Top 10 Books of 2021 and Year-End Awards 

Thank you all for another amazing year

I finally got a chance to watch this (was traveling yesterday and today)! It's great to hear you discuss your favorite reads from 2021, Jimmy, and what a list of authors! I'm delighted to see so many of my favorites here as well, including, Hobb, Erikson, King, Jemisin, Abercrombie, and Clarke, among others. Congratulations on an amazing year of reading and a wonderful year for your channel. It's been an honor to chat with you about Malazan and other things. And, yes, Chatting with Nutts is gift to us all!

Hell yes! My favorite awards show of all time! You have a great way of articulating yourself that is very enjoyable to listen to! I love your videos and Chatting with Nuts are my favorite, such brilliant conversations

My year has had it's ups and downs, and The Fantasy Nuttwork has been there for me the whole way through. You Jimmy, the channel in general, and the discord in particular - have all added some real enjoyment to my life, and CWN feels like icing - that extra sweet something on top. Here's to a great '22

Congrats Jimmy, you had a stellar reading year! Picking faves is tough and I find it impossible, glad you could pull it off. Look forward to see what the new year brings you.

From one Jimmy to another, I'd like to say you've definitely earned another subscriber with this list. I just started The Farseer Trilogy this week, but to hear another person praising and adoring Malazan for all the same reasons I do is basically an instant subscribe. Looking forward to getting to know more about your taste this year, and exploring your Farseer and Malazan content. Happy reading!

I cannot tell you how happy I am that 11/22/63 made it on the list! I love that book and see so many people not feel the same, which is fine, but I’m so glad you do! ☺️ No surprises with The Bonehunters, and now I’m more excited than ever to begin The Realm of the Elderlings soon. Happy New Year, Jimmy! 🎉

What a great year of reading Jimmy! I hope 2022 is just as good, it’s been a pleasure watching you grow this year mate. Appreciate you and I wish you all the best for 2022.

I'm starting my Hobb adventure in the new year! My top books were: 10. Fireborne - Rosaria Munda 9. Empire of Silence - Christopher Ruocchio 8. Dragon Mage - ML Spencer 7. Lord of Chaos - Robert Jordan 6. Underlord - Will Wight (highly recommend the Cradle series) 5. Hyperion - Dan Simmons 4. An Autumn War - Daniel Abraham 3. Kings of Ash - Richard Nell 2. Shadow of the Gods - John Gwynne 1. The Wisdom of Crowds - Joe Abercrombie Cheers to some good reading in 2022 Jimmy!

Jimmy your passion for these books was an absolute joy to listen to. Here’s to another great year 🍻

Really enjoy hearing your thoughtful takes on things

man, you had an epic reading year! i'm glad i found your channel and i'm excited to see what comes up next. have a happy new year

Fitz is incredible. I completely agree with you. Watching your reviews as I read the series myself inspired my husband and I to start our own channel :) Thanks for what you do here!

awesome list man! I'm starting Farseer this year thanks to your enthusiasm. Keep it going!

I'm about to dive into Fifth Season this month, so it's interesting hearing different viewpoints on it. The second person POV is the thing that definitely intrigues me the most.

Our tastes in books align really well, so definitely looking at all the books you highly praise here that I haven't read. ROTE, Malazan, Second Apocalypse, ASOIAF are some of my favorite series of all time. Love the channel and keep up the good work 👍. You got me super hyped for Grace of Kings and think I'm really going to like it.

Had fun watching your channel this year Jimmy. Happy New Year! Hyped to start Malazan tomorrow!

Great list, and a even greater fortune to be apart of the uphill journey your channel has come. I can’t wait for another year of awesome content!

Just discovered your channel and to open with your love for the Realm of the Elderlings series immediately reassured me I can trust your judgement. I finished that series a couple of years ago and I have never been on such an emotional rollercoaster. Fitz the Fool and Nighteyes ❤❤❤

I only got to book 7 of the realms of the elderlings. I tried to keep pace with you, but, man, I don’t know how you did it. Glad you enjoyed 11/22/63. I reread The Tommyknockers and Under the Dome this year and loved them all over again. Btw, my girlfriend did wind up buying the folio edition of Clash of Kings for me. It was one of my Hanukkah gifts. I was completely surprised. Those books are so beautiful to read and hold. Have a great new year, Jimmy!

