Best and Worst reads of 2021

Thank goodness others didn't like Hamnet or Piranesi. I've not been able to say it anywhere else

Laura Bates' Men Who Hate Women has been fascinating

Sorry, that should be
My Dark Vanessa.

Also enjoyed Miss Benson's Beetle

Best:
Shuggie Bain
Mythos - Stephen Fry
His Dark Vanessa
Tsarina - Ellen Alpsten

Worst:
Piranesi

My top three favourites this year are Hamnet
My dark Vanessa
The Thursday murder club
I didn't like the midnight library or Away with the penguins
The only book I couldn't finish was Gone Girl...I just couldn't get into it.

Best:

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Circe - Madeline Miller
In Black and White - Alexandra Wilson

Also-rans:
A cheesemongers history of Britain's- Ned Palmer
Dark Matter - Michelle Paver

Disappointments:
Closing Time - Joseph Heller (I love Catch-22 but this was just boring and repetitive)
Cook, Eat, Repeat - Nigella Lawson

I think my year was mostly duds book wise. Resorted to re reading some old favourites. Must try harder in 2022 to read a few more books.

Enjoyed:The Midnight Library -Matt Haig

Didn't enjoy Where the Crawdads sing - Delia Owens. Still got a few chapters left to read but doubt I'll pick it up again.

Best: Pandora's Jar by (I think) Natalie Haynes. Highly recommended if you have even a passing interest in Greek mythology.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.

The Mirror and The Light, which was magnificent.

Was Troubled Blood published this year? I definitely read it this year but not sure if that was a re-read or not. Anyway it was excellent.

Worst: none. Life's too short, so if I'm not enjoying a book I give myself permission to give up on it.

I read a bizarre number of duds this year. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell was the worst read for me by a country mile. What a boring SLOG!

Close second in the shit stakes was The Animals at Lockwood Manor, which was unfinishable - like a really pants Sarah Waters pisstake.

Best was either Leave the World Behind (Rumaan Alam) or The Five (Hallie Rubenhold).

(Dis)honourable mention goes to History of a Drowning Boy, Nilsen’s autobiography. Fascinating but by its nature a bit grim.

And absolutely not meaning that as a criticism of you, by the way! It's clearly very possible to read the book without picking up on any of the negativity. It's just interesting that you've missed the controversy (or perhaps shows what a bubble I live in that I even think that's surprising!).

Oh my goodness @TheAnswerIsCake I didn't know anybody was admitting to having enjoyed the Kate Clanchy! Especially after her publishers have issued their apology statement and it's been withdrawn from print. She's had an horrific year and I feel really sorry for her, because she's clearly well-meaning and sweet. But it does show weirdly racist/ablist attitudes.....

My 3 favourites this year...

A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
Naughts & Crosses (Malorie Blackman)
Dark Matter (Michelle Paver)

I didn't enjoy...

The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
The Glass Hotel (Emily St. John Mandel)

I haven't read so much this year so hoping for better in 2022. I got about 15 books for Christmas and have a to read pile of about 100 books now argh!

Excellent thread

Loved this year:

The last thing to burn - Will Dean
Apples never fall - Liane Moriaty
The burning girls - C J Tudor
Imaginary friends - Stephen chbosky
Normal people - Sally Rooney
Olive Again- Elizabeth Strout

Didn't enjoy:

The midnight library - matt Haig
Book of two ways - Jodi picoult

Enjoyed
The Girl With The Louding Voice Abi Dare
Troubled Blood Robert Galbraith
We Must Be Brave Frances Liardet
The Dictionary of Lost Words Pip Williams
Great Circle Maggie Shipstead
The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym Paula Byrne

Honourable Mentions
Ducks, Newburyport Lucy Ellman
Terms and Conditions Ysenda Maxtone Graham
Florence Adler Swims Forever Rachel Beanland

Not For Me

Cathedral Ben Hopkins

My top reads this year:
Pachinko by Min Jee Lin
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Five by Halle Rubenhold
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

Special mention for Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd and Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet (both rereads)

Didn't enjoy:
The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson
Dear Mrs. Bird by Aj Pearce

Enjoyed
American Dirt Jeanine Cummins
Small Pleasures Glaire Chambers. Recommended on here.
The Girl in the Green Dress Cath Staincliffe,
Worst Idea Ever Jane Fallon Holiday read.
Lady in Waiting. Anne Glenconnor

Didn’t really enjoy
Hostage Claire Mackintosh. Shame because I was looking forward to her latest book.
A Gentleman in Moscow Amor Towles. Just couldn’t get into it.
The Dry Jane Harper. Too much blood!
Normal People. Sally Rooney. Dull.
Platform 7. Louise Doughty.
Crawdads.
Three Hours. Rosalind Lipton. Gave up halfway.

Last House on Needless Street was a very uneasy read. Can’t say whether I enjoyed it or not.

It looks as if I haven’t enjoyed much this year, but I’ve read lots of others that were obviously okay but not memorable.

My standouts this year:
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
The Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

Honourable Mention
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

Couldn't finish
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

Standouts for me were....
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
The Dutch House - Ann Pachett
My Dark Vanessa - Elizabeth Kate Russell

Honourable mention....

The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart

Not keen on....

Skint Estate - Cash Carraway

Lots of standouts for me this year:
The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M Graff
Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
Many Different Kinds of Love by Michael Rosen
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie
Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O’Porter
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

Don’t really have much for worst, as I did not have a single “did not finish” this year. Twi that spring to mind that I didn’t really enjoy were The Mandibles and The Choice and although A Gentleman in Moscow is much loved on hear, I found it a slog - an issue of not meeting my expectations after so many recommendations rather than not being good though.