Thursday, December 30, 2021

2021 Books

Another great year of reading! Here are my choices for top books of 2021 organized into fiction, mystery/thriller, nonfiction, and short stories. After the book I've included the date it was reviewed. As usual, there were many excellent books to chose from that received my highest rating. (They are marked by an asterisk on the main list.)

Fiction top 10
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, 9/24/21 ****
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, 2/15/21 ****
The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin, 3/7/21 ****
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 4/21/21 ****
The Guide by Peter Heller, 8/17/21 *** mystery
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, 8/3/21 *** literary fiction 
Tin Camp Road by Ellen Airgood, 8/19/21 *** literary fiction
Deer Season by Erin Flanagan, 8/30/21 ***
A Little Hope by Ethan Joella, 10/25/21 *** literary fiction
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, 1/24/21 **

Mystery/thriller top 10
Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson, 3/14/21 ***
A Good Kill by John McMahon, 6/3/21 *** procedural
Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard, 5/12/21 ***
False Witness by Karin Slaughter, 7/20/21 *** thriller
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, 8/6/21, *** mystery
56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, 8/11/21 *** mystery
Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger, 10/1/21 *** thriller
Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner, 1/10/21**
1414º by Paul Bradley Carr, 10/12/21 ** mystery
Malorie by Josh Malerman, 12/9/21 thriller ***

Nonfiction top 10
Made in China by Amelia Pang, 1/13/21 ***
Pandemia: How Coronavirus Hysteria Took Over Our Government, Rights, and Lives by Alex Berenson, 12/2/21, ****
Breaking the News by Alex Marlow, 12/4/21 ***
The Chief Witness by Sayragul Sauytbay, 6/5/21
The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich, 9/11/21
The Authoritarian Moment by Ben Shapiro, 7/23/21
Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds by Michael Knowles, 11/30/21 ***
The Orphans of Davenport by Marilyn Brookwood, 7/25/21
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker, 12/8/21
Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color by Kai Kupferschmidt, 5/9/21
(This list excludes the many National Geographic Books reviewed, which are always excellent.)

Top Short Stories
Voyagers: Twelve Journeys through Space and Time by Robert Silverberg, 4/4/21 
In the Event of Contact by Ethel Rohan, 4/28/21
The Best of David Brin by David Brin, 7/25/21