Your enthusiasm here is wonderful! It was a great awards list to listen to.

Such a passionate and insightful review of your favorite books!! THANK YOU. I personally LOVE Hyperion and can’t wait to pick up some of your recommendations. It’s interesting though that I DNF’d House on the Cerulean Sea. My heart wasn’t it it! Anyhow, just started Assassin’s Apprentice and excited to get to know Robin Hobb’s world. Glad I found your channel today.

You are awesome man! Thanks for this year!

You really crammed the heaviest hitters in sci fantasy this year. Great list! It's going to be a challenge to top it this coming year

I read the Farseer trilogy in January 2020 but I plan on rereading it and then continuing on with all of Realm of the Elderlings. Hearing you talk about that series has me so hyped and wanting to run through a wall in a read a book sort of way haha. Also planning to read Memory Sorrow and Thorn next year and very much looking forward to that. Hearing you talk about Bonehunters is the only time anyone has ever made me remotely interested in reading Malazan. I want to give it a shot bc so many of my favorite booktubers who I have similar taste with really love the series, but I mostly read for escapism and enjoyment and I’ve heard so many people mention how difficult Malazan is, how much you have to pay attention, taking more notes than reading, etc. And I’m just not sure that sounds like a good time to me haha. But my interest has never been higher. You and Allen get me so excited for the books you like, and your enjoyment is infectious

Really enjoyed the awards format to go with the top 10. Looking forward to your need to read in 2022 video! I have the need, the need for read! 😆

What an interesting list (added a couple of the books to my growing tbr), and I'm so happy you had a good reading year. Thanks for all the amazing reviews, always wonderful to hear about your love for the fantasy genre, especially when it comes to RotE. Happy new year!

I'm glad you had a great reading experience this year, mine wasn't that great since I forced myself to read books I knew I wasn't into. 2022 will definitely be my year! no more reading challenges for me!

Was so happy to be here along for the ride in 2021. Not going anywhere for 2022. Thanks for all the great, real content Jimmy. You're awesome. Stoked to read Hobb in 2022 thanks to your and Jake's hype of it. My top 5 (not just fantasy) 1. Song of Achilles 2. Nothing to Envy (North Korea defectors non fiction) 3. The Color Purple 4. The Wisdom of Crowds 5. Deadhouse Gates (only read three Malazan)

Hi thank you for some great videos!!! I’m so excited to join the with u journey on RU-vid for 2022! Happy new year 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Gah, I have a lump in my throat when you talk about Hobb and Fitz! I too finished Farseer in the last year and halfway through Liveship and never have I fallen so hard for an author as I have for Hobb. I actually went out and bought myself a self proclaimed merch - a plush Wolf doll and named him Night Eyes to keep as memento... that is how hard I've fallen 🤣🤣 It also makes me happy you loved House In Cerulean Sea. I've heard audiobook is fantastic!

I completely agree with your comments on Dune. The influence Dune had on so many other books is incredible!! Love how you did your year end review!

Great list. I can’t wait to get to your top 2

Hobb is my favorite author - I can imagine how epic it would be to experience those all in one year. So cool. I maintain that the Elderlings Realm is a real place and Hobb is just reporting on what she saw. It's so real. Great list! Malazan was a highlight of my year as well. I'm through book 3.

Haven’t read a lot of these books but they’re on my radar. Might try to get to Hobb this year. Glad you had such a great reading year.

This was fantastic, Jimmy! I can’t wait to get to the end of the RotE. I have a few fantasy short story collections I’ve really enjoyed if you’re ever looking for a rec! Best of luck in 2022, my friend! 💙

Really liked this format. Very well made video. And for the record, I enjoyed the joke at the beginning.

