Every Book I Read in 2021, Ranked
I have still not decided how I want to write about the books I read. Do I want to make exhaustive lists of everything I read? Do I want to pick out the best and recommend them? Do I want to write notes on the books that seem the most important to write about, blog posts dedicated to specific books? Do I want to be the kind of person who reviews books? Do I imagine myself to be a critic? Do I wish I had the diligence of a book blogger?
Books I read in 2021.
What I’ve done, now, is ranked every book I read in 2021. I wrote liner notes for some of these. Others, what I said about them before feels like enough, so you can read that previous blog post if you wish. (I link to those where appropriate.)
Update: I realized I forgot to include The Fisherman by John Langan on this list. It would’ve been squarely in the middle of the pack. I suppose I need to write more about that now, but I don’t want to re-edit the whole list to jam it in. It’s a weird one.
55. The Hunting Season by John Coyne
This is one of the few books on this list that I was categorize as bad. Unlike the rest of the books on this list, I can’t think of a single person I would recommend this to.
54. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
Lots of people loved this book. I am not one of them. There are people who love books like this, and I don’t mean to disparage them or cast doubt on their taste, but I know this is not my type of book. What I would recommend, instead, is the New Yorker profile on the author (which, it should be note, ranks #1 in Google for “a j finn”; curious about how that will affect his career. Also, I attempted to watch the film adaptation of this because I like the cast, but turned it off during the opening credits when we remembered what the book was like.
53. Rising Sun by Michael Crichton
I’ve written about Rising Sun twice in the last year. Read my longer take on it here. I didn’t like it and don’t think there’s any reason to read it unless you’re a Crichton completionist (and I don’t know why you would be) or you want to better understand anti-Japanese paranoia in the early 1990s.
52. Who is Maud Dixon by Alexandra Andrews
As I said when I wrote about this before, on another list, both formulaic and predictable and completely unbelievable. Read one of those Tom Ripley books instead.
51. The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
The twist ending of this book was so absurd that it compromises anything else I otherwise might’ve liked or remembered about it.
50. One by One by Ruth Ware
I don’t ever want to read a book again where the ending involves one of the point-of-view characters revealing themself to be the killer.
49. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly
I already have only the vaguest memories of this book, which means I rank it as better than the ones above, as I don’t remember it with the same level of disdain.
48. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
I’m flabbergasted by the number of people who enjoyed this book. It had its moments, its compelling ideas, but overall it was nothing more than a fictionalized account of Bernie Madoff’s downfall, mixed with some stories that didn’t go anywhere about characters I didn’t care about. It was especially disappointing as I enjoyed Station Eleven, also by this author, and I saw this show up on a lot of best-of lists from 2020, many by people or sources I trust. (Thanks, Obama.)
47. Blockade Billy by Stephen King
One of the more forgettable Stephen King books I’ve read. I realized while reading it that I’d read it before.
46. Firestarter by Stephen King
Not entirely forgettable, but vaguely problematic. I think Stephen King needs to think harder about his depictions of indigenous cultures.
45. Devolution by Max Brooks
The more I think about this book, the less I like it.
44. The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey
I keep thinking about the fundamental misunderstandings this author had about how young people see the world.
43. A Good Marriage by Kimberley McCreight
Or is it? Prepare to be thrilled! (Also, don’t give you book the same name as a pre-existing Stephen King novel. It doesn’t make things easier for anyone)
42. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
See the other list I wrote in September. Nothing left to say.
41. Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown
Same. But, also, read Brown’s Pretty Things for a better alternative, then read this if you really find yourself need more (which I did).
40. Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré
This is my least favorite le Carré I’ve read. One of his later works. Not much to think about, but I have enjoyed all of his books. I think we are at the turning point in this list, where every book that follows is one I mostly enjoyed.
39. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Read everything I wrote about this here. I enjoyed it a lot, but it’s not exactly a “good book”. I think it’s also the only pure-play “young adult” fiction I read this year.
38. Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
See that other list I wrote. This is a fun vacation read that no one needs to prioritize.
37. Mia Dao by Joyce Carol Oates
Forgettable but fine. Short. Something about a demon cat who murders people on behalf of a child.
36. The Night Manager by John le Carré
As I said above, I like every le Carré . But as I’ve said before, the show is better than the book.
35. A Murder of Quality by by John le Carré
A strange, simple murder mystery, in which a spy investigates a murder at a private school. Not the best murder mystery and not the best le Carré novel. I think I only read this as I am turning into a John le Carré completionist.
34. A Call for the Dead by John le Carré
Speaking of le Carre completionism: this is his first novel. Worth reading for that alone, and for the introduction to George Smiley, even if it falls short of his later masterpieces.
33. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
I took an online leadership class during which this was recommended repeatedly. Glad I read it. Now I need to finally watch the movie, which I’ve been meaning to see since it came out.
32. The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier
This book reads like something that was written and published too quickly and translated too quickly. I say that but I liked it. Recommended it for my book club. It’s a page turner. I think I need to write more about this. Small flaws within the book, things that felt like mistakes prevent me from ranking it in a more preferable spot. Things that took me out of the experience of reading it, including capitalization issues and the author’s tendency to jump into any character’s mind at any given moment, including, bizarrely, Stephen Colbert and Donald Trump.
31. The Looking Glass War by John le Carré
I don’t know that I’ll read this one again. A good satire, borderline slapstick at times.
30. The Human Stain by Phillip Roth
The first Phillip Roth novel I’ve read. Has not aged well. Still worth reading.
29. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
At the very least, read this book for an understanding of how to craft a thriller. Open with the fact that there has been a murder, but don’t tell us who is murdered or who will do the murdering. Cut between this unfolding murder, its aftermath, and the events leading up to it, plus some flashbacks to earlier lives. See also: The Guest List (by the same author), Big Little Lies, The Neighbor’s Secret (also on this list), and a bunch of other books. This one is solidly in the middle of the pack. The Neighbor’s Secret is a much better book and ranked in a more favorable position; others were among my least favorite books in the last few years.
28. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
My biggest takeaway from this book is that I’ve finally read a Thomas Pynchon novel and that I now understand Lodge 49 a lot better.
27. A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré
I read both the final George Smiley novel and the first Smiley novel over the last year. A Legacy of Spies is worth reading, but only if you’ve already read…
26. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
My second lap through this novel. And yes, it’s a book worth reading twice.
25. Silverview by John le Carré
I might as well just keep listing off the le Carré novels I read this year. Wow. I read a ton of them. This is his final one. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s worth reading.
24. Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré
His penultimate novel, and the last one finished in his lifetime. I enjoyed the moral ambiguity of it. A compelling narrator, if not the most satisfying story. Note that I struggled immensely to figure out how to rank the various le Carré books I read within this list. I might not be satisfied with this ranking still. Also, there’s two more left.
23. In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien
Worth reading, assuming you’ve already read The Things They Carried.
22. Whale Day by Billy Collins
The only full book of poems I read this year. I need to read more full books of poetry.
21. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
I covered this in the other list… it’s a strange book, one that has faded from my memory for the most part—which makes sense, as this book concerns reality fading away from the memory of its protagonist.
21. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
My favorite of the Jonathan Franzen I’ve read. I recommend it. I don’t expect to read it again. I might have to write more about it, as the more I think about it, the more moralizing and frustrating it starts to become in my mind.
20. The Antagonist by Lynn Coady
A good epistolary novel, but not the best I’ve read. (See lower on this list for a better one.)
19. Deacon King Kong by James McBride
This book had a beautiful cast of characters, a thrilling plot, and too much repetition. If you’re going to have a mystery in your book, you don’t need several chapters at the end where the characters explain the resolution to one another. Otherwise, I liked it.
18. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
I read this because I was reading One by One and I wanted to compare the two. This one is far superior and makes me wonder even more why One by One exists.
17. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
It’s hard to say too much about what makes this book great without giving too much away. Read it. And unlike The Glass Hotel, this is a book Obama and I can agree on.
16. Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Grisly horror. Sticks with me. Some stunning scenes. Several that are too brutal. I’m sure the film adaptation will be good and I also suspect it will be too gory for me.
15. Mislaid by Nell Zink
I spent forever reading this book, which might not be a good sign. I would forget about it then pick it up again. It first caught my eye when I read an excerpt in Harper’s, years ago. I intend to read more by this author. There were things about it that I wouldn’t like if it weren’t so well crafted. A sleeper hit, as far as the books on this list go. Not something I expected to enjoy so much when I first picked it up.
14. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
I keep recommending this book to people. I don’t know anyone who has read it. I’d love to talk with someone about it. Like Who Is Maud Dixon?, it’s set in the publishing world. Unlike Who Is Maud Dixon?, I suggest you read it.
13. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A short, simple, beautiful novel.
12. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Fuck the Sacklers. Also, unlike in 2020, this is one of the few non-fiction books I read this year.
11. Set This House on Fire by William Styron
Too long but worth reading. Stunning prose. Captivating characters. An ending that doesn’t sit right with me. I intend to write more about this.
10. How Fiction Works by James Wood
I’m glad I read this. See my other list for more on it. The highest ranking non-fiction I read this year, arguably ironic, as it’s non-fiction about fiction.
9. The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Alison Heller
And what a secret! A good thriller, if that’s what it is. Well written. Kept me intrigued. Good characters. A better alternative to a lot of the other options in that genre. Good twists, surprising turns. This one stuck with me more than any other thriller on this list—and unlike The Woman in the Window or a few of the others, it stuck with me because of the things I liked about it. I intend to read more by this author.
8. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré
Another le Carré, another re-read. Unlike The Constant Gardener (below), this is not as accessible to someone who knows nothing of George Smiley or The Circus. I think it’s still a good starting point, for good reason, but it feels incomplete without the four Smiley novels that came before it and the other two installments of “The Karla Trilogy” that came after it.
7. The Constant Gardener by John le Carré
My favorite le Carre I read in 2021. I view it alongside A Perfect Spy for his most complete, perfect novels of what I’ve read.
6. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarty
Cormac McCarthy is an artist and a genius. This book isn’t on the same level as Blood Meridian but I think it would be a better intro to his work than that masterpiece. I don’t know that I’ll read this one again, especially as I have so much other McCarthy still in front of me.
5. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
I will need to read more about this, write more about it, think more about it. I’m not certain I know what happened in it. I intend to read it again. I’ve found interpretations online but, like a lot of books released before the internet became what it is today, the reviews and blog posts I can find are not as detailed or exhaustive as what you would find for a book released today.
3-Way Tie for 4th Place: The Largesse of the Sea Maiden; Jesus’ Son (Twice); Train Dreams; all by Denis Johnson
I have given these three works one line in this list. I read Jesus’ Son twice in 2021, and I think I read it twice before 2021. I read Train Dreams for the third time in 2021. I read Largesse of the Sea Maiden for the first time and I might read it again soon. Everyone should read Denis Johnson. The idea of ranking them against one another is not something I want to do right now.
3. When We Cease To Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut
I joked with some friends of mine that this book is so good, it makes me think no other books are worth reading. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what to compare it to. I’ve never read anything like it. It’s perfection.
2. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
One of the most beautiful novels I’ve read. Do yourself a favor and read this, if you haven’t yet. I had a professor in college who would talk about this book a lot, tell us to read it, and I didn’t read it at the time. I’m glad I didn’t. I wouldn’t have been ready for it.
First Place: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Timshel.
Thanks for reading about my reading.
And stay tuned as I try to write more about the books I read. I intend to start writing as I finish them. Let’s see how it goes. And no, I don’t intend to start using Goodreads any time soon.