2021 Book List

My taste in books is pretty eclectic, as I read for many different reasons. Sometimes its escapism, other times its learning or stretching my mind, and still other times I read to deep dive on topics or people I’m really interested in (often fashion or food). Here’s my 2021 Book List. I’ve included links to each below.

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Top 3

• What I Know For Sure – Oprah. This was my first read of 2021 and set the tone for my entire year. It really underscored the importance of being intentional in everything. I should read this every year.
• The Accidental Diva – Tia Williams. I absolutely love Tia Williams’ writing. I read the last chapter of her book, The Perfect Find, twice because I didn’t want it to end. The Accidental Diva was written and set in the early aughts. So much nostalgia. Such a good love story. I read it on my birthday trip to LA and it was the perfect vacay read. I just caught her newest book, Seven Days In June, on a Kindle sale and can’t wait to get into it early in 2022.
• The Color Purple – Alice Walker. Yes – for the first time. I actually tried reading it as a teenager and couldn’t get through it. It was in the Prime Reading library so I thought I’d give it another go. Such a beautiful book. I laughed. I cried. I have the other 2 books in my Kindle library for 2022 as well.

Really Good

• The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman. I love the practical advice in this book. Very useful
• You Are A Badass At Making Money – Jen Sincero. I’m gonna be honest – I hate the colloquialisms throughout the book. It’s so cringey. HOWEVER the advice is sound and I’m probably going to reread it. I also read You Are a Badass and have You Are A Badass Everyday in my Kindle app – I guess I’m a glutton for punishment
• Escape From Cubicle Nation – Lots of practical advice on leaving corporate America. I probably need to reread and actually do the exercises throughout the book.

Surprisingly Interesting:

• Bringing Home The Birkin – Michael Tonello. If you know anything about luxury fashion, you probably know how notoriously hard Birkins are to come by. I was watching a ton of luxury Youtube during quarantine and thought this would be an interesting read. This book is a little dated, but gives a behind the scenes look at exclusive luxury fashion. It’s also quietly a business book with great tips on how to scale a business. A very good read.
• Who Is Vera Kelly – Rosalie Knecht. This was a Prime read – a spy novel. Not my usual thing but it was so good that I bought the second book in the series
• D.V. – Diana Vreeland. This book was more about history and class than fashion, but the writing in this book was stream of consciousness which pulled me in. It felt conversational.

I fell down a rabbit hole of Indian Romance Novels – There’s always some messy family drama to help the love story along. I liked all of these and read them pretty fast:

• Girl Gone Viral & First Comes Like – Alisha Rai. I read book 1, The Right Swipe, on my last vacation before the pandemic. It was such a fun read, I finished the series in 2021
• The Marriage Game – Sara Desai. Another fun read
• A Bollywood Affair – Sonali Dev. This book was so outlandish but it was very sweet and I enjoyed it.
• Ayesha At Last – Uzma Jalaluddin. There was a lot of cultural nuance in this book which made it an interesting read for me.

Meh – Nothing WRONG with these books but nothing terribly right about them either

• Abundance Now – Lisa Nichols. Some good advice, just way too long.
• Decluttering Your Mind – SJ Scott & Barrie Davenport. I don’t even remember this book. I’m guessing it was fine.
• Don’t Make Me Turn This Life Around – Camille Pagán. I usually really like her books but this one didn’t do it for me
• The Fringe Hours – Jessica N Turner. I don’t do well with a bunch of anecdotes, especially about family life and church. I was so bored.

Do NOT Recommend:

• The Birdwoman’s Palate – Laksmi Pamuntiak. I got this one as an Amazon First Read. In an effort to broaden my horizons, I took on this book about a random group of friends and coworkers eating their way through Indonesia during a bird flu outbreak. I finished it but I think some nuances got lost in translation.
• The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory – John Seabrook. HATED IT. In fact, I felt so strongly I left a review on Amazon. So whitewashed.

What’s on your reading list for 2022. Let me know in the comments. Follow along with what I’m reading by joining our email list, where I share my favorite reads, podcasts, and more every month.