z")
Last year’s thread: [Your Top Ten books of 2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2020/929387) Doesn’t matter when they were published, but you read 'em and loved 'em in 2020. And please tell us, in a sentence or two, why you liked 'em. I’ll post mine a little later. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/2 "2021-12-31T18:51:11Z")
OK, so here it is again. Reading the _New York Times_ every day and _The Economist_ every week sort of slows down the book-reading. Nonetheless, here it is: 1 The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone An easy read on a very interesting topic. 2 The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War (Gladwell) Thought-provoking 3 Peril (Woodward)|Important but not fun 4 Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway Important to understand what really happened. 5 Technician Class 2018-2022: Pass Your Amateur Radio Technician Class Test - The Easy Way I got my Ham license 6 Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service Both chatty and important 7 My Memoirs (Volumes I & II) Alfred von Tirpitz Not for amateurs. 8 Harry: A Study of Teenage Mass Murderers Disturbing 9 The Age of Fighting Sail: The Story of the Naval War of 1812 (C. S. Forester) A counterpoint to Teddy’s account. 10 Conclave: A novel (Robert Harris) Novel of the year. A procedural of how they elect the Pope. 11 An Officer and a Spy: A novel (Robert Harris) A fine novel that explains the Dreyfus affair 12 The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence This is the story of how they rebuilt the White House. Technically interesting. 13 Essays in Persuasion (John Maynard Keynes) He wrote well. 14 Germania: A Novel of Nazi Berlin A murder mystery set in Berlin in 1944 15 MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman Important 16 Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in Seattle A fascinating look at a very troubled police department. Worth your time.| ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/3 "2021-12-31T20:32:23Z")
That’s 16, by my count, **Paul**. 😉 I finished 55 books this year. My Top Ten, in no particular order: _Firestarter_ by Stephen King - A gripping novel about a little girl and her father, both of whom have unusual talents, on the run from ruthless government agents. _Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother_ by Barry Sonnenfeld - A very funny autobiography by the noted director and cinematographer. _Crossing on Time_ by David Macaulay - A beautifully-illustrated book on ocean travel and the development and evolution of steamships. _The Queen’s Gambit_ by Walter Tevis - An orphan girl becomes an international chess champion in this engrossing novel (very different from the Netflix miniseries). _The Hemingway Hoax_ by Joe Haldeman - I re-read this, one of my favorite sf novels, about a Hemingway scholar and a con artist who decide to fake Papa’s early, lost short stories. _How to Astronaut_ by Terry Virts - A former Air Force fighter pilot and NASA space shuttle pilot discusses training, teamwork, mission prep, food, zero G, health and death in space, orbital sex and much, much more. _Moriarty_ by Anthony Horwitz - An excellent crime novel set just after the apparent deaths of Sherlock Holmes and Prof. James Moriarty in Switzerland. _The Commodore_ by Patrick O’Brian - “Lucky Jack” Aubrey commands a Royal Navy squadron trying to put down the 1810s African slave trade. _The Rosie Project_ by Graeme Simsion - Charming, hilarious romcom novel about an awkward Australian scientific genius and his plan to find the perfect wife. _The Lords of Discipline_ by Pat Conroy - Four friends, cadets at a Southern military academy during the Vietnam War, deal with bullying, desegregation, a secret society, lost love and betrayal. Honorable mentions: _Lenin’s Tomb_ by David Remnick, _Inside Lincoln’s White House_ ed. by Michael Burlingame and John R. Turner, _The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag_ by Robert A. Heinlein, _The Ghost Brigades_ by John Scalzi, _Playmates_ by Robert B. Parker, _Arthur Rex_ by Thomas Berger and _The Eagle Has Landed_ by Jack Higgins. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/4 "2021-12-31T21:21:01Z")
107 works (some very short, some big honking doorstops). In no order: 1. _The Year of Magical Thinking,_ Didion, Joan Re-read, a wonderful, wrenching, honest portrait of grief. 2. _A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1),_ Brennan, Marie The first in the series; surprisingly erudite sort-of fantasy about a Victorianish female natural historian. 3. _Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku,_ Goldberg, Natalie An account of the author’s haiku-writing and pilgrimage to Japan. 4. _Narrow Road to the Interior,_ Matsuo Bashō The classic Japanese pilgrimage tale, in _haibun_ style 5. _Sontag: Her Life,_ Moser, Benjamin An enormous biography, but very engaging. 6. _Tastes of the Camino,_ Martinez, Yosmar Monique A wonderful cookbook with good photos, organized by region of Spain. 7. _The Ministry for the Future,_ Robinson, Kim Stanley The most psychological and interior of his novels, engaging, plausible, characters much less flat and interchangeable than his norm. 8. _Six Walks in the Fictional Woods,_ Eco, Umberto Talks/essays on writing, repetitive at times but engrossing 9. _A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1),_ Chambers, Becky A delightful and sweet tale by the author of the Wayfarers series. 10. _Café Neandertal: Excavating Our Past in One of Europe’s Most Ancient Places,_ Bahrami, Beebe Informative, narrative, and personal–a wonderful genre-defying account of the author’s work and leisure in the Dordogne. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/5 "2022-01-01T00:09:08Z")
