Best Books of 2021! 📚 

Let's chat about favourite books! PS. I meant to give an honorary mention to Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, too, but I forgot (oops!). My review of that is here: www.toa.st/blogs/magazine/piranesi-by-susanna-clarke-book-club x

I love how intelligent and articulate you are in explaining exactly why you liked each of your favourites!

Great list! My favourites were: ✨ The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune ✨ In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado ✨ A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers ✨ A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers ✨ Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers ✨ Emma by Jane Austen ✨ Summer by Ali Smith ✨ Homie by Danez Smith ✨ A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende ✨ Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi ✨ Blue Horses by Mary Oliver ✨ Longbourn by Jo Baker ✨ The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel by Renée Nault ✨ Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig ✨ The Tea Dragon trilogy by Kay O’Neill ✨ The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw ✨ The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams ✨ Reputation by Lex Croucher

Your favourite books videos are always my favourite. Thank you so much for this, Jen 💛

Using you as motivation! I get to watch if I get out of bed and get food and drink. The fatigue is real today, but if I get to the kitchen and back I get the joy of hearing about your favourite books for nearly 40 minutes 💛 What a treat!

You've convinced me to pick up Mrs March, Julia and the Shark and some Patricia Highsmith 😊 I have Show Us Who You Are out from the library ATM so I'll be picking it up ASAP!

Picked up show us who you are as that sounds like one for me to try :) so many you enjoyed! Glad you had a great year!

Looking forward to tracking down Red Room as I love all the other Nicci French books. I will also look at your segment on other books by this duo. Many thanks!!

very glad to see the secret lives of church ladies! it was one of my favourites too, i think my favourite story was the one about the five sisters who share her same dad. such a charming read!

Jen, the way you talk about books spoils us! Fingersmith is lined up to be my next read. I'm ordering The Hopkins Manuscript STAT. I've been looking in my locals for Mrs March for sometime now but I never seem to spot it! But hey, today is another day, and a trip to the bookshop could well be in order. A few of my favourite books last year where Lemn Sissay's memoir, My Name is Why (he reads the audiobook with such energy), 84 Charring Cross Road which made me weep and Dial A for Aunties (the narrator of this audiobook had me howling in laughter).

Watching this video over a year late but just wanted to say thank you for some brilliant recs in this video - particularly Julia and the Shark and The Hopkins Manuscript, neither of which I expect I would have picked up before hearing you talk about them.

Thank you so much for these recommendations! My favorite books I read this past year were The Changeling by Joy Williams, Arias by Sharon Olds, Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar, and Girl Aquarium by you!

I haven't read any of the books you mentioned in the video - I also ignored their existence. What fascinates me a lot - together with the by you beautifully explained plots - are the cover designs. They are so well made that I would pick up one book or the other just for admiring the covers. 😌❤ kind regards Sara

I stopped everything I was doing when I saw this video on my feed! 😅 Lots of very interesting recommendations! I am not sure if it’s because it was the last book I read just before new year’s eve, but my favourite from 2021 might well be The High House by Jessie Greengrass. It will not leave me any time soon.

I listened to Boy Parts as audiobook too (in 2020), loved it! I also loved Death in Her Hands back when I read it in 2020. Can’t believe I read these books so long ago. I can’t wait to read Mrs. March. Ever since I saw you talk about it I have been eyeing it meticulously everywhere.

I too loved Mrs. March. But not unconditionally. Yet Feito amazed me with this novel. With the spiraling Mrs. March. So layered and complex. I’m thinking about it every day! I’m slowly working on a review of it to post.

Seeing Polly Barton's book on your list reminded me of this funny story from my sister. She went to a book signing that Polly Barton was doing. Holding a copy of her book, she came up to Polly at the table. Polly says to her, "you look familiar, do I know you?" And my sister replied, "I don't know... what's your name?" So funny since she was literally holding the book with her name on it in her hands. They had a laugh about it. My sister concluded that they probably don't know each other, but my sister has a face that's kind of familiar to a lot of people.

Thanks Jen. It is always so lovely to see your choice as it is so refreshing that you choose books which were not necessary the books that we’re hyped during the year. I need to read Patricia Highsmith . I also loved Transcendent Kingdom, The Red Room( and all of Nicci French )Death in her hands ,Passing (the movie is brilliant). You inspire me to read more. Thanks and love from Cape Town. P S I did love Fingersmith which had been on my shelf for years

I swear you could convince me to read any book under the sun

I wrote down Eleana Knows and What Willow Says during your vlog. Then I bought Willow-sounds right up my street and I look forward to reading it-thanks for the recommendations!

