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Kirsty Logan

Hello! I’m Kirsty Logan, a writer of novels and short stories. My latest book is Now She is Witch, a medieval witch revenge quest. My other books are Things We Say In The Dark, The Gloaming, The Gracekeepers, A Portable Shelter, and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales.

Latest News

Kirsty Logan

Hello! I’m Kirsty Logan, a writer of novels and short stories. My latest book is Now She is Witch, a medieval witch revenge quest. My other books are Things We Say In The Dark, The Gloaming, The Gracekeepers, A Portable Shelter, and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales.

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Best Books of 2021

31st Dec 2021 in Books, News

I read a bunch of books in 2021. Not as many as last year, but probably more than next year (as I now have a baby, a book out in January, and two more to write). I also read advance copies of novels by Heather Parry, Camilla Grudova and Julia Armfield: all due out in 2022, and all highly recommended.

Here are my top 25 books of 2021:

Books out in 2021:

Best book that was so beautifully written I copied my favourite bits into a notebook: The Ormering Tide, Kathryn Williams

Best magical-realist horror about pregnancy and parenthood: Chouette, Claire Oshetsky

Best book that (surprisingly) lived up to its odd premise: Absorbed, Kylie Whitehead

Best short stories about language, queerness and homesickness: Between Tongues, Paul McQuade

Best Halloween vibes: Bad Apples, Will Dean

Best poetry collection about grief and queerness: Butcher, Natasha T. Miller

Best horror graphic novel: The Crossroads at Midnight, Abby Howard

Best book that convinced me of things I didn’t know I needed to know (but I’m glad I now do): Laziness Does Not Exist, Devon Price

 

Books Out Before 2021:

 

Best kids’ book I initially read for nostalgia but then as a metaphor for finding a queer community: Moominland Midwinter, Tove Jansson

Best re-read that makes me want to stop writing because it’s too good: Fingersmith, Sarah Waters

Best horror sci-fi novella: The Employees, Olga Ravn (translated by Martin Aitken)

Best thriller set in the world of filmmaking: Pretty As A Picture, Elizabeth Little

Best book about the power of stories: True Story, Kate Reed Petty

Best queer classic: The Love of Good Women, Isabel Miller

Best dark, weird, beautiful poetry inspired by Scottish folklore: Grimoire, Robin Robertson

Best book about internet linguistics which is way more fun and interesting than that sounds: Because Internet, Gretchen McCulloch

Best feminist analysis of horror: Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers, Sady Doyle

Best smart analysis of true crime: Savage Appetites, Rachel Munroe

Best mix of horror film analysis and confessional memoir: House of Psychotic Women, Kier-La Janisse

Best non-fiction written years ago but eerily relevant to now: On Immunity, Eula Biss

Best creative, experimental book about trauma: Notes Made While Falling, Jenn Ashworth

Best book about insomnia I read while feeding a baby at 4am: The Shapeless Unease, Samantha Harvey

Best book that got me out of a reading slump: Shit, Actually, Lindy West

Best folklore-inspired graphic novel set in 1930s Spain: Tales of the Mist, Laura Suárez

Best absolutely batshit 90s horror series read for Teenage Scream podcast: Fear Street Cheerleaders: The First Evil, R.L. Stine

What were your favourite books of 2020?

Want to keep up with what I’m reading? Follow me on GoodReads

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