Tag: reading

The Best Books I Read in 2021

MichelleLeave a comment

It’s one of my favorite times of year – when I get to round up all my favorite reads from the past year! Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, and I consider it a large personal goal of mine to convince everyone I know to read more. I have a lot to cover, so let’s get into it!

Summary

My total for this year was 76 books – while I didn’t cross the 100 book mark this year, I just barely surpassed my 75-book goal. I love rounding up my favorite reads at the end of each year – I try to really reserve my 5-star ratings for books that deserve it. This is my third year-end summary: see my favorite reads from 2020 here and 2019 here!

Some thoughts on what I like to read:

  • My favorite genres are fantasy, YA, mystery/thriller, and sci-fi, and I also like a good romance every so often.
  • I love a book with beautiful imagery, lots of action, and strong/interesting relationships between characters. (I love to cheer for a friendship or romance.)
  • Unlikable protagonists don’t bother me, but I hate unrealistic ones. I want characters who make decisions that are consistent with their personalities.
  • I love a good plot twist (or betrayal), especially when I totally don’t see it coming but feel like I should have.

Some thoughts on how I like to read:

  • Almost every single book I read, I checked out through my local library (using the Libby app) for free. Occasionally, I read ARCs through Netgalley. I usually only buy books that I’ve already read and loved.
  • I read primarily using my Kindle paperwhite, but also through the Kindle app on my phone. It’s nice to have a device that’s only for reading, since I get easily sidetracked on my phone.

A few quick takeaways from my 5-star reads:

  • Apparently, fantasy and sci-fi are my favorite favorites because all my 5-star reads fall into those genres. (If that isn’t your speed, I have a few other genres featured in my honorable mentions! You can also check out all of my other book-related blog posts here.)
  • I ended up with 16 5-star ratings out of 76 books read. That means just over 20% of the books I read this year were 5-star reads!
  • That being said, 10/16 of my 5-star reads were second/third/fourth books in a series, so I think that finishing up series was a big reason that average is higher than normal. (For reference, last year I had 13 5-star reads out of 110 books – so just over 10%). 3 were first books in a series, and 3 were stand-alones.
  • I liked new releases this year! 9/16 were 2020 or 2021 releases.
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The 12 Best Books I Read in 2019

Michelle2 Comments

Enjoy this very posed picture of me reading. It’s from my maternity pictures, but it looks significantly nicer than I do most of the time when I’m reading. Also I didn’t actually read 1 physical book last year (unless you count all the ones I’ve read to Jamie), so this is as good as it’s going to get.

A few years ago, I started out on a personal mission to read more. I grew up loving to read (although I never held a candle to my sister, which is probably why it took me a long time to realize that I am, in fact, a bookworm). After several years of high school, college, and post-grad life during which I read very little for fun, I set a goal and armed myself with several library books through the Libby app.

Sidenote: if you’ve never used your library card to check out e-books and audiobooks, you’re missing out! Download the Libby app (or OverDrive, or Hoopla), and get reading.

I’ve been thrilled with my progress the last few years, mostly because reading is one of those things that makes me feel like myself. I’ve been very fortunate this past year to have a great public library system, a job that allows me to listen to books while working, and lots of late-night reading time thanks to a new baby. I have a lot of ground to cover here, though, so let’s jump in:

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