Another great vlog thanks Jen. Really love the sound of Mrs March. One of my favourites is 2021 is Midnight At Everwood, if you loved the Toymakers you will love this book.

Thanks for your wonderful reading shortlist! My 2021 top reads include some 'classic' authors whose work I read for the first time, and am now completely devoted to: Elizabeth Taylor - Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont Barbara Pym - Jane and Prudence E.M. Delafield - Diary of a Provincial Lady And also a few more recent publications which tugged at my heartstrings and (the real test of a good book) which I wished did not have to come to an end: Charlie Gilmour - Featherhood Elif Shafak - 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World

Oh wow I had no idea that The Talented Mr.Ripley is based on a book!!! The movie is brilliant but I wish I had read the book first.

Loved hearing abour your faves :) My favourite book was The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Fun! Thanks for putting this together. The only one I read was Passing by Larson, which I also read in 2021. I agree , it was excellent. I read it as a companion for the recent hit The Vanishing Half, which it inspired. Passing is much stronger and more interesting to me.

Very cool LED house.😍😎

Dear Jen, Thank you for sharing this list of favourites with us but I don’t need any more books. Ha ha ha, story of my life! 😆 As always, you do such a fabulous job of “selling” / summing up the books you’ve read, all the while in your gentle, relaxing voice that sooths your listening audience as well as my cat, who falls asleep to your lulling cadence, as she is right now under my feet, the little dear. I am especially interested in “Julia and the Shark”, “The Hopkins Manuscript”, and “Mrs. March”. I think I will go work on my bookshelves now and see if I can make extra space for these new editions. Happy New Year and wishing you all the best in 2022! 🥰

Agree with Death in Her Hands. Can't wait for Ottessa's new release later this year. And I read Passing last year too and am still recovering from the ending. Quick fire faves: Non-fic - Corpsing by Sophie White. Fiction - No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. Short stories - What She's Having published by Dear Damsels. Poetry - Post Colonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz

Thank you for sharing Cynthia Miller's book and that Social Distancing poem is really good! Will read it on my Kindle 😊

Love your recommendations and will be adding MANY to my "to buy and read" list. Particularly interested in Mrs. March. Also must say...I love sweet Lola at the end of your videos. That face! 🥰

Ah this made me want to reread Fingersmith soon! I love Sarah Waters so much.

Making sticky toffee pudding as I watch this 😋 Have Boy Parts and Fingersmith on my TBR pile so you have bumped those up on my priority list. Death in Her Hands sounds good as well. Loved Eileen my Moshfegh.

Mrs March was my second book of the 2022 because of you! It definitely lived up to your glowing review of it :)

So many great books. Several are on my TBR for this year and I have added a few others. I read Talented Mr. Ripley in January. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is coming up for me. I didn’t know if was going to be a series. I’ll have to check out your number one. 😊💙

I read Mrs March recently and it just surprised me and unsettled me!! I had no expectation going in as to what the plot would be in terms of how gripping and dark, but yes it was utterly brilliant and I can see why it's your favourite❤️

The Hopkins Manuscript tied with Piranesi as my favourite books of last year. I've read all but one of RC Sheriff's books and loved every single one of them. You influenced me to read the Freida Klein books and I've been enjoying those but being careful to eke them out.

I'm on the wait list for Transcendent Kingdom at my library... I can't wait to read it!

Thanks for sharing your favorites! I LOVE your necklace... it's 'Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf' from the Etsy shop. I love it and plan to order it! I don't know how you do it, but not only do you find wonderful books, you also find wonderful clothes and jewelry.

Thanks for this video.I have just picked up The Talented Mr Ripley right away. I remember I didn’t really enjoy the movie years ago. But I really want to read the book now having heard you talk about it multiple times. Thanks

Great video as always! I've been wishing to read Fingersmith for ages, but I've also watched the Handmaiden and was afraid that it would spoil the experience, but now seeing it here I might give it a try. My favorites of last year were Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, A Man called ove by Fredrik Backman and tiny beautiful things by Cheryl Strayed

Loved watching all your recommendations & have added some to my tbr...Mrs Caliban was also one of my favourite reads of 2021 thanks to your earlier recommendation☺️ I haven't read Passing but the way you described it reminded me of another book I read this year which was short listed for the Women's prize...The Vanishing Half... it's really beautifully written.