I am excited to hear your thoughts on The Fall of Hyperion! There are some odd choices but I can forgive them all because of the high points. It’s one of a handful of books that I would say influenced me as a person. I mostly read sci-fi at the moment but I enjoy hearing your fantasy recommendations for when I get around to reading more fantasy!

So glad 11/22/63 made it so high up on your list! Here's to 2022 and even more amazing books!

Hell yeah!! Here's to another year 🙌

Awesome list. I wholeheartedly agree with you on Realm of the Elderlings. This was also my favorite series of the year by far. I was happy to see Hyperion in the list, I hope you get around to reading all four. I agree with Bonehunters being my favorite Malazan so far, although I am an outlier in having House of Chains as a close second. I have one more long chapter to go in Reaper's Gale, which unless things change dramatically will be my least favorite of the series, but perhaps it is a burnout thing from moving through these too fast. I hope you are going to continue with the panel discussions on Malazan. I would like to see other takes on Reaper's, hopefully pointing out what I may have missed, since I think it is generally well regarded (one of the highest Audible ratings in the series). All the best for 2022.

Kelhus is an amazing character and well worthy of high regard. Even more intriguing in the second series and he does some things that will make your jaw drop. Will get round to reading R Hobb this year so will see if I like Fitz as much. Got Hyperion for xmas and I will be reading that very soon.

You need to do a spoiler free Realm of the Elderlings tier list. That would be a lot of fun to see how you rank it. Love the channel Jimmy

Happy New Year, Jimmy! You have good taste in books. I love your Number 7 and 4. Currently reading the former and it frustrates me I have not finished it before 2021 ends. Your Number 4 is extraordinary. I gave it a Perfect 15 in my Goodreads. And, yeah, hopin' and prayin' you'll start chatting with authors in Chatting With Nutts.

Great list man ! So many of these I can’t wait to read, and the ones I’ve read I have loved ! I understand why people don’t like Broken Earth but it’s easily one of the best series I’ve ever read !

I was in synch with all of your fav's and ranking of books in 2021. I'm a Robin Hobb and Fitz fan as well. The House in the Cerulean Sea was a DNF for me. I really recommend Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It has a similar theme, but done very differently. You will especially enjoy the book, if you happen to have a close relationship with a grandfather. Really enjoy your reviews and collaborations with Allen and Phillip.

Solid #2 slot!! Great list, Jimmy!

I'm here for all the Hobb & Fitz praise which I know you will be doing even before I watch the video🤩 😁🤣 I read Dark Tower because of your initial review & I loved it!

It’s interesting because I’ve been in love with Hobb and was expecting Fool’s Fate to be my favorite book of the year, but I just finished it today and I’m shocked and appalled to say I was disappointed😭 Golden Fool was my favorite by far in Tawny Man, and my favorite book of the year is the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. PS: 11/22/63 is amazing. Happy New Year, Jimmy!

Congrats on a great reading year you absolute LEGEND!!!

I actually started reading books this year and I have so many great books ok let me see the witcher books 1-3 were amazing especially sword of destiny hobbit and lord of the rings eye of the world and now I'm reading great hunt and both are great and for stand-alones I'll go with fahrenheit 451 p.s I discovered your channel yesterday and I've been just watching all of your vids and I love all of them, you deserve more subs man! subbed!

I knew Fitz was going to be your favorite character of the year! It's a difficult choice, but I think he's my favorite character of all time. I haven't finished the RotE yet (9 books in) but it's a masterpiece.

Frank Muller was a shining gem , in his approach as narrator , especially with Stephen King! ( yes,Jimmy he would bring to life Eddie Dean with New York flair) My all time favorite of his is “ The Talisman” by SK…. So Jimmy it was very nice that you mentioned him… Happy New Year to you and your family.

You and Brian Lee Durfee have gotten me into more books than any other channel this year. Piranesi for one. I'm stoked to see what you recommend next. I'm drinking wine at the moment so cheers ^.

