59 books! I read 59 books in 2021. As always, I count audiobooks and e-books as reading. The way I see it, any way you consume a book is reading to me, okay? Here’s how this post will go. I’ll do a little collage of the book covers and link them down below. I’m going to link everything through bookshop.org. This site allows you to choose an independent book store to support. Yes, we own kindles and subscribe to audible, but let’s support these hard working people who have made it their life’s work to provide us with good reads.
Also, I won’t go into great detail about each book, but I’ll let you know my real thoughts if you have questions. Just comment on the post and I’ll tell you everything! Let’s get to it, shall we?
January Books
A Woman is No Man– Etaf Rum | Sad, difficult, moving, interesting view into a world very much unlike my own
The Ten Thousand Doors of January– Alix E. Harrow | Strange yet good
Deacon King Kong– James McBride | Character-driven, liked the ending though it’s not wrapped up in a pretty bow
Everything Beautiful in It’s Time– Jenna Bush Hagar | This was lovely.
HRH: SO Many Thoughts on Royal Style– Elizabeth Holmes | Loved reading it and looking at the beautiful photos. Elizabeth Holmes has a way of analyzing royal style in a way you’d never think.
February Books
The Sound of Gravel– Ruth Wariner | The most difficult memoir I’ve ever read. Yet it was profound.
Rodham: A Novel– Curtis Sittenfeld | This book made me a Sittenfeld fan.
The Rosie Project– Graeme Simsion | Cute and funny. Think Sheldon Cooper but super handsome…no offense to Jim Parsons.
Eligible– Curtis Sittenfeld | I think I liked Rodham better, but I’m still hoping to read some other works by her.
The Vanishing Half– Brit Bennett | So many good conversations for a book club.
March Books
On the Front Porch– Donna-Marie L. Crocker | My friend and talented storyteller wrote this short story collection, and I loved it.
Educated– Tara Westover | Very interesting memoir. Not at all what I expected.
The Children’s Story but Not Just for Children– James Clavell | Every teacher should read this. Takes about 20 minutes to read.
April Books
The Unhoneymooners– Christina Lauren | One of my favorite books of the year. It was fun and light, and I hope they make it into a movie. It’s delightful.
1984– George Orwell | Whew….
My Dark Vanessa– Kate Elizabeth Russell | Lives up to it’s name…dark.
Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First– Laure Tramaine | An interesting book to help you connect to yourself. It’s also a call to action. I liked reading it through, and now I’d like to go back and take it to my journal or to social or something. It won’t be for everyone, but I liked this one.
May Books
The Lies that Bind– Emily Giffin | A little disappointed in this one. Seemed far fetched. Nothing will ever top The One and Only, in my opinion.
To Love and to Loathe– Martha Waters | Fun and light and also sparked some interesting conversations with a book club.
Chateau of Secrets– Melanie Dobson | Very good WWII historical fiction.
The Nickel Boys– Colson Whitehead | This one was hard to read. I didn’t know the place in this story was real. And nearby at that.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires– Grady Hendrix | Loved this book. I laughed so much! The attic scene with the bugs!!! UGH!
To Kill a Mockingbird– Harper Lee | Every adult should read this. It was my first time reading as an adult, and it is so much more meaningful now.
Go Set a Watchman– Harper Lee | I was just so curious after reading TKAM. It was actually good.
Where I Come From– Rick Bragg | Short story collections aren’t really my thing, but this was good and made me think of my own southern upbringing.
June Books
Writers and Lovers– Lily King | It’s what Annie Jones calls a “quiet novel”. Not a lot of action but deeply character driven.
The Bluest Eye– Toni Morrison | My first Toni Morrison. While it was hard, I’d really like to read more of her work. It’s very thought-provoking, and she’s so iconic.
The Same Sweet Girls– Cassandra King | Sad, sad, sad. But it’s a very sweet story of friendships in adulthood.
Everything You Are– Kerry Anne King | Strange but interesting enough to keep you going.
The Midnight Library– Matt Haig | Fascinating way to assess your life. I enjoyed this one very much.
