A Few Must-Read Fiction Titles From 2021

 

I read a LOT of fiction. I almost never to a round-up of my top reads because how could I choose? But last year, I read four books that just scream to be talked about. They are unique among the books I typically read and two are from a genre I generally don't like, so finding them and loving them was a huge surprise! I love recommending books to people, so if you need ideas, let me know your preferences and I can probably come up with a list for you to try :)

State of Lies by Siri Mitchell - This is one of the best suspense books I've ever read. It's got spies and espionage and plot twists like crazy! Be warned, you may stay up very late to finish it. If you like suspense books that are not gory and filled with bad content, you need to read this book. Also, if you read and enjoyed Need To Know by Karen Cleveland, this one is very similar but with a much better ending (in my humble opinion),.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron - I can't say I've ever read a book and thought, "this NEEDS to be a movie", but that's exactly what I did with The Paris Dressmaker. I also don't normally like time-slip novels, but this book was just amazing. Gorgeous (and I don't mean the cover, though it is beautiful). Rich. I don't honestly know how to explain the depth of the book but Cambron is a genius. I will say, you have to pay close attention to the change in narration because we have two characters, present and past, so in effect, four storylines to keep track of. It wasn't too hard once I caught on.

The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron - This is book one in a trilogy and all are good but this one stands above the rest. I would use all the same words to describe this book as I did TPD. There is a depth to these books that is not common. I think the only other books I've read like them are Joanna Davidson Politano's books. This storyline is easier to follow and we have three different time periods covered. It's very well done.

The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt - WWII is my favorite time period to read about, both fiction and non, because it shows you how to stand in the face of evil. This is a fictionalized account of the real people behind The White Rose resistance group. I'd only minimally heard of them, and then, only Hans and Sophie Scholl. Their leaflets are amazing (minus the socialism bit) and their story is inspiring. I definitely recommend learning more about this student-led resistance group in Germany during WWII.


If you're looking for some reading material this year, now you have some ideas! If you read them, I'd love to hear what you think and if you've already read any of these books, did you like them?

 

 

 

 

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