The Best Books I Read in 2021

While 2021 hasn’t been as conducive a year for reading as 2020 was, I’ve still managed to make my way through some good books.

Even though the world has started to get back to normal, as much as Omicron is trying to disrupt this, I’ve still found time to sit down and read.

I was worried that the return of some form of ‘normality’ might impact my ability to read. But I’ve realised that setting aside time during the day is the best way to ensure I don’t drop the habit.

That and the fact I really, really like reading!

It’s difficult to narrow down this list to ten, as I’ve some fantastic books this year. But I feel I’ve done a good job at shortening the list to books that really hit home.

If you’re looking for new suggestions or just curious to see what this stranger on the internet enjoyed reading this past year, check my top ten books of 2021.

Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera

Growing up in the UK and studying history at university, I can barely remember a single class or course I took that covered the empire. Considering the extent to which Britain ruled the globe at one point, that’s astounding.

In Empireland, journalist Sathnam Sanghera offers reasons why this might be the case. They range from embarrassment at some of the atrocities committed in the name of empire and a recognition that Britain has regressed from its pre-eminent state in the world.

I enjoyed this book immensely and learnt a lot in the process. It’s an uncomfortable read at times, especially for an Englishman, but an essential one to understand how empire has influenced the UK and the wider world.

Empire has affected almost every person on the globe either directly or indirectly. Empireland shows the various ways this happened and how the legacy of the empire still influences politics and society today.

Roller Coaster Europe (1950–2017) by Ian Kershaw

Another history book and another one that I enjoyed. I took most of my courses at university on modern European history, so it was refreshing to read an account of the recent history of Europe.

Ian Kershaw is a formidable historian. He’s a fantastic guide through this up-and-down period in the continent’s history, as the title of the book, Roller Coaster Europe, suggests. I now see why my history teacher at high school was so keen for me to study under him at Sheffield University. (I ended up going to Lancaster instead!)

Unlike most of Europe’s history, this period saw a marked reduction in warfare. Aside from conflicts in the Balkans, war was more or less non-existent for the majority of Europeans after the Second World War. Considering the tragedies of that war and the ones before, that’s some achievement and one we take for granted.

Kershaw’s an illuminating guide through this period and highlights some of the important developments of this time, as well as stating where he thinks Europe as a continent might be heading in the years to come.

The Utopia of Rules by David Graeber

David Graeber is one of my favourite thinkers and although The Utopia of Rules is one of his books that’s not as widely known, it’s a fascinating one nonetheless.

Graeber’s book looks at bureaucracy and how it pervades our lives. His account of trying to undertake tasks in his mother’s name before and after her death highlights just how pervasive bureaucracy is and how much we tolerate some of its arcane practices.

He even reckons we might secretly enjoy it. I’m not sure I agree with this but the fact we seem to accumulate more and more forms online and off than a reduction suggests he might be right.

Could we exist in a world with less bureaucracy? It’s certainly possible. But perhaps a more pertinent question is, do we want to? For all the hand-wringing and moaning about bureaucracy, as Graeber states, our lack of action against it suggests, maybe we don’t.

Straw Dogs by John Gray

Straw Dogs was one of the most fascinating books I read this year. It posed many thought-provoking questions and left me with more questions than answers after I finished reading it.

The basic premise of Gray’s book is that humans have come to elevate themselves above animals and forget that they are animals. He argues this state of affairs has led to many of the problems in society.

He does have a point I feel. Our lack of connection to the natural world and belief that we can lord over it with little to no consequence is one of the biggest problems of our age.

Straw Dogs is a reminder that, although we might be at the top of the food chain, we’re still animals at the end of the day.

Numbers Don’t Lie by Vaclav Smil

Vaclav Smil has been name-checked by Bill Gates as one of his favourite thinkers, and it’s not hard to see why after reading Numbers Don’t Lie.

Smil has written longer books about energy and advances of civilisation but this book looks at various questions about such topics as transport, health and technological advances.

What he does fantastically is use data to cut through the noise and bring a clearer picture of many important questions. Some of his findings may surprise you, but they’re backed up by a mountain of statistics.

Numbers Don’t Lie is a great book that will teach you a lot and have you wide-eyed at points. If you want to learn more about the nature of the world we live in, it’s a brilliant book.

Going Dark by Julia Ebner

Going Dark is one of the most eye-opening books I’ve read and my respect for Julia Ebner is now off the charts. We follow her as she goes undercover, and sometimes not, into the world of extremism.

This brings her face-to-face with many purveyors of extreme ideology such as the Identitarian movement, where she goes to multiple meetings to see what they practice and preach.

Her book is fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. As much as the internet has been a force for good, it’s also been a blessing for extremists. They have the means to communicate and organise like never before and this is what Ebner discovers during her book.

I couldn’t put Going Dark down and was horrified by some of the extreme groups you can find on the web and in real life. As much progress as we’ve made in recent times, there are those out there who wish to turn back the clock.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Most of this list is non-fiction, and I need to read more fiction, something I’ll try to remedy next year.

Of the few fiction books I read, A Confederacy of Dunces was easily one of the best. It’s a rip-roaringly ludicrous tale of a slacker and his adventures around New Orleans.

I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed so much while reading a book! The prose is fantastic and you begin to detest the primary character, Ignatius, at points. He’s a grotesque and shocking character.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you want a good laugh and a great story, A Confederacy of Dunces is a must-read.

Putin’s People by Catherine Belton

Vladimir Putin is one of the most powerful people on the planet and this expose of his rise to power by Catherine Belton is fascinating. So much so, that it caused a lot of controversy and resulted in lawsuits against the book.

Putin’s People takes us inside the life and rise to power of the Russian President. From his dismay at the end of the Soviet Union while stationed in Dresden, his hustling in St. Petersburg and subsequent, and somewhat inconspicuous, rise to the Russian presidency, it’s a gripping read.

After reading Putin’s People, you come away with a sense of the man and how his pursuit of power and wealth has resulted in the decline of standards in Russia and the erosion of democracy.

Putin is shaping world events as we speak and if you want to understand what makes him tick and how he continues to wield power, this is the book you must read.

Feral by George Monbiot

Feral is a book about how we can rewild the environment around us to tackle climate change. I picked this book up on a whim and was impressed by what I found inside.

The basic premise of the book is that instead of mass tree-planting schemes to offset climate change, we should let nature take its course. This involves leaving environments to their own devices and reintroducing species to such environments.

The book primarily focuses on the UK, although it does venture abroad in some chapters. What Monbiot proposes is interesting and makes more and more sense the further into the book you get.

There’s no doubt we have to take action against climate change if we’re to live on a hospitable planet now and into the future. It just so turns out that leaving nature alone is one of the most effective ways to do this.

Bullsh*t Jobs by David Graeber

Bullsh*t Jobs is the second David Graeber book on the list and an eye-opening read into the modern world of work. The book originally started life as a standalone essay that created such a storm, that Graeber turned it into a book.

What makes the book so interesting is that Graeber solicited examples from the public of the various nonsense jobs they were doing. The examples he lists are bizarre and downright laughable in some cases.

As someone who has done these jobs, I loved every page of this book. One of the paradoxes of capitalism is that it’s supposed to remove inefficiencies, but the rise of these jobs, many of which would not be out of place under a Soviet-style system, suggests it’s not working that way.

If you work in an office or are even a blogger like myself, the rise of Bullsh*t Jobs affects all of us and will give you plenty to ponder during and after you’ve read it.

Want To Read More of Best Books of The Year Lists?

Check out some of the best books I’ve read each year below!

The Best Books I Read in 2020

The Best Books I Read in 2022

The Best Books I Read in 2024