Out of 184 books, I decided to list my top ten fiction and nonfiction. Fiction: 1. _The Space Between Worlds_, by Micaiah Johnson. Because of the brilliant character development, world building, and plot twists. 2. _John Henry Days_ by Colson Whitehead. Excellent, sprawling plot about what a legend meant to people. 3. _The Man Who Ended History_, by Ken Liu. Devastating novella about evil and people’s reactions to it. 4. _A Memory Called Empire_, by Arkady Martine. Great world building and plot about politics. 5. _Song of Solomon_, by Toni Morrison. Stunning use of setting and metaphor. 6. _Sun of Suns_, by Karl Schroeder. Fun, action-packed plot and interesting world building. 7. _The Rambling_, by Jimmy Cajoleas. Fun, original fantasy plot and good use of setting. 8. _The Empress of Salt and Fortune_, by Nghi Vo. Fantasy novella with excellent dialogue and plot. 9. _Project Hail Mary_, by Andy Weir. Fun plot, great twists. 10. _The Disappeared_, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Good characters, interesting plot. Nonfiction: 1. _Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln_, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Overall, best book I read this year. Fascinating history and biography combo. 2. _Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants_, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Fascinating information about botany. 3. _The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power_, by Deirdre Mask. Thought-provoking information on a subject I’d never considered. 4. _The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth and Other Curiosities of Medicine_, by Thomas Morris. Funniest book I read all year. 5. _How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Real-World Problems_, by Randall Munroe. Funny and thought-provoking. 6. _Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway_, by Michael Riedel. Great anecdotes. 7. _Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider’s Guide to Jeopardy_, by Claire McNear. More great anecdotes. 8. _Castle of the Eagles: Escape from Mussolini’s Colditz_, by Mark Felton. Excellent account of POWs (all officers, and did rank ever have its privileges) in WWII. 9. _The Book of Animal Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong_, by John Mitchinson and John Lloyd. Fascinating facts. 10. _The Moth: All That Glitters_, edited by Catherine Burns. Excellent essays. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/6 "2022-01-01T01:50:02Z")
I’ve read 37 books in 2021. Top 10: 1. _The World Beneath Their Feet: The British, The Americans, The Nazis and the Race to Summit the Himalayas_ _- Scott Ellsworth_ - This book is my the best I’ve read in 2021 because anyone who loves the thrill of mountaineering will enjoy the great tales and fantastic research behind the missions set out to conquer the summit as well as learn a lot about the history, politics and personalities of the era when the world was on the brink of war. 2. _Eastern Horizons: Hitchhiking the Silk Road - Levison Wood_ - A very fun and eye-opening story of a 22 year old attempting to make the journey from his comfortable home in London all the way to India by hitchhiking through Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan on the way. Full of mystique of new cultures, an insight into human nature, learning history that never gets taught in the west, the dangers of war zones, relying on the good will of strangers, and the coming of age nature of a young man who now can see the world from another point of view. 3. _One By One - Ruth Ware_ - Those of you who read my contributions to the book threads might be aware I am a huge fan of locked room themed mysteries and this is a very good one. 4. _The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides_ - This psychological thriller had won the Goodreads best thriller book in 2019 but I only picked it up in 2021. Definitely worth the hype. 5. _The Red House Mystery - A.A. Milne_ - A short mystery book by and the only mystery book written by a man who later became famous for creating Winnie The Pooh. A very gripping murder mystery in which our main character is an amateur sleuth who is jovial and thoughtful in his approach to solving this case as if it is a brain teaser. 