Favorite Books Of 2021

[@sammartland932]

Thank you for this video. For months I've been in a reading rut, wanting new books but not knowing what books I wanted. Last night I ran across your video about Dragonsong and Dragonsinger and thought "This is someone whose recommendations I am going to value." So this morning I watched this video, listed the authors of the books that sounded fun to me, came home from the library with a big bag of books, and read one and a half of them already today. So if I do a lousy job at my department retreat tomorrow (beginning of the year in a college department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts), I'll blame you--but I'll also think it was a good trade. I am so much happier and less fidgety than I was yesterday. And the stack of books is big!

[@kittymachine3798]

We had so many of the same favorites!! No surprise though, because you are my #1 source of books that I hunt for. Peace and health for 2022 😻😻😻

[@timhodge4807]

The best book reviewer on you -tube !

[@MrBerniemcgovern]

Feel better soon! Such a treat to hear your updates as ever :)

[@EV-yp5hx]

I totally understand about mood affecting what is enjoyed. In periods of illness or stress I realise most of the books in my collection are massive downers, and I turn to romance, adventure, or old middle grade favourites. I hope next year is better for you and thanks for sharing the books that made your year :)

[@TheShadesofOrange]

First I hope your feeling better... I saw your tweet. And books... so happy you enjoyed the Relentless Moon even though you didn't love Nicole as much as I did. And I just started the Disordered Cosmos on audio today. Great introduction. (Also I'm currently reading Ancestral Night... I know you loved that one)

[@ThatsSoPoe]

Yikes that you got sick again! 😰 That's so rough. I'm glad you ended up with some favorites even though last year was stressful. You've reminded me that I forgot to check out Never Have I Ever again from my library after my hold elapsed last year. I'm going to try to get to that!

[@thewatchfemme4051]

It’s nice you can still read when in emotional upheaval. Twice in my life I’ve been so emotionally upheaval-Ed I just totally stopped consuming things. So may this year bring you calmness and joy, thanks for the books. TJ

[@SongWitch]

Eeee Spectred Isle was one of my favorites too! It hit such a sweet spot of British mythology/romance/mystery, the same vibes as the Emily Tesh novellas (Addition after I finished the video) I knew that we had similar tastes, but dang, 25% of my favorite books of the year match yours exactly. That’s uncanny!

[@Kalanadi]

Wow! We must have similar taste this year! :-) I just read Silver in the Wood a couple weeks ago and completely agree about it being similar in feel to Spectred Isle. I can't wait to read Drowned Country.

[@aneweliseonlife]

Oh wow what an awesome list. You are right, doing these sorts of lists really makes you remember the good parts of the year rather than the easier to remember bad. A Desolation Called Peace is also one of my favorite books but I also loved Cloud Cuckoo Land and I finally, finally started Ancillary Justice! A short story collection I heard mixed feelings for, is Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian Jarboe. Have you heard of that?

[@FinalBlowJoe]

I always look forward to these videos from you Rachel. I try to guess which books might appear and this time I managed to get the majority of them. The Relentless Moon worked really well for both of us enough to make it onto our favourites lists which does not surprise me in the slightest. I will try KJ Charles before too much longer. After Hither, Page I'm very happy and eager to try others like it that you enjoy.

[@MariaMaria-mn9ef]

I just found your channel and am looking forward to checking out some of your favorites. I have to ask, though, is that a Weekender you’re wearing? 😀

[@Kalanadi]

Thank you! And yes, it's a Weekender Light :-) I need to make a second one someday

[@1book1review]

I've been meaning to pick up Black Water Sister since it came out. Good to know you loved it. Hope 2022 will bring good books and reading time :)

[@Kim_Traveling_in_Books]

I really liked The Fabric of Civilization, too! There's another book about textiles and clothing coming out soon that I'm looking forward to. It's called Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser.