The Stephen King book was awesome for me! It was the error that I remember well. I had so many memories going through this writing. I often wonder how people younger than me enjoy the book because they can’t relate to the things and placesAnd people that he references. So I am glad you mention that book. The audible book is phenomenal… The ending superior and I cannot see how that would have been portrayed in text alone.

I did read Dune and the LoTR trilogy and liked them too but here is my top 5 in terms of overall enjoyment. Just stumbled onto your channel and really liked the video! 1) The Dragon Republic 2) The House in the Cerulean Sea 3) Changes (Dresden) 4) Six of Crows 5) 11/22/63

Happy New Year Jimmy. I really enjoy your channel. Particularly your love and reactions to Hobb which are so similar to mine 😀 We have very similar tastes in fantasy - so I really need to break my duck on Abercrombie. I loved MST when it came out ( a scary 35 years ago!) but I am waiting for the sequels to be completed before doing a reread and then reading the new series. You should also try Otherland which is a completely different beast but really good (TW doing Meta a long time before Meta!!). I only read Shadowmarch this year and while I enjoyed it, it's not in the same league as MST. My favourite books of the year: 1. "A Song of Flight" by Juliet Marillier 2. "Thorn" by Intisar Khanani 3. "Crownbreaker" by Sebastien de Castell 4. "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir 5. "Galaxy and the Ground Within" by Becky Chambers 6. "Crooked Kingdom" by Leigh Bardugo There were a couple of excellent non fiction and one literary fiction too but I won't list those. I also listened to Wheel of Time on audio but haven't quite finished it. I will be glad to tick it off as a classic fantasy read but I have had so many issues with it in plotting, pacing and characterisation that it has never scored more than 4/5 for me and often lower. So not a favourite at all.

Off the Top of my head right now my Top 10 of the year kinda looks like this: Death Masks - Jim Butcher Enemy of God - Bernard Cornwell Hyperion - Dan Simmons Inversions - Iain M Banks Iron Gold - Pierce Brown Midnight Tides - Steven Erikson Revival - Stephen King Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb The Republic of Thieves - Scott Lynch Wisdom of Crowds - Joe Abercrombie

11/22/63! Read it in November and my second favorite book of all time. Absolutely incredible story!

I am so so happy the Fifth Season made it so high on this list! And I am really excited to get back into Malazan!!

your list! i love it. We have some simiarities and some of your favorites i definitely want to read. specifically memory sorrow and thorne, which you got Abby, Sam and I into buddy reading next year :)

(One per author) 1. Storm of Swords - GRRM (reread the first two then finally finished the series, all could be here) 2. Dune - Frank Herbert (read first 4, all could be on here) 3. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton 4. The Rage of Dragons - Evan Winter 5. The Shadow of the Gods - John Gwynne 6. All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries) - Martha Wells 7. The Martian - Andy Weir 8. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood 9. The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu - Translated by Ken Liu 10. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars - Christopher Paolini (decent gulf between this and the others here, but it holds a place in my heart because it's a real celebration of the sci fi genre in the loveliest way)

It's funny, considering the monumental achievement of The Realm of the Elderlings (it seems fairly well-acknowledged in the epic fantasy community), but I don't know anyone who feels exactly how I do about Assassin's Fate. Until now. I'm almost positive it will remain as one of my favorite books of my life. It is such a beautiful weaving, utilizing threads that blend so deeply into such an intricate tapestry. I went to a large dinner party on the evening of the day I finished it. It was Memorial Day of the year it came out (which seemed oddly fitting). I'd been such a mess during the final pages, but reading them felt so far beyond moving or cathartic. There was genuine hope and joy there, as well as a sort of lingering grief (as you pointed out). And I looked at the people around me, and it just felt so weird, knowing that no one else knew about this monumental thing I'd just experienced. And that there was absolutely no way of even coming close to letting any of them know about it. It left me feeling... hollow, I guess. I found myself making an excuse to leave early. The whole thing has sort of haunted me since. In a good way, but also with a lingering sort of melancholia. So thanks, Jimmy, for letting me know, in such a wonderful way, that I am not alone. It's weirdly satisfying, even though you're on BookTube, and we've never met IRL, and likely never will. Happy New Year! Keep on making us feel less alone. You're shining a light, and it's appreciated.

