Reading List Update: 8 Books to Add to Your Shelf This Year

We recap some of the riveting new titles in 2021 (so far, at least)

What’s been keeping you company in quarantine? If it’s a backlog of books you’ve been meaning to get to, the very faint silver lining of quarantine 2.0 is that there is now more time to work on those books. We’re even here to make a case for refreshing that reading list.

2021, it turns out, is a year of exciting new titles. A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke, Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz, Infinite Country by Patricia Engel and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro are just some of the noteworthy early releases. Later in the year, meanwhile, there’s Rachel Cusk’s Second Place, Helen Oyeyemi’s Peaces, Seth Rogen’s Yearbook, Lisa Taddeo’s Animal and Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You. Across the genres of historical fiction, young adult, memoirs and autobiographies, and beyond, there’s something that everyone can look forward to. And here, we name just 10 of the titles that have made worthwhile additions to our shelves so far. 

Scroll through and see if they pique your interest!

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted 

by Suleika Jaouad

“Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted is a searing, deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young woman’s journey from diagnosis to remission and, ultimately, a road trip of healing and self-discovery.”

The Prophets

by Robert Jones Jr.

“The Prophets is a novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other and a betrayal that threatens their existence.”

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It

by Ethan Kross

“In Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It, an award-winning psychologist reveals the hidden power of our inner voice and shows how we can harness it to live a healthier, more satisfying and more productive life.”

The Burning Girls

by C.J. Tudor

“An unconventional vicar moves to a remote corner of the English countryside, only to discover a community haunted by death and disappearances both past and present—and intent on keeping its dark secrets—in this explosive, unsettling thriller from acclaimed author C. J. Tudor.”

The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation

by Anna Malaika Tubbs

“In her groundbreaking and essential debut, The Three Mothers, scholar Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped some of America's most pivotal heroes: Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin.”

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America 

by Ijeoma Oluo

“From the author of the New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America is a history of white male America and a scathing indictment of what it has cost us socially, economically and politically.”

The Girl with the Louding Voice 

by Abi Daré

“The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her 'louding voice' and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams.”

Of Women and Salt: A Novel

by Gabriela Garcia

“A daughter’s fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born.”

Now, if your watch list needs an update, too, we’ve also got you covered. Here are 5 Girl Power Films You Can Watch On Women’s Month and 6 Albums We Can’t Wait to Stream.

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