Year’s Reads in Review – Top Picks for 2021

2021: The Reading Year that Really Wasn’t

When I set my Goodreads goal for 2021 last year at 150 books, I knew it was a lofty one. Sure, I’ve hit over 150 books for the last few years but after a rocky 2020, I felt like 150 was reaching for the stars. Perhaps I should have stuck with my gut instinct of 125 books (which is likely what I will set my 2022 goal at) but I had hoped that setting my goal to 150 would push me to read more.

Life really got in the way of my reading this year. From working in healthcare during the pandemic amidst the constant waves of COVID; to having to nurse my dog back to health for months after a horrible attack by another dog, it was a rough 2021. Reading and blogging took a backseat for most of the year.

I learned a lot though this year when it came to blogging and reading! Here are some positives:

I reread a few books — something I haven’t done in YEARS!
I only DNF’d one book the entire year!
I found a balance between reading and blogging

I think 2022 will see lots of improvements for me in lots of ways. My dog is healthy once again which means I can continue to listen to audiobooks when we walk. I also have to drive a little more for my job so, more audiobooks! Audiobooks account for nearly 50% of the books I read in a year so I think those two factors will improve my overall reading numbers in 2022. I’m also hoping we are on the last leg of this COVID thing but with new variants emerging, it is really hard to say but I remain optimistic!

> > Check out which books I read this past 2021 HERE!

As always, I’ve decided to compile a list of my top picks (and not so great) from the various categories that I read this past 2021. Most categories deal with books published only this past calendar year (2021) but there are some noted exceptions. Click on the cover to read my review of the book/series–if available! Lots of these won’t have reviews until early next 2022.