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Lit Hub's Ultimate Best Books of 2021

49 lists from 33 outlets (as ever, there are . . . even more out there, but life and time are both finite), which recommended 785 total books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. 138 of those appeared on 3 or more lists, and I have collated those for you here, in descending order of frequency.
139 users · 1,760 views
 
from lithub.com · made by Ajoelles
avg. score: 5 of 138 (4%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 
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Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (Patrick Radden Keefe)
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
1
Patrick Radden Keefe
No One Is Talking About This (Patricia Lockwood)
No One Is Talking About This
2
Patricia Lockwood
Harlem Shuffle (Colson Whitehead)
Harlem Shuffle
3
Colson Whitehead
Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Klara and the Sun
4
Kazuo Ishiguro
Detransition, Baby (Torrey Peters)
Detransition, Baby
5
Torrey Peters
Crossroads (Jonathan Franzen)
Crossroads
6
Jonathan Franzen
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir (Michelle Zauner)
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
7
Michelle Zauner
Great Circle (Maggie Shipstead)
Great Circle
8
Maggie Shipstead
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (Hanif Abdurraqib)
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance
9
Hanif Abdurraqib
How the Word Is Passed (Clint Smith)
How the Word Is Passed
10
Clint Smith
Afterparties: Stories (Anthony Veasna So)
Afterparties: Stories
11
Anthony Veasna So
Second Place (Rachel Cusk)
Second Place
12
Rachel Cusk
Cloud Cuckoo Land (Anthony Doerr)
Cloud Cuckoo Land
13
Anthony Doerr
The Sentence (Louise Erdrich)
The Sentence
14
Louise Erdrich
The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Boise (Jeffers)
The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Boise
15
Jeffers
Intimacies (Katie Kitamura)
Intimacies
16
Katie Kitamura
Beautiful World, Where Are You (Sally Rooney)
Beautiful World, Where Are You
17
Sally Rooney
Matrix (Lauren Groff)
Matrix
18
Lauren Groff
My Monticello (Jocelyn Nicole Johnson)
My Monticello
19
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
The Prophets (Robert Jones Jr.)
The Prophets
20
Robert Jones Jr.
How Beautiful We Were (Imbolo Mbue)
How Beautiful We Were
21
Imbolo Mbue
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (George Saunders)
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
22
George Saunders
Milk Fed (Melissa Broder)
Milk Fed
23
Melissa Broder
The Copenhagen Trilogy (Tove Ditlevsen)
The Copenhagen Trilogy
24
Tove Ditlevsen
Somebody's Daughter (Ashley C. Ford)
Somebody's Daughter
25
Ashley C. Ford
The Promise (Damon Galgut)
The Promise
26
Damon Galgut
On Juneteenth (Annete)
On Juneteenth
27
Annete
Libertie (Kaitlyn Greenidge)
Libertie
28
Kaitlyn Greenidge
The Other Black Girl (Zakiya Dalila Harris)
The Other Black Girl
29
Zakiya Dalila Harris
Something New Under the Sun (Alexandra Kleeman)
Something New Under the Sun
30
Alexandra Kleeman
Under a White Sky (Elizabeth Kolbert)
Under a White Sky
31
Elizabeth Kolbert
All That She Carried (Tiya Miles)
All That She Carried
32
Tiya Miles
The Committed (Viet Thanh Nguyen)
The Committed
33
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Smile: The Story of a Face (Sarah Ruhl)
Smile: The Story of a Face
34
Sarah Ruhl
The Lincoln Highway (Amor Towles)
The Lincoln Highway
35
Amor Towles
The Secret to Superhuman Strength (Alison Bechdel)
The Secret to Superhuman Strength
36
Alison Bechdel
Infinite Country (Patricia Engel)
Infinite Country
37
Patricia Engel
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch (Rivka Galchen)
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch
38
Rivka Galchen
Hell of a Book (Jason Mott)
Hell of a Book
39
Jason Mott
Mona (Pola Oloixarac)
Mona
40
Pola Oloixarac
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