By Daniel Ford
Much like last year, every author who published a book in 2021 gets an A+.
I’ll be pithy here since the list kind of got out of hand. I decided to permanently ditch ranking books like we did before the world really went off the rails. I also did away with paring down the list just so I wouldn’t have as many blurbs to write at the end of the year. I’m sure I missed a few and I’m definitely behind on reading some of the heavy hitters that came out in the second half of the year. I’m only one man who has a day job, a podcast, a website, and has to ignore his own writing on a daily basis. Let me know, nicely, in the comments what should be added to the list.
Our first episode of 2021 doesn’t drop until Jan. 11, so I will likely burn through a few more books before the new year. I’ll add those into the comments as well if I haven’t dabbled in too much holiday bourbon.
Thanks to all of the writers who’ve appeared on the podcast this year, and to all the scribes who pubbed a book in 2021. Keep reading, everyone!
“Megan Abbott takes us into the insular world of a ballet studio run by a trio of characters that would be right at home in a Hitchcock or Kubrick film.”
“Thoughtful and informed. ”
“Nekesa Afia hooked us with her hard-dancing, cocktail-swigging, intrepid protagonist, and her 1920s Harlem setting.”
“Mitch Albom did his job right and had us ruminating about life, about love, about healing, about hope. ”
“Jayne Allen’s debut Black Girls Must Die Exhausted will hit you a few different ways, plenty that you weren’t expecting.”
“Hala Alyan’s characters become like friends and we very much miss them when we put the book down.”
“Essential reading for these times. ”
“Travis M. Andrews watched ‘Vibes’ multiple times during his writing/research process, so you should probably buy his book. ”
“This book should be required reading for anyone working in or obsessed with television. Armstrong’s best work yet.”
“Sammie Lucas is one of those characters that you know you’re going to remember and wish you had written. ”
“Through his main character Darren, an unassuming Starbucks manager with glowing potential when we first meet him, Mateo Askaripour hilariously and poignantly covers everything from corporate culture and race relations to ambition and family drama.”
“One of our favorite covers of the year and a book we couldn’t put down.”
“Instead of wondering when a dead body is going to drop, the reader has to deal with ‘here are some dead bodies’ right away.”
“A gripping read and a damn good character study of a mother living in Northern Island.”
“There were laughs, they were tears, and, by god, there were treats. ”
“Exactly the kind of journalism we love reading. Maureen Boyle is one of the best.”
“Ab enlightening page-turner that makes one think about justice at the state and federal level, and about communities, especially those in our own backyard here in Boston.”
“A shocking, heartbreaking read that also sheds light on the life of a working journalist.”
“A wonderful memoir and the bonus music tracks on the audiobook are one of the best treasures of 2021.”
“The perfect tonic for the beginning of the year and could not have been more designed for us if it tried.”
“Every story is incredibly powerful and features characters that get under your skin, make you laugh, make you cry, the full spectrum of human emotions.”
“Jack Reacher is better than ever.”
“Features all the glitter of a Gilded Era ball and serves as a cautionary tale for those with dreams of unlimited wealth and social power. ”
“A wonderfully immersive read that transplants you back to mid-1800s New York City.”
“Word to the wise, if you think you have enough bourbon, scotch, or whiskey to get through S.A. Cosby’s new book, you don’t. ”
“You’re going to want to share a glass of wine with all of the characters you meet in Katie Crouch’s Embassy Wife.”
“Clive Cussler’s The Devil’s Sea brought me right back to middle school when my aunt handed me a copy of Raise the Titanic! and hooked me on Dirk Pitt and NUMA. ”
“Cancel all your reading plans once you pick up this book. ”
“One of our favorite opening lines of 2021: ‘Truth hides in fissures and hollows, in broken places and empty parts.’”
“Nick Davis explores the two linked worlds of two brilliant, troubled, cantankerous, competitive, and complicated brothers, and it all makes for an utterly fascinating and engrossing reading process. ”
“In the Quick has such a cool premise, and cover for that matter, and features a brilliantly fierce protagonist. ”
“One of the best baseball books we’ve ever read. ”
“The Sentence manages to be a family drama, a social commentary, funny, sharp, and, oh yeah, a ghost story that takes place in a bookstore. It really doesn’t get any better.”
“Don’t read hungry. A nice, big glass of red wine will make all the drama go down even easier. ”
“Julia Fine thoroughly impressed us with her debut What Should Be Wild and she raised the bar even higher with The Upstairs House. ”
“A winning debut that features working-class characters surviving in a struggling community. ”
“Ashley C. Ford’s writing is superb and her narration in the audiobook adds even more power and heart to an already emotional story.”
“Gripping, funny, and goes to some dark places. Filled with the kind of dialogue we love reading and writing. ”
“We loved Garcia’s character work, even when she was putting them through hell. ”
“Robyn Gigl’s writing is concise, moving, thrilling, informative, funny, and empathetic.”
“The first book in Baby Ford’s library!”
“Fiction writing at its finest. ”
“We also recommend pairing Dave Grohl’s memoir with ‘Sonic Highways’ and ‘Studio City.’”
“We might still be pacing around the three spaces Jo Hamya’s main character spends time in throughout the author’s debut.”
“The perfect match between author and subject. ”
“A cover to die for and Zakiya Dalila Harris can really write. A dynamite combination. ”
“We flew (on a broom, of course) through Harrison’s new book in one reading session. You might never look at a spider the same way again.”
“A Slow Fire Burning features a twisty mystery, but, like all good crime fiction, it’s the characters that steal the show in Hawkins’ latest.”