6. _Centuries of Change: Which century saw the most change and why it matters to us - Ian Mortimer_ - Very well written historical analysis of each century from the 10th onwards. Every chapter covers the main transformative events and figures behind it and concludes with an essay rounding up the various different points of interest to ultimately crown the defining change within each century and the biggest influencer of change in terms of a lasting legacy. 7. _Bryant and May: Hall of Mirrors - Christopher Fowler_ - This is another locked room mystery in the style of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians where a bunch of guests are all invited to a country house for a purpose for which they are not entirely sure and then people start dying off. Except it’s as much a comedic parody of that theme because we have two bumbling detectives on the scene who try to get to the bottom of it. 8. _The Guest List - Lucy Foley_ - Another kind of locked room theme which I read in one sitting so have to put in for that reason alone. It was thrilling, gripping and the plot twists quite shocking. All make for a great thriller. 9. _The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton_ - This was an exciting murder mystery except we have twists of mind warping complexities. Something unique and I enjoyed it for that reason. 10. _The Earth Gazers: On Seeing Ourselves - Christopher Potter_ - One of the last books I read in 2021 and a wonderfully researched historical book on space exploration, the people who set in motion the chance to turn science fiction fantasy into reality, the astronauts who went up there, and thought-provoking analysis of what it all meant. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/7 "2022-01-01T14:16:25Z")
In the order I read 'em: 1. _The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne_ - Jonathan Stroud; new Young Adult series from the author of the Bartimaeus series and Lockwood & Co. Entertaining and light. 2. _How To Become Extinct_ - Will Cuppy; I read this and other animal books by Cuppy to Madame P. this year; delightfully snarky. 3. _The Queen’s Gambit_ - Walter Tevis; not surprisingly, I liked the book better than the TV series. My problem’s finding someone at home to play chess with me after I read it. 4. _1968 in America_ - Charles Kaiser; I discovered a lot of books this year that I’d somehow missed; this one has me interested in the history of the U.S. that I lived through. 5. _1960_ - David Pietrusza; big fan of his work; deeply investigated history, though a somewhat conservative bias. 6. _The Year of Magical Thinking_ - Joan Didion; I discovered Joan just this year, and then she died. Where was I? She deserves all praise she’s received. This one’s about the loss of her husband and how she didn’t deal with it. 7. _The Horologicon_ - Mark Forsyth; I love obscure words, and dictionaries of obscure words. This one’s even better: Forsyth takes us through our day and peppers it with fun obscurities, many of which are quite useful. An example: “guggle” - One guggles one’s food the way one guzzles one’s drink. Lots of fun. 8. _Sacre Bleu_ - Christopher Moore; I discovered Moore last year thanks to the SDMB recommendations, and read several this year. _Sacre Bleu_ isn’t his funniest, but it is well-researched and about the Impressionists, my favorite type of art. 9. _The Historical Jesus: An Essential Guide_ - James L. Charlesworth; a review of the various attempts and schools of thought of the search for the Historical Jesus, with an eye to each school’s strengths and foibles. Charlesworth is one of the most highly regarded scholars regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nammadi Library and Pseudepigrapha, and this work benefits from his years of experience. Not for the beginner, but still quite accessible. 10. _The Pun Also Rises_ - John Pollack; my daughter got me this one for Father’s Day. Not just a book of puns, this relatively thin tome manages to deal with such areas as the history of literary criticism of puns, the physiochemistry of the brain that occurs when one is making a pun, and the sociopolitical ramifications of puns in history. But it’s not at all a hard read, Pollack has a deft hand. I read 103 books last year, or nearly 2 a week. Not bad. It helps that I’m retired. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/8 "2022-01-03T13:37:15Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > _The Lords of Discipline_ by Pat Conroy My favorite of all his books. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/9 "2022-01-03T13:37:52Z")
