I really enjoy doing this blog post each year. 2021 was another strange year with the continuing pandemic, schools back in session but not "bak to normal," and a new job right at the end.
Here's a wrap up of my reading in 2021:
Goodreads reading challenge
Total books read
Number of re-reads: 1
Female authors: 100 (72%) and Male authors: 38 (28%)--obviously, I've got a great imbalance here. And, I realize that a couple of the authors I read were gender fluid so perhaps this category is too old school to include any more....
Non-fiction: 18 (14%) and Fiction: 112 (86%)--talk about an imbalance! Good thing I am doing a nonfiction reading challenge in 2022!
Adult books: 84 (65%) and YA books: 46 (35%)--this is such a reversal from when I was a high school librarian!
Shortest and longest books
Countries visited through reading: 57. I did much better than I did last year. You can see where I read at my 2021 Google Map.
Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Burma/Myanmar, Bermuda, Cameroon, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Tibet, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Uzbekistan, West Africa, Zimbabwe.
- Best YA fiction--In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner
- Best YA nonfiction--When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
- Best Adult Fiction--Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Best Adult Nonfiction--Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf
I was really looking forward to reading Jenny Lawson's book Broken (In the Best Possible Way), but it just didn't do it for me. I know a ton of people enjoyed it though, so I am going to chalk it up to me reading it at the wrong time.
I chose The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré from Book of the Month thinking it sounded good. I tried reading it and it didn't work for me. Then I listened to it on audio and WOW! It is so good!
I find I am still pushing Being Mortal, which I read years ago (I think it's that my friends have aging parents). But from this year, the two books I have pushed most people to read are probably Falling by T.J. Newman and Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.
Favorite new author you discovered in 2021?
- Everything Within and In Between by Nikki Barthelmess
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Rose Code by Kate Quinn
I am all about covers and am definitely a visual person when it comes to choosing books. The covers I liked the most this year were ones whose colors appealed to me, they were evocative of a place, or they just made me smile.
Book that put a smile on your face?
It is not difficult to get me to cry while reading a book. And I usually cry about the good stuff, the touching stuff. This year the book that made me cry the most was Lisa See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. It's the relationships and overcoming obstacles that get me every time.
Best bookish photo you took in 2021?
I didn't go to any author readings or book events this year, so I am going to go with two "events:" my read-along with Anne of Without You, There is No Us (I for sure want to do that again in 2022) and participating as a round 2 judge for the CYBILS Awards (again). I am really looking forward to doing this again next month in the graphic novels category.
Reading challenges completed in 2021? Here's a link to my challenges page and while I didn't necessarily complete them all, I did pretty well.
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