Favorite Reads of 2021 from Angie of Readers' ServicesLike this list

26 items

• Razorblade Tears

  Cosby, S. A.

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  This action-packed and moving mystery/thriller follows two men who take matters into their own hands to try to find out who killed their sons--and possibly take revenge.

• Empire of Pain

  the Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

  Keefe, Patrick Radden, 1976-

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  The history of three generations of the Sackler family--the family behind Purdue Pharma, the makers of Oxycontin--is told in a fascinating and engrossing way. Keefe expertly chronicles not only the family dynamics, but also the role they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Arsonists' City

  Alyan, Hala, 1986-

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  The Nast family has returned to Beirut from their home in the U. S. to pack up the ancestral home. The parents and their three adult children are all guarding secrets and facing crises, all of which threaten to be revealed during their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Seek You

  a Journey Through American Loneliness

  Radtke, Kristen,

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  The concept of loneliness (so timely given the isolation many of us experienced during the pandemic) is told through Radtke's personal story as well as the larger cultural story of how it plays out in society.

• The Ex Talk

  Solomon, Rachel Lynn

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  A radio producer and a reporter are in a fake ex-relationship as hosts of a public radio show and podcast about a pair of exes who give out relationship advice, despite the fact they never dated and they kind of hate each other. But what…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Little Devil in America

  Notes in Praise of Black Performance

  Abdurraqib, Hanif, 1983-

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  These essays explore the author's appreciation of Black performers and performances ranging from Soul Train and blackface to Beyoncé and Whitney Houston, as well as putting the perfomers into a larger cultural context.

• The Prophets

  Jones, Robert, Jr., 1971-

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  The story of two enslaved men and their love for each other is told in chapters from alternating perspectives from various people on the plantation, who weave in their own personal stories as well. This moving story of historical fiction…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Anthropocene Reviewed

  Essays on a Human-centered Planet

  Green, John, 1977-

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  In these essays on topics ranging from Diet Dr. Pepper to Googling Strangers to Canada Geese, young adult author Green tells the story of our modern age. Each item is ranked on a 5-star scale.

• The Plot

  Korelitz, Jean Hanff, 1961-

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  A writing teacher has a student with a can't miss plot who goes missing before the story can be published. When he decides to write it himself, he's unprepared for the consequences it dredges up.

• Harlem Shuffle

  Whitehead, Colson, 1969-

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  Ray Carney, a furniture salesman with a side hustle of fencing stolen goods, gets mixed up in a heist plot in this fun story that is very evocative of 1960s Harlem.

• The Sentence

  Erdrich, Louise

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  A bookstore clerk is haunted by one of her former customers in Pulitzer winner Erdrich's latest, which also brings in the story of the pandemic and the George Floyd protests.

• Dream Girl

  Lippman, Laura, 1959-

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  A bedridden novelist starts to receive mysterious phone calls by a woman who claims to be his most famous character in this suspenseful psychological story with echoes of Stephen King's Misery.

• Under the Whispering Door

  Klune, TJ

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  Klune's follow-up to the hit The House in the Cerulean Sea has the same likably quirky characters and feel-good tone as his breakout hit.

• Hana Khan Carries on

  Jalaluddin, Uzma,

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  You've Got Mail is updated in this rom-com that takes place in the Musilm community of Toronto, starring two rivals in the restaurant industry.

• Afterparties

  Stories

  So, Anthony Veasna, 1992-2020

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  In these fascinating and funny stories, So tells the stories of various members of the Cambodian-American immigrant community. Sadly, the author passed away before this promising collection could be published.

• Light From Uncommon Stars

  Aoki, Ryka,

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  This fun science fiction adventure stars a virtuoso violin teacher who has made a deal with the devil, her transgender student, and an interstellar refugee who sets up shop in a donut shop.

• In

  a Graphic Novel

  McPhail, Will

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  A man lacking in human connection is surprised what happens when he finally decides to start "saying stuff that matters."

• Crying in H Mart

  a Memoir

  Zauner, Michelle

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  Zauner (the musician Japanese Breakfast) shares her story of caring for her mother in her illness and her subsequent grief and how Korean food helped to connect them.

• Five Tuesdays in Winter

  Stories

  King, Lily,

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  Each of the stories in this fantastic collection feature complicated characters so richly drawn that they leap off the page.

• The Damage

  Wahrer, Caitlin,

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  A college-aged young man is sexually and physically assaulted, and the attack has lasting repercussions on him, his family, and the detective who investigates in this emotional, character-driven suspense novel.