My Epic Reading Year (2021)

Recently I was paging back through my journal, and I noticed that in December 2020 I made a note to  "read what I enjoy, don't focus on the numbers." HAHAHAHA, well joke's on me because that is not how this reading year turned out. Last year I read 81 books, which was my highest total ever. Once I realized that I was reading at the same pace this year, I decided to really go for it and set my goal at 100. Who knew when I'd get this chance again?

I finished the year having read 101 books. I'll admit at times I stacked the deck in my favor by reading shorter books, and by December I was only choosing audiobooks that were less than 5 hours long. I also ended up reading some books I didn't really enjoy, because they were short or because I'd already started them and didn't want to give up and not have that book "count." 

Despite that, I learned quite a bit by completing this experiment. I learned what I like: memoirs of people doing dangerous or seemingly impossible things, any books on creativity, graphic novels (particularly memoirs in this format as well), stories told by multiple narrators over different time periods, and plot-driven books. Writing style is also important; I don't like overly descriptive text, and at the same time, writing that is too simplistic is not all that interesting to me.

Most importantly, I was able to put to rest a niggling existential thought I've had for quite some time. It's probably one that most readers have: "How can I possible read everything I want to, and everything that is good, before I die??" The answer to that is that it doesn't matter. Books can change how they affect you based on when you pick them up. Tastes change. Something that is "bad" the first time you pick it up might turn out to be your favorite book when you try it a year later. Also, a lot of books are frankly the same. This can be comforting, such as visiting your favorite detective in a series. Many romances are formulaic, but that's what we want! Most books we won't read. I'm sure someone has figured it out, and it's something like a small portion of a fraction of a percentage. The trick is to read what you enjoy and what speaks to you at the time. 

5-Star Reads

When compiling this list I realized that everything I rated as 5 stars in Goodreads was non-fiction. (Maus does feature talking mice as characters, but it's the true story of the author's father during the Holocaust.) I've always thought of myself as primarily a fiction reader, but as it turned out I had close to a 50/50 split between fiction and non-fiction.

I had planned to write a short review of each of these, but that is too much work! So just know that I loved these books, partially because they may have been what I needed to hear at the time, and if you want further details on any of them, leave a comment below.

• Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood - Trevor Noah
• 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea - Johnathan Franklin
• Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking - David Bayles
• The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are - Danny Gregory
• Frida Kahlo at Home - Suzanne Barbezat
• The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman
• Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman - Lindy West
• The Secret to Superhuman Strength - Alison Bechdel
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals - Oliver Bukeman
• What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat - Aubrey Gordon
• Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity - Frances Palmer
• The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love - Sonya Renee Taylor

Favorite Fiction (4 stars)

I didn't have any 5-star fiction reads in 2021, but below are my favorites. In terms of the most original and beautiful writing, Lily King and Mohsin Hamid are at the top. If any fans of Harry Potter are looking for something similar, the Nevermoor series seems promising.

• The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
• Young Jane Young - Gabrielle Zevin
• Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend
• The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang
• Writers & Lovers - Lily King
• Exit West - Mohsin Hamid
• People We Meet On Vacation - Emily Henry
• The Last Garden in England - Julia Kelly
• Moonflower Murders - Anthony Horowitz
• Long Bright River - Liz Moore
• The Janus Stone - Ellly Griffiths
• The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

In 2022 I do want to read more fiction, and am seeking out well-reviewed and recommended titles instead of just grabbing what is new and shiny on the library shelf. I also have 44 books I own that I haven't read, and a long Goodreads to-read shelf that needs some attention. If from the above favorites you have any recommendations for me, I'd love to hear them!

