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Best Books from 2021

2021 was a pretty good year for me when it comes to reading. I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked for the books due to my other hobbies, but still the novels that I’ve read were mostly excellent. This was the year when I focused on the classics for a change.

5. Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth is Jules Verne’s masterpiece in the adventure genre that is great for both adults and children. The two main characters’ dynamic is superb while the descriptions by the author and his emphasis on the science of geology made the novel highly advanced for its time. And it’s just a great spirited adventure all around.

4. A Series of Unfortunate Events

I finished reading this entire series during the beginning of this year and I had an absolute blast going through each novel. The Penultimate Peril, The Austere Academy and The Bad Beginning remain my favorite entries. This is a children’s book series that is actually darker for a change while benefiting from a plethora of colorful characters and wonderful black humor. It is one of my childhood favorites and I am glad that I finally revisited it as an adult.

3. Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is this fascinating science fiction historical fiction mixture that is an incredible anti-war story first and foremost. This is a terrific read that is definitely strange, but also forcefully told by its competent author and fueled by memorable imagery throughout. Its exploration of death, free will and the concept of time was brilliant.

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd just has to be the best novel that Agatha Christie has ever written. I am proud to say that I actually realized the impending twist rather soon, but it still remains an unforgettable twist that undoubtedly changed the game for detective fiction for years to come. It’s a very entertaining, superbly crafted mystery story.

1. Gulliver’s Travels

With incredibly imaginative descriptive passages of the unforgettable lands created and a truly one of a kind, extremely complex protagonist, Gulliver’s Travels surely is one of the best novels of all time and one of my personal favorites. It explores alienation particularly well while focusing on so many other social and political issues. It’s a satire that has stood the test of time gloriously and a work that can be enjoyed by both adults and children in very different, but all valid ways. It’s an obvious number one for me this year and it is even in my personal top three novels overall.