Top 5 Fiction Books of 2021

[@katecollins2471]

This lewk on you (the shirt, the eyeshadow, the lipstick!!!) is * chefs kiss *

[@columbusmoore9655]

Love hearing your passion for Their Eyes Were Watching God. It’s one of the very few books I’ve ever read multiple times and will no doubt continue to read again in coming years. I’m always finding something new when I read it. That storm scene is simply classic!

[@activatingabundance3875]

Think its cool that your shirt sort of matches the first book cover ☺

[@bookofdust]

What a magnificent book to wrap up your list with. I had heard of Hurston from reading about Alice Walker searching for her long lost grave and from an exquisite photograph of her by noted Harlem Renaissance photographer Carl Van Vechten. They inspired me to read “Eyes” in the early 1990s and it was a gut punch of a book, powerful and heartbreaking. I didn’t know how much so until 25 years later when I was in St. Augustine, Florida to visit the grave of another literary (illustration) genius Randolph Caldecott, who of course the medal is named after. Afterwards, I was driving around town before being on my way and I was drawn to one of those big blue historical markers and pulled over and got out to read it. It was for Hurston who had once lived in rented rooms in the building and worked hard all day earning a living, so that she could come home and do her own writing at night alone in her room. I just burst out in tears, that struggle to write, becoming famous, then forgotten in her own lifetime, only to be resurrected by a new generations who truly embraced her work and all this despite the odds of all the writers who lives and works have fallen through the cracks over time. Then to find this sign and location honoring her was just the emotional button to have that all wash over me and it had seemed weirdly fated that I should stumble upon that site.

[@Readitandeat]

Ohhh Five Tuesdays in Winter has been on my wishlist for a while!!

[@Sweetlife9999]

Thanks! Checking these out!

[@CasperLCat]

I appreciate your enthusiasm for good books. It’s so easy to just be a critic. Your love of reading is a very valuable thing that I hope persuades young people to take it up as a very healthy lifelong habit.

[@mistylbell3548]

I was waiting to see if you did the audible of Mary Jane. I thought it was such a good audio!

[@prairierose1115]

Thank you for all of the wonderful recommendations in 2021. Happy New Year!

[@stacey__withanE]

Mary Jane and Their Eyes were Watching God made my top reads of the year as well!! I picked them up after watching your reviews, and absolutely adored them both!

[@TheREADhead]

This is the first end of year favorites video where I've desperately wanted to read every book by the end! I have already read, and loved, their eyes were watching God, but you better believe the rest are going straight to my tbr! Thanks Olive!

[@JenKayna]

Just discovering your channel and am looking forward to following you from here on out. I’ve been looking for a booktuber who reviews more than just YA and who I can relate to more. Thanks for the recommendations!

[@ruthg7524]

I love Evvie Drake! It's such an underrated book. I think it's the one that started my preference for the second chances trope in both romance and contemporary fiction. And YES to Their Eyes Were Watching God. It was one of my three five star reads this year and I can easily see myself reading this over and over again.

[@LinnaAP]

Oh I also absolutely adored evvie drake starts over! And I read a lot of romance this year, so for this one to stick out... although it is quite light on the romance part so there's that. It's a case of the title says it all, which I love, in this case doubly bc the translated title was also perfect

[@maitreyeed]

Happy new year 2022 Olive :) You have sold me on Their eyes were watching God.

[@Brendanstop]

Five Tuesdays in Winter blew me away as well! I've never loved short story collections but each story was so impressive.

[@gretchenmctavish7823]

Thanks for such splendid sounding titles. So glad you discovered the Hurston classic, one of the favorite books I had the privilege of teaching for years. This week has been a rich one watching great discussions of favorite books. Carry on! You are much appreciated.

[@KatieReadsRants]

I adored Mary Jane! I read it on your recommendation and absolutely inhaled it. Five Tuesdays in Winter sounds very interesting. I don’t typically love short story collections but I read Love in Color this year and had very similar feelings towards that as you did to Five Tuesdays in Winter.

[@krzysamm7095]

Their Eyes Were Watching God was fantastic. It was a book a picked up at a library booksale on a whim and very glad that I did. Happy New Year

[@minafrederica6919]

I just ordered Hausfrau and I can’t wait to read it! I also love how your top matches the cover 😅🙈

[@parkercrystal1]

I noticed that too!