Awesome list hopefully mine contains a few you’ll be trying soon 👍 Top 10 books 2021 1-The Count of Monte Cristo-Alexander Dumas 2-Project Hail Mary-Andy Weir 3-Troy-Stephen Fry 4-The Poison Song-Jen Williams 5-Ship of Destiny-Robin Hobb 6-The Winter King-Bernard Cornwell 7-Sharpe’s Tiger-Bernard Cornwell 8-House in The Cerulean Sea-T J Clune 9-The Wilful Princess and The Piebald Prince-Robin Hobb 10-The Valley of Fear-Arthur Conan Doyle

11/22/63 is one of my favorite Stephen King books. His blend of time travel, history and hints of horror is unique in his oeuvre. Glad you loved it, too.

I never read Stephen King until I read 11/22/63 and then I became a big fan. I love that book and it’s one of my favorite of all time. Hyperion is also one of my favorite books and Dan Simmons has become a favorite author. I’m looking forward to next year when Changes from Dresden Files is on this list 😂

Love seeing some RoTE win multiple catalog prices!!!

Because of 11/22/63 I feel like I've lived a life in the late 50's and early 60's of small town America.

11/22/63 is one of my favorites and I can’t wait to watch your review. Other parts of your list are occupying a lot of space on my TBR. Here is my top 10. 1. Piranesi 2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 3. Born a Crime 4. Last Argument of Kings 5, Klara and the Sun 6. Royal Assassin 7. Jade City 8. The Dragon Republic 9. The Burning White 10. Death’s End Honorable mention to Black Sun, A Memory Called Empire, Project Hail Mary, and Winter of the Witch.

My favorite reading during 2021. I'll list them in the order in which they were read. An R next to a title denotes a re-read. ---Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison ---The Big Sea: An Autobiography by Langston Hughes ---This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone ---Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti ---Walt Whitman: A Life by Justin Kaplan ---Dune by Frank Herbert (R) ---What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami ---The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward ---The Green Mile by Stephen King ---The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie ---The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon ---Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones ---(Short Story) "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" by Katherine Anne Porter.

I completely agree with you about 11/22/63. It’s so good! I hope you do a review of it.

Yassssss fitz for prez

Awesome vid and I can't wait to get to the later Fitz books and 11/22/63! My top-10 of 2021 with the one book per author rule (got a bit of overlap with Dune and the Bonehunters, which was freakin incredible): 10) Dune 9) Night of Knives 8) the Fires of Vengeance 7) the Song of Achilles 6) the Bonehunters 5) the Shadow Rising 4) the Wisdom of Crowds 3) Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt #2) 2) Golden Son 1) Project Hail Mary

I love 11/22/63. It's one of my favorites. Looking forward to your review. My top 3 of the year. 1. Dune 2. Parable of the sower 3. Jade Legacy

Great list! Realm of the Elderlings will always have a special place with me. I also had some great reads this year. Some great series completed: 10. We Cry For Blood by Devin Madson 9. The Blacktongue Thief by Chrostopher Buehlman 8. Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne 7. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 6. From Cold Ashes Risen by Rob J Hayes 5. Fury of a Demon by Brian Naslund 4. A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark 3. The Bone Ship's Wake by RJ Barker 2. The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie 1. The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft

"Almost to book 8 which is a lot". Yes, Toll is a lot. Havent read much beyond a reread of Malazan. But am enjoying Liveship Traders - which for some reason is where I started. Need to read Bakker, amongst other things. Am very interested as I really liked Jorg and the Broken Empire trilogy.

Here's my top 10 books of this year 1. Crescent city by Sarah j maas 2. In the ravenous dark by a.m Strickland it's a great standalone fantasy 3. Best served cold 4. The prison healer 5. Wizard and glass by Stephen king 6. The kiss quotient by helen Hoang 7. The wastelands by Stephen king 8. A little hatred by Joe Abercrombie 9. From blood and ash by Jennifer l armentrout 10. Legendborn

Great list. I prefer "Fool's Assassin", but all the trilogy is amazing. If you are interested in short stories my advise is to read "Conan". Happy new year.

