Bookseller Best Reads of 2021
Over the past year, No Contact has interviewed independent bookstores all over the country. To wrap up 2021, we touched base with every store profiled to hear about what’s new, and to get their picks for the best thing they’ve read this year.
The Head and the Hand
Image courtesy of the store.
We fell in love with this Philadelphia bookstore’s “date night” idea last Valentine’s Day, as well as their commitment to supporting their community. In 2022 they plan to continue expanding their work, starting with a big move.
Best Reads of 2021
The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
A finalist for the National Book Award and an instant New York Times bestseller, this debut explores the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation — the two find safety in their bond, though it also threatens their safety.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
This memoir from the Japanese Breakfast singer/musician doesn’t shy away from heavy subjects, including grief, motherhood, and cross-cultural identity. Zauner guides readers through tears and tastes — she laughs through the growing pains of being one of the few Asian American kids in her school, and again as she copes with her mother’s terminal cancer.
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
One of the highest-selling Korean debuts in recent years, this novel (translated by Anton Hur) dives into the life of a young, gay Korean man exploring the glittering Seoul nightlife amidst rounds of wry, heart-wrenching heartbreak.
Raven Book Store
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Since moving the store in August, the Raven’s staff has been busy serving loyal customers, despite supply chain issues. They also bid a happy retirement to bookstore cat Ngaio, who is living a quieter life in the home of a bookseller.
Best Read of 2021
Preteen protagonist Swiv, recently expelled, is one of three generations of women living in a cramped Toronto apartment. She spends her days cleaning her grandma’s pills off the floor, and embarks on a thoroughly unorthodox homeschool curriculum with her grandmother. As the story unfolds towards a powerful climax, we learn more about Swiv’s distant-yet-explosive mother, the grief pulsing beneath her grandma’s jokes, and the importance of always putting up a fight.
Rough Draft Bar & Books
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This Hudson Valley, New York bar and bookstore has provided drinks and reading recommendations alike, even in the face of tightening COVID measures. They also held a fourth-year birthday celebration that included a book drive for local kids in need.
Best Read of 2021
It’s Getting Dark: Stories by Peter Stamm
A collection of pieces examining the realness of our realities from a Swiss writer already beloved in Europe. Prepare yourself for characters taking a look at themselves from different angles and encountering strange, unexpected characters from their pasts.
City Lights
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The San Francisco staple has updated their website, making it easier to find out everything you want to know about current stock, as well as the history of City Lights Publishers. You can also browse their fabulous line of merchandise, including items inspired by Beatnik classics.
Best Read of 2021
First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat by Christopher W. Shaw
The post office has been a big topic of conversation the past twelve months. In this new history, Shaw analyzes the role the USPS has played in American lives since Benjamin Franklin served as the first Postmaster General, and warns of the consequences of defunding this essential business.
Pagination Bookshop
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Owner Jen Murvin and her team have continued to provide Springfield, Missouri with a fantastic selection of books for adults and children, while using their backyard space to host many community book events. They also introduced fun mugs into their merchandise line!
Best Reads of 2021
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
Lucy Barton has never been able to read her ex-husband, and yet she has also never quite been able to let go. In the latest from the bestselling author of Olive Kitteridge, a gifted voice powers through a narrative on the human condition; what keeps us together even when logic suggests we should stay apart.
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
In this 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction Longlister, Smith uses U.S. monuments to show the imprint that slavery has left on history, and how it continues to imprint Americans. A deeply researched, accessibly scholarly, and vital piece of writing.
Winter Recipes From the Collective by Louise Glück
Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but not when it comes to Glück’s thirteenth work. This collection of poems reads like chamber music, featuring a chorus that sings throughout, and has been described as the kind of book only Glück can compose.
Provincetown Bookshop
After 82 years at 246 Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the shop has been purchased by a new owner, Barbara Clarke, and will be moving come the new year. Clarke is looking forward to taking over the business with her daughters, and hopes to bring big authors to outer Cape Cod in 2022.
Best Reads of 2021
Casey remains determined to live a creative life, even if her stack of bills and drudgery of a waitressing job suggest she consider otherwise. Warm, wonderful, and witty, this book is filled with heart and humor, and if it floats your boat, it could be worth checking out King’s new short story collection, Five Tuesdays in Winter.
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
Adored by Maggie Nelson and Eileen Myles, the novel follows shapeshifter Paul Polydoris through the early 90s as he navigates Riot Grrrl music, leather clubs, and zine culture, while being able to shift his body and gender at a whim.
Literati Bookstore
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The Literati crew has continued to thrive. Owner Hilary Gustafson recommended books nationally on Good Morning America, and visitors have left many new messages on the communal typewriter. They will also be celebrating nine years in business come January.
Best Reads of 2021
For readers of Neil Gaiman and Madeline Miller, this bestseller and winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction places readers in a dreamlike alternative reality where the titular character’s world is a labyrinth-like house, and whatever lives around the corner is as riveting as it is haunting.
Thomas Alva Edison remains an iconic, international household name, but how much do you know about the 1,093-plus patented inventions his genius brain conjured? Seven years of research fed into Morris’s latest project, breathing new life into the mind of the compulsively creative Edison.
Bookstore1Sarasota
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Things have been good in West Florida, where the team has been thoughtfully helping customers pick out presents whilst preparing for a big move around the corner in February. “It doesn't get much more exciting than that,” says Web Editor/Public Relations Manager Andrea Ginsky.
Best Reads of 2021
Winner of the National Book Award (and a slew of other accolades), this electric, voice-driven novel digs into racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and to the country as a whole.
The Center of Everything by Jamie Harrison
Set against the wild beauty of Montana as a woman attempts to heal from a devastating accident, this generational saga is a heartfelt examination of how the deep bonds of family echo throughout our lives.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Set in Constantinople in the fifteenth century, in a small town in present-day Idaho, and on an interstellar ship decades from now, this novel is a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope—and a book.
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
A boy who hears the voices of objects all around him; a mother drowning in her possessions; and a Book that might hold the secret to saving them both: yes, please! With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz to climate change, this book is set to become a modern classic.
A Room of One’s Own
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Since winning MIBA’s Booksellers of The Year Award and moving into their new space, this team of queer and trans booksellers have made sure customers stayed safe in our still-chaotic world. They also created a fun holiday shopping catalog.
Best Reads of 2021
A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
These brilliant essays take a look at the profound and lasting impact that Black performance has had on culture. Taking a close look at specific works, Abdurraqib explores how small, specific moments have left as big a mark as the larger, flashier variety.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
August doesn’t believe there will be anything magical about New York City when she moves and takes a job waiting tables at a pancake place. Enter Jane: a gorgeous 1970s rocker displaced in time and ready to capture August’s heart. Might this be enough to start believing in love?
Powell’s
Image courtesy of the store.
Virtual events have kept these Portland bookworms occupied as they waited patiently for snow this holiday season. In the new year they are looking forward to hosting André Lewis Carter and Jessamine Chan for events online.
Best Reads of 2021
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
This memoir exploring various difficulties Ford had in her childhood (the most prevalent being the absence of her father, due to his incarceration) might be upsetting for some readers. But in its darker themes, wonder and beauty can also be found.
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.