[@Djcooksandbooks]

Great list! I will check out Mary Jane. Housefrau kind of sounds like Fault Lines by Emily Itami but maybe more graphic/sexual. Sounds interesting...

[@melizen2]

Thank you for these wonderful book reviews - I can't wait to read these 2021 favorite books of yours ~ Wishing you a very Happy Reading New Year!

[@FullyBookedMelissa]

I also read their eyes were watching God this year, and while it didn't make my top list, I agree with everything you said about it. It also wasn't at all what I was expecting. Happy 2022!

[@gemalasita4923]

¡Hi Olive! Yes, it's amazing the reason which you read your best book of the year! 🤗💖 I love this kind of thing 🥰. Kisses from Spain! 📚📖💜

[@zs4673]

Glad to see Five Tuesdays on the list. It's on my TBR. Have you read Ann Patchett's book of essays, "This is the Story of a Happy Marriage"? The title is taken from ONE story and is misleading.This is a wonderful book and I think you would really, really enjoy it. Check it out. She has a new one out, "These Precious Days: Essays" that I am reading to start off the new year.

[@chandiballard5857]

Great video and great titles! I have had a difficult time getting into the romance genre, Evvie sounds like it could be a hit for me!

[@byronsbrain]

I absolutely love your reviews, wishing you a happy new year!

[@ivonabilusic]

I read hausfrau in July because you recommended it, and I ended up loving it. So nice to see it on this list. All the best in the new year!

[@annie-mz9956]

Olive great review! I was looking for a short story collection and a classic. You’ve helped my reading adventure in 2022 a bit better! Happy New Year!

[@IrmaSincera]

I am 6 seconds into video, but I had to come here and say how beautiful you look! This makeup look is meant for you :)

[@LaRosaReads]

Absolutely a fantastic list! I listened to the Their Eyes Were Watching God audiobook this year and it was truly exquisite! ♥️

[@kaortega1120]

Happy New Year, Olive! A Great Top 5 !!! I am listening to Mary Jane going into 2022. I plan to pick up the others, as well. I really enjoy all your favorites, mostly Non-FIction but I have become varied over the years. Looking forward to more of your wonderful content, for yet another year!

[@Georgesmomsu]

Happy New Year Olive. It was really such a fantastic reading year.

[@AshtheViking]

I was super happy this year that my fiction/nonfiction reading was almost 50/50. Most of my favourite fiction was fantasy so if I exclude those I actually only have a top 2 fiction reads: The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra and The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor (if you haven't read her please give her a try).

[@carlissashevalier8902]

The Women of Brewster Place was my #1 read of the year!

[@launchedathousand]

There eyes Were Watching God was on of my favourite last year, I really want to read her anthropological texts now! My favourite fiction this year was The Devourers by Indra Das, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse and Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

[@juliealvar4587]

I loved Their Eyes Were Watching God so much I named my first very beloved dog Teacake. Also, the audiobook read by Ruby Dee is sublime.

[@sandra7319.]

Put Mary Jane in the audible wishlist!! Thanks.

[@MsReadsAlot]

Hausfrau sounds really interesting. Evvie drake sounds very different. Haven’t heard of this premise before. This makes me want to reread their eyes were watching god. Great list!

[@daisydaisy0121]

Their Eyes Were Watching God was a high favorite for me last year. My only complaint is that it ended too quickly…I wanted to stay in that world. The characters were so richly written

[@everywherejoy9019]

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a beautifully written book. I loved it too!

[@lindseysbooklife]

Their Eyes Were Watching God. 💜💜 I taught that book again this year to my 11th graders and they loved it. It holds up so well.

[@maryannsulic1174]

I loved evvie Drake starts over. I've read it twice

[@athertonca]

Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of those few books that stays with you for the rest of your life.

[@zubaerchaudhari8267]

Hey

[@glendaw5221]

Thank you. I just reserved the audio to Their Eyes Were Watching God. The sample sounds so wonderfully narrated. I’m also checking out the short story collection by Lily King. I also loved Evie Drake. Happy New Year!

[@TheNovelSanctuary]

Super disappointing that I've yet to read any Hurston

[@lavenderlady7441]

👍💃👍💃