The New York Public Library

ADULTS
Best Books Librarians and staff from across The New York Public Library system
have compiled a list of the best books of 2021 for adults, including

of 2021 literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, comics, and much more.
Explore the list—and more for readers of all ages: nypl.org/bestbooks

FICTION My
 Monticello: Empire
 of Pain: The My
 Broken
Fiction Secret History of the Language: A Memoir
Afterparties:
 Stories Jocelyn Nicole Johnson Sackler Dynasty Quiara Alegría Hudes
Anthony Veasna So Patrick Radden Keefe
The
 Reading List: Seek
 You: A Journey
Bolla:
 A Novel A Novel Fuzz: When Nature Through American
Pajtim Statovci, translated 
Sara Nisha Adams Breaks the Law Loneliness
from the Finnish by David
Hackston Mary Roach Kristen Radtke
The
 Rock Eaters:
Detransition, Baby: Stories How
 the Word Is White
 Magic: Essays
 Brenda Peynado Elissa Washuta
A Novel Passed: A Reckoning
Torrey Peters with the History
Velvet
 Was the Night
of Slavery Across
Hao:
 Stories
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
America FANTASY
Ye Chun Clint Smith
Walking
 on Cowrie The
 Chosen and
Hell Shells: Stories the Beautiful
 of a Book: A
Nana Nkweti
In
 the Shadow of
Novel Nghi Vo
the Empress: The
Jason Mott Defiant Lives of
What
 Storm, What The
 Jasmine Throne
Thunder: A Novel Maria Theresa, Tasha Suri
Hummingbird
 Myriam J.A. Chancy Mother of Marie
Salamander
Jeff Vandermeer Antoinette, and Her
Daughters
I Will Die in a NONFICTION Nancy Goldstone
Foreign Land:
The
 Breaks: An Essay
A Novel Julietta Singh
Kalani Pickhart
The
 Code Breaker:
Infinite
 Country:
Jennifer Doudna,
A Novel
Patricia Engel
Gene Editing, and
the Future of the
Matrix:
 A Novel Human Race
Lauren Groff Walter Isaacson

Mona
 Crying
 in H Mart:
Pola Oloixarac, translated A Memoir
from the Spanish by Adam Michelle Zauner
Morris

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 A
 Master of Djinn The
 Death of Jane Unfortunate
 Never
 Saw Me
P. Djèlí Clark Lawrence: A Novel Elements of My Coming: A Novel
Caitlin Starling Anatomy Vera Kurian
No
 Gods, No Hailey Piper
Monsters: A Novel Flowers
 for the Sea Northern
 Spy:
Cadwell Turnbull Zin E. Rocklyn When
 Things A Novel
Get Dark: Stories Flynn Berry
She
 Who Became The
 Lighthouse
Inspired by
the Sun: A Novel Witches: A Novel
Shirley Jackson Razorblade
 Tears:
Shelley Parker-Chan C.J. Cooke A Novel
Ellen Datlow (editor)
S.A. Cosby
The
 Tangleroot Never
 Have I Ever:
Palace: Stories Stories
MYSTERY, Rock
 Paper Scissors:
Marjorie Liu Isabel Yap A Novel
THRILLER, AND Alice Feeney
The
 Unbroken Red
 X: A Novel
C.L. Clark David Demchuk SUSPENSE Ruby Red Herring:

All An Avery Ayers
Revelator:
 A Novel  Her Little Antique Mystery
HORROR Daryl Gregory

Secrets: A Novel
Wanda M. Morris
Tracy Gardner

The
 Book of The
 Route of Ice
& Salt Bullet
 Train:
Accidents: A Novel
José Luis Zárate, A Novel ROMANCE
Chuck Wendig
translated from the  Kotaro Isaka, translated
Spanish by David Bowles from the Japanese Act
 Your Age, Eve
The
 Dangers of
by Sam Malissa Brown: A Novel
Smoking in Bed:
Sorrowland:
 Talia Hibbert
Stories A Novel The Burning Girls:

 Mariana Enriquez,
Rivers Solomon A Novel The
 Duchess Hunt
translated from Lorraine Heath
C.J. Tudor
the Spanish by
Megan McDowell This
 Thing Between
Us: A Novel Clark
 and Division: Duke,
 Actually:
Gus Moreno A Novel A Novel
Naomi Hirahara Jenny Holiday

The
 Echo Wife The
 Gentle Art of
Sarah Gailey Fortune Hunting
K.J. Charles
56
 Days: A Thriller
Catherine Ryan Howard The
 Intimacy
Experiment
Finlay
 Donovan Is Rosie Danan
Killing It: A Mystery
Elle Cosimano The
 Invitation
Vi Keeland
Hostage

Clare Mackintosh A
 Lot Like Adiós
Alexis Daria
The
 Jigsaw Man:
A Novel Neon
 Gods
Nadine Matheson Katee Robert

Mirrorland:
 A Novel Out
 of Character
Carole Johnstone Annabeth Albert

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 Payback’s
 a Witch: COMICS For
 Justice: The If
 God Is a Virus:
A Novel Serge & Beate Poems
Lana Harper Asadora!, Vol. 1 Klarsfeld Story Seema Yasmin
Naoki Urasawa Pascal Bresson, art by
People
 We Meet on Sylvain Dorange Mama
 Phife
Vacation: A Novel Ballad for Sophie Represents:
Filipe Melo, translated
Emily Henry Shadow
 Life A Verse Memoir
from the Portuguese Hiromi Goto,
by Gabriela Soares, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor
Roommate illustrated by Juan Cavia
art by Ann Xu
Sarina Bowen Oh
 You Robot
Thirsty Mermaids Saints!
Seven Days in June: Barbalien:
 Red Kat Leyh
 Planet Rebecca Morgan Frank
A Novel Jeff Lemire & Tate
Tia Williams
Brombal, art by Gabriel The
 Perseverance:
Hernandez Walta
POETRY Poems
Waiting
 for a Scot Raymond Antrobus
Like You: The Union The Black Panther Doppelgangbanger:


of the Rakes Party: A Graphic Poems Popular Longing
Eva Leigh Cortney Lamar Charleston Natalie Shapero
Novel History
David F. Walker with art,
The Wildest Ride colors, and letters by
Extremely
 Transversal: Poems
Marcella Bell Marcus Kwame Anderson Lightweight Guns: Urayoán Noel
Poems
Crude: A Memoir Nikki Moustaki What
 Noise
SCIENCE Pablo Fajardo and Against the Cane
Sophie Tardy-Joubert, frank: sonnets Desiree C. Bailey
FICTION translated from the Diane Seuss
Spanish by Hannah Chute,
The Last Watch drawing and color by
J.S. Dewes Damien Roudeau

Light
 from Cyclopedia Exotica
Uncommon Stars Aminder Dhaliwal
Ryka Aoki
The
 Department
Project
 Hail Mary: of Truth, Volume
A Novel One: The End of
Andy Weir
the World
James Tynion IV, art by
Remote Control Martin Simmonds
Nnedi Okorafor

About Best Books

Every year our librarians and staff select noteworthy new books for readers of all ages. These lists have always sought to reflect the
diversity of New York City's readership. Special thanks to our Best Books committees, the members of which have read thousands of
books to bring readers these recommendations. Learn more: nypl.org/bestbooks

About The New York Public Library

Founded in 1895, The New York Public Library is the nation’s largest public library system, with neighborhood branches throughout the
Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and scholarly research centers. Serving millions of patrons a year both in-person and online, the
Library offers free materials, classes, and programs for users of all ages.

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