Full List of Books Read

1. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
2. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood - Trevor Noah
3. Troubled Blood - Robert Galbraith
4. The White Coat Diaries - Madi Sinha
5. The Janus Stone - Elly Griffiths
6. When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People - Jeannie Gaffigan
7. Pretend I'm Dead - Jen Beagin
8. Naked In Death - J.D. Robb
9. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley
10. The Perfect Mother - Aimee Malloy
11. Cosy: The British Art of Comfort - Laura Weir
12. At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life - Fenton Johnson
13. Long Bright River - Liz Moore
14. The Rosie Effect - Graeme Simsion
15. 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea - Johnathan Franklin
16. The Pharos Gate: Griffin and Sabine's Lost Correspondence - Nick Bantock
17. Walking, One Step at a Time - Erling Kagge
18. Making Comics - Lynda Barry
19. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson
20. Magic Lessons - Alice Hoffman
21. Moonflower Murders - Anthony Horowitz
22. Fortune and Glory: Tantalizing Twenty-Seven - Janet Evanovich
23. Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking - David Bayles
24. Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are - Danny Gregory
25. The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah
26. The Things We Cannot Say - Kelly Rimmer
27. The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are - Danny Gregory
28. Frida Kahlo at Home - Suzanne Barbezat
29. Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler
30. The Big Book of Less: Finding Joy in Living Lighter - Irene Smit, Astrid van der Hulst
31. The Switch - Beth O'Leary
32. The Last Garden in England - Julia Kelly
33. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times - Katherine May
34. The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman
35. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed - Lori Gottlieb
36. North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail - Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
37. Wherabouts - Jhumpa Lahiri
38. Broken - Jenny Lawson
39. The Authenticity Project - Clare Pooley
40. The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience - Jennifer Phar Davis
41. Something in the Water - Catherine Steadman
42. When the Stars Go Dark - Paula McLain
43. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman - Lindy West
44. The Best American Comics 2018 - Ed. Phoebe Gloeckner
45. The House at Sea's End - Elly Griffiths
46. A Runner's High: My Life in Motion - Dean Karnazes
47. Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor - Lynda Barry
48. Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness - Scott Jurek
49. Artist's Journal Workshop: Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures - Cathy Johnson
50. Adulthood is a Myth - Sarah Anderson
51. The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head - David Gaffney, Dan Berry
52. The New Mindful Home: And How to Make it Yours - Joanna Thornhill
53. City of the Lost - Kelley Armstrong
54. The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave
55. The Stationery Shop - Marjan Kamali
56. Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love - Jonathan Van Ness
57. A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean - Tori Murden McClure
58. The Secret to Superhuman Strength - Alison Bechdel
59. When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Guide to Staying Put - Vivian Swift
60. Food: A Love Story - Jim Gaffigan
61. The Best American Comics 2019 - Ed. Jillian Tamaki
62. In a Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson
63. People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry
64. Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life - Ali Wong
65. Just Eat: One Reporter's Quest for a Weight-Loss Regimen That Works - Barry Estabrook
66. The Bookshop Girl - Sylvia Bishop
67. The Comfort Book - Matt Haig
68. A Room Full of Bones - Elly Griffiths
69. Exit West - Mohsin Hamid
70. The Painted Garden - Mary Woodin
71. Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light - Helen Ellis
72. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - Michael Finkel
73. The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II - Madeline Martin
74. The Salt Path - Raynor Winn
75. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics - Dolly Parton, Robert Oermann
76. Running Like a Girl - Alexandra Heminsley
77. The Last Flight - Julie Clark
78. The Library Book - Susan Orlean
79. A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park
80. Writers & Lovers - Lily King
81. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals - Oliver Bukeman
82. The Postscript Murders - Elly Griffiths
83. Fitness for Every Body: Strong, Confident, and Empowered at Any Size - Meg Boggs
84. The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang
85. Billy Summers - Stephen King
86. The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers - Lynn Bycznski
87. What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat - Aubrey Gordon
88. The Lost Apothecary - Sarah Penner
89. The F.I.R.E. Planner: A Step-by-Step Workbook to Reach Your Full Financial Potential - Michael Quan
90. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend
91. Young Jane Young - Gabrielle Zevin
92. Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity - Frances Palmer
93. Fault Lines - Emily Itami
94. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
95. Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
96. In the Clearing - Robert Dugoni
97. The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz
98. No Cure for Being Human: And Other Truths I Need to Hear - Kate Bowler
99. The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love - Sonya Renee Taylor
100. Before We Visit the Goddess - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
101. A Line to Kill - Anthony Horowitz