21 Books I Want to Read in 2021

(Last Updated On: )

January is almost over (and it has been a strange one) but I still wanted to use the opportunity for some public accountability. So here are 21 books I want to read in 2021 (that I already own). Feel free to scream at me over on Twitter every once in a while because we all know otherwise I’ll get distracted by shiny new releases!

Sadie – Courtney Summers

I’ve been meaning to read Sadie for over a year now. It’s been recommended to me as a great audiobook many times and, having fully embraced my love for audiobooks in 2020, I’m even more excited to read it.

Vicious – V.E. Schwab

I had strong plans to read this last year and it didn’t happen, so I’m putting it back on the list!

These Violent Delights – Chloe Gong

I managed to get an arc for this book, started reading it, was overwhelmed by how good it was and put it down. If that sounds stupid to you, you’re right. The first chapter of this Romeo and Juliet retelling was so vibrant that I could literally smell the streets of Shanghai. If this series doesn’t get picked up as a TV show, something is seriously wrong with the world!

Out of Love – Hazel Hayes

Another book I wanted to read last year and then didn’t. Out of Love is a bittersweet love story told in reverse and I can’t wait to cry my tiny heart out when reading it. It does give me summer vibes though, so it might be a while before I read it.

The Boy Who Steals Houses – C. G. Drews

I don’t read all that much Contemporary, but this sounded right up my street! Found family dynamics will always get me to pick up a book.

Goldilocks – Laura Lam

I bought this last year on my search for more books like The Martian and it called my name. Just say “all-female space crew” and I show up, I am a simple woman. you give me badass ladies and I give you my money.

Rosewater – Tade Thompson

Another sci-fi story I am incredibly excited about! I’m trying to figure out what kinds of sci-fi I enjoy and this was highly recommended to me by multiple people, so I have high hopes. It might even be a 5-star prediction!

Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo

I love the premise of this book (dark academia and ghosts, hello?) but the sheer size of my copy has intimidated me too much to actually read it. But 2021 is gonna be the year, I promise! I figured that dark academia with a fantastical element might be the best way to dip my toes into the genre before possibly reading The Secret History (no promises on that one, though).

You might also like: 5 Books On My Sci-Fi TBR #1

My Sister, the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite

Again, a book with a premise that made me buy it immediately. I’m always looking for more adult mysteries and this one fits that category perfectly!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly Jackson

This book made the list as a representative of all the YA (murder) mysteries I own and the ones coming out this year. It’s finally time to read them! What can I say, I have a soft spot for badass teenage detectives and fast paces mysteries with lots of twists.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – Christopher Paolini

This book is HUGE! It’s a true sci-fi epic and thus it scares me. The audiobook is 32 hours long, THIRTY-TWO, you guys! But of course, I’m also very curious to see what this story is about and shall save it for a time when I am either a) truly bored or b) very much in the mood for some loooong sci-fi.

Raybearer – Jordan Ifueko

This is a fantasy novel with political intrigue and found family at its heart and I am so, so excited to read it! I started reading it last year but I was in a massive reading slump and reading a few pages here and there doesn’t do this book justice, so I put it down for another time. 2021 is gonna be the year, I can feel it. Also a strong 5-star prediction!

Spin the Dawn – Elizabeth Lim

I bought this based on Lili’s review on Utopia State of Mind and I still haven’t read it, argh! The sequel is already out, so if I enjoy it as much as I hope to, I can go read that immediately afterwards, yay!

Axiom’s End – Lindsay Ellis

Keeping in line with trying to figure out the sci-fi I enjoy, Axiom’s End is an alternate-history story about a young woman who makes first contact with aliens. As someone who loved The Carls series by Hank Green, I have a feeling this might be similarly up my lane.

Cemetery Boys – Aiden Thomas

It’s queer and has death vibes. That’s really all you need to say about a book to make me excited. It also doesn’t hurt that the hardcover I own is absolutely stunning and I keep staring at it on my shelf.

Hotel Silence – Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

One of the areas in which my reading has been lacking is translated fiction! Leena Norms recommended Hotel Silence ages ago and it’s been on my wishlist ever since. I got it for Christmas last year and I’m so excited, it sounds weird and wonderful in the exact way I like. A man who is frustrated with his life books a one-way flight to a country dealing with the aftermath of war. He moves into a run-down hotel with no plans to return home. Growing closer to the owner and the other guests, he starts helping them with fixing the hotel – and maybe fixes his own life.

On a Sunbeam – Tillie Walden

SPACE LESBIANS! This is an absolutely stunning graphic novel about a space crew. It has found family dynamics and queer people and space. So basically, it’s all I want.

The Drowning of Arthur Braxton – Caroline Smailes

This is possibly the oldest book on my TBR. It’s a fantastical coming of age story that’s partially told through scripts (as someone who apparently loved multimedia formats in books, this intrigued me). Fun fact: one of my brothers has actually read this. I took it on a holiday to Sweden with me, he ran out of his own books and read this instead. I still haven’t read it. In an effort to reduce my physical TBR, 2021 is gonna have to be the year for this one.

Bridge of Clay – Markus Zusak

I Am the Messenger is one of my favourite books and the only Markus Zusak book I’ve read. Interestingly, I had a dream recently in which I met Markus Zusak and promptly took that as a sign that I should really read Bridge of Clay this year.

Call Down The Hawk – Maggie Stiefvater

With the sequel coming out later this year, I should probably read this one first, huh? Magic, dreams and crime! A friend of mine absolutely adored this so my expectations are set pretty high.

You’ve made it to the end, those are the 21 books I want to read in 2021!

Do you have a plan for what you want to read this year?