July Books
Before We Were Yours– Lisa Wingate | I heard the hype and tried it. It was good, but extremely sad.
Verity– Colleen Hoover | Good grief! You must go in blind.
The Four Winds– Kristin Hannah | I’ve not read one of her books I didn’t like. This one was so tough, but I loved the characters. She writes women so well.
Greenlights– Matthew McConaughey | Listen to it. Funny but he’s also kind of annoying.
Malibu Rising– Taylor Jenkins Reid | All hail the queen. I loved it.
August Books
People We Meet on Vacation– Emily Henry | Contrary to popular opinion…I hated it. Too long, too corny, unrealistic. Next.
The Guncle– Steven Rowley | I loved this story. It has real heart. The author narrates the audiobook, and it is pure delight.
The Return– Nicholas Sparks | I’m not much of a Sparks fan, but this one was alright and doesn’t make you want to throw the book across the room when you’re finished.
At Home in Mitford– Jan Karon | Where has this book been all my life? I loved it so much and want to live in Mitford.
September Books
The Great Alone– Kristin Hannah | Lots of nature for this indoor girl, but the story was fascinating.
Such a Fun Age– Kiley Reid | I liked this one. Interesting story of race in today’s society.
The Dressmaker’s Gift– Fiona Valpy | Couldn’t put down this WWII historical fiction once I got started.
Red, White, and Royal Blue– Casey McQuiston | Fun! The first son of America and the Prince of England are an item, chaos ensues, tons of laughs, also kind of steamy.
October Books
All Adults Here– Emma Straub | It gave me The Family Stone vibes in that it was about adult children and their relationships with each other and their significant others. Very interesting story. Not at all what I expected.
Pride and Prejudice– Jane Austen | My first Austen. Loved it!
Finlay Donovan is Killing It– Elle Cosimano | This was one of the most fun books I read all year. Can’t wait for the sequel.
November Books
Hello, Summer– Mary Kay Andrews | A little mystery, a little romance, a little family drama…classic MKA and very good!
Thanksgiving Turkey Trouble– Abby Klein | Laugh out loud funny! Third graders loved it.
Winter Street– Elin Hilderbrand | I wanted a Christmas themed read, and I got it. Lots going on. First in a series. Leaves you with a cliff hanger. Very good.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest– Ken Kesey | I’ve always wanted to watch the movie but wanted to read the book first. Highly recommend. But very weird.
Freckle Juice– Judy Blume | Also beloved by the third graders and their teacher!
The Maidens– Alex Michaelides | Fast-paced whodunit. Short chapters make for such a quick book. I liked it a lot.
One to Watch– Kate Stayman-London | This one was okay. Reminded me of The Bachelorette and that Lifetime show about the producers of a Bachelor-type show. I think it was called Unreal. Also tackles the subject of size inclusivity.
December Books
Going There– Katie Couric | Listen to it. She’s very honest and really does “go there”.
This Time Next Year– Sophie Cousens | Cute little rom-com.
The Silent Patient– Alex Michaelides | There was some overlap in The Maidens, and I had to check out what it was. I had forgotten how it ended when I read it last year. It holds up and was still a good mystery.
The Santa Suit– Mary Kay Andrews | Just the Christmas magic we need this time of year. I loved it.
Winter Stroll– Elin Hilderbrand | Book two in the Winter Street series. Now I’m ready for books three and four!
**Update** After having finished this blog post, I read ANOTHER book. It was The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. I finished it on New Years Eve morning right before we left town to ring in the new year with my brother and his wife and some friends. It was a somewhat retelling of Rebecca, and it kept me guessing for a good ways into the book. I finished it so quickly and really liked it. I had been on the wait list for the audiobook at the library, and I definitely recommend getting on the list for it. It was worth the wait.
59 books! Wow! My goal is to always read one more book than the year before, so maybe I’ll be able to squeeze in 60 in 2022. Stay tuned for another post of my top five favorite books of the year with more in-depth reviews and a fun giveaway! I’d love to know what you read in 2021. Sound off in the comments.
