My 2021 In Books

It really is quite satisfying to look back over the year and be reminded of all the books I read. It’s kind of like catching up with old friends.

My previous challenge was to read 175 books. But it was 2020 and the library was closed for six months, so I only read 89 books and was proud of it. I had hoped 2021 would be back to normal.

So my goal for 2021 was 175 books again. Usually I read a lot of things (like graphic novels and children’s books) that can be read in about an hour, compared to the average 12-15 hours for a full-length novel. So I set a really high goal and don’t sweat if I don’t make it. For the past few years when I was a recent convert to graphic novels I read everything I could get my hands on. This year I’m mostly just keeping up on new volumes of series I love, so I read fewer of them – 30 to be exact. I also read fewer children’s books since both my kids are out of elementary school and I’m just not exposed to as many of them. So surpassing 125 books was really quite an achievement, even if it was much less than my goal. That said, I’ll probably set a somewhat lower goal this year. Maybe 150 books.

Book Lengths

As you see from the 24-page book of children’s poems, I still read lots of short books. But with an average of 270 pages, obviously this year I was mostly reading full-length books.

Popularity Contest

Well obviously the classics are widely read, so it’s no surprise that Wuthering Heights was the most-read book I completed this year. The least-read book didn’t even have a cover on Goodreads (and unlike LibraryThing, I don’t know how to add a cover to Goodreads). That’s because it’s a self-published art book that doesn’t even have an ISBN number. Called “A Squirrel’s Guide to Happiness” it’s a charming little collection of nuggets of self-care wisdom combined with paintings by the Seattle-local muralist Henry. A lot more than 7 people would shelve it if they knew it existed.

Most Loved

As everyone who has gone to high school knows, most popular is not is the same as most well-liked. The book I read this year with the highest ratings on Goodreads was the translation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. This Chinese web novel would never have received English publication if it weren’t for the wild popularity of the TV adaptation, The Untamed. Those of us who watched it love it so much, we’re starved for more, hence the infatuated ratings of the first volume of the translation. You can be sure I’ll be reading volumes 2 and 3 when they come out this year, along with many 5-star granting others.

Everything I Read in 2021

Most of the people in your life are not the smallest or largest or most well-known or most-loved in the world. But they are all important to you. So too, are all the books I read in 2021. Here is a lovely collection of their covers. Do you see anything that interests you? Do we have any friends in common?

What did you read this year? Would I like it?