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In what mostly felt like a year of nonliving, it was an even greater necessity than usual to read about lives led by others. I read 101 books. Here's a thread of my 25 favorites, in no particular order. Some honorable mentions too, all of which are worth your reading time.
Girl, Woman, Other – Bernarndine Evaristo. An absolute kaleidoscope of experiences of 12 British women of color, in verse, explodes celebration of life, coincidence, and unity.
Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid. A comedy of manners about what happens when white liberal guilt collides with the lived-in experience of black women that is as hilarious and entertaining as it is timely and wise.
Long Bright River – Liz Moore. A geographically correct thriller about the opioid crisis in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood tells the story of a 2 sisters: a cop and an addict she's desperate to find. Genius sense of place/culture and a satisfying conclusion.
The Dutch House – Ann Patchett. Can anyone make the quotidian details of family interactions seem more profound than Ann Patchett? In the Dutch House, she spins a tale of siblings expelled from their privileged lives and have to rely on each other to survive.
Alex in Wonderland – Simon James Green. I'm not a laugher, but I laughed out loud at this YA romance/mystery set in a theme park that's about to close as a young gay man begins to find himself. The dialogue alone is worth the price of admission.
Sharks in the Time of Saviors – Kawai Strong Washburn. Magical realism meets family saga, as the children of a native Hawaiian are constantly drawn back to their home island, no matter how they desire to roam. A killer plot twist halfway through is the ballsiest of the year.
A Beautiful Crime – Christopher Bollen. Gays canonically cannot drive, but they are also bad at pulling off heists, as well. This is the perfect escapist book that drops the reader in Venice for an attempted heist by a desperate gay couple.
Real Life – Brandon Taylor. A black, queer grad student from the south navigates an impactful weekend at his unnamed Midwestern university among carefully choreographed colleagues among whom he desperately longs to be seen (or not seen at all.)
Openly Straight, Honestly Ben – Bill Konigsberg. A duology of books that tells the story of a couple trying to get it right at their boarding school and troubles of discovering others right when you're finding yourself. Kind of like a low-stakes, queer Fates and Furies.
We Ride Upon Sticks – Quan Barry. A truly bizarre, hilarious, bittersweet book about a field hockey team that starts to win after (maybe?) signing away their souls to the devil in an Emilio Estevez notebook. A wild 80s dramedy set against the Salem Witch Trials.
Swimming in the Dark – Tomasz Jedrowski. In a year of misleading polls, I'd recommend this book about misleading Poles who start a gay romance in Cold War Poland. The book excels at highlighting sparks of first love that light up an otherwise bleak existence.
Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin. As good as everyone says, duh. I could be upset it took me until now to read this, or choose to believe in that sentiment that some books come into our lives at the exact right moments.
Date Me, Bryson Keller – Kevin van Whye. A YA romance that's wise beyond the characters' years and doesn't become saccharine while letting queer characters experience happiness, even if they don't believe it at first.