[@larrythoren9683]

Black Water Sister made my top ten this past year. I especially enjoyed the dialect and the cantankerous dead grandmother. I will get the fabric book based on your recommendation. Also, for nature reading, consider Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer......spirit and science dancing beautifully together.....................

[@ottoismy1dog]

Wondering, did you read Finna before reading Defekt ? or does Defekt standalone ? Have a great 2022.

[@Maryam-ot1oo]

Hi Rachel, I'm adding all the SFF books you mentioned on my TBR! Arkady Martine said in an interview that she would like to write more stories in her Teixcalaan universe following other characters (some that we have met already and new ones!). So, hopefully A Desolation Called Peace won't be the end! ;)

[@gunnarthegumbootguy7909]

Just found Becky Chambers recently, really really enjoy her style. Very positive energy sci-fi, but not in an unreasonable way. Certainly one of my absolute favorite sci-fi writers right now. Only read two books yet and just started a third but i really like the positive optimistic style, and the characters that are... reasonable. Too much sci-fi pushes these weird, hard-to-believe, unnecessarily confrontational and bitter characters, often in leadership roles, where people like that have no place and would never be accepted in real life, making it both hard to believe but also annoying to read about people being hostile to eachother for no reason. So happy I found her.

[@dougpalmer5177]

Hugo nominations have just opened, so if there are books or series that are Hugo-eligible but you haven't read & reviewed, you might want to prioritize them. Highly biased hint: you don't absolutely have to reread the previous 3 books to read Ada Palmer's series-ender Perhaps The Stars, which came out in November and so has had little time to raise a best-series buzz.

[@ReadBecca]

I so agree about Relentless moon, the new protagonist was challenging and savvy, she made a good series better. A desolation called peace is also one of my faves, adore everything about it.

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

I am hoping for the novella Arkady Martine has teased in the Teixcalaan world, but I agree this arc feels pretty settled

[@valeriehazel4858]

Coincidentally just this morning I started listening to an interview with Chandra Prescod-Weinstein and about half way through decided I must find her book. Its inclusion on your list just confirms the necessity. I’m glad the review of good books helped with your perspective on what sounds like a difficult year. All the best for 2022.

[@MyAndromedanCheese]

Thank you for the reading list Rachel! I too have felt down about 2021 - I was so hopeful when the vaccine rolled out and then defeated when vaccinated populations were low and we had to deal with variants all over again. I have also turned to nature writing, mostly Jim Crumley and Melissa Harrison's seasons anthologies (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer). I recently re-read The Secret Garden, which is comforting as a children's classic but also about how stewardship of nature healed trauma, and I was in tears. I don't think I would've been so moved had we not gone through covid. I recently ordered The Consolation of Nature: Spring in the Time of Coronavirus by McCarthy, Mynott, and Marren - hoping it's an interesting read about nature observations during lockdown in 2020.

[@DeadGoodBookReviews]

Desolation called Peace is utterly fantastic yes yes yes

[@khomo12]

Nice!

[@TheBookFinch]

💖💖💖

[@dorkabrain]

My reading stack was especially short last year, because of similar things you mentioned about the awfulness of the year, but also because I've just - over the years - become a person that puts my broken brain and body constantly to the grindstone in a failed attempt to feel less worthless. And making more time for reading always feels like making it more of my own fault that I can't support myself because I'm doing something not in an attempt to earn money. Anyway, on a very slightly cheerier note, most of my reads were enjoyable comfort reads also. I continue to read and enjoy the Glamourist Histories series (Valour and Vanity last year), but my favourite read of the year was probably The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark. I'm curious if The Fabric of Civilization goes at all into colonialism. I'm currently reading Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism by Aja Barber. And, as the name suggests, it goes into how the fashion, textile, and media industries were shaped by Colonialism. I haven't finished the book, but I suspect that who is responsible for the production of textiles vs who is responsible of the buying and selling of textiles has played a huge part in the value of their creation being deemed less than it used to be.

[@paulroberts3639]

What, Rachel enjoying queer, historical romance. That’s a shocker.