21 Best Books of 2021 you cannot miss if you love to read
2021 was good for me in terms of my reading. I read 125+ books and so many new releases. And I also did pick from a varied genre from mystery, romance thriller to historical fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi. I also did read some great books by Indian authors written in 2021. Although the number is small I have also listed some Indian books I want to read soon.
So from all the books I read, I picked the top 21 books of 2021 for you to make you’re reading journey easy in 2022 if you haven’t read them already.
If you’ve already read all of these, here’s my post recommending some fascinating stories on your Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Tip : Many of the below featured books are available on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Subscription for free or at very reduced prices.
Some of these books are also available for free on Audible.
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Best Fiction Books Released in 2021
A story set over 24 hours but that spans decades, right to the childhood of Elle where dark family secrets are revealed. Elle id remembering all this during an early morning swim at her family’s summer camp house – The Paper Palace. The reason to remember this, she has had a sexual encounter with her childhood friend right outside the house while her husband and mother were chatting inside and her kids were sleeping in the cabin alongside.
Glad I picked this underrated gem.
Best Thriller Books released in 2021
The Push has a unique and amazing plot. The winding and weaving way we are taken through Blythe’s current life and her traumatic childhood with a mother who abandoned her has been written in a very absorbing way.
This is a very dark story and gives readers a peek into a side of motherhood that is usually neither discussed nor portrayed.
The term psychological drama suits this book perfectly and it does justice to the genre in an intense but disturbing kind of way.
“Protect her”, that’s the last thing Owen Michaels (a coder) told Hannah (his second wife) about Bailey (his teenage daughter) before he disappeared one evening without a trace.
And then the news breaks out that the company’s CEO that Owen worked for has been arrested for fraud. Hannah realizes that her husband hasn’t been entirely truthful to her and she decides to find the truth on her own, or with her step-daughter, who wants nothing to do with her.
All the makings of a perfect thriller. Could not have been better.
To be honest I went in blind with this book. No blurbs read, no reviews read. And now I am glad to have picked this book. A very twisted plot with twisted characters that kept me turning the pages.
Karthigha my buddy for the read-along of this book enlightened me to the fact that this is a retelling of the Gothic classic Jane Eyre. Quite a witty and refreshing domestic thriller.
Elin Warren, a detective on leave, is in the Swiss Alps to celebrate her brother Isaac’s engagement. The hotel they are placed in is 2200 meters above sea level and is isolated and has a morbid history.
This murder mystery book is close to 400 pages long and yet I finished this book over the weekend. That itself might give you an idea of how good the book is.
The Village of Eight Graves is the story of a small village in Japan living an ancient myth. Many, many years ago, eight soldiers who hid gold in the village, were protected by the villagers. But when war waged, the villagers betrayed these soldiers and their samurai and killed them. While dying, the samurai cursed the village. Fearing misfortune in the village, the villagers created a shrine for the eight soldiers. But evil gripped the village, nevertheless. When the leader of the house of the west, Yoko, went berserk and killed 36 people in one night and fled to the jungles. Yoko's mistress ran away with their child to the city.
Jump ahead to twenty-six years in the future, and now this son has to return to the village. But he is warned if he returns, the evil will return, and a bloodbath will continue. What does he do?
The title of the book was enough to give me the creeps and pick it right away. I was aware of the success of The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Curse by the same author, and that is why I decided to pick this book immediately when I saw it on NetGalley.
I was not disappointed. Terrible myths, curses, murders, madmen, fugitives, the prodigal son, a picturesque village, and a hidden treasure. Combined with brilliant story-telling and ingenious plot twists.
Best Historical Fiction Books for 2021
In The Lost Apothecary, we are taken through double timelines. First through the 1970s where we have Nella, an apothecary who brews poison for troubled wives to give to their husbands, and Eliza a twelve-year-old, who is doing the bidding of her mistress. Then we have the second timeline set in the present day where Caroline is in London alone trying to run away from her cheating husband and trying to find peace. But she finds a blue vial instead belonging to an apothecary, probably two hundred years old.
And then begins a mystery and chase so convincing and riveting and a story so unique in its plot and storytelling that I’m adding this to my lists of unputdownable.
Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit are the Riva siblings living in Malibu. And they are having the party of the year at Nina’s place. Little do they know that by the end of the night their family will have all its secrets out and the house will be engulfed in flames?
This was my first book by the author and I now understand why readers love her characters. I will remember Nina Riva for a long time.