As usual, these are in no particular order because that sounds hard. [The Last House on Needless Street](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1788166167/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1788166167&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Catriona Ward Okay, I said they weren’t going to be in order, but this is the first book that leapt to mind when considering my top ten. There’s been a lot of hype about this book already, so I’ll just say it really worked for me. [The Fisherman](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939905214/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1939905214&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), John Langan Cyclopean, batrachian, tenebrous, eldritch…you know, that sort of thing. Also a pretty interesting story about a regular guy grieving the loss of his wife. [Rainbow in the Dark](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0358380375/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0358380375&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Sean McGinty YA. A teenager trapped in a video game world must solve a quest to escape to reality. [Doors of Sleep](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0857668749/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0857668749&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Tim Pratt Sci-fi about a man who wakes up in a new world every time he falls asleep. Book one of a series. [The Library of the Dead](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250767768/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250767768&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), T.L. Huchu A girl surviving a hardscrabble life in Edinburgh due to her talent of communicating with ghosts. Book one of a series. [Project Hail Mary](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593135202/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0593135202&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Andy Weir Science fiction about a man on a space mission to save the earth…who does something even cooler than that. [The Fall of Babel](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0356510867/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0356510867&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Josiah Bancroft The end of a four-book fantasy series. Now I can die in peace, especially if I’ve talked a few more people into reading it. [Minor Mage](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VNV5L8Q/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07VNV5L8Q&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), T. Kingfisher YA. Sweet and funny kid’s adventure story, plus the parts that are way too scary for kids, so whatever age you are, go right ahead. [Near the Bone](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593199766/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0593199766&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Christina Henry A woman is trapped on a snowy mountain with a controlling asshole husband, plus a bonus monster. [Later](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F4GYM8W/ref=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_glide_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08F4GYM8W&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2), Stephen King Can you believe Mr. King wrote two books this year and I only put one on the list? Maybe they both belong here, but I liked the main character in this one better. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/10 "2022-01-03T14:37:47Z")
ETA: Since others are mentioning their total read count, I will as well. These top ten were selected from a total of 70 books read this year. I did go ahead and actually rank them this year, as opposed to just listing five. The ranking is a combination of several different factors: (a) how much I enjoyed reading it at the time, (b) how memorable it was, (c) how much it changed my perspective or behavior, (d) how impressed I was with the way in which it was written, and (e) how impressed I was with the depth of research presented (for non-fiction books). Fiction top five: 1. _My Dark Vanessa_ by Kate Elizabeth Russell - The author captures all the confusion, desire, and anxiety of a high school student being pursued by her teacher. 2. _Passage_ by Connie Willis - The author pulls off an insanely ambitious story about near-death experiences. It’s hilarious, relatable, tragic, and outrageous. 3. _Love and Other Words_ by Christina Lauren - It was great to read a romance centered around conversation, acceptance, and support rather than flirting and sexual tension. 4. _Rodham_ by Curtis Sittenfeld - I loved reading the fictionalized romance and imagined alternate trajectory of Hilary Rodham Clinton’s life. She made for a thoughtful and quietly independent protagonist. 5. _Julia’s Chocolates_ by Cathy Lamb - It was great to read a book focused on so many different kinds of love: love for your friend, your neighbor, your family, your romantic partner, and strangers. Non-fiction: 1. _How to Break Up With Your Phone_ by Catherine Price - This book presented research on how your phone usage behavior can affect your overall mental health, and shows you how to develop healthier habits. It changed my life. 2. _The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good At It_ by Kelly McGonigal - This one might be cheating, because it was a re-read. But I read this book right as my manager got fired and I absorbed some of his previous responsibilities, and this book was so comforting and encouraging to listen to on my commute to and from work. 3. _Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men_ by Caroline Criado Perez - As a woman, I was astonished by the depth and extent of the statistics and research on how women are neglected and forgotten worldwide. I had no idea the extent of my ignorance until I read this. 4. _Parkland_ by Dave Cullen - The story of a group of grieving high school students changing the national gun control conversation is a powerful one, and Cullen does a tremendous job of graciously telling a sensitive and politically charged story. 