Best books of 2021
If you’ve been part of my What’s Up Wednesday e-blasts for the since May of 2020, you know that I love to read! Growing up, my parents and 4 grandparents were always encouraging me to read a variety of books. My Granny was a volunteer at the library in Ocean City, MD and on rainy days in the summer I would spend the day with her sorting books. I have early memories of my mom taking my sister and I to the Cockeysville library in Baltimore County to pick out books to read together and individually. As a adult, one of my favorite Sunday activities is to take my hammock and a book to Patterson Park to read for a few hours.
Some folks love to watch movies or TV, I love to read (or listen) to books. Reading is a way to learn, travel, imagine, escape, laugh and connect. If you’re a fellow book worm, let me know! Here are my favorite books from 2021!
Personal Growth & Development
“Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
“Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times” by Katherine May
“The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown
“When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron
“Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters and How to Harness It” By Ethan Kross
“What happened to You? - Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing” by Dr. Bruce Perry
“Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear” by Dr. Carl Hart
“Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
“Wolfpack: How to come together, unleash our power and change the game” by Abby Wambach
“Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home” by Toko-pa Turner
“Be here now” by Ram Dass
“The Body Keeps the Score” by Dr Bessel Van der Kolk
Social Justice
“How the Word is Passed” by Climb Smith
“Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay
“The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein
“Caste: The Origins of our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson
Fiction
“The Every” by Dave Eggers
“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
“The Lost Apothecary” by Sarah Penner
“The Immortalists” by Chole Benjamin
“Conjure Women” by Afia Atakora
“A Thousand Ships” by Natalie Haynes
“The Revisioners” by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
“Transcendent Kingdom” and “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
I encourage you to use Libby, a free app that connects to your local library (Yahhh free books!) or purchase them from a local, Indy bookstore. I love Greedy Reads in Baltimore with locations in Remington and Fells Point.