Since we’re a little more than halfway through the year, I thought it was a good time to check in on my reading goals for 2021 and reflect on my favorite non-podcast reads so far. I set a goal of reading 50 books at the beginning of the year, which is significantly more than I read last year, so this is a pretty lofty goal for me. While I’m ever-so-slightly behind schedule, I credit my progress to making a habit of tracking my reads. If you’re not already using the Book Riot 2021 Reading Log (made by author and friend of the pod Tirzah Price!), I highly recommend you start now. Using this log has changed my reading habits. I seriously get really excited every time I can fill in a new line on this spreadsheet. 

Without further ado, let’s get into my top non-podcast reads of 2021 (so far)!

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper

We Keep the Dead Close was one of my first reads of the year. I hadn’t been this excited about a new true crime book in a long time, and this one did not disappoint. Becky Cooper first heard stories about the 1969 murder of Harvard grad student Jane Britton when she was an undergrad at the university. Ten years later, Cooper is determined to get to the bottom of the unsolved case. Her investigation puts some rumors to rest and unearths new theories, but it also uncovers the deep-seated culture of sexism, misogyny, and silence in Harvard’s archaeology department—and in academia on the whole. 

This is one of my favorite kinds of true crime stories: one that shines a light on a forgotten story. Jane Britton had been largely lost to history, but Cooper’s investigation brings her to life again in a new way, and we almost get to hear Jane’s voice through Cooper’s work. Cooper writes in a straightforward but excruciatingly detailed (in a good way) manner—the perfect mix for an engaging true crime work. At 501 pages, this book isn’t a quick read, but if you’re interested in true crime or toxic academic culture, you won’t mind sitting with this one for a while.

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Of the books on this list, this one was the most unputdownable for me. The Push follows Blythe, a new mother who is convinced that something just isn’t right with her daughter, Violet. She sees strange and worrisome behavior, but the rest of her family thinks Blythe is the one acting strange. I don’t want to say too much more because this book really took me for a ride in its exploration of the darker side of motherhood. 

I love an unreliable narrator, especially one that I sympathize with and root for. Blythe is a really complicated character, and that’s something that’s been missing in other “domestic thrillers” (though I’d hesitate to call this a thriller) I’ve read in recent years, where characters often feel like vague sketches rather than fully fleshed-out human beings. This book will make you question whose version of reality is the right one and asks one of the scariest questions: What if I can’t trust my own instincts? If you love psychological thrillers but are tired of the same old domestic whodunits, The Push is a great change of pace that will keep you on your toes (and might make you afraid of small children).

The Divines by Ellie Eaton

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a thousand more times: I loooove a boarding school book. All girls’ boarding school? Even better. The Divines jumped to the top of my TBR list right when it came out because of the setting alone. Josephine, now in her thirties, can’t stop thinking about her time at St. John the Divine, the boarding school in England she attended as a teenager. She’s haunted by secrets and old scandals, and it starts to affect her new marriage. Alternating  between the present day and her years at the school, The Divines follows Josephine as she re-examines her past and tries to come to terms with the events of her time as a Divine.

This book had all the things I love about boarding school books: strange cult-like behaviors that distinguish the school, backstabbing “friends,” and coming-of age anxieties. Everything about Josephine’s time at the school is unsettling, and it’s made even more so by adding a thick layer of teenage girl angst. The atmosphere of the school and the surrounding town is weirdly creepy, and Josephine is a beautifully complex character. Eaton perfectly captures the fear of not fitting in with your peers, and the unrelenting guilt that comes along with what we do to be part of the “in crowd.” If you loved Prep but wished it was more sinister, this one’s for you.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Whew. This novel has really stuck with me since I finished it a few weeks ago. I saw rave review after rave review of Miracle Creek over the past few years, and I’m so happy I finally made my way around to it. Miracle Creek tells the story of a tragedy and the ensuing trial after a hyperbaric oxygen chamber explodes, killing two people and injuring several others. Told through alternating third-person filtered viewpoints of the key players involved in the accident, we get insight into each person’s desperation, fear, motivation, and secrets, forming a cast of fully-formed, flawed characters that you won’t want to leave when the book ends. 

At 355 pages, Miracle Creek feels more like 600—not because it’s a slog to get through, but because so much haunting detail and character development is packed into every chapter. It explores so many themes: the immigrant experience, the pressure we put on mothers, the lengths we go to for people we love, and just how tightly we can hold on to terrible secrets. If you like procedurals or in-depth character studies, pick this one up as soon as possible. 

There you have it! What are your favorite reads of the year? Tell us in the comments!