2021 reading!

[Stare]

Stealing from WT's thread in 2019 and Zoe's thread in 2020 because I'm nosy and want to know what everybody read this year so I can continue to expand my TBR list.

My 2021 list:

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (a spectacular way to start of the year, highly recommend)

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey (this one snuck up on me as a favorite! it was like a warm cup of tea and wanderlust to keep January nice and cozy)

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (the prose in this was gorgeous, but I felt that the plotting/scene structure/etc. was lacking)

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (absolutely enchanting)

The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah (I wanted to enjoy this book so much more than I did. conceptually it was interesting, but the plot was so predictable)

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal (this was interesting, if a bit slow in places)

The Silence of Bones by June Hur (atmospheric, engaging, haunting)

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price (light and fun, though a bit predictable)

Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud (every bit as stunning and vivid as the first book, I adored it)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (it maintained a consistently spooky atmosphere throughout the book, I wish I had read it closer to Halloween)

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson (I enjoyed this leagues more than the previous trilogy, a very engaging mystery)

Don't Make Me Think: Revisited by Steve Krug (dense and dull)

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen (fun and engaging with deeper notes beneath the more lighthearted premise)

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (one of my favorites of the year, but damn did it hurt. it had a very engaging, intense mystery that was simultaneously brilliant and devastating, definitely look into trigger warnings before reading)

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg (I loved both the premise and the storytelling format of this one)

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport (I read this all in one go on a long plane ride and enjoyed it! interesting and useful)

The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth (clever and insightful, with parts that made me laugh out loud)

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (for as much hype as this book gets, it really fell flat for me unfortunately)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (I already knew how this one ended, but I still enjoyed it!)

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (not my favorite of hers, I didn't quite like the storytelling as much)

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan (sadly I was not the target audience for this one, so it wasn't my favorite)

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (I loved this one, I'm not sure why they aren't making a film for it rather than Death on the Nile)

Seventh Grade vs The Galaxy by Joshua S. Levy (eh, so-so)

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan (fun! I enjoyed listening to it)

Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson (very hard sci-fi for a middle grade book, it wasn't my favorite but it wasn't terrible either)

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Yee (fun and funny, very YA)


Books I DNFed in 2021:

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart (gutted because I was so excited about this book but it just wasn't for me)

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (I think I had pacing issues with this book, but honestly there's still a chance I'll get back to it in 2022)

She Who Rides the Storm by Caitlin Sangster (there were too many voices and not enough tension for me. when a book is this long, it really has to engage me within the first few chapters or else I worry I'm going to be suffering for 500+ pages)


Webtoon comics I've been reading in 2021:

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

The Kiss Bet by Ingrid Ochoa

Forever After by Violet Matter, illustrated by Hannah Patten

Brass & Sass by antlerella

True Beauty by Yaongyi

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh, illustrated by SilvesterVitale

Morgana and Oz by Miyuli

SubZero by Junepurrr

Lady Knight by Lion Illustration

Let's Play by Leeanne M. Krecic

The Witch and The Bull by Moonsia

Suitor Armor by Purpah

[Deleted]

Damn, come to think of it I didn't read much this year! I started rereading the Unfortunate Series of Events a while back and got to the (hello what is this word) Ersatz Elevator. Besides that, I finally read the Poisonwood Bible which was WILD??

[[ retro gm ] angel lí ✨]

my favourite time of year! i read over 30 books, beating my goal of 15, and really got back into regular reading especially toward the end of the year.

started off the year by winning two poetry books:

i would leave me if i could - halsey (3 stars)
home body - rupi kaur (3 stars)

i liked home body a bit more than i would leave me, and both books had a handful of excellent poems, but it was all a little too tumblr poetry for me and i've definitely grown out of that genre.

the song of achilles - madeline miller (5 stars)

holy shit this is required reading. stunning, heartbreaking, gay as hell and the twist! ugh!

avatar: the rise of kyoshi - f.c. yee (4 stars)

this was a tbf from 2020 and i loved it! perfect for fans of avatar: the last airbender. i love lesbians.

shadow & bone trilogy - leigh bardugo

shadow & bone was great (4 stars), hated the first 50 pages but the rest was fantastic. siege & storm was super action-packed at the start and finish but the majority of the book was boring as hell as all the characters just sat around waiting, so i gave it a 3. pretty sure i gave ruin & rising a 3 or a 4 star rating. overall i enjoyed the trilogy (the netflix show was awesome too) and in 2022 i'll try to read the six of crows duology.

loveboat, taipei - abigail hing-wen (3 stars)

i read this for AAPI book month, it was a cute little contemporary read. what i liked about it most was the main character really surprised me with her choices and decisions and wasn't at all what i was expecting. might pick up the sequel at some stage but idk.

