Books on Our Reading List for 2021
The beginning of a new year always motivates us to read more books. So, we’ve reviewed the list of recommendations from our friends and families and we’ve put together the list of ten books below. Some are newer, while others are older. We hope to read them all sometime this year.
A Promised Land, by Barack Obama
The first volume of former President Barack Obama’s memoir, which reflects on key moments throughout his first term of presidency. President Obama narrates the audio version of the book.
Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney
Rooney’s debut novel deals with the topic of coming of age (similarly to her second novel, Normal People). Conversations with Friends is the story of two college friends on the cusp of adulthood and their connection with the lives of a well-to-do married couple.
Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo
A winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2019. The story “follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country through the years.”
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari
In this book, “Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions.”
The Topeka School, by Ben Lerner
A Pulitzer Prize Finalist and listed on the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year for 2019. Set in 1997, it details a family’s challenges with parenting and coming of age, while also examining the larger societal issues of the role of public speech and white male identity.
West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge
A novel based on true events, weaving real people with fictional ones. Set in Depression Era America, it chronicles the adventure of two giraffes being driven cross country to become the first giraffes at the San Diego Zoo.
The Marriage Code, by Brooke Burroughs
A debut novel that explores how life choices can impact romance and career, and posits the possibility of finding love through an algorithm.
The Boy Between, by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley
The true story of Josiah’s struggle with depression from both the perspective of Josiah (son) and his mother, Amanda. They each write alternating chapters. Powerful and honest, it is such an important read for literally everyone.
The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett
A novel about twin sisters who grow up in a very small, Southern black community, but make very different choices as young adults that lead them on different life paths. A beautifully written, multi-generational story, exploring family relationships and identity.
Long Bright River, by Liz Moore
A thriller chronicling the very different lives of two sisters in Philadelphia - one fighting addiction and one a police officer obsessed with finding her sister when she goes missing.
