Good evening everyone! And honestly, Happy New Year because it’s been that long!
I loved how Roxane Gay summarized her 2021 reading list in The Audacity right here on Substack. In this post, I follow her lead. Here’s a list of what I read last year. Each title includes a short summary of its lasting impression on me. I hope you like it!
I invite you to please share your faves from 2021 in a comment below!
Take good care. Until next time, beijos e blessings do Rio,
Jodi
PS. Part of the reason I’ve been MIA is my mom (or for those of you who know her better by DEB) was here visiting for a month. We had a BLAST. Here are a couple photos <3
In no particular order…
A Seductive Read Full of Literary Mastery and Beautifully Disarming Insights
Second Place: A Novel by Rachel Cusk
A Magical Story That Feels Like Real Life Which Is At Least Part Of Its Brilliance… BUT! The Dialogue (OMG the email correspondence!!!) Just Takes The Cake For Me
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
A Book That Refreshed Memoirs For Me In The Most Artful, Raw, Educational, and Compelling Way
Aftershocks: A Memoir by Nadia Owusu
A Book That Almost Captured My Attention
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
A STRAIGHT-UP MUST READ (especially if you’ve ever doubted whether you’re a “good” or selfish person; whether you’re settling, pursuing dreams of your own free will, or just a cog in the machine hoping some revived romance from your youth might save you)
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
A Simultaneously Depressing and Wonderful Account Of A Questionable Institution Falling Apart
Aftermath: On Marriage and Separation by Rachel Cusk
Books I Wish I Read When I First Learned How To Read So They Could Have Shaped My Worldview Earlier
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou
Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas by Maya Angelou
A Casually Life-Changing Novel I Couldn’t Put Down
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
A Really Long and Intense Book I Didn’t Finish That Sufficiently Freaked Me Out, Schooled Me, and Will Continue To Keep Me Off Social Media!!! (unless Substack counts😬)
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff
A No Bullshit Account Of One Woman’s Journey Into Motherhood
A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk
A Probably Pretentious Story Of A British Family’s Sabbatical in Italy
The Last Supper: A Summary in Italy by Rachel Cusk
A Book I Wanted To Like More Than I Actually Did
Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford
HAD TO.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
Nothing Special, But Relevant, Books I Read
ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier
Remote by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier
An Alright Memoir That People Have A Lot of Opinions About, With A Particularly Great Chapter Titled: “Men Like You”
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
Would Have Been My Favourite Novel Of The Year, But Damn I Have Soft Spots for Rachel Cusk and Sally Rooney
Leave the World Behind by Alam Rumaan
An Incredible Novel I Will Remember and Study For A Long, Long Time
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
A Compelling Collections Of Stories That Taught Me New Truths About What It Means To Be A Woman
Difficult Women by Roxane Gay
My Favourite Book On The Subject
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
A Perfect Example of Why I Don’t Like Thrillers
An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
Damn. Franzen - His Penchant For Character Development, Perfectly Transitioned Chapters, And Other Outstanding Qualities - Is A Gift (But Personally I Liked Freedom More)
Crossroads: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen
ESSENTIAL. TIMELESS. ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Estés Pinkola
A Nostalgic-About-Your-North-American-Twenties Book That’s A Pretty Great Beach Read
Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam
The First Book That Made Me Feel Like I Actually Know Someone I’ve Never Met
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
100% Worth The Hype
The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr
A Surprisingly Touching Account of A Tennis Star’s Rise to Fame… that Almost Made Me Care About The Sport
Open by Andre Agassi
A Basically Forgettable Book With An Irresistible First Sentence: “We went there for everything we needed.”
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
A Book I Just Can’t Get Into Even Though Everyone I Trust and Admire Has Recommended It
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Jojo, so many books, you inspire me! I loved meet Deb, I miss her!