Favorite books of 2021

It's Christmas letter time again, and I'll be busy with that this coming week, having already mailed ten letters across "the Pond."  I enjoy receiving holiday letters and hope the people who receive ours aren't too bored by them.  We really don't do a lot of exciting things during the year, but it is nice to touch base with old friends nonetheless.  

This year's missive includes a list of our favorite books since Paul has been reading up a storm on his new Kindle Paperwhite.  He started downloading from the library's website, and it seems he's read almost every biography they have.  I often use Book Bub to find free or reduced priced mysteries and other lighter reading, but I also spend the full price for books I just have to read as soon as they come out.

Here are some  of our favorites of 2021:

·       American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst – Jeffrey Toobin (Paul)

·       American Prometheus:  The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin (P)

·       Clark and Division – Naomi Hirahara (Marianne)

·       Grandma Gatewood’s Walk:  The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail – Ben Montgomery (M)

·       The Madness of Crowds – Louise Penny (M)

·       Mike Nichols:  A Life – Mark Harris (P)

·       State of Terror – Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny (both!)

I read the latest books in various series by authors such as Aaron Eskens, Paula McLain, Susan Elia McNeal, Charles Todd, Elly Griffiths, Jacqueline Winspear, and Spencer Quinn.  All were up to "standards," very enjoyable.  The Keeper of Lost Things, by Ruth Hogan, wasn't a mystery but stands out as well worth reading with its quirky characters.  It seems everyone is writing stories about bookstores lately, and my favorite in this sub-genre was Midnight in the Bright Ideas Bookstore, by Matthew J. Sullivan.  I hope my favorite authors, Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling's adult pseudonym) and Kelley Armstrong, will come up with gripping new stories in 2022 that feature my favorite characters, Cormoran Strike and Casey Duncan.