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The Currently Reading Podcast

Season 4, Episode 21: Our Top Ten Books of 2021!

The Currently Reading Podcast

Meredith Schwartz

Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.61.8K Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2022

⏱️ 82 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing:

  • Our top ten books of 2021! It's our longest episode ever, and we are so excited to share it with you as we jump into a new year!

As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down! 

New: we are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). These are generated by AI, so they may not be perfectly accurate, but we want to increase accessibility for our fans!

*Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your dishwasher detergent!) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!*  

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.2:04 - Currently Reading Patreon

3:44 - Fabled Bookshop

14:17 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of 2021

14:36 - Legenborn by Tracy Deonn (Kaytee)

14:39 - Season 3: episode 40

18:40 - Fablehaven by Brandon Mull 

18:52 - A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (Meredith)

20:51 - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee) 

23:25 - Furyborn by Claire Legrand

23:26 - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Meredith)

23:56 - A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas 

24:22 - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

25:01 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

25:47 - The Day The World Came to Town by Jim DeFede (Kaytee)

25:51 - Season 4: Episode 14

27:32 - Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (Meredith)

27:41 - Season 3: Episode 41

31:03 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Kaytee)

31:25 - Season 3: Episode 42

33:41 - State of Terror by Hilary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (Meredith)

36:22 - Intermission: Lowest Rated Books

36:58 - Roar by Cecilia Ahern (Kaytee)

37:41 - Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard (Kaytee)

38:49 - Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (Meredith)

39:31 - Survive the Night by Riley Sager (Meredith)

40:26 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd

40:36 - Love Lives Here by Amanda Jette Knox (Kaytee)

K NOTE: while I do think it's clear that I love my sister dearly here, I want to be extra super clear that when I say "love covers all manner of sins" I am referring to the ways we as her family fail at times to do the best we can. I am not in any way referring to her gender identity as a sin. My sister knows this, but I want to be sure that anyone else who hears me, hears me correctly as well.

42:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio (Meredith)

42:50 - Page & Palette Bookshop

44:06 - Wonder by R.J. Palacio

45:02 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Kaytee)

45:05 - Season 3: Episode 45

46:29 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Meredith)

49:46 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Kaytee)

49:51 - Season 3: Episode 35

49:56 - Bookshelf Thomasville

50:47 - Blackwell's

51:05 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

51:06 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

51:28 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard 

51:37 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith)

55:14 - Intermission: The Books that Surprised Us Most in 2021

55:44 - Season 3: Episode 34

55:50 - The Black Count by Tom Reiss (Kaytee)

57:38 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Meredith)

1:01:33 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd

1:01:50 - How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Kaytee)

1:01:56 - Season 4: Episode 19

1:03:37 - Fabled Bookshop

1:03:39 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (Meredith)

1:06:52 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (Kaytee)

1:06:56 - Season 4: Episode 2

1:09:18 - Matrix by Lauren Groff (Meredith)

1:09:59 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

1:13:14 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Kaytee)

1:13:22 - Season 4: Episode 12

1:!3:38 - Minisode w/Mike Gayle

1:16:09 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Meredith)

1:17:42 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Connect With Us:

Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram

Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram

Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram

Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram

currentlyreadingpodcast.com

@currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com

Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey readers, welcome to the Currently Reading Podcast.

0:13.6

We are bookish best friends who's been time every week talking about the books that

0:17.1

we read recently and you should know we don't shy away from those strong opinions so

0:22.2

get ready.

0:23.4

We are light on the chit chat, having on the book talk and our descriptions will always

0:26.8

be spoiler free.

0:28.3

This week we have a very special episode for you.

0:30.8

I'm Meredith Munday, Schwartz, a mom of four and full-time CEO living in Austin, Texas

0:35.4

and you guys know I love lists, especially best of lists.

0:39.9

And I'm Katie Cobb.

0:40.9

A homeschooling mom of four living in New Mexico and I have a pirate's treasure chest filled

0:45.6

with my favorite books of the year.

0:47.9

This is episode number 21 of season four and we are so glad you're here.

0:52.1

So it is not easy doing what we've done to prepare for today's show.

0:56.7

It is not easy.

0:58.2

We are going to be talking about our top ten books of 2021 and this is serious business.

1:06.6

There have been major, major, just angst and temper tantrums, tears shed over actually

1:15.8

figuring out these ten books.

1:17.2

This was probably the hardest it's ever been for me.

1:19.8

Oh, it's so difficult every year.

1:22.4

This year I had to do like a quick and dirty call and then really agonized for a solid day

1:29.7

just trying to get it down to those top ten.

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