2021 Books

I didn’t get to do this post last year because most of my books were in boxes—and what fun is a blog post about the books I read without an accompanying picture?

So here it is, after a brief hiatus, my 2021 Books post:

I read 44 books last year. (That’s counting a super, teeny, tiny book I borrowed from the library: I Had a Plan: But Life Had Other Ideas by Alessandra Olanow. Seriously, could there have been a more appropriately titled book for 2020/2021??)

From my pile, my favorites include:

The Surrogate by Toni Halleen. I technically finished this one at 12:02am on January 1st….. but I jumped on Goodreads right before midnight to give it four stars.

The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs. Wow!!! Lots of cancer… a little death… but so much wisdom.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. The whole time I read this (in Jamaica!) I kept asking myself, “How have I not read this before now?!?” Admittedly, I liked the first half of the book a little more than the second half, but still loved the whole thing.

The People We Keep by Allison Larkin. BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. This book now lives on the corner of my desk, so when my own writing fails me, I can be kicked back into gear by rereading a few of Larkin’s effortless sentences.

Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard. I know Joyce and I love knowing real-life authors. Reading her story was (almost) like hanging out with her.

Palisades Park by Alan Brennert. A big book about diving into a tiny barrel of water. Based on a real park that used to exist in New Jersey.

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhoult and Sara Corbett. Another WOW! I mean, how can that girl be SO stupid and SO smart at the same time?!?

Living with Mochi by Gemma Gene. The cutest, truest book I read all year—maybe ever. (Spoiler alert: It’s about a pug and it’s mostly cute little cartoons drawn by the author.)

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy. Mind-boggling story. The Hulu show was better than the book.

The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff. Once I got past trying to keep all the people straight, I was hooked. Just when you think you’ve seen/heard all there is to see/hear about 9/11…… this book appears.

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. ANOTHER WOW!!! A very COVID-y like story written YEARS before COVID. The author got so many things right, it’s almost eerie. I guess it’s technically science-fiction which isn’t my go-to genre, but I loved this author’s other book (The Age of Miracles) so I gave this one a chance, too. Glad I did.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. LOVED this one, too. Loved the writing so much, I immediately purchased every book Paula has ever written.

I haven’t set any 2022 reading goals… I’ve got plenty of writing goals, though. And I’ve got a huge “on deck” pile on our new bookshelves.

Until next time…