Books: My 2021 Year in Review

As I’ve mentioned previously, one of my 2022 To-Do list items is responding to the items in my journal –  1000 Things You Don’t Know About Me (1KTYDKAM).  I imagine it will be useful in supplying me with some future blog topics – well, like today.

#27.  I love talking about… Books.  Books and writing books.  And story ideas. 

I can talk for a really long time (what might seem like an uncomfortably long time to the listening party) about books I’ve read, the story, the writing style, and my own novel ideas.  I’ll save some of that for another time though.  This week I’m just sharing my thoughts on my favorite books of 2021.

For those of you that are readers, are you signed up on Goodreads?  I know, I know.  Nobody’s looking for another social media platform to join, but its great!  I like keeping track of the books that I’ve read, and Goodreads helps me do that, as well as maintain the list of books I want to read in the future.  I enjoy seeing what other people (including my friends) are reading, and at the end of the year, I look forward to the Best Books of 2021 lists.  Also, if you sign up for the annual reading challenge, at the end of the year, you get a summary of how many books you’ve read, and which ones were your favorites!

https://www.goodreads.com/

In 2021 I set a goal to read 48 books.  I read 59.  That’s a big number for me.  In 2020, I only read 33.  Here are some thoughts on my best of 2021. 

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.  Beautiful prose with whimsical illustrations accompanied by affirmations and advice reminiscent of A.A. Milne.  I rated it a 5.  It was the book I read that had the highest Goodreads rating – 4.59 based on15,964 reviews.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.  They say don’t judge a book by its cover.  Good thing I didn’t do that here.  I hated the cover and honestly avoided it because of that.  But when my sister picked it for our library, I had to give it a try and it was great.  I gave it a five-star rating and went on to read his next release The Maidens, which I would also recommend. 

I also read two books from Lisa Genova. Every Note Played is the story of an accomplished concert pianist diagnosed with ALS. It was sad, but filled with heart and perseverance. Lisa Genova knows how to tell a story. Also enjoyed her non-fiction book Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. A fascinating and helpful look at why we remember what we remember.

Billy Summers by Stephen King. I know a lot of people think of Stephen King as the ‘King of Horror’ but he is nothing if not prolific and he has a diverse offering. Given my statement above about enjoying talking about books and writing books, how could I not LOVE this book. Billy Summers is a man with a job to do, and while he waits to do that job he poses as a man writing a book – which he does. Two books in one, written by a master.

Faye Faraway by Helen Fisher.  I think this is my absolute favorite in 2021.  Do you like time travel?  I’ve read Time Travelers Wife, Outlander, Doomsday Book, Replay, Time and Again and more.  Faye, a mother in her mid-thirties that lost her own mother when she was a young girl, takes a trip back in time where she encounters her mother and her younger self.  I loved the concept of spending time with and getting to know your younger version mother as a peer.   

So that is my highlights. I’d love to hear if you have something to recommend. Happy reading Everyone!