2021 is one for the books—literally. With the second year of quarantine and my laptop finally giving up on me, I spent less time watching films and TV series and more on reading my ever-growing pile of books. And this led to me consuming a record-breaking 80 titles this year! That’s 800% completion rate, as per my Goodreads account. (I only set 10 books as my 2021 Reading Goal so as not to subject myself for another disappointment of not meeting the goal #VirgoSun #CapricornMoon.)
Not all 80 titles were worthy of the time I spent for them, though I can confidently say that I’ve liked most of the books I’ve read. But the 20 titles listed below are the ones I’ve loved this year and/or made an impact so lasting that I’ve spent days, weeks, or months still thinking about it. Unfortunately, the rereads I’ve had this 2021, no matter how lovable and impressionable, are not included in this list, especially the ones I’ve already included as a top read from previous year (see: Red, White, and Royal Blue). All of these are first-time reads, but most are definitely up for a reread in the future.
Anyway, without further ado, below is my top 20 reads of 2021:
20. Insurrecto by Gina Apostol
Full disclosure: This is my second attempt on reading this after DNF-ing the book at page 106 last year. Apparently, second time did have the charm because I finished the book and liked it so much.
It is no question that Insurrecto is a dizzying, confusing heap of events that may or may not really happened or may have happened but was altered or may not actually happened, but happened in someone's head so viscerally it became their truth. But just like how Magsalin, one of the books' memorable characters, checked herself, “A reader does not need to know everything.”, to fully appreciate and finish the book is to simply ride its wave and its own sequence and cadence. Although, slight spoiler alert, Apostol did tell the readers everything for us to know—at least to the extent of everything that she *thought* we need to know. (Read my full review here.)
19. The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol
Raymundo Mata, an unknown figure, a footnote in history, gave us his very own footnoted historical memoir.
Having both read Insurrecto and now this book, I can really safely say that Gina Apostol is an incredibly brilliant writer. Writing both as Raymundo Mata, a revolutionary Katipunero who was but a passing name in history books, and as three academics—two historians and one translator (which seems to be a tease for her character in Insurrecto, or the other way around)—Apostol gave us this unceassingly entertaining, at times sacrilegious, irreverent; heartrending, poignant; but always so riveting and human, and thought-provokingly fresh perspective on the Spanish-occupied years of the Philippines; history we already know so well, and yet, in her deft hands, still astonished. (Read my full review here.)
18. Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan (translated by Annie Tucker)
This novel is a “love story”—in the most depraved sense of the word. This features multiple harrowing and very explicit scenes of sexual abuse and violence making it difficult to read at times. But Eka Kurniawan's way of unfolding the story, like a complicated history of, say, a country, is incredible and super absorbing. I finished this in less than a week! I was so engrossed! (Read my full review here.)
17. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Absolutely shocked with that ending. Although I somehow felt it was going to happen, Agatha Christie kept on telling me to leave that notion behind as she twisted and turned the events surrounding the murder. Incredible storytelling by the Queen of Mystery. Now we can really say that that name was earned rightfully. I can't stop thinking about it. Maybe I should reread this. Isn't that the way with this one? Read, get super shocked, and then reread with a totally different perspective?
16. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Well, I'm GAGGED. (Fortunately, not in the same the first victim gagged and choked.) Cunning and eerie mystery, only worsened by the isolated and menacing island setting and the secretive bunch of characters, this is one of Christie's more well-known and best works and rightfully so. This is also my quickest read because it really just puts you at the edge of your seat, eager to know what happens next, but still finding yourself shocked when it unfolds. The puzzle was incredibly ingenious and that confession was so remarkably written. I love this story. Wow.
15. Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
When I first read the plot, I thought, well, this could go anywhere. I was expecting a white saviour tone or a story that only puts the bloody and horrendous war on drugs as simply the backdrop. But I was wrong and I'm glad I was. Randy Ribay put the war on drugs front and center and in a way, this felt like an in depth report on one of the many victims of the event. (Read my full review here.)