The way you talk about books always makes me excited to read them even if they're not in a genre or about a topic that I'm particularly drawn to... :) I read Magnolia recently and was blown away by the use of colour in that collection, so will definitely be picking up Honorifics ASAP! Also can't wait to see the tv adaptation for Secret Lives of Church Ladies which I also read and loved this year. Hope your reading year is off to a great start! Xx

This was so lovely video, I'm extremely grateful for you doing these in such a professional manner: always presenting the books and everything about them in a clear, interesting manner whilst adding your own thoughts and feelings about them there as well. It's beautifully balanced and inspiring! My favourites this year are: - A Room of one's own by Virginia Woolf - Art on my mind by bell hooks - The Reddest rose by Liv Strömquist - Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi - Radio Popov by Anja Portin (only in finnish I think) - Nevermoor-series by Jessica Townsend - Pikkuporvarit by Anna Kontula (only in finnish) Then, my two Absolute Favourites this year were two amaing and award-winning finnish books that are soon to be translated (if they're not already) in english and I really, really, really recommend everyone picking them up. Both are very unique both in their form and the content, and I LOVE them. - Matara by Matias Riikonen - REC by Marisha Rasi-Koskinen. There are heaps of other books in my top 9 as well, but these are also reading recommendations

I love your necklace! 😍 Thank you for all the great book suggestions

Of these, I have Passing, Ill feelings (bought after you recommended), Fingersmith and church ladies (ordered from library). So I will add these to my favourites' favourites list 😊 Top 3 for me was 3) the pull of the stars 2) nervous conditions 1) lonely castle in the mirror xx

Really enjoyed hearing about all your favourite books of the year, Jen! I added Mrs March to my TBR when you first mentioned reading it. I'm even more excited to read it now I know it's your favourite of the year! ☺

Such a lovely selection! I had Storygraph open in another tab and was adding books as you discussed them 💛Thank you for another brilliant and enriching year of content, Jen! The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers was one of my favorite books of last year, and I hope to delve into some of your backlist in 2022. Cheers to a great 2022!

As always, after watching your videos, adding ssooo many books to my general TBR and wishlist lol! Love your recommendations, as always.

Thanks for sharing Jen love your videos!!! Passing!! My favourite book of the year last year, bought to my attention entirely by you so thank you!

Thank you Jen,interesting reads. My favorite books were, Piranesi and Midnight in Everwood, a take on The Nutcracker, by M A Kuzniar xxx

I loved Mrs. March. As I was reading it, I wasn't sure how I felt. I really did not like Mrs. March (character) at all. But similar to My Year of Rest and Relaxation, I have thought about the book almost daily. I had originally read via library but just found the book at the used book store and now want to do the same and go back and re-read it and really look at all the clues that were there. It kind of got under my skin. I also picked up The Hopkins Manuscript and cannot wait to start that one. I also have Piranesi on my list.

Wonderful stuff Jen, I so look forward to your top reads of the year. If Only we could bottle your enthusiasm and wear it as perfume. So many great books to devour from your list. Thank you so much, you are a jewelled font of information. X

Ooooh an adaptation of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies---how intriguing! I also added Mrs. March to my soonish TBR! My favorite of 2021 was The Removed by Brandon Hobson and Piranesi by Susannah Clarke. Not sure why, but Transcendent Kingdom just didn't hit for me. It was fine, but I wasn't swept up by it like I expected to be. I also loved Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi.

My favourites of 2021 are Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan☘️ Unsettled Ground is Claire Fuller The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghriofa ☘️ Hidden Valley Road Empire of Pain A Swim in a Pond in the Rain We Begin At The End ( best thriller) Standard Deviation ( funniest book) The Glorious Heresies ☘️ Shelter by Jin Jung Writers and Lovers by Lily King Bewilderment by Richard Powers A Passage North Swimming in the Dark The Yield by Tara Jean Winch My Policeman by Bethan Roberts My Dark Vanessa Valentine The Vanishing Half The Prettiest Star Luster Memorial The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead ☘️👋📚🍀👓📕☕️🫖📖🐈

Lots of great books!!! I really want to read Julia and the Shark, Mrs. March, and a Patricia Highsmith book to see if she will be a new author to me for some cozy murder mystery books. Some of my favourite books of 2021 are: Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte China Court by Rumer Godden Mansfield Park by Jane Austen The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier These were all new reads to me. :)

One of my favorites was based on your recommendation, The Crimson Petal and the White. It was brilliant. I really want to get to the Talented Mr Ripley this year.

