My 2021 Reading Wrap Up

2021, what a year. The novelty of the pandemic wore off quickly by the beginning of 2021 and it was back to all the boring parts of life without much of the fun parts.

On the plus side, I read 40 books in 2021!! I never expected to reach this figure whilst working full time. This was largely due the fact that I didn’t have a lot else to do with my weekends and various periods of self-isolation. 2021 was the year I became quite obsessed with graphic novels. I discovered graphic novels towards the end of 2020, but this love really grew throughout 2021.

All the books I read in 2021:

 

January

Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (4/5 stars)

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (3/5 stars)

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (4.5/5 stars)

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (3/5 stars)

Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley (5/5 stars)

 

February

The Art of Drag by Jake Hall, Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, Jasjyot Singh Hans (5/5 stars)

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (4.5/5 stars)

The Encyclopaedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg (3/5 stars)

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman (3/5 stars)

 

March

Loveless by Alice Oseman (5/5 stars)

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (4/5 stars)

 

April

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (3/5 stars)

Solanin by Inio Asano (4/5 stars)

 

May

Heartstopper Volumes 1-3 by Alice Oseman (reread)

Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman (5/5 stars)

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (5/5 stars)

 

June

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, Trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori (4/5 stars)

 

July

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4/5 stars)

In by Will McPhail (5/5 stars)

Bloom by  Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau (3/5 stars)

 

August

Check Please 1-2 by Ngozi Ukazu (3/5 stars)

Check Please 3-4 by Ngozi Ukazu (4/5 stars)

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (5/5 stars)

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (3.5/5 stars)

Goodbye Again by Jonny Sun (3/5 stars)

 

September

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (reread)

 

October

Ace by Angela Chen (5/5 stars)

Delicates by Brenna Thummler (3/5 stars)

Discover Your Clifton Strengths by Don Clifton (unrated)

Death Note Volumes 1-2 by Tsugumi Ohba, Yuki Kowalsky, Takeshi Obata (4/5 stars)

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz (3.5/5 stars)

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury (unrated)

Death Note Volumes 3-4 by Tsugumi Ohba, Yuki Kowalsky, Takeshi Obata (4/5 stars)

 

November

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston (3/5 stars)

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson (2/5 stars)

 

December

This Winter by Alice Oseman (3/5 stars)

Death Note Volumes 5-6 by Tsugumi Ohba, Yuki Kowalsky, Takeshi Obata (3/5 stars)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (4.5/5 stars)

Breakwater by Katriona Chapman (2/5 stars)

The Tea Dragon Festival by Kay O’Neill (5/5 stars)

 

My Top 5 Books I read in 2021

5) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

As a philosophy graduate, I knew this book would be right up my alley and it certainly delivered. It mixed contemporary philosophy and sci-fi so beautifully and the ending brought it together so well. It had some amazing quotes and made me think but was also fun and emotional at the same time. A great story and I’m so pleased I finally read it.

4) In by Will McPhail

This is kind of a quirky one and I really wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. In is like poetry in graphic novel form. I loved the dry humour combined with the raw emotions explored throughout. It was wacky and intelligent, and heart-wrenching and I loved it. Such a delight to read!

3) Loveless by Alice Oseman

I love Alice Oseman’s books and this is my favourite of hers. As one of the very few representations of asexuality and aromanticism in popular culture, this book does such a wonderful job and portrays a great emotional vulnerability with it. I love this book so much that I’ve ordered the US hardcover edition with the illustrated to add to my Alice Oseman shrine!

2) Ace by Angela Chen

I can’t quite believe that a non-fiction book has made it onto this list. I’m never usually drawn to non-fiction, but this book was so fascinating and totally changed the way I think about so many things relating to the concept of attraction. This should be essential reading and I want to scream about it to everyone I see.

1) The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

This book was just pure utter perfection to me. Of all the books that I read in 2021, this is the one I keep thinking about and enjoyed reading the most. It combined so many elements of story-telling that I loved and is a true piece of art. I want to return to this book over and over and I don’t think I will ever get bored of it and for this reason it is the number 1 book I read in 2021.

2022 Goals?

I’m really pleased to have read so many wonderful stories in 2021. Considering my original goal was 20 books, I did well to make it to 40. My hope was to make it 50 books in 2022, however, I feel in need of a little break from reading in order to find time for my other hobbies and interests. I’m reluctant to set a reading goal for 2022 and tempted to just read without counting. However, I enjoy having a goal and it does encourage me to keep reading so I have set my Goodreads goal to 20 books so far. This could be subject to change though!

I also don’t want to write reviews for every single book I read. I don’t enjoy writing the more negative reviews even when I try to keep them positive. Even the books I enjoy, I don’t always feel the need to review them. So from now on I think I will only choose to review the books that 1) I really enjoyed, 2) I have thoughts I wish to share and 3) I have the time to write a review I am proud of.

I’m also keen to transition from Goodreads to Storygraph in 2022 as I prefer the platform and have heard good things, so I’m interested to see how this impacts my reading experience and will keep you updated.

As always, thanks for reading and happy 2022 😊