This is one of my favourite things about the end of the year, looking back over my past year of reading and forward to next year as well! This annual survey is hosted by the incredibly talented Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner.
2021 Reading Stats
Number of Books You Read: 153 (but I may finish one or two more by the end of the year)
Number of Books You Re-Read: 8
Genre You Read The Most From: Definitely contemporary
1. Best Book You Read in 2021?
When I read Anxious People in February, I knew I’d read my favourite book of the year. A few books came close to stealing the title, but it held strong and is my favourite book of the year.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus – this series is so beloved by so many. It started off strong, but was ultimately a struggle to finish.
3. Most Surprising (in a good or bad way!) Book of 2021?
Heartstopper (volumes 1 to 3). I’m generally not much of a graphic novel person, but when I read the first volume over the summer, the next two couldn’t come in at the library faster! I’m eagerly anticipating the fourth volume next year.
4. Book You “Pushed” the Most People to Read (and they did) in 2021?
It’s a toss up between the Bromance series (which three friends have picked up) or The Friend Zone (which another three friends are currently reading or have just finished reading). I love these books with my whole heart.
5. Best Series you Started in 2021? Best Sequel of 2021? Best Series Ender of 2021?
For best series, I’ll go with Abby Jimenez’ books – The Friend Zone was SO awesome, but the other two books fully lived up to the first book. Best sequel goes to Undercover Bromance because I liked the first book well enough, but it was this book that propelled me to devour the next three. Although I don’t think it’s the end of the series yet, A Court of Silver Flames was incredible – I wasn’t the biggest fan of Nesta throughout the previous books, but I fell in love with her story in this installment.
6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2021?
Rebecca Serle – I absolutely devoured In Five Years over the summer, and I’m looking forward to reading her backlist (and I have an egalley for her new book for 2022!)
7. Best Book From a Genre You Don’t Typically Read/Was Out of Your Comfort Zone?
Disfigured by Amanda Leduc – I picked this one up as part of the Reading to Sweep Away Barriers challenge and I loved it! It reminded me of the texts that I read in university – full of so many thought provoking ideas that kept me thinking long after I’d finished it.
8. Most Action-Packed, Thrilling, Unputdownable Book in 2021?
I read so many great thrillers this year, but I’m not sure that any of them had quite the same un-put-down-able quality as my re-read of Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I loved it so much I threw out the rest of my TBR that month to read the next one in the series, and I’m eager to finish up the dystology in 2022.
9. Book You Read in 2021 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
If the fourth volume of Heartstopper isn’t out in early 2022, I will probably re-read the first three before the fourth volume.
10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2021?
And the story inside matched the beautiful cover – just INCREDIBLE.
11. Most Memorable Character in 2021?
Anna from The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang. I LOVED HER.
12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2021?
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel. I alternated between the print and the audio versions, and the book is beautifully written and equally beautifully narrated.
13. Most Thought-Provoking / Life-Changing Book of 2021?
I found myself thinking about The Push by Ashley Audrain long after I’d finished it – I lent my copy to a co-worker too, who had a very different reading experience, and we had such an interesting conversation about it.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2021 to finally read?
Continuing on with the Unwind dystology — I read the first book in 2009!
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2021?
I didn’t jot down any quotes in 2021 – I need to be better with this next year.
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2021?
How I did this: Went to my read books on Goodreads and sorted by page number and just looked for what I knew I read this year that was the shortest and longest.
Longest — Father Mine by J.R. Ward (GR says 3 pages, which I know isn’t right, but it’s a novella and the audiobook was only 2 hours)
Shortest — A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (757 pages)
17. Book that shocked you the most?
Verity by Colleen Hoover – I knew it would be weird or disturbing because I’ve seen others post about it on Bookstagram, but that opening scene made me realize that I was in for a wild ride.
18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)
All my Bromance boys ❤
19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year?
The relationship between the three sisters in One Two Three.
20. Favorite book you read in 2021 from an author you’ve read previously?
Both of Laurie Frankel’s books that I read this year, and I asked Santa for the one book of hers that I was missing, which is at the top of my 2022 TBR list.
21. Best book you read in 2021 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else?
Another year where I read a lot of Lauren’s (@losetimereading) recommendations! Dark Places, Save Me, Half Broke Horses, Sharp Objects, and A Slow Fire Burning are all books that I picked up because of her.
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2021?
My Bromance boys! Oh, and Josh from The Friend Zone.
