The Best Books of 2021... So Far!
I got back into reading in the second half of 2020 after the initial shock of the pandemic faded away to an unfocused boredom and I had seemingly exhausted all of Netflix. I’ve always been a book-lover and have quite the collection of unread books, so I decided it was time to tackle my bookshelves. For my 2021 goals I decided to read 26 books and I’ve already read 28 this year! I thought I’d share some of my favorite books with my fellow bookworms.
Prom Night: Youth, Schools, and Popular Culture by Amy L. Best - I bought this book on a whim at my favorite used bookstore and it was the first book I read in 2021. It is a deep dive into the cultural significance of the prom from the rituals, to the consumerism, to the gender norms displayed. The themes are examined largely through anecdotes from students, which was fun to read, not only to reminisce on my own proms and formals but also to see this significant event from the students' perspective.
Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison by James Riordan - This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I decided 2021 was going to be the year I finally read through all of my unread books. I was not disappointed with this one. I love The Doors, the music, and mystery, and Jim Morrison remains the enigmatic frontman/shaman of the group. This book goes into every detail about the group and is well researched. It demonstrates what made The Doors such an influential group at the time and their mystique as outsiders of the rock scene.
Ways of Seeing by John Berger - Another book that’s been on my shelf for quite a while, Ways of Seeing discusses how we respond to visual images and positions art within our cultural system examining it through gender expression, reproduction, and advertising. I watched the accompanying series (available here on YouTube) and learned so much. It’s an easy read and I recommend it for anyone interested in how imagery affects our culture.
Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia by Andrew Blauvelt - This book is a gigantic tome that goes in-depth into the history, motivations, and experiments of the 1960s counterculture in the US, Europe, and South America. The book focuses largely on architects and artists’ collectives whose goal was to change people’s relationship to buildings, living/working spaces, and city planning. I loved all the photos and reproductions of art in the book. As an acolyte of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog, I loved reading about the adjacent artists, philosophers, and collectives that were making moves in the countercultural scene at this time. Come for the photos, stay for the great essays.
The Lure of the Biographical by Sandra Kisters - I bought this book at the LA Art Book Fair in 2019 and was excited to read it this year. This book discusses Auguste Rodin, Georgia O’Keefe, and Francis Bacon's artistic careers and how certain myths about their lives influenced the reception and interpretation of their work. Kisters examines several artist tropes like the Child Prodigy and Artist as Genius that tend to overshadow the way even the artists themselves want their work to be received. Published by my favorite publishing house, Valiz Press out of Amsterdam, this book is great for artists and anyone who wants to examine the work of the artist from a more objective point of view.
A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion - My favorite out of the handful of novels I’ve read this year, A Crooked Tree is the story of a family spinning apart after a tragic event. Told from the point of view of 15-year-old Libby, the book has a coming-of-age feeling as well as the twists and turns of a mystery. Set in rural Pennsylvania, there is no lack of a gorgeous natural setting, and the protagonist’s connection to nature grounds the story. The story takes place in the 1980s and the author does a great job of creating the feeling of nostalgia, innocence, and a changing time for Libby and America. This book was a page-turner for me, which I highly recommend.
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey by Bill Brewster - One of the most in-depth music history books I’ve ever read. I enjoyed this book thoroughly even though it did get slightly repetitive towards the middle. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life details the history of DJ music from 1960s Northern Soul in Ireland to Balearic beats in 1980s Ibiza, to today’s Electric Daisy Carnival. I liked this book because I found out about so much good music and it made me excited to go out and dance again.
Trick Mirror: Reflection of Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino - I found this collection of essays relatable to the average millennial and even overtly prophetic as some of the social phenoms Tolentino discusses in Trick Mirror have been cast into high relief during the pandemic. I especially liked the essays about the commercialization of our bodies via the wellness industry and the history of the American scammer i.e. Fyre Fest. Although the book is a bit of a downer, Tolentino is a good writer and you will find yourself nodding along to many of her cultural hot takes.
M Train by Patti Smith - The most recent book I’ve completed this year, Patti Smith’s M Train was a delight. I found myself captivated not only by her writing style but how she makes all of her travels seem like a religious pilgrimage, noticing the small things, conjuring ghosts, and finding talismans. Through time, she moves back and forth, recanting stories of travels with her husband Fred Smith (of MC5 fame) and more recent travels to Japan and out to her beach house on Rockaway Beach. I’m a huge fan of Smith and love her writing style. M Train is a quick and soothing read which I highly recommend.
What have you been reading so far this year? Would you read any of these books? Tell me in the comments!
