Looking for some fresh new reads or a whole book-list makeover? Well, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve always found that a great book list can be such a great reading motivator. That is why today, we are going to talk about my 2021 book list. This list is packed with 52 amazing books, one for each week of the year, to ensure variety, education, entertainment, and so much more! Let’s take a look, shall we?
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*Update: Here are my newest book lists:
- A Complete 2024 Book List
- The Ultimate 2023 Book List
- 2022 Book List
- 12 Goal-Setting Books that will Change Your Life
- Top Books You Must Read in Your 20’s!
Benefits of Reading
Before we dive straight in, let’s talk about WHY you should read! There are countless benefits of reading, but here are some of my favorites:
- Decrease stress by allowing your mind to focus on fun story lines
- Learn about new topics and boost your education in a fun and easy way
- Increase your comprehension, vocabulary, and more
- Some suggest reading also has some amazing health benefits, including fighting depression, lowering blood pressure, and more!
TIP: Be sure to physically jot down your reading list (and update it regularly)! This will ensure you’re never wondering “which book should I read next?” It will also make sure you never waste your time on a dud!
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2021 Book List: 52 Books You Won’t Want to Put Down This Year
Now that I’ve convinced you reading is the next best thing… let’s start building up your dream 2021 book list to keep you turning those pages all. year. long!
Non-fiction
- The Crown: the Official Companion by Robert Lacey: If you are a fan of the Netflix series The Crown, you’ll love these books. They follow Queen Elizabeth II through her royal journey, adding photos and more historic background than the show.
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb: This bestselling book will enlighten you about the therapy process in common terms and provide key examples of why everyone needs someone to talk to and confide in.
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo: In this incredibly important and relevant book, the author discusses white fragility and explores how, when their assumptions are questioned, white people can have counterproductive reactions.
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle: This incredibly popular book is a memoir that spills the secrets to being a woman in today’s world. The author explains how she kept her happiness through a tough divorce, motherhood, and life.
- Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do by Eve Rodsky: I feel like everyone needs this book, am I right? This book holds the secrets to living a more balanced life while still getting that ever-growing to do list done – focusing on families and parenting.
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper: In this bestseller, the author shows us that having eloquent rage is a good thing and how it empowers black women. Focusing how it’s a superpower if you embrace it and just be you.
- Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees by Roger Fouts: I had the amazing opportunity to work with chimps a few years back and it was a completely life-changing experience. This book does a phenomenal job at highlighting chimpanzee treatment, protection efforts, and so much more about these wonderful beings that are so closely related to us humans. A wonderful read.
- A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn: I’ve heard many people call this “not your parent’s history book.” It presents American history told in its rawest form. A dense but incredibly important read.
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander: A book that is more relevant today than ever and is not only bestselling, but is now a required read at many universities, has been citied in actual judicial decisions, and so much more. At its most basic level, this book discusses the prejudice the lies within the criminal justice system.
- Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky: This incredibly well-researched book walks you through the field of behavior psychology with a glimpse into the neuroscience. I’ve heard this is another dense read but very informative!
Related: 21 Life-Changing Must-Read Books for 20-Somethings
Mystery and Thriller
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley: Guests gather on an island off the coast of Ireland to celebrate the marriage of a well-known couple. Soon, a dead body is found… rough waves and spotty cell service leave everyone on edge.
- Spartan Gold: Fargo Adventures by Clive Cussler: To me, this book sounds like Indiana Jones, if he was looking for ancient Greek lost treasure and being chased by a criminal collector. I was sold at Indiana Jones…
- Still Life: Chief Inspector Gamache Series by Louis Penny: This is the first book of the popular Chief Inspector Gamache Series. A classic “who-done-it” in a cute, small town.
- One-by-One by Ruth Ware: Ruth Ware is one of my absolute favorite authors, I had to have at least one of her books on my 2021 must-read list! This book follows the events that occur during a snowed-in corporate wellness retreat including the disappearance of an employee.
- Conviction by Denise Mina: Anna McDonald seemed like a typical housewife. Then one day, while listening to her favorite true-crime podcast, a story from her past comes to life. She then begins her journey towards the truth and her own survival.
- The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda: Two best friends spend countless summers together in a coastal vacation town until one of them dies while the other races to clear her name.
