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Going to start a thread for all the books I’ve read and loved in 2021 
Among Others by Jo Walton. Written as the diary of Morwenna, an ordinary 15 y/o who’s also friends with fairies & the daughter of a powerful witch. Despite the fantasy element, it’s really about a girl discovering her identity, largely through reading science fiction & meeting
others who share her passion. I adored Morwenna’s voice & the way magic was woven into the story. Sometimes reminded me of The Moth Diaries but gentler. Both lovely and compelling. I’ll definitely be seeking out more by the author.
Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2935391323
Fame by Daniel Kehlmann. Interlinked stories (and stories within stories) in which coincidences abound, paths cross and fiction collides with reality. A surprising, imaginative, exciting book. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2676224084
Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor. Short stories, some interlinked, about young people navigating intimacy, desire, cruelty and loneliness. As in Real Life, Taylor’s writing hums with a power beyond what fiction typically possesses.
In years to come, these stories will be classics; what a pleasure to read them when they’re brand new. (Full review to come closer to the book’s publication in June. I know I read it very early but given how much I loved Real Life, I just couldn’t resist)
Come Join Our Disease by Sam Byers. How to describe this book: a story of ennui in the underbelly of London that transforms into a transcendentally disgusting ecstasy of filth. A fearless excoriation of capitalism and wellness culture. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3134522199
In my latest piece for @_SublimeHorror I’ve reviewed @DanCoxonAuthor’s Only the Broken Remain, an eerie short story collection in which you’ll find unquiet bones, a strange circus and a VERY sinister postman... https://www.sublimehorror.com/books/only-the-broken-remain-by-dan-coxon-review/
Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe. 4 true stories about women becoming obsessed with crimes they had no prior connection to. The writing is incredible, every page of this book is SO compelling no matter what it's talking about. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2950359308
I really liked Chris Power's forthcoming book A Lonely Man, a beautifully written novel about stories, who they belong to and how they are told. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3622580667
The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James is a gripping postmodern noir in which a journalist tries to write a biography of an elusive artist. It’s a chunky book full of lengthy footnotes but I read it in a day; it’s just that compelling https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3632906754
Spider by Patrick McGrath: a book I've wanted to read for many years and, just as I expected, loved. A superb gothic novel in which a young man’s identity and sense of self slowly unravel as he writes the story of his life https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1551334191
Wrote a bit more about Fifty Sounds here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3761408586 https://twitter.com/learnthisphrase/status/1364976994832830467?s=21