the collectors (short story) - philip pullman (4 stars)

didn't get a book of dust volume or hdm tv show season this year so i was hanging on for anything HDM. short & sweet.

american royals - katharine mcgee (2 stars)

ugh i LOVED the premise of this book so much but it was just so cliche and YA. i would've loved this 10 years ago lol. i can only remember one character's name and she was the only one i sort of liked. disappointed.

clap when you land - elizabeth acevedo (4 stars)

i read this entire book on a flight, which i wouldn't recommend for the anxiety-induced among us as it's literally about two girls who's father's plane falls out of the air lmao. but god it was beautiful, i love women so much.

sweetbitter - stephanie danler (5 stars)

i ate this book up WHOLE and licked the plate afterwards. a new favourite. my god this was so enticing.

greenlights - matthew mcconaughey (4 stars)

this was such a fun read, matthew is a great storyteller. he goes off track a little bit with the profoundness and life lessons, but this book got me into reading more autobiographies this year!

the comeback - ella berman (4 stars)

heavy, depressing, whewww. but so well-written!

know my name - chanel miller (5 stars)

definitely shouldn't have read this and the comeback back-to-back, because that was rough. but this is required reading for every single human on the planet. no words. just,,,, god. this woman is so remarkable.

scythe & thunderhead - neil shusterman (both 4 stars)

best dystopian series since the hunger games, period. can't wait to finish this up!

the parted earth - anjali enjeti (5 stars)

read this in one sitting, i couldn't get enough. god this book is incredible. i learned a lot about the history of india vs pakistan as well!

daisy jones & the six - taylor jenkins reid (4 stars)

worth the hype! such a unique concept, i loved this book.

normal people - sally rooney (3 stars)

sally rooney is a talented writer no doubt but my GOD these two main characters annoyed the shit out of me. learn to communicate you numpties!!!

little girl lost - drew barrymore (3 stars)

this was okay. i think drew is an amazing human and i'm fascinated by her upbringing and this provided a lot of insight into just how fucked up child stars can get in the industry. but it was clearly co-written and there's only so much a 14 year old can say in a book.

a deadly education - naomi novik (3 stars)

hated the first 100 pages of this. absolutely hated it. i put it down and waited 2 weeks, almost DNFed it, but then i picked it up again one afternoon and finished the rest in one sitting. it was such a rollercoaster of a reading journey lmao.

being lolita - allison wood (4 stars)

another rough autobiography but really disturbingly fascinating. i just want to hug these women.

wildflower - drew barrymore (3 stars)

figured i'd give drew's autobiography written later in life another try, and again it was okay. i learned some new things about her, read some of the same stories, and it was cool. nothing groundbreaking, but cool.

next year in havana - chanel cleeton (3 stars)

i joined a book club that one of my favourite booktubers hosts where we read a BIPOC author every month and this was the first title! the story was pretty cool with it's dual timelines. didn't care so much for the present-day storyline as the one set in the 1950s, and the romance was eh, but i loved learning so much about cuban history!

this bright future: a memoir - bobby hall (4 stars)

this was my first & only audiobook! i love logic's music and hearing him narrate his book in his own words was such an entertaining experience. he's risen up through so much adversity and terrible odds stacked against him and it was cool to learn more about that from his perspective.

the great gatsby - f scott fitzgerald (5 stars)

i'm a sucker for this book. hook line and sinker, a new favourite.

hawkeye: kate bishop, volume 1 - kelly thompson (4 stars)

had to get started on the graphic novels before the show came out! love kate, loved this, downloaded the rest of the series onto my kindle app.

natives: race & class in the ruins of empire - akala (5 stars)

magnificent. this is required reading for everyone, particularly white people and fellow white british citizens. a big thank you to kousei for the recommendation on this one, i learned so much about british history that has never been taught to me and found myself subconsciously nodding along as i read. akala is a fantastic narrator.

yolk - mary h.k. choi (4 stars)

the MC was a little whiney but isn't every 20 year old woman? this was such a great read, beautiful and sad and wonderful, a laugh-and-cry kind of book.

sabrina the teenage witch, volume 1 - kelly thompson (4 stars)

another fun graphic novel by miss thompson! again, downloaded the others onto kindle and will finish those i'm sure.

where the crawdads sing - delia owens (5 stars)

i DRANK this book up, read it in two days. this was a book club read with my high school girls and i was utterly intoxicated. stunning writing, and a twist at the end that shook me to my core. masterful, a new favourite!

luster - raven leilani (3 stars)

this was a weird little fave. so well written, the tone was perfection. but such a strange plot!

a little life - hanya yanigahara (4 stars. except 5 stars. except 4 stars.)

jesus fucking christ. that's all i have to say.



ps: if u have goodreads, add a girl!!