My Top Books of 2021
Although 2021 wasn’t quite as awful as 2020, it was another bizarre year. It began with an attempted coup at the US Capitol, we experienced a second (and third) wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, billionaires battled for the title of who can dodge the most taxes, and you can now buy NFT property in the metaverse — whatever that means.
On a personal note, this year has been one of massive change for me. I graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, and moved from Canada to the US for a software developer job! Moving away from my friends and family, to a new country and an area I’d never even visited before… it was a lot of change.
In this year of change, growth, and sometimes obstacles, the one constant in my life was reading. Whether it was at my parents’ house the night before my big move, on the floor of my new apartment before I bought a mattress, or in my new, comfy bed — I always had a book by my side. It brought me comfort and peace, allowed me to escape into worlds that would always be there for me at the end of the day. And here are the ones that topped my list in 2021, in the order that I read them!
The Stand by Stephen King
A morbid read during the pandemic, don’t you think? The Stand revolves around a deadly virus, and morphs from viral outbreak horror to a story of survival and the politics of building a new society, constantly playing with the theme of good versus evil. I started reading this book in December 2020 and it bled into January 2021; it’s a long one, at 1153 pages for the uncut edition. I’ve been reading King for a long time and I’ve no idea why it took me so long to pick up this book — it perfectly highlights his masterful storytelling, character crafting, and philosophical musings. It’s imperfect, bizarre at times, and one of my favourite books from this year.
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
I’ve played in Murakami’s fantastical worlds before with Kafka on the Shore and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. His surreal writing style is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, so I was set on reading another one of his books this year. This novel is just under 1000 pages and took a couple of months to finish, despite me bringing it everywhere — to the park, to the beach. In general, the story is about a religious cult (in the unique style of Murakami), but it’s ultimately a tale of love. The story isn’t perfect, I didn’t like the ending, and none of that mattered. I was hooked on this book!
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson is a very influential horror writer, so when I was looking for a dark book to read in October, this one showed up time and time again. I finally decided to read it, and I’m so glad that I did! The story captures psychological horror in a way I’ve never experienced before. Jackson does an amazing job in writing a true “haunted house” novel — there are no ghosts lurking in the hallways, the house itself is the darkness, and plays mind tricks on its’ inhabitants throughout the novel. I highly recommend it for horror lovers!
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
In the winter of 2021, I decided I wanted to read more science-fiction! Philip K. Dick is a name you see a lot during this endeavour, as he is a very well-known science-fiction author. The premise of this novel intrigued me — a bounty hunter on the search for rogue androids (Blade Runner is a loose adaptation of this novel). Having finished this story in about a week, I can see why Dick is a renowned writer in the realm; the storytelling is powerful, the allegories plentiful, and the technical lore impressive (and not just for a book that was published in 1968). A short, profound read.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
This science-fiction pick was in stark contrast to the previous, but it’s a classic and seemed like it would be good fun. It’s often very easy to cringe when you can tell an author is trying to be funny, but this novel avoids that by being so ridiculous (in the best way), and not taking itself too seriously. I always looked forward to crawling in bed to read this, and found myself laughing a little too loud at the concept of a severely depressed robot. I’ll definitely be reading the remaining four books in the trilogy!
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Asimov is arguably the greatest, most influential science-fiction writer of all time. Reading one of his books was inevitable, and a great way to end the year. This novel consists of nine related short stories that follow the progression of robotics development on Earth (and sometimes other parts of the Galaxy). I finished this book on New Year’s Eve, my final book of 2021, and it’s probably my favourite science-fiction so far!
