We made it y’all! Happy New Year!
Let me start off with saying that I destroyed my Goodreads Challenge of reading 70 books in 2021 and ended up reading 105 books. I still can’t wrap my head around it because I’ve always been flabbergasted by readers who read that many books a year. I just had a really good couple of months and even when I hit reading slumps, I was still able to get out of it and read at least four in that month of a slump.
I think the only thing bad about reading so many books is that it’s hard to remember what books I actually read this past year, but I simply cannot pace myself when it comes to reading. I read fast and furious and there’s no stopping me. Plus, I get really stressed out if I’m not reading something… so reading only two books a month is a no-no for me.
THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD
This was such a wonderfully cute romance that took you between different boroughs of New York City, with two characters who come from different worlds. Isa and Alex’s story deals with love, mental health, parental pressure, and racism, throwing it all together for a great young-adult read that starts with a seemingly insignificant encounter on the train.
THE QUANTUM WEIRDNESS OF THE ALMOST-KISS
I’m not usually a fan of friends-to-lovers romance, but this one did it well and I found the entire book absolutely adorable. There was a lot to love about this book, especially the characters.
THE PLOT
I could not wait for this novel to come out and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It was one of those books that I found myself thinking about when I wasn’t reading and for once, I really wanted to pace myself with it. I didn’t want it to end, but I also wanted to know what the mystery was! Such a great book!
THE LOST APOTHECARY
I got this novel from the Once Upon a Book Club box, which I only did one month of… but damn did I choose the right month for it! I’m not a big fan of historical fiction, but the dual timeline of this novel and the story that took place in the past sold me on this book and I enjoyed reading it all the way through!
THE SECRET RECIPE FOR MOVING ON
This was one of my few NetGalley reads of the year, and I still need to purchase the book because I definitely will reread this one. I adored the characters in this book and just really enjoyed reading the story.
PRIDE AND PREMEDITATION
This was my first read of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, and I loved every second of it. Sure, it would’ve been better if I’d read the original Pride & Prejudice beforehand, but that small fact didn’t stop me from enjoying this murder-mystery twist on the classic!
SORRY NOT SORRY
I had all the feelings while reading this memoir by Naya Rivera (Santana Lopez on Glee) because of her untimely death in the summer of 2020. For some reason, I had forgotten that she had written a memoir until I re-watched Glee earlier this year, and when I was reminded of it, I had to get my grubby paws on it.
THAT WEEKEND
For my first Kara Thomas book, this one set the bar very high for when I read any other books by her. My co-worker recommended this to me while she was only 10 chapters in, so I because I trust her for my YA mystery recommendations, I had to read it as well. I’m so very glad that I did!
THROW LIKE A GIRL
A feisty softball player has to earn her way onto her new school’s softball team by proving she can be a team player… by joining the football team? You can bet this was an enjoyable read, as football is one of my favorite sports and it promotes girl power by kicking ass at a boy’s sport. Definitely a book I’d recommend, even if you don’t like sports all that much.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
My only regret is that I hadn’t read this book earlier in my life. This was my first non-Poirot Christie book and I loved it so much. That ending had me reeling for days afterward, which I guess is what you can only expect from the Queen of Mystery. Still, I’m glad I bit the bullet and bought this book because I’ll definitely reread it more than once.
I have to say that it was very hard to choose only ten books for this list, but I didn’t want to go over that and overwhelm anyone reading this post. I also did this list for work for our staff favorites of 2021, so that was another reason I didn’t go over. I was able to kill two birds with one stone.
Not that we should be out killing any birds.
Anyway, I really enjoyed all these books on this list and these are books I see myself rereading at some point in my life, maybe more than once! I would highly recommend each one.
What were some of your top books this year? Are any of mine on your TBR?
Genie in a Novel 
I’m hoping to read This Train Is Being Held, I’ve had it on my tbr for too long. Happy to see you enjoyed it. 🤗💕📚
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I thought it was adorable! Hope you get to it and enjoy it as well! 😊
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