Last year around this time, I lamented the end of 2020 with the expectation that better times had to be lurking around the corner. Well, I sincerely hope you had a good year, but it seems like the year was defined by inflation, the Afghanistan debacle, lapsing back into more COVID restrictions, and other disasters.

In other words, it was the second year in a row to retreat into a book and at least forget about day-to-day affairs for a while. With that in mind we bring you The Federalist’s notable books of 2021. Bear in mind, this is not a collection of the best books of 2021 — just a collection of what books Federalist writers and those in our orbit read to cope with another trying year.

Fourteen Republican House members led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia demanded Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser terminate Deputy Warden Kathleen Landerkin of the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility. Landerkin is overseeing the pre-trial detention of Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants.

In the letter sent Thursday, Greene railed the warden for running a “two-tier justice system” based on a recent congressional visit from the Georgia lawmaker with Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert, who also endorsed Landerkin’s termination.

“January 6 defendants were treated categorically different from the remainder of the prison population,” they wrote, referencing testimony from the accused that claimed “months of solitary confinement, verbal abuse (e.g., called ‘white supremacists’), harassment, beatings from guards, denial of basic medical care, religious services, communion, nutritious diet, and access to attorneys.”

While most of these inmates have no prior history and have yet to be convicted of any crime,” lawmakers added, “Landerkin is allowing them to be treated as subhuman.” Greene published her findings from the November visit in a 28-page eyewitness report titled, “Unusually Cruel” on Dec. 7.

At a time when all this is going on, this Chevy commercial comes out. It is a message about remembering loved ones and spending the time we have with them. It is, at its heart, a secular but great reminder that this time of year is about our families.

Here, you have a man who appears to have recently lost his wife. In an old barn is her old convertible, covered in dust and clearly unused. It’s an emotional moment as the memories flood back. His daughter sees that he’s struggling, so she goes to their small town auto repair shop and asks for help. They sneak in one night, load up the car, and then restore it. The dad sees the restored car, gets emotional, and drives up to his daughter, who begins to cry as she says “It’s what mom would’ve wanted.”