This is going to sound like hyperbole Jimmy, but I mean this legit when I say that discovering your channel was one of the best things that happened to me this years! I absolutely cannot wait for more Chatting With Nutts in 2022! I'm totally starting Realm of the Elderlings on Jan 1 absolutely thrilled to go on that journey lol It would take me forever to come up with top ten, but I think the best individual books I read this year for sure were Midnight Tides and Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart (both by Erikson lol) and the best series that I read this years were Malazan Book of the Fallen and Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham (just finished book 4 a few days ago lol). I also read a bunch of Ursula K. Le Guin this years and her works were excellent as well At 9:37 since you say you like short stories have you checked out Stephen King's short stories? Me personally his novels don't work for me (although I would still like to check out 11-22-63) but he is one of the best short story writers imo. I had a great time with Different Seasons, Everything's Eventual, and Skeleton Crew collections this year!

Great video!

I am new here, sub few moons ago, maybe because of Malazan?, anyhow have a happy new year, and cheers to more reads!

Great list 😁 I cannot wait to get to 11/22/63

Assassins Fate was my number one for the year too maybe even all time, i was an complete and utter mess for like a week lol

What a great year! Assassin's Fate was the perfect way to end the series

Happy New Year to you I will say Robin Hobb is an incredible writer. However, after the final book in her first trilogy wrecked me emotionally. I haven't continued on with the Realm of the Elderling's due to that. I hope to return to the series sometime in the new year.

I agree.with number four. The Fifth Season is the greatest thing since sliced bread. So much of fantasy is one battle after another in never ending wars. This is something completely different.

I will take the rest of 2021 to cope with the fact that you put Wisdom of Crowds at number 7 mate. 😂

Only read the first 5 of Realm of The Elderlings - need to get to the rest this year!

love to see my all time favorite series in your top 2. i cant wait to see your reactions for toll the hounds and the crippled god

I read 11/22/63 at the start of the new year and burned through that book like no other book before. It’s the 1st King book I’ve read, and no other King book has come close to that level of excellence so far except for maybe the Drawing of the Three which I just finished reading.

I read a lot of short stories! The majority of the things I read are anthologies and manga. I will read one long series a year with multiple volumes and this next year I will tackle Foundations by Asimov. This past year…. No stand out favorites for me.

Can't disagree with that number 1 and 2 choice at all ! :')

Toll the Hounds War and Peace Tigana To Kill a Mockingbird Salems Lot Deaths End Flowers for Algernon Gormenghast An Echo of Things to Come The order is tricky, but I'm pretty sure these are my top 10

if you finished golden age and next 2-3 arcs in berserk trust me it will be in top 3 maybe

Maybe in 2022 you could read "Come Back Jerry" by Miles Swift?

Well, now I gotta go get 11/22/63

I'm a huge Stephen King fan. I'm currently doing a dark tower read through of everything that mentions or is mentioned in the dark tower (24 books). But, I did not like 11/22/63 much. I'm a character driven reader and I thought the main character was lack luster. I think it's a great story and I get while people love it, but the main characters killed it for me.

Why is Hyperion suddenly on many booktuber's best list? Am I missing something? Not that anything wrong about it; I am just curious.

Yes RotE!!! Frank Muller is 🔥 Love Paranesi.

Fuck you jimmy now i have to start Hobb next year😭😭 my tbr is a mess My list for this year: 1) Words of Radiance by Brando Sando 2) Oathbringer by Brando Sando 3)Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 4) Red Sister by Mark Lawrence 5) Mort by Sir Terry Pratchett 6) Warbrraker by Brando Sando 7) Edgedancer by Brando Sando Only read 7 books this year :(, so the last 2 were just fine for me but still made the list. Everything from Mort and up is 8+/10!