The 31 Books I Read in 2021
Hello, and welcome. Today I would like to share with you the 31 books I read in 2021. I have enjoyed reading for many years but always seemed to lose motivation throughout the year. In 2021, I set a goal for myself to read 15 books and by the end of the year, I had doubled that goal. Today, I'm sharing the 31 books I read in 2021 (even though it's a bit late in 2022 to share them).
1 - Erimentha Parker's To-Do List by Ruby Granger
This book is actually written by the Youtuber, Ruby Granger. Despite having very little in common, I have followed Ruby for years and find her aesthetic very motivating and calming. This book she wrote as a teenager and it focuses on bullying within the lives of 10 and 11-year-old girls. Her writing style is interesting to me and I find myself going back to this book because it does bring something different and is a good reminder to check on your kids or your friends. Bullying is a lot more serious than someone putting a kick me sign on your back. I love that this book points that out.
2 & 3 - Ready Player One & Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
I read the first of these two books as a recommendation from my husband. I don't normally enjoy science fiction, but these books were both very interesting. Although, I don't recommend reading them in the middle of a global pandemic, especially the first one. It was a bit eerie given the author was writing about things happening in the present day, despite the book being published in 2011. It is a futuristic story that takes place in 2045. It's very interesting and has a great storyline. I enjoyed the first book a lot more than the second. If you love the 80s these would be great reads for you as they are packed with 80s themes. I will also say there is a Ready Player One movie and it's a great movie... if you've never read the book. It's pretty drastically different and that makes my heart sad. Haha!
4 - This is a Book for People Who Love The Royals by Rebecca Stoeker
I got this book as a gift for my mom and I loved it so much when it came in, I got one for myself. This small and beautiful book is loaded with facts about all things British Monarchy. From family trees, the line of succession explanations, tiaras, jewelry, you name it. This book has incredible illustrations and is perfect to keep in your purse, just in case you do happen to need to quote a fact about one of her Majesty's many tiaras.
5 - The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
It was alright is about all I can say. It's a mix of romance and survival in the wintry mountains after a plane crash. Overall, it's a good storyline, but I found myself bored often and also very stressed. The ending is very different than I expected but as I said, the overall story is good but quite sad and stressful, in my opinion.
6 & 7 - Anne of Green Gables & Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The reading of these two books was entirely inspired by Netflix's "Anne with an 'E'" series. I love the books even more than the show. Anne is incredibly magical and I can now say (as presently, I'm reading the 7th book in the series) that she somehow manages to get even more magical. I absolutely loved these first two books. My husband gifted me this beautiful edition of Anne of Green Gables for my birthday. It even had recipes in it. This just grew my love and want for more of Anne's adventures. Highly recommend!
8 through 17 - The entire Little House on the Prarie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I know, I feel like I'm quite funny having never read any of the Little House books in my life. I can't believe it's been all these years and I've missed so much goodness! My interest in Little House was sparked by a few YouTube videos I saw by The Daily Connoisseur (more on her later). She did a series about the homemaking secrets she learned from reading the Little House on the Prairie books and it really interested me. I planned to get the books and read them eventually but at the time was reading something else. So in the meantime, I began to watch the infamous Little House on the Prairie television series. I rather quickly fell in love with Karen Grassle and Michael Landon and the beautiful characters they portrayed. I loved the show so much, it really motivated me to read the books and I just adore them. These were actually the first books I ever read on Audible and those performances are incredible. I absolutely devoured these books. My favorites were probably Farmer Boy and The Long Winter. Such a great series! I even have a Laura Ingalls Wilder quote hung above my fireplace now.
17 through 19 - The entire Good Girl's Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson
This is by far my favorite Young Adult series. This year, the third and final book of the series was released and I read the first two in preparation for the final book. I honestly think I will read the entire series every year. There is also a short prequel but I've yet to get my hands on it, but I hope to this year. This series follows the wonderful Pip Fitz-Amobi, a senior in high school who solves some incredible murders. The first two books really go hand-and-hand but the third one will drive you crazy. So much happens and this is a series you will not want to put down.
20 - Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
I had never heard of this book, but my middle-schooler had read it in school a couple of times and lent her copy to me. It's a very touching story with unexpected twists. It follows two young boys who are quite opposite but work together to make an incredible team. I warn you though, get the tissues ready.
21 - Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York
Okay, I really didn't want to read this. And I mean I really didn't want to read this. I am an avid Royal Watcher and when I heard on my weekly Royal podcast that Fergie was writing a novel, I just couldn't believe it. I figured it would be so cringey and the title just made it worse in my brain. Yet, curiosity got the best of me and I ordered it. Needless to say, I was shocked. This book easily makes my top five books of the year. Shocked isn't even the word for it, really. The novel is co-authored by Marguerite Kaye who I'm sure added her very magical literary touch to the story. I heard an interview done with her and she talked about how the storyline was really all Fergie's idea. The main character of the novel is someone Fergie had in her mind for years and years and I'm so glad she took the plunge to put her on paper. Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott lives in the Victorian Era and is the daughter of a Scottish Duke. She's expected to marry appropriately but her heart has different plans. She ends up all over the map and doing the unthinkable, especially in this time period. There's a bit more of a Royal twist as well (which I love) as Lady Margaret is the best friend of Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise. I can't give enough praise to this novel. I want more!
