The pandemic has challenged us all in countless ways and, undoubtedly, changed the way we read. For me, that change has been positive. Though I have fewer moments to read on public transit or listen to audiobooks on my way to work, working from home has allowed me to squeeze in a lot more time to read at home, and audiobooks have been excellent company for neighbourhood walks.
Above, you'll find my favourite books released in 2021, and, below, backlist titles that I think deserve some extra attention. As always (for me), both lists are mostly non-fiction, with a few poetry and fiction titles in the mix.
In no particular order, here are the books I loved in 2021.
Released in 2021
- Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
- Care Of by Ivan Coyote
- Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford
- The Most Precious Substance on Earth by Shashi Bhat
- Shift Change: Scenes from a Post-Industrial Revolution by Stephen Dale
- Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman
- Her Name was Margaret: Life and Death on the Streets by Denise Davy
- Murder on the Inside: The Deadly Riot at Kingston Penitentiary by Catherine Fogarty
- Danger Flower by Jaclyn Desforges
- Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke
Titles Released Prior to 2021
- How to Lose Everything: A Memoir by Christa Couture
- Take Back the Tray: Revolutionizing Food in Hospitals, Schools, and Other Institutions by Joshna Maharaj
- We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
- it was never going to be okay by jaye simpson