Hi Jen! This video in so interesting! 🤗 I want to read "Mrs March" 🥰🤓, you have convinced me! 😜I love your videos, thanks for do its!!! 📚📖💖 Kisses from Spain!!! 📚💜😘

so many great recs here!

If you want to revisit Death in Her Hands I 100% recommend the audiobook! It’s one of my favorite audiobooks of all time now.

Thanks for your reviews. ❤ I read Universal love. It was riveting.

Favorite Books of 2021: -- Pet (Akwaeke Emezi) -- Little Weirds (Jenny Slate) -- Know My Name (Chanel Miller) -- Three Hours (Rosamund Lipton) -- 84 Charing Cross Road (Helene Hanff) -- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Becky Chambers) -- When I Hit You (Meena Kandasamy) -- Nothing to See Here (Kevin Wilson) -- The Child Finder (Rene Denfeld) Thanks as always for the recommendations! I read "When I Hit You" and "Pet" because of your reviews, and I'm excited to read "Ill Feelings," "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies," and "Julia and the Shark" after this video. Much love xx

I only read one Nicci French book so far which I didn't enjoy at all. But listening to your praise I'm considering whether I should give them a second chance 🤔 And ever since I first heard you talk about the Hopkins Manuscript I wanted to read it. I've put it on my wishlist and really hope that I'll read it this year 😊 I love the way you talk about books and really trust your recommendations ☺

Oh, fantastic to hear _The Secret Lives of Church Ladies_ is getting an adaptation!

Hi Jen! Because of you, this year I've read The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and Passing, and I've loved both of them! I've started recommending Passing to everyone, by the way have you watched the movie? I definitely preferred the book. I've also listened to the Mrs March's audiobook because you loved it so much, but I don't know... I was not that excited, it hasn't made it on my list of favourites! This year I explored a lot of Russian literature, and I think one of the books that I appreciated the most is In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova, then The Big Green Tent by Ludmila Ulitskaya. Two very remarkable non fiction books: Out of the Sun by Esi Edugyan and Tongues: on longing and belonging through language, this book is published by an independent Canadian press, Book*hug Press, it's a collection of essays on language, by multilingual Canadian authors, this is the book that I was waiting for, I speak 3 languages on a daily basis and I really felt like lots of the things that I happen to reflect on were put on the page!

Would you please please do a kindle unlimited favourites? Thank you so much! 🙏

So many great books. Delighted to see THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES on your list. ✨

Thanks for your recommendations, and now that I saw your instagram stories about publishing, I'm going to be way more careful in the way I purchase (even though choices are limited when you read English books in a country that doesn't speak English 😅). I was wondering if you had or planned on doing a video about your favorite books from Persephone ? I had never heard of that bookshop and I find the concept amazing but don't know what to purchase from them. Have a lovely day !

I think the only one of these books I read in 2021 was Transcendent Kingdom and I also loved it so much. Beautiful writing about God & Science. Having a scan down and I think Panenka by Ronan Hession is up there in my favourites. A gentle, human story. I'm reading a self published book by an internet friend at the moment. Lupus, you odd unnatural thing by Shaista Tayabali. I can't recommend it enough. It's been eye opening for me, and Shaista is a poet so it's so beautiful.

Loved your list. The Hopkin's Manuscript stayed with me for a long time too. The scene where the air gets momentarily sucked out of the room was so shocking and terrifying.

how did i read fingersmith months ago and completely miss that gentleman is gay? 😩

I liked this book but didn’t love it, so I’m going back to read again. Suspect I was having time and place issues so I’m giving another go. You convinced me.

Haha did she say Timothee chalamet was “an absolute baguette of a lad ??” Gahahahaha

With all the book banning talk going on in the US at present, I wonder if you have time to do a video listing your favourite queer or transgender writers/ books? I would like to stock my shelves before it arrives in Canada.

How many books do you read per week?

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies!!

Petition to make “It’s like queer Victorian soup” the blurb on the 20th anniversary edition of Fingersmith

As gripping as I find Patricia Highsmith's writing, I am continually disappointed when people laud her without acknowledging her virulent anti-Semitism. Someone who called the Holocaust the "semicaust" because she wished more Jews had died doesn't deserve unadulterated praise.

💚🖤

Okay disabilty visabilty sounds abit of me..