Best Books of 2021, So Far
Can you believe the year is more than halfway over? 2020 felt like six years mashed into one, and now 2021 is blowing by at record speed.
I wanted to take a moment and write about the best books I’ve read this year, so far. There are still many incredible books to be read during the last five months of the year, but here’s a list of the cream of the crop from the beginning half of my year.
These books are not in any particular order.
To my husband’s utter dismay, I picked up this series on a whim, knowing absolutely nothing about it, besides the fact that it is well loved by all who’ve read it. Looking back, I realize now why Michael was so taken aback by my choice to read this series. For one thing, it’s epic fantasy, something I had only dabbled in up until this point. And more importantly, each book (there are four currently published) are more than 1,000 pages in length.
This is the second book in Sanderson’s epic Stormlight Archive series and my favorite of the four. This book read more character driven than plot driven, but it isn’t slow moving. The plot definitely moves along at an enjoyable pace but during that time, I was able to learn more about the characters I started falling in love with in book one. I also really enjoyed learning more about Spren, and Roshar in general in this book. Overall, this book was incredibly engaging, very well written, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an epic fantasy series! I have a lot more to say about this book. Read my full review here.
I still think about how great this book is, even now and I read it back in January. Anytime I think about it, I get giddy inside about reading part two. (Edit: After preparing this post, Tracy Deonn posted about book two on Instagram and I about lost it. Hello Bloodmarked!) A young adult retelling of the famous Arthurian legend, this book was enthralling from start to finish. Our main character Bree Matthews is a sixteen year old, attempting to grapple with the sudden loss of her mother. She gets accepted into the Early College at UNC Chapel Hill and quickly jumps on the opportunity to get away from it all. She believes that this new experience will help her move forward from her mother’s death but when she witnesses a strange, magical event, her world is quickly upended. Bree finds herself sucked into the secret society of Legendborns, somehow connected to the stories of King Arthur and swirling with magic and supernatural abilities. Bree soon realizes that her connection to the Legendborn society is stronger than she would have ever thought.
Doesn’t that just sound incredible? I loved this book so much I bought it in hardback just to have it grace our shelves.
I have more to say about this book. Read my full review here.
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
I didn’t anticipate loving this book as much as I did. I truly picked this book up as a palate cleanser, something to break up the epic fantasy I’d been reading. Isn’t that always how it is though? When you’re not looking for anything spectacular, something miraculous happens and you fall in love.
Eileen and Leena, grandmother and granddaughter, decide to swap places for a two month period, living in each other’s homes, fraternizing with each other’s friends, and taking on each other’s responsibilities. Eileen moves from her rural home in Yorkshire to Leena’s flat in London and vice versa. What ensues is per enjoyment from start to finish with romance, new friendships, and heartbreak. This book is utterly delightful. Easily one of the most heartfelt books I’ve read in a quite awhile. I enjoyed Eileen (grandmother’s) story line much more than Leena’s. It was refreshing to read about an older woman living her best life, making new friends, and having romantic interests.
This is the book I most recently read on this list but I can assure you it doesn’t suffer from the dreaded “most recently read so it’s going on the list” disorder. This book truly was incredible, and it was a debut!
I just posted my full review recently (read it here) but here’s a brief overview. Daunis Fontaine is your typical teenager living a pretty normal life: has a best friend, is active in her community, plays sports, goes to parties. All the things we normally do as teens. One night, her world is turned upside down when she witnesses a crime that shatters her “typical” life. She is asked to go undercover to assist in an ongoing investigation into her own community. What happens from there is a wild ride filled with grief, betrayal, denial, heartache, destruction, and even death. This book is so fast paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat as we walk alongside Daunis as she uncovers ugly truths about what she thought she knew.
This book was incredible and I’ve thought about it everyday since I finished it.
Yes, another Sanderson book on the best books so far list, sue me. This book is easily in the running for favorite book of the year, containing one of my favorite characters of all time and one of my favorite series endings of all time.
As this is book three in The Mistborn Saga Trilogy, I won’t go into much detail about the book to keep it spoiler free. If you want to read my full review of book one in this series, The Final Empire, to give yourself a bit of a set up for what we’re working with, click here. We’re following Vin and Elend and their compatriots as they navigate their lives following the events of book one and two.
I truly don’t know what else to say without spoiling this for you so all I’ll say is I loved how this ended. I loved what Sanderson revealed and what I didn’t see it coming at all. I am usually one to dislike parts of how a series ends, but I have zero qualms about where Sanderson left us at the end of this book. I tear up just thinking about it.
And there you have it, my favorite books 2021 (so far). As I said at the beginning, there are still so many incredible books to be read this year. I’ve even added books I’ve read just since publishing this to my favorites of the year list!
Happy reading!