23. Best 2021 debut you read?
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano – I can’t wait for the next book! (Although now that I’ve just looked her up on Goodreads, this wasn’t a debut???) So I’ll go with Angeline Boulley instead.
24. Best worldbuilding / most vivid setting you read this year?
Gutter Child – although it’s a dystopia, it’s frighteningly similar to our own world.
25. Book that put a smile on your face / was the most FUN to read?
The Bromance series, but specifically Undercover Bromance. I rarely laugh out loud while reading books, but I was chuckling while listening to this one on audio.
26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2021?
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom – if you haven’t read this one, do yourself a favour and pick up the audiobook. It has real audio clips of Chika’s voice sprinkled through it and it really adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story, as well as upping the heartbreak factor.
27. Hidden gem of the year?
My most recent read, Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke, has popped up in my Bookstagram feed a couple of times, but I was pleasantly surprised by how delightfully funny this little book was. It felt like The Office WFH style.
28. Book that crushed your soul?
I don’t know if I really had any soul-crushing books this year! Anxious People is the one that has stuck with me the longest – but it was in more of an uplifting way than a soul-crushing way.
29. Most unique book you read in 2021?
Continuing on with the Unwind dystology … I’ve had this series in my Netgalley profile since I joined the site, talking about how I love books that are unique and different from anything else I’ve ever read. Going back to this series to re-read the first one, and then continuing on with book 2 cemented that feeling that Neal Shusterman is a freakin’ genius – it truly is a series that is unlike anything else that I have ever read … in a creepy, icky, but really really good kind of way.
30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
Know My Name by Chanel Miller – I knew going into this book what I was signing up for, but Chanel’s experience in the criminal justice system made me rage over how messed up the world is.
1. New favourite book blog/Bookstagram/Booktube channel you discovered in 2021?
I didn’t do too much blog/bookstagram discovering in 2021, but I did start faithfully listening to the Books Unbound podcast. I have been a podcast dabbler, listening to the odd episode here and there, but I tune in every week to this one. Ariel and Raeleen are two of my favourite Booktubers from when I watched more Booktube than I read (haha) and hearing them banter back and forth is just the best.
2. Favourite post you wrote in 2021?
I got a bit more into blogging in 2021 than I did in 2020, but still not too many posts to choose from – but bringing back Once Upon a Time in a Bookstore (which was originally posted on my old blog) made me so happy. It’s the story of how my husband and I met, and I love our story so much.
3. Favourite bookish related photo you took in 2021?
Scrolling through was a trip through memory lane, so many great books! But this one was a fan favourite and, just like the story above, I love sharing my love for my husband.
4. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I purposely set my Goodreads challenge low (who needs an app telling me I’m behind on my hobby) but I actually read more books that I have ever read in a year (at least since I started tracking my reading). I also ended the year with less books on my unread shelf than I started with, despite adding over 70 books to my shelves this year. I also participated in a number of readathons, completed a few series (although less than the 10 that I had aimed for) and read almost all of my 12 reads from 12 friends list.
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2021 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2022?
I love that Les Mis was the answer to this question on last year’s survey – ooops! Some of the newer additions to my shelves will be at the top of my TBR for 2022, probably starting with Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2022 (non-debut)?
So many yet again! House of Sky and Breath for sure. Then mostly new contemporaries by some of my favourite authors: Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, Something Wilder by Christina Lauren, The Summer Place by Jennifer Wiener, Book Lovers by Emily Henry and A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams.
3. 2022 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
I haven’t seen any that caught my eye yet…
4. Series Ending / Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2022?
A House of Sky and Breath again, and I suppose Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare? It’s funny because Chain of Iron was my answer to this question last year, but I haven’t read it yet.
5. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging in 2022?
Continue along the path of being more intentional with my book purchases (same as last year) and I will absolutely stay devoted to reading primarily from my own shelves. I put a twist on the 12 reads from 12 friends challenge and asked people to pick from my unread shelves … and I ended up with so many recommendations that it’s created my 22 to read in 2022 list. I would love for this to be the year that I read ALL of the list (something I’ve never done!) I would also like to clear off the final few expired egalleys from my Netgalley shelves and stay current with reading my 2022 egalleys as they release.
6. A 2022 Relase You’ve Already Read & Recommend to Everyone:
I spent November trying to clear out my 2021 and prior egalleys, and I actually haven’t dipped into any 2022 releases just yet. I have some on my TBR that I’m super excited about though.
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