Since starting Debutiful in 2019, I have pitted myself in a cavern of debut books. Still, I find time to read classics (time was spent with Gothic horror this year) and new releases from favorite writers. Below are my six favorite non-debut books I read this year.
Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
Garth Greenwell is one of the best writers. Period. Small Rain brought me into a hospital bed and took me on a journey of mortality and acceptance. Every time I read Greenwell, I am changed inside and out. I always learn so much about myself while reflecting on his work.
Exhibit by R.O. Kwon
I don’t think it is hyperbole to call R.O. Kwon a modern master of the word. Every single sentence is packed with beauty. She turns her lens on lust and love with unabashed confidence. Simply sexy and sensual and left me wanting more.
There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib
No one writes about culture like Hanif Abdurraqib. Here, he takes the sharpest eye and looks at basketball, writing about how a sport can shape our lives. This is as much about our world and obsessions as a memoir about his life. It reads like butter.
James by Percival Everett
There’s a reason Percival Everett’s retelling of Huck Finn won every single award on the planet. Reading it reshaped history and reality. This book will live on forever.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Sweeping and tender. Tommy Orange’s expansive and historical novel introduced me to a massacre that was never taught to me at any point in my schooling. I live less than 200 miles from where this novel originates and it helped reshape my understanding of the pain and suffering Indigenous people from my new home state have gone through.
The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas
The structure of this Aysegül Savas book blew me away. I love books that look at small moments and make them feel expansive. This was quiet and subtle. Brilliantly nuanced.