Best Books of 2021

I set a goal to read 120 books this year and I surpassed that goal by the first week of December!  In total (by the time I wrote this wrap up on December 18th) I read 125 books.  I always struggle with picking my favorite books... I finally decided my favorites could not be part of a series since I read a lot of those this year.  Perhaps I'll do a blog post later about my favorite book series.  But for now I looked at stand alone books that could be enjoyed throughout the whole year (so nothing too holiday/ seasonal themed-- though I did some really great holiday book this November and December!).

 


Dear Edward-- As the lone survivor of a plane crash, Edward struggles to go on without his family and make sense of a senseless tragedy. 



When Life Gives You Pears-- A moving and sometimes funny memoir about one woman's battle with a brain tumor.



The Sweetness of Forgetting-- Hope is a struggling single mother trying to keep her family bakery going when her grandmother, who's suffering from Alzheimer's, urges her to go to France with a list of names to unravel her family's secrets.  



The Salt House-- A story about a Maine family trying to overcome the death of their youngest child. 



The Newcomer-- This quirky and light read is set in a Florida hotel with a cast of unlikely characters.  It was party mystery novel part summer read that I just loved. 



The Nature of Fragile Things-- Historical fiction novel set during the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.



Twenty One Truths About Love-- An entire book written through a series of lists this story was both cute and unlike any other I have ever read.



The Soulmate Equation-- I thought this was such a cute story about finding love through a DNA match; the cast of characters made the book so good!



Float Plan-- I thought this was going to be a light summer read but I got so much more than I bargained for.  Anna takes off on a trip her and her fiancé had been planning before he died, only to find that she is unprepared. 



Come Away With Me-- I'm starting to think my favorite book list sounds so depressing as yet another novel that deals with loss and grief!  Tegan is lost after waking up in the hospital after a car accident that has snatched her of her soon to be born child.  Angry at her husband and adrift in a sea of grief he convinces her to go on series of trips they had once planned long ago in the hopes that they can find their way back to one another. There are unexpected twists and I am telling you it was a fabulous book that you just need to read. 



Angels Fall-- Reece has been running from an unspeakable tragedy when she finds herself out of money in Angel's Fall. Putting down temporary roots, Reece is stunned to an attack on a woman while out in the woods.  With no sign of foul play and no missing body the town is left questioning her sanity and with just a few friends that believe her, Reece sets out to discover if there really is a killer on the loose.  This was such a suspenseful book at times! 



Happily Ever After-- An adorable story about second and perhaps even third chances. Kate and Neil are on the brink of divorce but planning their daughter's wedding brings up a lot of unresolved issues and feelings between the two. Just as they are ready to give their love another shot they find that they have a lot of other hurdles and obstacles to overcome.  Another great story with some amazing plot twists and turns and a great group of characters I just loved!



The Wish-- I love a good Nicholas Sparks novel and this one was so touching (oh my goodness; this one is about death too!).  Maggie is facing her last Christmas after a long battle with cancer and spends this one last winter in New York sharing her life story with her young assistant.  



Ground Zero-- I am absolutely adding this children's book to my favorites as I thought it was such a wonderful and thought provoking novel. 




I read these 7 books in January



10 books in February


11 books in March



11 books in April



10 Books in May



13  Books in June



12 Books in July



10 Books in August



9 Books in September



9 Books in October


13 Books in November


The 10 books I read in December


What were some of your favorite books this year?


Linking up with:  #AMonthofFaves, Spread the Kindness, 












Comments

  1. I'm adding The Newcomer and The Nature of Fragile Things to my library list! Thanks for sharing these!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

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  2. I enjoyed Float Plan and now I've requested Twenty-One Truths About Love.

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  3. I'm curious about Twenty-One Truths. Love books written in different formats. Ground Zero is on my wish list. I loved his book Refugee.

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I like books written in different formats too and it was a surprisingly good and in depth story for just being a series of lists!

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  4. These look like wonderful reads. I would love to read "When Life Gives You Pears"

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  5. I also loved Dear Edward. I'm putting some of these on my TBR for 2022! Thanks for the recommendations.

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  6. Joanne,
    WOW!! I am in awe!! I was happy I got to read 10 books this year....
    Thanks so much for stopping by!! Happy New Year!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  7. I started reading again yesterday, and read the hole afternoon! I was reading the final girls. A good book. And I have so much more books ready to read!

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  8. Well done with your reading. What a great selection of books x

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  9. You read some great books this year. I just added a bunch to my library holds!!!

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  10. Thanks for sharing your favorites. Can't wait to try your historical fiction choice: Nature of Fragile Things

    Favorite non-fiction I read this year was a memoir by Sherry Turkle: The Empathy Diaries. Gifted it to several friends who also loved it. Turkle, who's an MIT professor, came of age in the 60s when the cards were stacked against women. How she maneuvered her way through makes for a delightful story.

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    1. That sounds like a really neat book. Thank you for the suggestion.

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  11. Ground Zero was on my top Middle Grade list!

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  12. I seem to pick tragic books as my favourites too, not sure what that is about. Now that I read on the subway most of the time, I have had to set my book down before I start sobbing in public.

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  13. 125 books!! WOW!! I loved Dear Edward, and I still have to read The Wish! I started it, but never had time to get any further, so I'm going to start it over again soon. I love Nicholas Sparks.

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    1. I was pretty impressed myself; I really thought I wasn't going to make my goal a time or two. I never thought I'd surpass that total.

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  14. Thank you for ALL of your posts in 2021. Happy New Year

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  15. Dear Edward has been on my list for ages but I had completely forgotten about it.

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  16. I haven't read very much (if any??) MKA, but The Newcomer sounds fun & I'm intrigued by the list book too!

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    1. I "discovered" MKA a few summers ago and have been trying to read through her works. I find, for me, they can be hit or miss but overall they tend to be fun, light reads.

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  17. I'm very behind on my blog reading but so so so chuffed to be included in this list. Thank you!

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  18. I read my first Mary Kay Andrews book this year and definitely want to read more by her- The Newcomer sounds like a great follow up! Happy Ever After sounds like a great read too, thanks for sharing!

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  19. I haven't read any of these, but "The Nature of Fragile Things" and "The Soulmate Equation" sparked my interest! Thank you for sharing!

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  20. I am so impressed and what an accomplishment to have read all of those books. I will be adding these to my book list Joanne and happy new year.

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    1. Thank you! It felt good to have reached my goal.

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  21. The Nature of Fragile Things made my top list too.

    Congrats on exceeding your goal!

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  22. Hi, Joanne - Thank you so much for linking up with What's On Your Bookshelf. Your succinct reviews are very impressive. You have an incredible ability to say so much in very few words (often just in one sentence)!
    My favourite book that you mentioned is Happy Ever After. I agree that the characters are fabulous. I was happy to meet several of them again in Jo Tracey's other books.

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    1. Thank you! I loved seeing those characters show up again in her other books.

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  23. Thanks so much for linking up with us - and thanks again for your support. I truly appreciate it.

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  24. Thanks for joining us for the What's On Your Bookshelf? Link Party and congratulations on surpassing your book reading challenge for 2021. The only book I've read on your list is Jo's book, Happy Ever After so I have plenty to add to my list - thank you. Here's to another joyful year of reading and I look forward to you joining us again next month x

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  25. This is a great post Joanne and well done on exceeding your goal for 2021. I have read a few of these but really loved your review of our Jo's Happy Ever After!

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  26. I just added The Soulmate Equation to my (already huge) TBR list. Off to check out the others on your list now. Great post!

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    1. Thank you! I feel like TBR list is always growing too.

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