The year 2021 has brought a ray of hope for billions of people across the planet, who’ve been living with the fear of the pandemic. It also looks promising for the bookworms, considering all the wonderful titles that have been released and are due for release in 2021. They include books from some of the immensely popular authors.
Given below is the list of ten new book releases of 2021, which would make for some interesting reads:
1. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (January 2021)
The actual title goes like this – A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life. Sounds a bit too long for a title, doesn’t it? Well, the title may be long, but it is certainly a masterpiece for all those budding writers out there.
George Saunders is a New York Times best-selling author and a Booker Prize winner. For anyone interested in knowing how fiction works and its importance in today’s times, this book would be priceless. It is, in a way, a literary master-class on all the ingredients that make great stories work and how they are our reflection and the world around us.
2. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion (January 2021)
One of the most respected writers in the United States, Joan Didion’s works mostly are fabulous portrayals of the modern-day culture of America. During her literary career spanning four decades, she has written some memorable and acclaimed novels, screenplays, and journalistic and personal essays. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking.
Let Me Tell You What I Mean is a collection of essays that give the reader a glimpse into her mind and her incisive reporting. They also articulately describe the most complicated and stubborn truths that she uncovered over the years.
3. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates (February 2021)
In this book, Bill Gates reminds readers about the challenges faced by humanity with regards to climate change. He also suggests the steps that must be taken to stop a major environmental disaster. Some of these measures need to be taken by the government. However, individuals also need to play an active role in keeping themselves, their government, and their employers accountable.
Bill Gates needs no introduction. He is a co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and held the positions of chairman, CEO, and president until 2014. Over the last decade, he teamed up with subject-matter experts for investigating climate change, its causes, and effects.
4. The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen (March 2021)
The Committed is a sequel to Viet Thanh Nguyen’s debut novel, The Sympathizer. It is an excellent novel of ideas and a literary thriller as well. In this book, the protagonist arrives in Paris and begins his career in drug-dealing with his blood brother. The book was long-awaited after the critical acclaim and success of his first novel.
Viet Thanh Nguyen arrived in the United States with his parents as a refugee from Vietnam after the capture of Saigon in 1975. He got his Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of California in English. Today, he serves as a cultural critic for The Los Angeles Times besides teaching and writing.
5. How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (March 2021)
Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel Behold the Dreamers won her a lot of praise from the critics and two prestigious awards. She is a short-story writer and novelist based in New York City and her works are mostly based on her experiences as an immigrant. How Beautiful We Were is her second novel.
It tells the story of people living in a fictional African village called Kosawa. They are constantly fearful of the environmental degradation an American oil company has caused. As a result of pipeline spills, their farmlands have become infertile. The villagers now have to fight back and also pay a price for their long struggle.
6. Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins (April 2021)
In her first work of fiction, New York Times best-selling author Morgan Jerkins tells the tale of magic, secrets, intrigue, and betrayal surrounding an enigmatic and powerful family. The author takes the readers through the darkest corners of human hearts, the search for family connections, and the power of tradition. As a result, they’ll surely find this book unique and page-turning.
Morgan Jerkins has a Creole ancestry and began writing at the age of fourteen. It was her means of escape from the horrible thoughts she had after her experiences with bullying in school. Her first book This Will Be My Undoing was a non-fiction and a New York Times best-seller.
7. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri (April 2021)
The central character of this novel is a woman who moves between an unchanging state and movement, the need to belong and unwilling to form lasting bonds. This is Jhumpa Lahiri’s first Italian novel translated into the English language. It is filled with the protagonist’s impulse to transcend barriers.
Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award for her collection of short stories titled Interpreter of Maladies. She was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize for her second novel, The Lowland.
8. While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams (May 2021)
Stacey Abrams was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for her efforts in the presidential election held in the previous year. She is an American politician, voting rights activist, lawyer, author, and the founder of Fair Fight Action, which is an organization that addresses voter suppression.
While Justice Sleeps is a brilliantly written novel with an excellent cast of characters and some great twists. It uses the settings of the US Supreme Court and her inside knowledge of the court and the prevailing political landscape. The book also showcases her exceptional talent in crafting a suspense thriller.
9. The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson (June 2021)
What happens when a former US president who served for two consecutive terms teams up with a renowned author to write a book? Obviously, the result is a thrilling political drama! This is what happened when the co-authors created The President Is Missing in 2018. The book was a major success and sold over three million copies.
Now they are back with their second book, which is about the kidnapping of an American president’s daughter. The main character is a former US president who decides to keep a low profile after losing a second term. He is, however, forced into action after his daughter is under an imminent threat.
10. The Turnout by Megan Abbott (July 2021)
In the years when she was growing up, Megan Abbott was intrigued by the movies from the 1930s and 1940s that she used to watch at a Grosse Pointe movie theatre. These movies developed a lifelong interest in her for crime fiction. Her two previous novels The Song Is You and Bury Me Deep has references to notorious crimes. The Turnout is an inside look at family ties, sexuality, femininity, and power. It tells the tale in a chilling and irresistible fashion with hypnotic writing.
