Summary: I read 387 books in 2021, surpassing my reading goal! In my 2021 Wrap Up, I breakdown my reading habits, including my favourite reads, and my plans for 2022!
Overview
2021 felt like the longest year, second only to the drag that was 2020. To be honest, I couldn’t wait for 2021, I’m really hoping that 2022 sees us getting back to a newer kind of normal that’s also safe.
In 2021, I started graduate school. It’s been a blast but also a bit of a learning curve (hence why I was doing course work in late December). I’m excited to start my second term but I also wanted a bit of a longer break. The pandemic has seriously undermined my motivation as a student so I’ve been grappling with burnout recently. But, I’m hoping the optimism of the New Year helps me energize and start 2022 out strong.
To get into my reading habits of 2021, I read exactly 80 more books than in 2020. I’m so happy that I reached my Goodreads challenge of 365 books. However, throughout the year I had a low-key goal of reaching 400 books, so I’ve decided my goal for 2022 will be 400 books.
Like my 2020 Wrap Up, I deconstruct my Goodreads summary in this post, and get into the stats of my reading habits (from the types of books I’ve read to author details). However, I’ve also added a more in-depth look at my Up Next Shelf progress which shows how many books from my Up Next Shelf I read per month. I also list my favourite reads per month and identify my Top Three Reads of 2021. Finally, I will conclude with a list of books I was planning to read in 2021 that I didn’t get to and my plans and goals for 2022!
Goodreads Wrap Up
387 books read
90, 347 pages read
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (35 pages)
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (989 pages)
Most Popular:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Least Popular:
Counterstory by Aja Y. Martinez
Highest Rated on Goodreads:
The Avatar’s Flight by Kristen Banet
My Favourites
Of Each Month
Favourite Read of January
My Top 3 of 2021
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
I love literary fiction that takes the time to explore its characters and focuses on character development. The nuanced exploration of Whiteness and passing throughout the generations of one family was so interesting – I inhaled this book.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
This book is my favourite romance of 2021. I loved the Heroine’s growth throughout the novel and how supportive the Hero was. He kind of reminds me of how Rip is with Beth in the TV series Yellowstone (although, Brandon is not a criminal). The grumpy-sunshine relationship elevated this book into the 5-star territory.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Sci-fi is definitely not a genre that I gravitate towards; most of my sci-fi reads in 2021 were romances. However, I loved the plot intrigue, the war dynamics, and OTT Heroine. Plus, the sarcastic AI who has an existential crisis throughout the book is hilarious. This book was an overall great time that I grinned my way through.
The Stats
303 new reads; 84 re-reads
About the Authors
Most Read Author: Ruby Dixon with 48 books!
New Authors: 82 of the authors’ books I’ve read were new-to-me!
About the Books
Publication Distribution: 168 books were published in 2021!
Debut Novels: I read 30 debut novels in 2021.
What I Read
Book Type: 242 books were from Kindle Unlimited.
Reading Habit: 252 books were “instant” meaning I immediately started reading the book after purchasing (and were never on my Up Next shelf – which is a shelf of books waiting to be read).
Up Next Progress: I read the most books from my Up Next Shelf in December (with 10 books).
Most Re-read Author: Of the 48 books I read by Ruby Dixon, 12 books were re-reads!
My Most Read Genres and Tropes
Most Read Genre: HEA Erotica with 73 books.
Most Read Trope: Opposites Attract with 36 books.
Rating Distribution
Most Frequent Specific Rating: 59 books were rated 3.5-stars
Least Frequent Specific Rating: 1 book was rated 1-star
Most Frequent Rating: In 2021, my most frequent rating was a tie between 3-stars and 4-stars with 154 books each.
Diversity Representation
Character Representation: 48% of the books I read in 2021 had a strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.
Author Representation: 12% of the books I read in 2021 were by a diverse author.
Gender Distribution: 145 of the authors whose books I’ve read were by women!
Books I Didn’t Get To
There were quite a few books I didn’t get to in 2021. Of the books I mentioned in my End of Year Book Tag, I read all of my November Hopefuls, and two of three of my December Hopefuls.
✅ Theory by Dionne Brand
✅ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
✅ Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey
✅ When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
✅ The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
❌ The Space Between Us by Micaiah Johnson
There are 15 books still unread from the books listed in my End of Year Book Tag post. However, I’m focusing on the following four books I started in 2021 as a priority to-be-read in January.
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
I actually kind of forgot about this book until December. Once I remembered to put in on my December Hopefuls, I was so busy with school work that I didn’t have the time to finish it. While the book is a bit slow, once I have more time to sit and read for long stretches of time, I think this book will be read in one sitting.
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Another book from my Up Next Shelf that I started in 2021 but never got around to finishing. I realized over the course of 2021 that while I find a lot of nonfiction books fascinating, given how many journal articles I’m reading for school, I don’t gravitate towards nonfiction in my free time. I’m hoping to develop a strategy that will help me get through the many nonfiction books I have sitting on my Up Next Shelf. This book is at the top of that TBR list since there’s a blend of fiction, given the author is extrapolating a narrative from her historical research.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking to Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
I’m actually half way through this book. It’s definitely a priority since I’ve been struggling with burnout for the past two months. I’m enjoying how the book is a blend of research and actionable strategies that I can put into practice immediately. Plus, the feminist lens is always welcome.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
I’m going to be reading a lot of James Baldwin this term in one of my courses, so I wanted to finally get around to finish this book. It’s quite short so I’m hoping to dedicate a Saturday to reading it. I’ve already highlighted quite a few phrases in the few pages I’ve read, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the book.
Goodbye 2021 and Into 2022
43% of the books I read were published in 2021 – I love how I gravitate towards recently published books. I like staying on top of new releases and it helps me when I read those books once they come out instead of letting them sit on my Up Next Shelf for years 😅.
I wrote 80 blog posts in 2021 – ten more than in 2020 – including 16 book reviews. I originally hoped to write a book review a week, but with school starting up again I had too much going on to stick with my original schedule. However, in 2022, I’m planning on posting more reviews (but maybe not quite one a week).
Speaking of reading goals, as I mentioned earlier, my Goodreads 2022 Reading Challenge is set to 400 books. My goal is to get my reading back to pre-pandemic levels. However, I’m also challenging myself to read more books that are longer than 250 pages. I found quite a few of the novellas I read in 2021 to be 2-star and low 3-star reads, so I’m hoping to prioritize the (longer) books on my Up Next Shelf in 2022.
I’m also taking part in the following challenges:
- 5-4-3-2-1 Reading Challenge to expand the genres I read
- Buzzword Reading Challenge for a bit of fun
- Book Voyage Read Around the World to expand the translated books I read by women
- Reading Women Challenge (repeating the 2021 challenge since they’re no longer making them)
- Diversify Yo’ Bookshelf to expand the number of diverse books and authors I read
- 22 of 22 Nonfiction books to read
- Winter Reading Bingo hosted by @book.club.bitches, which I’m hoping to participate in each season
As always, I want to be more proactive about reading books by diverse authors. In my weekly and monthly wraps, I’m going to include check-ins on each of my goals.
Happy New Year everyone!
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