5. _Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body_ by Jo Marchant - The most researched and data-backed account I’ve come across on the ways in which the placebo effect, the nocebo effect, and other thoughts and mental states affect our physical biology. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/11 "2022-01-03T17:45:10Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > > _The Lords of Discipline_ by Pat Conroy > > My favorite of all his books. I also really like _The Great Santini_ and _My Losing Season_, but yes, it’s my favorite, too. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/12 "2022-01-11T03:16:16Z")
Top five, in no particular order: - [Carter Beats the Devil](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13373627-carter-beats-the-devil), by Glen David Gold - A wonderful, satisfying magic show of a novel. Highly recommended. - [The Humans](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18919445-the-humans), by Matt Haig - A literary novel with a science fiction premise. Well-written, poignant, and funny. - [The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15992204-the-righteous-mind), by Jonathan Haidt. My favorite non-fiction of the year. Full of insights and food for thought about how conservatives and liberals see the world, and what their/our moral feelings are based on. - [End of Watch](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31208652-end-of-watch), by Stephen King - the final, and Stephen King-iest, of his Bill Hodges trilogy. These books are King’s attempt at the Crime Thriller genre, and they definitely worked for me, though they might not for someone who either doesn’t like that genre or who loves it so much they’re already thoroughly familiar with all its tropes and cliches. - [Watership Down](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45694067-watership-down?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=LXLtGEeUMw&rank=1), by Richard Adams - This was a re-read for me, this time as an audiobook (the version narrated by Peter Capaldi), and it still holds up, as a great book with at least one, and possibly several, Crowning Moments of Awesome. Five more, again in no particular order but a bit below the ones above: - [The Hate U Give](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36862147-the-hate-u-give), by Angie Thomas - Going in, I was afraid I was going to be too old for this one, and I kind of am, but it I still found it well worth reading. - [The Long Way To a Small Angry Planet](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26042767-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet) by Becky Chambers - A good example of the “starship full of assorted people/beings” subgenre of science fiction (like _Star Trek_, _Firefly_, or _The Orville_). - [The Creeping Shadow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33785176-the-creeping-shadow), by Jonathan Stroud - book 4 of his “Lockwood & Co.” series. My best Halloween read for this year. - [Assassin’s Quest](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45112.Assassin_s_Quest), by Robin Hobb - the conclusion of her “Farseer” trilogy. I probably would have preferred it shorter and with less misery, but it was still the best fantasy I read last year. - [The Wonder Worker](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1405573.The_Wonder_Worker), by Susan Howatch - a followup to her six-book “Starbridge” series, and, like them, a literary psychologocal potboiler with plenty of religion and sex. Honorable mention to the best popular math books I read last year, which might have made it into my Top Ten if I had a better idea how to compare them against the other books I’ve read: - [The Grapes of Math: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13547287-the-grapes-of-math), by Alex Bellos - [Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49119177-humble-pi), by Matt Parker (really good as an audiobook, narrated by the author) - [Math Girls 2: Fermat’s Last Theorem](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17152526-math-girls-2), by Hiroshi Yuki ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/13 "2022-01-11T19:29:30Z")
