Books I Want to Read Until the End of 2021

There are only three full months left in 2021, and I’m falling behind in my reading challenge. In order to complete it, I will have to finish the eight books that I’m truly eager to read until the year is over. The list features both novels, short story collections and poetry. Some authors are new to me, while others are old acquaintances. Some books are massive, others are tiny. In terms of genres, they are as diverse.

 

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

I’ve only recently started reading The Luminaries and don’t have a strong opinion about it yet. As I don’t think I’ll DNF it, though, it is one of the books I want to finish until the end of the year. Set in 1866, it follows Walter Moody as he arrives in New Zealand to try his luck at the goldfields and to search for his father, who disappeared from Scotland. At the Crown Hotel, he encounters a group of twelve people who are discussing a series of crimes.

 

Não Se Pode Morar nos Olhos de um Gato by Ana Margarida de Carvalho

Set at the end of the 19th century, this novel by the Portuguese author Ana Margarida de Carvalho has been on my wish list for years. The time has come to finally read it. After the abolition of slavery, a boat illegally carrying slaves sinks near the coast of Brazil, but a group of people manages to survive. They are the main focus of this book, which seems to be most of all a character study.

 

The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

After enjoying reading Ship of Magic recently, I’m even more certain that I want to read The Mad Ship, the second book in The Liveship Traders Trilogy, before the end of the year. I’m eager to discover how the various Vestrits are going to overcome their respective problems and how the liveships truly came about.

 

O Amante do Crato by Maria Velho da Costa

To have a first taste of Maria Velho da Costa’s work, I chose the short story collection O Amante do Crato. It is a very short book, featuring four stories, which are supposed to be written in a lyrical and ironic tone.

 

O Círculo Virtuoso by Maria Isabel Barreno

After not finishing a novel by the Portuguese author Maria Isabel Barreno a couple of years ago, I decided to give her work a second chance. Maybe I will enjoy her writing style more in a collection of short stories like O Círculo Virtuoso.

 

Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood

Although I have read various novels by Margaret Atwood, I still haven’t read any of her short story collections. During #MARM in November, I want to read Moral Disorder, a collection of interconnected stories about the various points in life of a woman.

 

The Door by Margaret Atwood

In order to have a better grasp of Atwood’s work, I also want to read her poetry. I plan to start with The Door, a collection that supposedly mixes political with personal observations, using both a lyric and an ironic tone.

 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

I’m so intrigued by the dreamlike quality of Piranesi that, no matter what, I’ll read it this year. The main and title character lives alone in a house full of wonders. After a while, strange messages start appearing on the pavements.

 

Have you read any of these books? What books do you want to read until the end of the year? Tell me in the comments!

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