- Someone We Know by Shari Lapena: A teenager spends his evenings breaking into homes and uncovering personal secrets. However, soon a woman is found dead in her home and rumors begin to fly as everyone has something they wish to remain hidden.
- The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell: At just six-months old, Libby becomes an orphan. Fast-forward to age 25 and she is notified of a million-dollar inheritance that could just change her life. But the dark legacy of her new home, haunting secrets, and possible threat lead her down a crazy, winding tale.
- Rules of prey by John Sandford: Lieutenant Davenport is on the hunt of the infamous “maddog” serial killer, a clever and dangerous man terrorizing the Twin Cities.
- The Cutting Season by Attica Locke: This book takes place in modern-day Louisiana, where a plantation owner discovers a dead body on her property. As she follows the the clues to uncover the truth, she uncovers the town’s darkest secrets that may date back centuries. This thriller is a blend of mystery, politics, and justice.
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: I love adding in older books to my current reading list. After reading the description of this mystery, it gave me goose bumps… I knew we had to have it on our 2021 book list! Ten strangers are invited to a millionaire’s island. After they realize they each have the same nursery rhyme in their room, people start disappearing according to the rhyme.
- The Lies that Bind by Emily Giffin: After the end of a long-term relationship, Cecily meets Mr. Perfect in a New York dive bar in the spring of 2001. They instantly hit it and it seems too good to be true. Unfortunately he goes missing the the 9/11 chaos and ends up on a missing-person poster. How many lies did Mr. Perfect tell? A lot apparently, as it is the title of the book.
Science Fiction
- The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman: This is the prequel to best selling book “Practical Magic.” It follows a family living in 1960’s New York, who’s ancestor was cursed in 1620 for loving the wrong man.
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: A woman returns home to find her son murdered and her daughter missing. As the empire around her collapses, she must navigate the chaos to find her daughter.
- All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders: This is a story of a magically gifted woman and engineering genius who come together to either save or destroy the world.
- The Book of M by Peng Shepherd: After shadows begin disappearing, a group of people come together to uncover the truth and figure out a way to bring them back.
- The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert: After her grandmother, a famous author, passes away, Alice learns that the fantasy world ‘Hazel Wood’ her grandmother created is real. When her mother is kidnapped and taken to Hazel Wood, Alice must combine forces and dive into an unknown world.
- The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: Just before earth is destroyed, Arthur Dent is launched into space and sent on an interstellar adventure with his friend Ford Prefect.
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: In the year AD 2540, the world is filled with advanced technology. When some begin to believe these advancements could be distracting the public from evil, something must be done.
- The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu: When a secret military group sends signals into outer space, an alien civilization captures their message and creates a plan to evade earth.
- I Robot by Isaac Asimov: A compilation of science fiction stories that all have similar themes of animatronics, artificial intelligence, and the technological advancements that could harm human society as we know it.
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: I really don’t feel like Lord of the Rings needs a description… if you haven’t read it yet, definitely add it to your list! I am…
Fiction
- The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes: Alice Wright joins a traveling library and embarks on a spectacular journey of love, friendship, and justice.
- The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi: A young woman becomes a henna artist for wealthy women in the 1950’s. Soon she begins to gather secrets, gain confidence, and navigate the strange new upperclass world.
- The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward: A 70-year-old mother wins a cruise and invites her interesting family who have have drifted away from each other over the years.
- The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister: Emmiline grows up on a remote island. Her father raises her to live through her scenes, but never tells her about the mysterious bottles filled with scents lining their cabin.
Romance
- Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand: Irene travels to the tropical island of St. John to investigate the mysterious death of her husband, only to discover his second family.
- No Judgements by Meg Cabot: A hurricane floods the streets and wipes the power of Bree’s Florida town. But her passion for animals pushes her to save as many neighborhood pets as possible. What she doesn’t expect is the love she finds along the way.
- Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet: Captain Tess Bailey and her crew are on the run from a dangerous man. As they catapult through space, her only hope is from tall, dark, handsome and mysterious man.
- Meet Cute by Helena Hunting: This sounds like a classic and lighthearted romance with a twist… Girl meets semi-famous boy, girl falls… hard. Boy breaks girl’s heart. Boy comes back asking for help. Can girl forgive and forget?
- Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The son to the President of the United States falls for the Prince of Wales. Will their relationship threaten Britain relations?
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To Become Films
- Dune by Frank Herbert: The battle for control of an arid planet’s most valuable resource “spice” leads to betrayal, revolutions, and more.
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness: A viral pandemic kills every female on the planet and leaves men with the ability to hear each other’s thoughts. However, one day, a boy finds a girl in the woods and together they attempt to uncover the truth behind this strange new world.
- News of the World by Paulette Jiles: A journey across the untied states after the Civil War bring an unlikely group together. Sharing news of the world as well as each other’s company.
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: A classic children’s book depicting a child who has found solitude in a locked garden.
- The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott: During the cold war, a secretary turns spy to save a Russian doctor.
- The Chain by Adrian McKinty: A parent learns of their child’s kidnapping. But to save their child, they must abduct someone else’s child and convince their parents to kidnap another. An endless loop of lies, deception, and evil.
- The Grace Year by Kim Liggett: Once sixteen, young women have the power to allure any man they wish. This makes the community force all girls into the woods for one year as soon as they turn sixteen. Unfortunately, not all of them make it out alive.
- The Institute by Stephen King: Children with special abilities are kidnapped and taken to the “institute.” What happens here is beyond belief and tosses the reader into a whole new world.
Books Perfect for October
- Basic Witches by Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman: This book will help motivate, empower and enhance your daily life with a bit of magic sprinkled in.
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: This classic novel that blurs the line between man and monster… perfect for October!
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: In the tiny town of Forks, Washington, a young girl becomes infatuated with a gorgeous, pale, mysterious man. She watches him from afar and realizes that he doesn’t eat and never walks in the sunlight. But after they meet he disappears.
Holiday Reads
- The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie: Over the Christmas holiday, an English detective investigates several mysteries that don’t seem connected… but could they be?
- Loving my Actual Christmas by Alexandra Kuykendall: Do you find yourself doing more work and less relaxing over the holiday season? This book uncovers the secrets of how to actually enjoy this magical season.
- A Mrs. Miracle Christmas by Debbie Macomber: After his wife passes away, Seth Webster struggles to take care of his twin boys during the holiday season. But soon, help arrives in the form of a Miracle nanny.
- Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber: A young woman’s life is turned upside down when her family creates an online dating profile for her, in the hopes that she can find happiness for Christmas.
Bonus: My All-Time Favorite Productivity Books
As a quick bonus, I wanted to add my all-time favorite productivity books I turn to year after year. I usually add a few of them to my reading list but only read a few chapters here and there. If you haven’t read these yet, they are a MUST!
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen This is the O.G. of productivity books (in my opinion…). This book is the reason I started reading other great productivity books. I can not recommend it enough! In fact, I have read it multiple times (I listen to it on Audible while I am driving to and from work). What is it about? Well, David Allen creates this unbeatable productivity technique that can be incorporated into anyone’s planning system. It is a must read. Check it out HERE !
- The Getting Things Done Workbook: 10 Moves to Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen If you loved Getting Things Done (um hello, how could you not?!), you will love this great workbook! It is pretty much a kickstarting workbook that forces you to get more productive. Check it out HERE !
- The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll Okay, The Bullet Journal Method is another must-read planning book. It is a complete guide to bullet journalling by the creator himself! What is bullet journaling, you might ask? It is a completely flexible planning system that you make up as you go! It is based in a blank dotted journal and works on a cataloging system. Want to learn more? Or, perhaps you already use a bullet journal and want to learn the top secrets of success? Don’t miss THIS book.
- The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss This best selling book has been a hot topic item for quite some time now. It tells the amazing tale of how Ferriss went from working 80 hours per week, to 4 hours per week (with the same income!). This book is filled with productivity tips, goal setting hacks, and so much more to ensure your energies are spent in the right areas of your life. A must read!
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg My last favorite productivity and planning book is The Power of Habit. This book covers the importance of habit creation in our daily lives. Duhigg covers how one habit can truly change our lives and how we can control our future with small, everyday changes.
And that is a wrap! I hope you were able to create your very own book list that will keep you reading all year round. Happy reading!
Looking for more book ideas? Check out all of my other great book lists here!
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