The perfect book is one of the most crucial elements to the perfect Kiwi summer.

All year long we crave those long days in the sun, stretched out on a hammock or sun lounger while diving into the pages of a thrilling novel or too good to be true autobiography.

A book also makes the perfect gift for those you love. Maybe a cookbook marked to the page that contains your favourite recipe, or some fiction you know they would love to sink their teeth into.

But with so many brilliant book releases in 2021, how do you know which one to go for? The Canvas 2021 book lists are the perfect place to start.

From the best cookbooks from the year that was, to the books they can't stop thinking about.

The summer of reading is here and the recommendations are better than ever.

Books that were made for giving

Kia Kaha: A Storybook of Māori Who Changed The World. Photo / Supplied

Why not give the gift of exquisite reading this festive season?

From Kia Kaha: A Storybook of Māori Who Changed The World, to Sydney Bridge Upside Down, these books are perfect for giving to others and will be loved for years to come.

Here's some of the top suggestions from Canvas.

The best cookbooks of 2021

To Asia, With Love. Photo / Supplied

If 2020 was the year we all remembered what it was like to feed ourselves, 2021 has been our chance to get better at it.

Since none of us can be sure what 2022 will dish out, it's best to prepare to extend our culinary repertoires at home.

Here are some great reads to help you do it.

Top books of 2021: Twenty books we can't stop thinking about

How to End a Story. Photo / Supplied

What better way to know what people want to read than to take it to the critics? So Canvas did just that, asking four reviewers to share their reads of the year.

From Helen Garner's revealing and honest How to End a Story, to Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr. This list will have your bookshelf full of beautiful reading material all year long.

Here are 20 books the reviewers can't stop thinking about.