Books 2021: 203 books read and reviewed

January – 14 books
1. The Effort by Claire Holroyde, 368 pages, 1/2/21, highly recommended
2. A Stranger at the Door by Jason Pinter, 362 pages, 1/2/21, highly recommended
3. Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson, 288 pages, 1/3/21, highly recommended
4. The Plague Cycle by Charles Kenny, 320 pages, 1/6/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
5. Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner, 400 pages, 1/10/21, very highly recommended **
6. Forgive Me by Susan Lewis, 416 pages, 1/13/21, highly recommended
7. Made in China by Amelia Pang, 288 pages, 1/13/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction ***
8. The Survivors by Jane Harper, 384 pages, 1/16/21 very highly recommended *
9. Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz, 320 pages, 1/17/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
10. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, 464 pages, 1/24/21, very highly recommended **
11. The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey, 352 pages, 1/27/21, highly recommended
12. The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor, 352 pages, 1/31/21, highly recommended
13. Missing and Endangered by J. A. Jance, 384 pages, 1/31/21, highly recommended
14. The Silent Speak by Val Collins, 276 pages, 1/31/21, recommended
February - 14 books
15. Foregone by Russell Banks, 320 pages, 2/3/21, highly recommended
16. The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell, 352 pages, 2/7/21, highly recommended
17. Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva, 352 pages, 2/10/21, highly recommended
18. Oslo, Maine by Marcia Butler, 288 pages, 2/10/21, recommended
19. We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, 384 pages, 2/15/21, very highly recommended ****
20. Maniac by Harold Schechter, 254 pages, 2/15/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
21. Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman, 336 pages, 2/17/21, highly recommended
22. Falling from Trees by Mike Fiorito, 136 pages, 2/18/21 recommended, short stories
23. Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer, 368 pages, 2/21/21, highly recommended
24. Search for Her by Rick Mofina, 512 pages, 2/24/21, highly recommended
25. Saving Grace by Debbie Babitt, 328 pages, 2/24/21, highly recommended
26. Taking the Fight South by Howard Ball, 280 pages, 2/28/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
27. Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham, 336 pages, 2/28/21, highly recommended
28. The Bounty by Janet Evanovich, Steve Hamilton, 320 pages, 2/28/21, highly recommended
March - 20 books
29. Tell No Lies by Allison Brennan, 432 pages, 3/3/21, very highly recommended *
30. Dead Air by Michael Bradley 288 pages, 3/7/21, recommended
31. The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin, 224 pages, 3/7/21, very highly recommended ****
32. National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States, 9th Edition, 528 pages, 3/8/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction *
33. National Geographic Secrets of the National Parks, 2nd Edition, 288 pages, 3/8/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction *
34. The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon, 336 pages, 3/10/21, very highly recommended *
35. Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson, 336 pages, 3/14/21, very highly recommended ***
36. Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison, 416 pages, 3/15/21, highly recommended
37. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, 400 pages, 3/17/21, highly recommended
38. Breakout by Paul Herron, 304 pages, 3/17/21, highly recommended
39. Wild Rescues by Kevin Grange, 304 pages, 3/21/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction *
40. When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain, 384 pages, 3/24/21, highly recommended
41. What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton, 304 pages, 3/24/21, recommended
42. North by Shakespeare by Michael Blanding, 480 pages, 3/27/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction *
43. Just Get Home by Bridget Foley, 352 pages, 3/27/21, highly recommended
44. Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux, 413 pages, 3/27/21, highly recommended
45. The Glitter in the Green by Jon Dunn, 352 pages, 3/28/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
46. Blood and Treasure by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin, 400 pages, 3/28/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
47. Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke, 340 pages, 3/31/21, recommended
48. Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan, 352 pages, 3/31/21, highly recommended
April – 14 books
49. Voyagers: Twelve Journeys through Space and Time by Robert Silverberg, 448 pages, 4/4/21, very highly recommended, short stories**
50. The Other Side of the Door by Nicci French, 400 pages, 4/4/21, highly recommended
51. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, 352 pages, 4/7/21, highly recommended
52. No Going Back by T.R. Ragan, 288 pages, 4/11/21, highly recommended
53. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, 320 pages, 4/11/21, highly recommended
54. Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla, 352 pages, 4/14/21, recommended
55. Thirty-One Bones by Morgan Cry, 312 pages, 4/18/21, highly recommended
56. Oracle by Julie Anderson, 286 pages, 4/21/21, recommended
57. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 496 pages, 4/21/21, very highly recommended ****
58. National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky, 288 pages, 4/23/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction
59. Aftermath by Terri Blackstock, 336 pages, 4/25/21, highly recommended
60. The Final Twist by Jeffery Deaver, 416 pages, 4/25/21, highly recommended
61. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, 336 pages, 4/28/21, highly recommended
62. In the Event of Contact by Ethel Rohan,192 pages, 4/28/21, very highly recommended, short stories *
May – 13 books
63. Goblin: A Novel in Six Novellas by Josh Malerman 416 pages, 5/5/21, very highly recommended, short stories, *
64. Highway Blue by Ailsa McFarlane,192 pages, 5/5/21, highly recommended
65. Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color by Kai Kupferschmidt, 224 pages, 5/9/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
66. Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard, 464 pages, 5/12/21, very highly recommended ***
67. How to Mars by David Ebenbach, 240 pages, 5/16/21, highly recommended
68. Cosmic Queries by Neil deGrasse Tyson and James Trefil, 312 pages, 5/19/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction
69. You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon, 352 pages, 5/21/21, highly recommended
70. The Turnout by Megan Abbott, 352 pages, 5/21/21, highly recommended
71. Safe and Sound by Philippa East, 352 pages, 5/22/21, highly recommended
72. River, Sing Out by James Wade, 288 pages, 5/25/21, highly recommended
73. A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams, 304 pages, 5/25/21, recommended
74. Rabbits by Terry Miles 432 pages, 5/27/21, very highly recommended *
75. The Hive by Gregg Olsen, 480 pages, 5/29/21, highly recommended
June - 11 books
76. Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver, 288 pages, 6/1/21, very highly recommended **
77. A Good Kill by John McMahon, 384 pages, 6/3/21, very highly recommended ***
78. The Chief Witness by Sayragul Sauytbay, 320 pages, 6/5/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
79. The Twin Paradox by Charles Wachter, 372 pages, 6/7/21, highly recommended
80. Dream Girl by Laura Lippman, 320 pages, 6/19/21, highly recommended
81. Tell Me the Truth by Matthew Farrell, 336 pages, 6/24/21, highly recommended
82. God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney, 320 pages, 6/25/21, very highly recommended *
83. This Shining Life by Harriet Kline, 336 pages, 6/26/21, highly recommended
84. What to Do When Someone Dies by Nicci French, 368 pages, 6/28/21, recommended
85. Lie Beside Me by Gytha Lodge, 368 pages, 6/29/21, highly recommended
86. News for the Rich, White, and Blue by Nikki Usher, 376 pages, 6/30/21, recommended, nonfiction
July -21 books
87. Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin, 304 pages, 7/3/21, very highly recommended *
88. The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton, 288 pages, 7/3/21, highly recommended
89. The Third Grave by Lisa Jackson, 352 pages, 7/7/21, highly recommended
90. The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine, 336 pages, 7/9/21, recommended
91. The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman, 336 pages, 7/11/21, recommended
92. The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs, 368 pages, 7/11/21, highly recommended
93. Falling by T. J. Newman, 304 pages, 7/13/21, very highly recommended *
94. The Lost Girls by Jessica Chiarella, 336 pages, 7/13/21, recommended
95. Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda, 352 pages, 7/15/21, very highly recommended *
96. We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz, 320 pages, 7/15/21, highly recommended
97. Steel Fear by Brandon Webb, John David Mann, 464 pages, 7/15/21, highly recommended
98. The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish 400 pages, 7/17/21, highly recommended
99. False Witness by Karin Slaughter, 448 pages, 7/20/21, very highly recommended ***
100. The Authoritarian Moment by Ben Shapiro, 288 pages, 7/23/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
101. The Orphans of Davenport by Marilyn Brookwood, 352 pages, 7/25/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction **
102. The Best of David Brin by David Brin, 624 pages, 7/25/21, very highly recommended, short stories **
103. The Viking Heart by Arthur Herman, 512 pages, 7/26/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
104. When All Light Fails by Randall Silvis, 464 pages, 7/28/21, highly recommended
105. Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon, 368 pages, 7/29/21, highly recommended
106. Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey, 384 pages, 7/30/21, recommended
107. Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens, 384 pages, 7/30/21, very highly recommended *
August - 25 books
108. The Speed of Mercy by Christy Ann Conlin, 384 pages, 8/2/21, so-so
109. You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton, 288 pages, 8/2/21, highly recommended
110. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, 272 pages, 8/3/21, very highly recommended ***
111. The Ophelia Girls by Jane Healey, 368 pages, 8/4/21, recommended
112. The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding, 352 pages, 8/5/21, highly recommended
113. Vortex by Catherine Coulter, 400 pages, 8/5/21, highly recommended
114. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, 352 pages, 8/6/21, very highly recommended ***
115. Cul-De-Sac by Joy Fielding, 384 pages, 8/7/21, recommended
116. The Family Plot by Megan Collins, 320 pages, 8/8/21, highly recommended
117. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, 305 pages, 8/11/21, very highly recommended ***
118. Bloodless by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, 400 pages, 8/12/21, very highly recommended **
119. Pretty Broken Dolls by Jennifer Chase, 302 pages, 8/14/21, highly recommended
120. The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope, 250 pages, 8/15/21, highly recommended
121. Where I Left Her by Amber Garza, 304 pages, 8/16/21, recommended
122. The Guide by Peter Heller, 272 pages, 8/17/21, very highly recommended ***
123. Tin Camp Road by Ellen Airgood, 304 pages, 8/19/21, very highly recommended ***
124. Lost Angels by Stacy Green, 270 pages, 8/21/21, highly recommended
125. Not Like Us by Ava Strong, 182 pages, 8/21/21, recommended
126. Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson, 128 pages, 8/23/21, very highly recommended *** humor
127. More Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar, 464 pages, 8/24/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
128. Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner, 384 pages, 8/27/21, highly recommended
129. Snowflake by Louise Nealon, 336 pages, 8/28/21, highly recommended
130. Nice Girls by Catherine Dang, 352 pages, 8/29/21, so-so
131. Deer Season by Erin Flanagan, 320 pages, 8/30/21, very highly recommended ***
132. A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann, 288 pages, 8/31/21, highly recommended
September – 16 books
133. The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville, 304 pages, 9/1/21, highly recommended
134. Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski, 256 pages, 9/1/21, highly recommended
135. The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell, 416 pages, 9/4/21, very highly recommended *
