Happy New Year, readers!
I can’t believe it’s been almost three months since our little Louise was born—and since I’ve written a newsletter. It’s not that the time is flying by (quite the opposite, actually), it’s just hard to believe that I’ve gone this long without updating you all on my reading life. I’m very much looking forward to getting back into writing for both this newsletter and my blog in the new year. It might look a little different, but I still plan to fill your inbox with bookish news and help add to your 2022 to-be-read lists. Here’s to another great year of reading!
A few favorites from 2021.
To be quite honest, it was difficult for me to remember what all I read this year. I went back through my the Ranked Reading Recaps I put together for my Patreon community and today I’m sharing some books that were favorites at the time and filled me with fond memories when I came across their titles. Here are the standouts, in no particular order.
2021 Releases
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
400 Souls: A Community History of African American 1619-2019 by Ibram X Kendi and Keisha Blain
Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann
Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Matrix by Lauren Groff
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
Backlist
On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee
There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Faucet
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht
*You can get two LIBRO.FM audiobooks for the price of one with my link or by using code FICTIONMATTERS.
Links I love.
My favorite best-of list is always the NPR Book Concierge, and it certainly didn’t let me down this year.
LitHub’s Ultimate Best Books List of 2021.
The 101 best book covers of 2021.
Love this article about home libraries and the condition of being book-wrapt.
Five Joan Didion movies to stream right now.
End notes.
Watching: Station Eleven on HBO Max. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an adaptation that is so different from the source material in terms of plot (at least so far!) yet so perfectly faithful in terms of tone and theme. I am absolutely loving it.
Listening: I’ve been raving for weeks about the podcast Once Upon a Time at Bennington College but I don’t have anyone to talk about it with! Have you listened? If so, please let me know! If not, it’s an absolute must for fans of The Secret History.
Making: Lots of dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free meals as I try to figure out what’s bothering baby girl’s tummy! If you have any great recipes that fit the bill, please let me know!
Loving: Stocking my daughter’s board book library. So far her favorite by far and away is The Pout Pout Fish, which is great because it is so much fun to read aloud!
Readers, I hope your first days of 2022 have been relaxing and enjoyable. For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. I love hearing from you!
If you’re looking for more book recommendations and delightful bookish community, consider supporting FictionMatters on Patreon.
And if you enjoyed today’s newsletter, please forward it to a book-loving friend. That’s a great way to spread bookish cheer and support the newsletter!
Happy reading!
Sara
Hey, just found Jicama wraps at Trader Joe’s my new favorite food, wrap it around all kinds of food and enjoy! Bean burrito, tuna salad, smoked salmon, egg salad or eat it alone. So yummy!!
Welcome back! I've missed your newsletters.