14. If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura (translated by Eric Selland)
This is one of the most moving novels I've read this year. Genki Kawamura's discussion of life and death and living through his dying narrator is profound, insightful, and deeply affecting. He had such an accurate and keen view of the human mind and psyche. All these existential topics would seem too dreadful and not enjoyable at all, but with some funny fantastical elements and heartwarming and heartbreaking personal stories, this novel became so much more. It became such a beautiful thing to read.
13. Later by Stephen King
Weaving tales of horrors of this world and the other and the abrupt lost of innocence, all told by such a memorable narrator, King's 2021 novel Later is proof that the master storyteller still isn't done writing unforgettable pieces of work. It was fun from start to finish, but also sad and scary. The scare factor was amped a bit because I wasn't expecting it at all. And it's much more straightforward than most of his novels I've read—much more akin to his short stories. This is now my new favorite King novel. I might add something else. Now, my mind is still muddled and trying not to whistle.
12. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
One of the quickest and best reads I've had so far! Gaiman is such a great storyteller and though the tales of Norse mythology were already interesting as is, with his writing, the gods and goddesses and the giants and other characters leapt from the pages and became so much more entertaining and memorable. He wrote with less of the cadence of a classical poet, and more of a bard in a feast or, in a more modern time, that of an aging uncle in a party, after the meal was served, telling stories over glasses of wine and cups of coffee, with so much wit and humor. Personal favorites of mine were Thor, Loki, and Thiafi's journey to Utgard and the more solemn and dark story of Loki's last days. But ugh, I really really enjoyed all of the stories in this retelling. A really good read.
11. Uzumaki by Junji Ito (translated by Yuji Oniki)
Simply outstanding! Junji Ito's world-building and characterization were so well-done. But most importantly, the horrors he gave us were stunning and terrifying. What began as an anthological isolated stories of horrors in town became a much bigger pandemonium in the manga's denouement. The ending was not something I expected; though it is understandable as it is quite hard to end such a beast of a story; it seems Uzumaki almost defied a proper closure-or is it the spiral's work? But as it was from the beginning, the love between leads Shuichi and Kirie was present right until the end, giving us that unforgettable final shot of the couple. Their romance was like the eye of any spiral: calm, solid, and constant. (Read my full review here.)
10. The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
In this trio of tales, I have come to re-appreciate the irresistible charm and beauty of short stories. These have their own qualities, unlike that of a novel, that is utterly engrossing in spite of their brevity. (Read my full review here.)
9. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (Translated by Yuji Oniki)
THIS IS INCREDIBLE AHHHHH
It lost me in the middle a bit, but that introduction and conclusion were so brilliantly constructed. The menace was so palpable. And the characters, alive! (Read my full review here.)
8. Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
Queer men stop leaving letters and notes to your S.O. Say it to them! I'm looking at you, Swimming in the Dark and Lie with Me.
I love this and have enjoyed this so much. I love reading because it transports me to places and this time, I was in 1980s Poland with Ludwik and Janusz. Their story was brief, but their relationship was memorable. (Read my full review here.)
7. My Brother's Husband Volumes 1 and 2 by Gengoroh Tagame (Translated by Anne Ishii)
In Volumes 1-2, it was Mike who subtly challenged the Japanese norm with his Western ideas and custom. He probably didn't intend it, but his action affected the people around him, most especially the rather conservative Yaichi.
This time around, though, it was Mike who felt the challenge and restriction of the Japanese's view of sexuality. But Yaichi, now with a much open mind and accepting attitude, also saw how conservative his culture towards foreigners, foreign ideas, and homosexuality. (Read my full review of Volume 1 here and of Volume 2 here.)
6. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
I adore this book so much. My heart swells with joy after finishing this. I love this and this has become one of my favorite books agad.