136. Mastermind by Andrew Mayne, 332 pages, 9/6/21, highly recommended
137. Talk to Me by T. C. Boyle, 352 pages, 9/9/21, very highly recommended **
138. The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich, 304 pages, 9/11/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction *
139. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, 336 pages, 9/11/21, very highly recommended *
140. Echogenesis by Gary Gibson, 360 pages, 9/13/21, recommended
141. The Necklace by Matt Witten, 304 pages, 9/14/21, recommended
142. Lean Fall Stand by Jon Mcgregor, 288 pages, 9/16/21, highly recommended
143. When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash, 304 pages, 9/18/21, highly recommended
144. The Spires by Kate Moretti, 316 pages, 9/20/21, highly recommended
145. The 'Peyton Place' Murder by Renee Mallett, 188 pages, 9/21/21, highly recommended, nonfiction
146. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, 640 pages, 9/24/21, very highly recommended ****
147. Point of Contact by Richard Ayre, 266 pages, 9/27/21, highly recommended
148. Crickets by Lee Chappel, 388 pages, 9/29/21, highly recommended
October – 21 books
149. Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger, 400 pages, 10/1/21, very highly recommended ***
150. Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers, 352 pages, 10/2/21, highly recommended
151. The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler, 407 pages, 10/4/21, recommended
152. The OC by D. P. Lyle, 304 pages, 10/4/21, recommended
153. Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day, 448 pages, 10/7/21, highly recommended
154. The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski, 352 pages, 10/8/21, highly recommended
155. The Mother's Fault by Nicole Trope, 262 pages, 10/10/21, highly recommended
156. On Animals by Susan Orlean, 256 pages, 10/11/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction, essays **
157. 1414º by Paul Bradley Carr, 275 pages, 10/12/21, very highly recommended **
158. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout, 256 pages, 10/13/21, very highly recommended *
159. The Guilty Sister by Arianne Richmonde, 321 pages,10/14/21, highly recommended
160. Shadows of Eternity by Gregory Benford, 496 pages, 10/16/21, highly recommended
161. The Unheard by Nicci French, 464 pages, 10/18/21 highly recommended
162. National Geographic Photo Ark Wonders by Joel Sartore, 400 pages, 10/19/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction ***
163. I Have Something to Tell You by Susan Lewis, 512 pages, 10/21/21, recommended
164. The Collective by Alison Gaylin, 352 pages, 10/22/21, very highly recommended *
165. A Little Hope by Ethan Joella, 288 pages, 10/25/21, very highly recommended ***
166. Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart, 336 pages, 10/26/21, recommended
167. Burntcoat by Sarah Hall, 244 pages, 10/28/21, recommended
168. Game On by Janet Evanovich, 320 pages, 10/29/21, very highly recommended
169. The Dangers of an Ordinary Night by Lynne Reeves, 288 pages, very highly recommended
November - 21 books
170. National Geographic The 21st Century: Photographs From the Image Collection, 400 pages, 11/2/21, very highly recommended nonfiction*
171. Everything We Didn't Say by Nicole Baart, 368 pages, 11/4/21, highly recommended
172. The Secret Next Door by Rebecca Taylor, 352 pages, 11/5/21, highly recommended
173. We Live Next Door by Laura Wolfe, 288 pages, 11/6/21, recommended
174. The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev by Eric Silberstein, 392 pages, 11/6/21, highly recommended
175. Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson, 720 pages, 11/9/21, recommended
176. The New Family by Victoria Jenkins, 352 pages, 11/11/21, very highly recommended *
177. She Never Left by CM Harris, 400 pages, 11/12/21, so-so
178. The Mark by Matt Brolly, 332 pages, 11/13/21, highly recommended
179. National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 3rd Edition, 752 pages, 11/15/21, very highly recommended nonfiction ***
180. Glimmer by Marjorie B Kellogg, 496 pages, 11/16/21, recommended
181. Parabellum by Greg Hickey, 356 pages, 11/17/21, highly recommended
182. Last Redemption by Matt Coyle, 320 pages, 11/18/21, very highly recommended *
183. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, 336 pages, 11/19/21, highly recommended
184. Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell, 416 pages, 11/20/21, highly recommended
185. Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins, 336 pages, 11/23/21, highly recommended
186. I'll Never Tell by Casey Kelleher, 250 pages, 11/23/21, highly recommended
187. Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding, 336 pages, 11/23/21, highly recommended
188. The Seventh Disease by David Shobin, 260 pages, 11/27/21, recommended
189. Word Wars: How Attack on Meaning Robs You of Free Speech by Morgan Moore, 85 pages, 11/27/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction ***
190. Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds by Michael Knowles, 256 pages, 11/30/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction ***
December - 13 books
191. Pandemia by Alex Berenson, 464 pages, 12/2/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction ****
192. When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan, 244 pages, 12/2/21, very highly recommended
193. Breaking the News by Alex Marlow, 368 pages, 12/4/21, very highly recommended ****
194. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker, 400 pages, 12/8/21, very highly recommended **
195. Malorie by Josh Malerman, 320 pages, 12/9/21, very highly recommended ***
196. The Best of Me by David Sedaris, 400 pages, 12/13/21, very highly recommended, nonfiction
197. Invasive by Chuck Wendig, 384 pages, 12/14/21, highly recommended
198. Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea, 368 pages, 12/18/21, highly recommended
199. The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan, 448 pages, 12/20/21, highly recommended
200. The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy, 224 pages, 12/21/21, highly recommended
201.When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham, 368 pages, 12/25/21, highly recommended
202. A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris, 448 pages, 12/27/21, highly recommended
203. The Swells by Will Aitken, 211 pages, 12/28/21, so-so



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