The year 2021 has come to an end, yay!
And even though we haven’t completely dealt with all of our problems (looking at you, little pesky virus), it’s been a good year. I’m not going to list all of the great things that happened this year because I’m sure that each of you can remember a couple. I just wanted to conclude that all in all, it was good. It’s only natural to expect 2022 to be even better.
I have to admit it: I love year-end lists, both reading and compiling them. It’s a great way to sum up everything that happened throughout the year in a particular sphere of life.
But I don’t really understand why some of those lists are created and published when the year isn’t even over. I mean, there’s still some time, everything may change, just be patient…
That’s why I decided to wait for the proper ending of the year, to have time to reflect a little, and then to share my reading highlights for 2021. Listing all 58 books I managed to read would be too long of a task, and nobody would want to read that anyways.
So, here are the books that caught my attention in 2021.
1. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
This book introduced me to the world of visual novels and actually got me into reading comics in general. It tells the story of superheroes from a slightly different perspective. It shows more of their human side, allowing the reader to see that heroes have problems too. The narrative and style of Watchmen were influential for the whole genre at the time of its release. So, it’s worth checking out, especially for the fans of comics about superheroes.
2. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
As I’ve read in one of the book’s reviews on Goodreads, “Reading Murakami is like experiencing someone else’s dream. Trying to review Murakami is like trying to remember your own.” And I agree with this conclusion. I’ve read the previous two books by the author and wasn’t very fascinated by them, but the atmosphere was still there. This book is more of a “proper” literary work, and even Murakami himself considers it his first real novel.
3. The Long Walk by Stephen King (under pseudonym Richard Bachman)
The story is set in a dystopian future where a militaristic dictator rules America, and the primary source of entertainment is the annual contest called The Long Walk. One hundred teenage boys must walk without rest while keeping the pace of no less than 4 miles per hour. Needless to say, failing to do so leads to a fatal result. The last contestant to keep walking gets any “prize” they wish and a large sum of money.
4. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This is a science fiction novel by the author of The Martian. The book was such a fun and addictive read that I finished it in two sittings. It’s perfectly balanced, with enough scientific accuracy and humor to keep a wide range of readers engaged and highly entertained.
5. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
This is a contemporary fiction novel written in the form of a screenplay. It takes some time to get used to, but once you do, you’ll be hooked. The book covers the topics of immigration, assimilation, and the roles people play in their everyday lives.
And there you have it! Those are my reading highlights of 2021. I hope you find my picks exciting and enjoy reading some of these books if you haven’t already.
