We asked staff across the system to tell us their favorite novels published in 2021, and what a list we made together! Here are 10 of the 53 books recommended by your library staff, along with a link to the full list for your reading pleasure.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
“Hugo Award winner Chambers (the Wayfarers series) launches the Monk and Robot series with this contemplative, bite-size novel.” — Publishers Weekly
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
“Recently arrived in Malaysia, Jess begins hearing the voice of her estranged, deceased grandmother, Ah Ma. Soon, she’s pulled into Ah Ma’s unfinished business, acting as a medium for the deity Black Water Sister and going up against a gang who would pave over Black Water Sister’s temple.” —Andrea
Defekt by Nino Cipro
” This follow-up to 2020’s Finna follows Derek, coworker of Ava and Jules and seemingly the perfect corporate employee at the dimension-spanning LitenVärld furniture store.” — Booklist
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby
“Two fathers, one Black and one white, seek revenge on those responsible for murdering their gay sons. A propulsive and gritty thriller.” — Frank
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
“Narrated by a formerly incarcerated Indigenous woman who works at Louise’s Minneapolis-based Birchbark Books (Louise even appears as a character!), Tookie, this novel is a ghost story as well as a love letter to independent booksellers. bookstores, and readers. Set just before and during the pandemic and the uprisings in response to George Floyd’s murder, Tookie’s meditations on family, grief, social justice, and the power of story feel deeply resonant.” — Misha
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
“A lovely rom-com with some interesting things to say about dreams, and how what we think we want isn’t always what brings us fulfillment.”—Margie
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
“Regan passes through a mysterious doorway before finding herself in a fantastical world of magical equines who expect humans to step up as heroes.” — NoveList
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
“Completely mesmerizing book about love, finding your family, and letting people in.”— Margie
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
“A work of fiction goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and America as a whole.” — NoveList
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
“Vo’s first full-length novel weaves the plot of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby into a vivid tapestry of layered commentary on gender, race, and sexuality, set in a magical Jazz Age New York.” —Library Journal
See our full list of Seattle Staff Faves 2021: Fiction.
Book descriptions are from Library Journal, NoveList database, Publishers Weekly, Booklist (an American Library Association magazine) or staff, as noted.
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