Best Laptops For Autocad 2021

The 15 Best Books of 2021 — So Far

Photo Courtesy: Goodreads

A bookworm is happiest when they're surrounded by books — both old and new. Undoubtedly, 2020 was a great year for fiction, with bestsellers like You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. In the realms of nonfiction and poetry, we loved works like All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson and Homie by Danez Smith, respectively. So, how does 2021 compare?

Whether you read memoirs or young-adult (YA) novels, it's shaping up to be another great year for book lovers across the board.While we can't squeeze in all of our favorites from 2021, we've rounded up a stellar sampling of must-reads. Here's some of the year's best books — at least so far.

"Crying in H Mart: A Memoir" by Michelle Zauner

Photo Courtesy: Knopf Publishing Group/Goodreads

In her profound memoir Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner shares an unflinching view of growing up as a Korean American person — all while reflecting on losing her mother to terminal cancer.Author Dani Shapiro notes that the Japanese Breakfast musician "has created a gripping, sensuous portrait of an indelible mother-daughter bond that hits all the notes: love, friction, loyalty, grief."

"The Prophets" by Robert Jones, Jr.

Photo Courtesy: G.P. Putnam's Sons/Goodreads

In Robert Jones, Jr.'s lyrical debut novel, The Prophets , Isaiah and Samuel are two enslaved young men who find refuge in each other — and their love becomes both sustaining and heroic in the face of a vicious world. Entertainment Weekly writes that "While The Prophets ' dreamy realism recalls the work of Toni Morrison… Its penetrating focus on social dynamics stands out more singularly." Now that's a compliment.

"The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman

Photo Courtesy: Viking Books/Goodreads

At President Joe Biden's inauguration, Amanda Gorman read her electrifying poem, "The Hill We Climb." Since then, it has been praised for its call for unity and healing. Vogue captures the feeling of reading the poem well, calling it "deeply rousing and uplifting."

"Beautiful World, Where Are You" by Sally Rooney

Photo Courtesy: Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Sally Rooney has returned with a sharp, romantic drama, Beautiful World, Where Are You . Two separate relationships are in chaos, threatening to ruin friendships. Vogue declares that the author has "invented a sensibility entirely of her own: Sunny and sharp."

"Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir" by Ashley C. Ford

Photo Courtesy: Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book/Goodreads

Ashley C. Ford's coming-of-age memoir, Somebody's Daughter, centers on her childhood. Ford, a Black girl who grew up poor in Indiana, recounts how her family was fragmented by her father's incarceration. With rich, unflinching writing, Ford has penned a debut for the ages. The memoir's publisher perhaps puts the core of the book best, noting that Ford "embarks on a powerful journey to find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them."

"Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo

Photo Courtesy: Dutton Books for Young Readers/Goodreads

Everyone remembers their first all-consuming love — and for Lily Hu, the teenage protagonist of Malinda Lo's queer YA novel, that love is Kathleen Miller. Set in the 1950s in San Francisco,Last Night at the Telegraph Club is not just one of the year's best, but one of Lo's best.O: The Oprah Magazine notes that the novel is "proof of Lo's skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger."

"¡Hola Papi!" by John Paul Brammer

Photo Courtesy: Simon & Schuster/Goodreads

In his memoir, ¡H ola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons , advice columnist John Paul Brammer delves into his experiences growing up as a queer, biracial person. The Los Angeles Times writes that "Brammer's writing is incredibly funny, kind, and gracious to his readers, and deeply vulnerable in a way that makes it feel as if he's talking to only you" — and we couldn't agree more.

"Honey Girl" by Morgan Rogers

Photo Courtesy: Park Row Books/Goodreads

In Morgan Rogers' novel Honey Girl , Grace Porter is an overachiever — and certainly not the type of person to marry a stranger in Las Vegas. Or, at least, she didn't think she was that type of person. As Grace navigates the messiness of adulthood, Rogers takes us on a journey that's both heartfelt and unflinching, illustrating that love is all about risks — even when it comes to loving ourselves.

"Aftershocks: A Memoir" by Nadia Owusu

Photo Courtesy: Simon & Schuster/Goodreads

Nadia Owusu's memoir, Aftershocks, reflects on her experience of being abandoned by her parents at a young age.Entertainment Weekly notes that "Owusu dispatches all of this heartache with blistering honesty but does so with prose light enough that it never feels too much to bear."

"Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Photo Courtesy: Alfred A. Knopf/Goodreads

What if an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant had feelings? In Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel,Klara and the Sun, Klara is an Artificial Friend who wonders if friendship is possible. TheFinancial Times called the Never Let Me Go author's latest "a deft dystopian fable about the innocence of a robot that asks big questions about existence."

"100 Boyfriends" by Brontez Purnell

Photo Courtesy: MCD X Fsg Originals/Goodreads

Brontez Purnell's romantic, intoxicating book, 100 Boyfriends, is a look at the romantic lives of queer men who are striving to find out not just where they belong, but where they can shine.Author Bryan Washington praised the collection, writing that "Each story in 100 Boyfriends is a minor eclipse: stunning in scope, technically blinding, and entirely miraculous."

"One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston

Photo Courtesy: St. Martin's Griffin/Goodreads

In Casey McQuiston's big-hearted romance novel, One Last Stop , August meets Jane on a New York City subway — but she doesn't realize just how fateful their chance encounter is at first.New York Magazine called the novel " an earnest reminder that home — whether that means a time, a place, or a person — is worth fighting for," and we wouldn't expect anything less from the Red, White & Royal Blue author.

"Afterparties: Stories" by Anthony Veasna So

Photo Courtesy: Ecco/Goodreads

In Afterparties, Anthony Veasna So weaves together tenderhearted stories about the lives of several Cambodian American characters. Although the stories vary quite a bit in terms of content, author George Saunders writes that they are all "powered by So's skill with the telling detail," and are much like "...beams of wry, affectionate light, falling from different directions on a complicated, struggling, beloved American community."

"Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Photo Courtesy: Ballantine Books/Goodreads

In Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel Malibu Rising , readers meet four famous siblings as they throw their annual end-of-summer party in Malibu. However, over the course of 24 hours, family drama ensues. The Washington Post calls this read "a fast-paced, engaging novel that smoothly transports readers."

"Let Me Tell You What I Mean" by Joan Didion

Photo Courtesy: Knopf/Goodreads

Between 1968 and 2000, award-winning journalist and essayist Joan Didion wrote 12 pieces about a variety of well-known figures, ranging from Ernest Hemingway and Nancy Reagan to Martha Stewart. Now, these works have been gathered in the essay collection Let Me Tell You What I Mean .Bret Easton Ellis writes that Didion's "prose remains peerless," so, if you're a fan of the iconic writer, this is a must-read.