“It was incredible reading about James Tate Hill’s journey to becoming the writer and man we know and love.”
“Perhaps the best essay collection we’ve ever read.”
“Be sure to listen to the NovelClass episode featuring Kazuo Ishiguro’s most recent novel for a bonkers theory about the ending. ”
“There’s nothing we love more than when a guest proudly says something like, ‘I was a nerdy and sensitive kid’ and ‘place me in whatever space, you’re going to get some sort of art.’ There’s some beautiful artist at work in My Monticello.”
“Filled with sensational dialogue and characters you can’t help but fall in love with over and over again. Plus, a litter of kittens. ”
“We love a good coming of age story, especially when it involves New York City.”
“When we learn not to binge read a Stephen Graham Jones novel late at night? An absolute blast from start to finish.”
“You know you’re in the presence of great literature as soon as you read the opening words of Robert Jones, Jr.’s The Prophets. The author refashions the slave narrative and makes room for, of all things, love. ”
“A startling, heart-stopping narrative about a thwarted domestic terrorist attack in Garden City, Kan.”
“So many gems for writers, mystery lovers, horror fans, pop culture junkies, and wordsmiths.”
“When your bookworm niece tells you to read something, you listen. We’ll be hard pressed to find two characters we love more this year than Lily and Kath. ”
“Roar some more with Gregory Maguire as he steps back into the world of Oz and creates new characters at the edge of the world.”
“Yamen Manai delves into serious issues in this novel, but there’s also this humor, this passion, this humanity that buzzes around every page.”
“Glenn Burke’s story ends in heartbreak and tragedy, but there’s a lot to root for along the way.”
“Here’s hoping Hannah Mary McKinnon has 40 or 50 more surprise, and utterly dark, endings up her sleeves.”
“An utterly delicious noir cover paired with perhaps our favorite opening line in 2021: ‘He didn’t like beating people.’”
“Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book won the National Book Award for a reason. We’re still thinking about it.”
“We’re always so impressed how Matthew Norman takes big themes and puts them on such a relatable human level (while also being very funny).”
“An ambitious, smart, and insightful debut from an effervescent guest. ”
“Poison and murder in 1790s London and shadowy apothecaries are very much our jam.”
“We’re all in on any essay collection that features both Prince and “Frasier.””
“Jodi Picoult’s latest is such a love letter to medical professionals and people who have weathered some of the worst of the past couple years. ”
“Joe Posnanski’s approach to his rankings was fresh and smart, and we loved his inclusion of global and Negro League players.”
“We’ll be coming back to Kirstin Valdez Quade’s debut novel again and again for inspiration.”
“At the core of Sam Quinones’ The Least of Us, at its soul, is the stories from people who have been affected by these opioid, fentanyl, and meth epidemics. ”
“Our poor reading list. We picked up Malibu Rising thinking, ‘We’ll only read a few pages to get a feel for it.’ That turned into the first chapter, the first 50 pages, etc.”
“Who wants to join our book club that only talks about this book for a few months?”
“Mary Roach’s new book was another enjoyable deep dive into weird science; this time, featuring animals breaking laws, befuddling humans, and, generally, being hungry.”
“Top-notch dialogue and characters that get under your skin (and under each other’s skins). ”
“The book that started our audiobook binge this year. A fun read enhanced by the author’s narration.”
“How does Steven Rowley do it? Yet another book where we’re laughing and crying at the same time.”
“There are stories in this collection that are incredibly brief that pack the power of a weighty literary tome. What a blessing Ruffin is to the writer world. ”
“Beautiful written prose about a few broken characters pushing against the world around them. ”
“This book is life out loud funny while also featuring some beautiful sentences that’ll rip your heart out.”
“A chilling read sadly relevant to our times.”
“Nick Carraway saw some shit before he landed in West Egg. Michael Farris Smith adds a little grit and noir to the character’s backstory. ”
“Solomon’s novel features a local radio station, podcast references galore, a lovable dog, a snappy writing style, and a fun love story. And there’s a microphone on the cover for crying out loud! ”
“Yup, Peter Swanson robs us of a night of sleep and reminds us he may be the best at this crime fiction thing. ”
“Reading Craig Taylor’s New Yorkers was like visiting home without having to drive over the RFK Bride or take a train into Penn Station.”
“We discovered Academy Award-winning actress Meg Tilly was a romance author this year and we’ll now be adding her to our #TBR pile whenever she pubs something.”
“ We had so much fun spending time with Gabriel Valjan’s overwhelmed PI Shane Clearly and 1970s Boston in all its grimy glory.”
“P.J. Vernon’s debut is thrilling, it’s got cracklin’ dialogue, it’s got all of these Hitchcockian twists and turns, and it would translate seamlessly to the big screen.”
“Paul Vidich’s character-first approach to storytelling is only part of his storytelling talent. Reading The Mercenary, we could feel the hard chill of a Russian winter creep into our bones.”
“We did indeed inject this novel directly into our rock ‘n’ roll veins. ”
“We truly appreciate how Joby Warrick gives us a human, ground-level view of these tense global standoffs.”
“Has any author had a three-book run like the one Colson Whitehead is on? A crime novel about a heist set in 1960s New York City? That cover?! ”
“The Spectacular hit us in all our sweet spots. Family drama. Rock ‘n’ roll. Fantastic, badass characters. Fun dialogue that also rips your heart out at times.”
“Perhaps our favorite part of the book is when Stevie Van Zandt tells Bruce Springsteen an early mix of a song on ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ ‘fucking sucked.’ ”
