Top 10 Books of 2021 (and some random stats)

As years go, 2021 had… well, it had it’s moments. I barely blogged, so there’s that. But I read 63 books, and that’s nothing to sniff at. Some were chapter books with reading levels of Grade 5, or lower, that I unearthed while stress-cleaning my closet but if there’s one thing that this never-ending pandemic has taught me it’s that the devil is in the details so… avoid the details wherever possible. Reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle counts just as much as one book read when you’re fully an adult as it did when your second grade teacher gave it to you.

A book is a book and if you read it, you read a book.

Simple.

I read a little bit of everything this year; historical fiction (of course), science fiction, fantasy, true crime, romance, cozy mysteries, rom-coms, non-fiction, history, poetry… and I’m pretty happy with that too.

The first three books I read this year were The Mouse and the Motorcycle, The Secret History, and The Summer of the Swans. The final three books I read this year were Three Sisters in Black, The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Heart Mountain.

I didn’t keep track of a lot of other statistics, though I meant to but, again, the devil is in the details and I did not have time for the devil. I’d say I’m going to try and keep better track of details in 2022 but… I’ll let you know how that went next year.

So, without further ado, here are the top 10 books I read in 2021.

In 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th place (in no particular order)…

• The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
• Spunky by Dori Brink
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• Killer Content by Olivia Blacke
• The Guncle by Stephen Rowley

In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place (in no particular order)…

• The Nine by Gwen Strauss
• You, Me, and the Colors of Life by Noa C. Walker
• The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker

I’m not going to give mini-reviews or say that you should read them. The internet exists, after all, and for the purposes of this post… I absolutely loved all ten of these books and will, without a doubt, read them again. Check them out and see if they’re your type of thing, give them a try, and let me know if you do!

I passed the goal I set for myself on Goodreads by three books this year, so I’ll set it at 63 for next year. I did it once, I can do it again. And that’s my only particular goal other than to read, read, and then read some more.

Let me know in the comments if you’re setting goals or how you did this year!

Happy New Year, people, let’s hope 2022 is kinder!