2021 Reading Wrap-up

For the past five years I've been doing a reading challenge where I read a certain number of books (based on the number at the end of the year), that all fulfill challenges that I come up with or have picked out from other challenges I've seen online. So as the end of 2021 is upon us, I thought I'd share the 21 books I read in 2021.

1. A book published in 2021: Can You Hear Me Now? by Celina Caesar-Chavannes

Every year my first challenge is a book published in that year. This year I joined a book club and someone picked this autobiography. If you are looking for a bio about a powerful woman, I highly recommend it.

2. A reread: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

You know that book club I mentioned, well this was one of our picks this year, and everyone loved it! The whimsical, magical, imagination that the first 3 Anne books have are unlike anything I've read before- so if you are looking for a fun book, for children or adults, the Anne series is a great read (up until like the fourth book).

3. A book with purple on the cover: All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett

This is the sequel to Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett. I loved seeing the conclusion to this wintery adventure.

4. A book recommend to you from TikTok: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

If you are on BookTok or have stumbled into a book store in the past year you've probably seen people raving and crying over this book. I did not cry, or find it particularly heartbreaking. Overall I was pretty disappointed. :(

5. A book where the character is 18/turns 18: Final Draft by Riley Redgate

Actually another reread, the first time I read this book it put me in a funk... a slump, that's the nicest way to put it, and I'm not just talking about reading wise. This time I didn't really feel much, I think I actually liked it less than last time. My feelings on this book are unclear at best.

6. A book set in a fictional area: Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Although set in Prince Edward Island, which is a real place, the towns of Avonlea and Ingleside are not real, unfortunately. Like I said before, the first 3 or 4 Anne books are great, but when I pick up a book titled Anne of Something, I want to read about Anne... not her children. I also feel like we started to lose some of the child-like charm in this book.

7. A book with the letter "L" in the title: Dracula by Bram Stoker

I was positively surprised by this book! Obviously I've heard of the character of Dracula but I was not expecting the story that was put in front of me. If you are looking for a bit of a spooky read next Halloween, you should pick up this!

8. A book with a number in the title: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Taylor Jenkins Reid was one of this year's biggest names in terms of authors. I heard of her when The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo first came out, but this was the first thing by her that I picked up. If you like celeb gossip but feel bad about peeking into real people's private lives, Reid's books are for you. Also if you can, listen to the audiobook, it has a full cast and sounds like you're listening to a documentary.

9. A book over 500 pages: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

What would be a reading wrap-up done by an Austen fan without a little Austen itself? This was my last book that I had to read by her and I was actually very surprised by how much I enjoyed it! I was very inspired reading it and will probably have a million articles coming out about it very soon.

10. A book that inspires you: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Now I haven't read many, or any, self-help books at all really. But this was another book that I felt like I was seeing everywhere this year, and so I decided to pick it up and see what all the buzz was about. Obviously I wasn't expecting it to CHANGE MY LIFE, but overall I was a bit disappointed with it, although there is some good basic advice that I think has helped me improve some of my habits a bit. And maybe it's just me, maybe my brain is just a bit of a harder nut to crack?

11. A book with/ about a crime: A Question of Holmes by Brittany Callavaro

This is the final book in The Charlotte Holmes Series, which is a great series! Highly recommend if you are a fan of Sherlock the BBC show, as this is obviously a Sherlock Holmes sort of retelling but set in modern times with great great great... grandchildren of Sherlock and Watson. I'm not usually a big fan of mystery or crime books because usually I find them predictable, but I think these have just the right amount of foreshadowing and twists to make them spectacular.

12. A book with a map (in it): Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

The final volume of The Lord of the Rings. I've been trying to finish this series (including The Hobbit) for 4 years now, and I've finally done it.

13. A one word title book: Persuasion by Jane Austen

At first it was honestly a bit hard to get into, but once I did it was beautiful. I won't say much here because I want to do a full review on it in the new year, but I of course highly recommend it to any fan of Austen's other works!

14. A poetry book: The She Book by Tanya Markul

Personally I feel like I have no eye, or idea of what makes good poetry. I picked up this book solely to fulfill this challenge, and unfortunately I cannot tell you if it's good or not because I simply don't know.

15. A book you finished in one day: Lady Susan by Jane Austen

This novella I recently mentioned in my 'How to Read More Classics' article because it's small and simple. It's told entirely through letters, and it's very witty and drama filled. If you are looking for a quick read, you should definitely look into Lady Susan and the other Penguin Classics: Little Black books.

16. A book by an author with the same initials as you: Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter

I was going through my Hamilton phase, and if you are too you should get this.

17. A book some gifted you: Jane Austen: A Literary Life by Jan Fergus

I have a better review up on my page: 4 Things I learned about Jane Austen

18. A book set in highschool: Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

I wish I had read this in highschool, so if you are still currently in highschool PLEASE read this! And if not, you should still read it.

19. A book you own but never read: Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

A very cute romance, set in Ireland. I was going to just read this book but there is a companion novel that technically takes place before this and my mom said I should read them in order, but I don't think you have to if you don't want to.

20. A book about or involving social media: Instagram Poetry for Everyday edited by Jessica Atkinson and Chris McCabe

Again, don't know if it's great poetry, but this book in particular also has an interesting look on how poetry has both affected and been affected by social media.

And last but certainly not least

21. A book you chose because the title caught your attention: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

You know how they say never judge a book by its cover, well that's what I did here. As a lover of books I saw 'Library' and thought "yes I will like this" and I was correct. Not only did I like it, I loved it, and it is currently sitting number three in my all time favourites shelf. (I will put a trigger warning for suicide, it doesn't go into any depth, but if the topic itself, or the topic of death will bother you please keep yourself safe <3).

Extra books I read:

- Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote ⭐️⭐️

- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-The Brontës: Romantic Passion and Social Justice (lecture) by Deborah Morse ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (I have to say something about this book, I'll just say it's one of my all time faves. It was a reread this year, but was amazing again!).

-Normal People by Sally Rooney ⭐️⭐️⭐️