A ship carrying two hundred condemned women responsible for petty crimes to Australia. One of them is a murderer. Based on a true story, this book combines historical fiction with a murder mystery in an engrossing kind of way.
Best Fantasy Books for 2021
Two very different women, one a princess imprisoned by her dictator brother while a priestess searching for her family, find their destinies entwined together. Will they together change the fate of an empire or be killed in their search for the truth?
And Indian-inspired Sapphic fantasy.
A mythological story of the war between Gods. Agon is where Gods become mortals and descend on earth with one goal – survival. Lore has been doing just that to honor her parent’s memory. But then she gets an opportunity to get revenge. Little does she know that on this path she will face a new god with the power to destroy humanity?
Best Romance books for 2021
The Spanish Love Deception is an enemy’s-to-lovers, (office colleagues), fake-dating turned to romance kind of romantic comedy. Just Right for those looking for a sexy slow-burn romance with the most adorable Happily Ever After.
Best Sci-Fi Books in 2021
An astronaut on a last-chance mission to save the earth and its inhabitants from perishing. Only he doesn’t remember that. He just woke up from a very long sleep millions of miles away from the earth only to find dead bodies near him.
Now he has to find the scientific mystery to conquer annihilation, and then travel back to earth all on his own or maybe not on his own.
Barack Obama quoted about this book – The most enjoyable hard science fiction I have read in years.
Best Humor 2021
As Jenny Lawson’s many, many followers already know, Jenny suffers from depression.
Broken, takes readers along on Jenny’s mental and physical health journey, presenting soul-touching and hilarious anecdotes along the way.
Best Nonfiction 2021
Think Again explores the power of knowing what you don’t know. Through this book discover how rethinking can lead to excellence at work and wisdom in life. The author insists - Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. There’s another set of cognitive skills that matter more – the ability to rethink and unlearn. Our identities are old systems and so are our lives. We don’t have to stay tethered to old images.
Best Memoirs 2021
Michelle Zauner is the chief musician/singer in the sensational album Japanese Breakfast. This is her memoir detailing her mother’s journey through cancer, her growing up years as a Korean American, and her journey to creating an identity and her relation to her country and its cuisine in all of this.
Chirpy but straightforward, emotional and authentic, Zauner's voice is as dazzlingly blooming on the page as it is in performance.
Best YA Fiction of 2021
Three school friends meet again after they drifted apart for many years, and they decide to ditch school to spend a day together. But their goofing around leads them to a dead body, and soon they end up being on a crime scene of a recently committed crime. What is unearthed is a sinister plot with serious ramifications.
To be honest, I’m not someone who usually reads YA stories because those I’ve read I felt that the writing wasn’t meant for me as an adult with kids. But not this one. This is my first Karen McManus book and I am so glad I read this.
Best Short Stories of 2021
Truly intimate, these are eleven short stories about various contemporary women in varying stages of motherhood.
The stories are written brilliantly and cover topics that truly are so intimate that they have never been discussed before. I loved reading every woman’s POV and the myriad emotions that were depicted so realistically.
A short story book from Argentina that is described as being dazzling, carnal, and shockingly alive. Translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell these stories are described as dark and deeply unsettling as well as triggering.
Captivating stories that have dark themes and are very intimate and tender.
A story about a 13-year-old watching her white friend jump to her death. A story about a woman who finds empathy in an aquarium while having lost her baby in the first trimester. A mother protecting her teenage child from a predatory lover and so many more rare and gorgeous stories weaved effortlessly well.
Read More Here
Best Indian Books of 2021
Meera Bai was one of India’s most well-known poets and a devotee of Lord Krishna. She was married to Mewar’s Prince Bhoj Raj and this retelling of her life story focuses on her life as a princess, a brave daughter-in-law, a poetess, and a passionate devotee.
Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History by Ami Ganatra
Explore beyond the generally known storyline of India’s epic war story. Find answers to several curiosity-arousing questions and satiate the intrigued reader in you through this story of the Mahabharata that demystifies mysteries and presents insightful stories that had errors and myths surrounding it.
Amazon Blurb - India, That Is Bharat examines, through a decolonial lens, if Bharat's constitutional journey is informed by European 'coloniality', which affects its relationship with the Indic civilizational worldview.
J. Sai Deepak is an engineer-turned-litigator, practicing as an arguing counsel primarily before the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi.
This book comprises five chapters portraying five influential women who you could say in a way we're responsible for the epic. I admire, appreciate, and salute the representation of women in this book. If you've read the Ramayana or plan to read it soon, you must read this book to understand the perspective of these very influential women on the epic.
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