Mackenzi Lee wrote a proper adventure novel starring queer characters and I couldn't ask for more. The plot was straightforward and linear which made it very readable. And the characters and the circumstances made the whole novel much more exciting and colorful. The book had this feeling of cleanness to it and sharpness. It's probably on how the story was paced and told. Not much stray and subplot and everything worked out pretty well. (Read my full review here.)
5. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
Sublime writing by Baldwin, featuring well-written characters—Giovanni and Hella, particularly—electric dialogues, and lacerating prose. Which is a long way to say how much I love this book and how much it depresses me and will continue to do so for at least a week (or until I've chosen a new book to read). But Giovanni and David's doomed story in that dark, small room will perpetually haunt me and be the one thing that I'd compare next stories I'd read to.
4. The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing
This is the first time I read a book of essays and the first I read a Laing book, but certainly not the last for both regards. In The Lonely City, Laing discussed loneliness while personally battling it herself when she arrived to New York, and juxtaposed it with the lives of the other lonely people/artists/misfits/outcasts. And what culminated is a beautiful and moving piece of work. Reading her thoughts about loneliness and the lives of the artists she featured was very interesting, intimate; while at times it was difficult to read, it also had the feeling of solidarity, and of being the same as these people, and that itself can be consoling.
3. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
This is Sally Rooney's best work yet. Even—much!—better than Conversations with Friends, which I really liked. Her keen and sensitive and brutally honest portrayal of working class millennial and their loves, relationships, and friendships is at its strongest here. I honestly cannot believe and fathom just how Rooney can dig that deep in a fictional character's psyche and paint an incredibly complex and whole portrait. The foursome of Alice, Eileen, Simon, and Felix are all flawed, at times unlikable, messy, but ultimately can be root for. They are actual reflections of actual people and here I am again wondering just how Rooney did all this. The turn of events in the story were funny, and then unflinchingly cruel, and then heartbreaking. It was such a roller coaster ride, but I loved every moment. And I've grown such a strong liking of her sans-quotation-marks-and-dialogue-side-by-side-with-narration-and-prose writing style that I feel like I'd seek more book that has the same style. These are characters that would live inside my head for the longest time. I love this book, my god.
2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
The perfect novel doesn't exi— wait, apparently, it does. And it's this. Ugh, it's perfect. Another word to describe this book is ‘magical’, not only because it dealt with magical kids, but how it can make the readers feel during and after reading. (Read my full review here.)
Honorable Mentions:
- Si Janus Silang at ang Pitumpu't Pitong Púsong by Edgar Calabia Samar — Si Janus Silang at Ang Pitumpu't Pitong Púsong opened right after the events of Book 2 and from start to finish it was an exhilirating ride that I craved so much from this series. This is the best one yet. (Read my full review here.)
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu — We're bugs!! (Read my full review here.)
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding — The book is perfect, from start to finish, in the sense that you cannot and will not wish to change one thing. (Read my full review here.)
1. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
I've never read something so immersive and exhaustive about a single man and all the events that made him who he was in multiple decades of his life before this book. Cyril Avery was a remarkable and unforgettable narrator. Through wit and humor, he told and relived his story—and ultimately, his quest to find his identity—and of those people around him. The characters in this novel were all so well-written, so were every dialogue. Boyne succeeded in that and so much more.
While at times the things that happened in Cyril's life were violent and heartbreaking, Boyne still wrote it with such graceful honesty, to tell that this really happened. It's altogether something else to watch the awful things unfold to a person written so well that he seemed to be a real one, and someone I know.
No one wrote about human beings and their personalities and their inner conflicts and their inter- and intrapersonal relations as good as Boyne did in this book. It's amazing. This read is best one I've had this year, so far. What a wonder.
And that is my top 20 reads of the year! Hopefully in 2022 I can read even more books, but with my current stack, I'm sure I'll be more than preoccupied. Stay safe and Happy Holidays!
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