2021 Release

You and Me on Vacation was written by bestselling author Emily Henry and was published in 2021. The book is also known as People We Meet On Vacation in the US.

Kristin Hannah never fails to move me with her stories. The Nightingale and The Great Alone both left a lasting impression on me.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah was published in 2021 and was an instant New York Times number one bestseller and a 2022 Richard and Judy Book Club Pick.

The Paper Palace is the debut novel by Miranda Cowley Heller, published in 2021.

The book was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022 and although it lost out to Ruth Ozeki’s The Book of Form and Emptiness, it still received a lot of praise.

The Paris Library is a novel by Janet Skeslien Charles, released in 2021. It was a Richard and Judy book club pick and a New York Times bestseller.

I love historical fiction and have read a lot of books set in the 20th century. I particularly enjoy WW2 fiction, and I’ve read a quite a few about occupied France and enjoyed them all.

The Sanatorium was the debut novel by Sarah Pearse, published in 2021.

It was recommended by Richard Osman and Reese Witherspoon, was Waterstones Thriller of the Month and was a number one Sunday Times bestseller.

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak was released in 2021 and was shortlisted for The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022. It was also shortlisted for the Costa Award and RSL Ondaatje Prize.

I recently read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak and I loved it. I therefore couldn’t wait to read The Island of Missing Trees.

I’ve discovered so many brilliant books from the Women’s Prize for Fiction women shortlists. I loved the winner of the previous two awards, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell in 2020, and Piranesi by Susanna Clark in 2021.

I therefore knew I had to read the 2022 winner, The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.

How To Kill Your Family is the debut fiction novel by Bella Mackie. The title immediately caught my attention and I was instantly intrigued by the premise as it didn’t seem the usual run-of-the-mill crime novel.

I have to admit, it was a lot of fun reading this around my family as they gave me a nervous side-eye look!

The book was released in 2021 and was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller.

The Smallest Man was the debut novel released by Frances Quinn in 2021. I love historical fiction and I was intrigued by the premise of this one. I knew it was loosely based on the story of Jeffrey Hudson, also known as ‘The Queen’s Dwarf. He was bought as a gift for Queen Henrietta Maria, the young French wife of Charles I and went on to become her confidante, advisor and friend.

The Wolf Den is the first book in a trilogy set in Ancient Pompeii.

Written by Elodie Harper, The Wolf Den was a Waterstones book of the month and was shortlisted for Pageturner of the Year at the British Book Awards.