22 - A House Full of Windsor by Kristin Contino
This is another book I heard about from one of my Royal podcasts. This storyline is really interesting, especially if you are a Royal Watcher like myself. It basically follows the life of a woman who has a hoarding problem and what she hoards is Royal memorabilia. She uses this as comfort as her marriage falls apart, she has to move to America from England, her kids grow up, etc. The story goes back and forth between her late teen/young adult years and her current life as an older woman. When she is young, the timeline of her own pregnancies and marriage goes alongside Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage and the births of their sons. It was a really cute story and it's great for Royal lovers.
23 - The Hope We Hold by Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo
This is the love story of Jeremy and Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar). I'm not a massive Duggar fan, but my sister lent me this book and I have to say I was really impressed by the quality and clarity in which it was presented. It talks a lot about faith and how this couple has grown together in Christ. I found it really encouraging and thought it was beautifully written. It wasn't very cheesy but had a really good tone. A very easy read and really interesting.
24 - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
I am a Kate Quinn fan and when I saw this novel had been released, I knew it would be another winner for me. This story is set in WWII and follows the lives of three different women who begin working for the British government to decode German messages. It has so many great twists and turns. One of the women is based on a real person who actually was an old girlfriend of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh's. I loved that royal twist and made the story even more interesting for me.
25 - The Paris Connection by Carolyn Keene
This next book is one from the classic Nancy Drew series. It's actually a "Super Mystery" where Nancy Drew teams up with the Hardy Boys. As from the title, the story takes place in Paris where there is an art thief and trouble on a very popular rock-n-roll band's world tour. This book was actually given to me by my late grandmother who was an avid reader. She taught me to love books and I can understand now how books helped her cope throughout her life. The pages of this little book are yellowed and it's nearly falling apart but I will cherish it forever.
26 - Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott
The next couple of books here come from one of my favorite YouTubers of all time, The Daily Connoisseur. If you've never heard of this YouTube channel, it is run by Jennifer L. Scott who talks a lot about fashion, homemaking, and how to better yourself as a person. In this book, she reflects upon the lessons she learned as a foreign exchange student living in Paris with a French aristocratic family. She applies them to her own life here in America and shares her journey. What I think I love most about her tips is that they are practical. It's not as if she just went to Paris 2 years ago and is a young fresh out of college adult that can't relate to many of us adults with homes and families. She's been doing this for 10 years and has a home, husband, and multiple children. I find this book really encouraging.
27 - At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life by Jennifer L. Scott
This book is another from Jennifer L. Scott. There is a third book directly related to this Madame Chic series, but I've yet to read it. But this one focuses mainly on your home life, which is one of my favorite topics to research and implement in my own life. As a homemaker, I think it's important to keep things fresh. Again in this book, Jennifer reflects on her time in Paris and how her French family ran their home. It's extremely practical and a refreshing reminder to take care of your home.
To round out my books of the year, I'm ending with the four Christmas themed books I read toward the end of the year.
28 - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
As part of a series I'd never heard of, I felt like I was missing just a little bit of the sentiment of the story as I read this mystery. It is the third book in Charlaine Harris' Lily Bard series. To my disappointment it was not very Christmas related but it was still a pretty good mystery. Lily makes a trip back to her hometown around Christmastime for her sister's wedding and everything goes nuts. I did enjoy the storyline. I think I would've enjoyed it a lot more had I read the first two books in the series because it definitely was missing some important details that would've made me more attached to this character.
29 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Do I really need to say much about this one? I would say pretty much everyone knows or has read or heard A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Funnily enough, I don't ever think I read this all the way through so I made an effort to do so this year. I listened to a performances on Audible and it was certainly chilling. I think it's a good reminder for all of us to be grateful and to choose to be happy. Let's face it, we all have a Scrooge in our life and however irritable they are to us, at the end of the day, we generally feel sorry for them, or at least I do.
30 - The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
This was the very first thing I ever read by Agatha Christie. I feel like I've been missing out on a lot of classic authors so I've made it my goal this year in 2022 to read more classics. I listened to this wonderful Christmas mystery on Audible and thought it was great. I love a good mystery and really enjoyed this short one by Christie. It follows a retired detective who is invited for Christmas somewhere and there's a bit of a problem. It's very lighthearted and a nice quick read.
31 - The Reluctant Elf by Michele Gorman
The last book I read in 2021 was this adorable Christmas story about a single mom and her young daughter who go to visit their aunt (who runs a rental property) for Christmas. The aunt is in a really traumatic car accident and is stuck in a coma. This means she is unable to set up her rental property for a critic who is coming to stay. His stay with his family is very important and can mean make or break for this property. It's up to this single mom and daughter duo to turn this not so well taken care of property into a Christmas wonderland, with the help of a new friend. It's such a sweet little story and really has the Christmas magic.
And there you have it! I hope this post has given you some reading motivation. My reading goal for the year 2022 is 40 books. Do you set a reading goal? I've found it very helpful for staying focused and motivated throughout the whole year.
Happy reading!
Until next time.
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