Reading Material: Top Books of 2021 Part II
“The nights I sleep best, I spend time unwinding before bed. I soak in a warm bath to melt the day away, leave my phone in another room, take a dropper of NOVA, and read a few chapters in a novel to let my mind fully settle and leave the to-do list behind. Once my eyes get heavy, I turn in for the night, fall asleep within five minutes and escape into my fantastical dreams.”
Reading has been something I’ve loved since I was little. I love the escape, the knowledge, the characters, the stories, and the perspectives I am able to uncover. I set a reading challenge every year as my reminder to take a break from my day-to-day and reset my mind. I prefer to read non-fiction during the day so my mind is able to stretch and absorb the information and I prefer novels before bed so I can escape into a fantastical world and prepare for a deep sleep. I’ve curated my favorite books I’ve read during the second half of 2021 and hope you are able to connect to some of the books, stories, and characters below.
Feel free to join me and set your own reading challenge for 2022. I use Goodreads to track & rate my books and they have an easy one click way to set up your own goal of books for the year. Happy reading!
- Kayla Clements, Founder & CEO Luna Volta
Most Powerful
by Kaitlyn Greenidge
“Pure brilliance. So much will be written about Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Libertie—how it blends history and magic into a new kind of telling, how it spins the past to draw deft circles around our present—but none of it will measure up to the singular joy of reading this book.” —Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk
Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States and rich with historical detail, Kaitlyn Greenidge’s new novel resonates in our times and is perfect for readers of Brit Bennett, Min Jin Lee, and Yaa Gyasi.
2. Best Science Fiction
by Andy Weir
“For fans of space exploration, from the author of The Martian, this is such a feel good book that gives me hope for humanity.” - Kayla
Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian--while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.
3. Best Historical Fiction
by Kate Quinn
“Kate Quinn has made my list again! Following The Alice Network from earlier this year, I devoured this historical fiction about female code breaking during World War II.” - Kayla
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.
4. Best Characters
by Helene Wecker
In The Golem and the Jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turn-of-the-century New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.
5. Best Series
by Patrick Ness
“I found this series from another book where the book-loving-shop owner recommended this to young readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series. I like fantasy, sci-fi, and alternate realities, so I figured I would give it a go. Once I wrapped my head around the writing style, I enjoyed this series a lot more than I originally thought I would and it took me to unexpected but enjoyable places. I just found out it’s being made into a film series featuring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley and am curious to see how they bring this concept to the screen.” - Kayla
It is set in a dystopian world where all living creatures can hear each other's thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise. The three novels feature two adolescents, Todd Hewitt and Viola Eade, who encounter various moral issues and high stakes as the planet around them erupts into war.
6. Best Page Turner
by Colleen Hoover
“I read this book in two days flat. I am not a big mystery reader but this book had so much suspense that I could not put it down.” - Kayla
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
7. Honorable Mention
by Blake Crouch
”I have such a love/hate relationship with Blake Crouch’s books. As a science fiction lover, his themes of alternate realities are brilliant and pull me in powerlessly in a way that I completely devour their worlds. Both Recursion and Dark Matter are two of my absolute favorite storylines about alternate realities I’ve read but both endings are unexpected and leave me a bit dissatisfied. I’m not sure what I feel is missing - more magic? more chaos? I guess I just want the ending to be as mystical and satisfying as the brilliant concept of the storyline.” - Kayla
Reality is broken. At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.