I read 85 books though a couple are rereads so In no particular order: 1. The _Relic_ Series by Maz Maddox. Dino shifters, nuff said. Wildly improbable but funny, sexy, exciting, I love this series to pieces. 2. _Secrets and Scrabble_ series by Josh Lanyon. Sweet, cozy mystery series, main character is a former child actor living on a New England island running a bookstore. Series is my potato chip palette cleanser after reading something emotional. 3. _A Share in Death_ the first Duncan Kincaid myster by Deborah Crombie. English mystery series written by an American and done well. I’m not sure what I expected but what I found was a surprisingly sweet story with characters I could be friends with. 4. _Murder Aforethought_ Book 2 of the Cabrini Law Collective series by Parker St. John. I read this twice last year on audio in the car while working. The characters are well written, the plotting smooth and the action steering wheel grippingly tense. 5. _Check Please_ by Ngozi Ukazu. Originally a web comic about love in a small New England college hockey team, the book is funny, endearing and a bit tear jerking. 6. _Pretty Pretty Boys_ by Gregory Ashe. Ashe’s books are NOT for the faint of heart, but if you like a good mystery, intense situations, UST, and small town politics, you’ll like these. 7. _Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows_ by Balli Kaur Jaswal. The book was very much wish fulfillment, but it was a fun read with good characterizations, a bit of suspense and while the murder plot line was a tad thin, it was still interesting to watch it unfold. 8. _The San Andreas Shifter_ series by G. L. Carriger. My go to comfort reads, not too deep or emotional, but her characters are like hanging with your closest friends. 9. _Murderbot_ series by Martha Wells. Wow, crazy, bloody, exciting and all from the POV of an android gone rogue. 10. _The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax_ by Dorothy Gilman. Another of the books I read as a kid revisited last year and surprisingly enjoyed. The series is, of course, wildly improbable, but Mrs. Pollifax’s grit determination and wits sell the series. I call them potato chip spy novels 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/14 "2022-01-11T21:53:10Z")
I’m a Mrs. Pollifax fan, too. My favorite is _The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/15 "2022-01-12T14:24:03Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15992204-the-righteous-mind), by Jonathan Haidt. My favorite non-fiction of the year. Full of insights and food for thought about how conservatives and liberals see the world, and what their/our moral feelings are based on. If this was your favorite non-fiction of the year, then I can’t recommend Haidt’s follow-on book highly enough. [The Coddling of the American Mind](https://www.amazon.com/Coddling-of-American-Mind-audiobook/dp/B079P7PDWB/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2HBCW58PBCBCY&keywords=jonathan+haidt&qid=1641997229&sprefix=jonathan+haidt%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-2) absolutely changed my world view. It’s becoming harder for people who disagree with one another politically to have civil conversations and listen to one another, and this book really delves into the psychology behind this phenomena – how certain things like cancel culture, online echo chambers, and a tendency to interpret words as threats rather than an opening for dialogue are making things worse. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/16 "2022-01-12T15:13:19Z")
I consider myself a reader. I read an actual newspaper every day, but I also read a portion of a book every day. On relaxing vacations, I tend to read a lot more. However, I only make it through about 24 books per year. I see one of the responders is retired, but how are folks plowing through so many books? Maybe once I’m retired, my numbers will go up, but I have other hobbies and will probably increase the time on those (mainly, getting outside for biking and hiking). I don’t have my spreadsheet of the books I read available so I can’t list ten. I did read the Murderbot Diaries books and enjoyed those. And I guess if you count those as actual books, I read more than 24 this year. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/17 "2022-01-12T15:26:29Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > how are folks plowing through so many books? Life will definitely squeeze the fun stuff out of my schedule if I let it! I get up an hour earlier than necessary every workday, go to work, and read until I have to clock in. So that’s about 45 minutes, 5 days a week. And I carry my book with me anywhere, just in case I get a chance to read a little more. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/18 "2022-01-12T15:30:22Z")
I do the same things. I wake up early enough to drink coffee and read the entire newspaper. I always have an ebook on my phone and typically read a bit while I wolf down my lunch at work. I typically only get an hour or so of book reading at night. Maybe I’m just a slow reader? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/19 "2022-01-12T15:32:26Z")
Or reading harder books! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998/20 "2022-01-12T15:39:27Z")
I read in the tub and to fall asleep at night. I read when other people might watch television or videos. I listen to audiobooks when I walk or drive. It adds up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-ten-books-of-2021/956998.md?page=2)