End-of-the-Year Wrap-Up by A Book Wanderer

My 2021 End-of-the-Year Reading Wrap-Up

Hello Readers! It seems like a lot of people are saying this, but 2021 flew by! Maybe it’s because 2020 dragged or maybe it’s because we were busier this year? At the end of last year I said I’d had one of my best reading years ever, and the same goes for 2021! I enjoyed almost all of the 100+ books I read this year. Despite setting a goal at the beginning of 2021 to read less ARCs, they reigned supreme. Which means I also read more ebooks, adult, and romance than anything else. Maybe I can read more from my backlist in 2022??

Once again, I used the amazing spreadsheet created by Kal @ Reader Voracious to track my bookish and blog stats. As someone who is mathematically and logistically challenged, this extensively thorough spreadsheet makes everything simple. And Kal makes it available for free!! Be sure to check out her spreadsheet and her blog! She just released an updated spreadsheet for 2022, as well. If you decide to use her spreadsheet, leave her a tip, if you can. 🙂

The last few years, I’ve used Kal’s spreadsheet, my Goodreads Stats, and the Reading Survey shared by Merline @ Merline Reads (originally shared by Gabby @ Gabby Reads) to summarize my year of reading—and to keep things easy, I’ll be doing the same for 2021. But this year I’ll also be taking a look back at my blogging and bookish year with the survey prompts shared by Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner.

Let’s wander in!

Reading Stats

Source: 30 came from my existing physical or virtual shelves, 47 ARCs (35 from Netgalley), 12 purchased new or used, 3 were gifted, 1 won in a giveaway, and 3 borrowed

Genre: 47 Romance, 13 Fantasy, 10 Contemporary, 6 Non-Fiction, 6 Classics, 5 Historical Fiction, 5 Literary, 3 Mystery, 3 Sci-Fi, and 3 Thriller

Audience: 72 Adult, 27 Young Adult, 1 New Adult, and 1 Children

Format: 63 Ebooks, 24 Paperbacks, 11 Hardcovers, and 3 (Complete) Audiobooks (although I did switch between listening and reading several additional books)

Reading Survey

(Link to add on Goodreads through the book title.)

How many books did you read? Did you meet your goal?

I read 101 books this year! At the start of 2021, I set a goal of 75 books on Goodreads, but extended it to 85 books when I realized I would meet my original goal. I also participated in the Popsugar Reading Challenge for my fourth year, which I completed at the end of October. You can take a look at My 2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge Wrap-Up to see how I did!

Most read genre?

Not surprising that Romance is my genre-of-choice! I did read more Classics than the previous year, but less Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Non-fiction (3 – pink pie slice).

Longest and shortest books you read?

Favorite book published in 2021?

Since the prompt is PUBLISHED in 2021, I would choose Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis, but I didn’t have one clear favorite, I had many.

My Review

Favorite debut book published in 2021?

Slanted and Disenchanted by Lisa Czarina Michaud

My Review

Favorite book NOT published this year?

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center – This one publishes in July of 2022!

My Review

A book that lived up to the hype?

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo – I listened to this one on audiobook, and it showed me I can actually enjoy listening to a book.

A book that did NOT live up to the hype?

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I tried this one on audiobook and print, but wasn’t wowed.

Should I Give Up on Audiobooks?

Book that felt like the biggest accomplishment?

I read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry—a 960 page book—in about five days, which is fast for me. 😉

Favorite character?

Hannah from The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, the stepmother every stepchild should have.

My Review

Least favorite character?

Grace Blackthorn from Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

My Review

Most shocking book/moment?

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

My Review

Favorite couple/OTP?

Poppy and Alex from People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

My Review

The best written book you read this year?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Book that you pushed most people to read in 2021?

Float Plan by Trish Doller – This is only one of many!

My Review

Favorite book cover of the year?

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

My Review

Favorite book adaptation?

If I’m choosing an adaptation from a book I actually read AND watched in 2021, my choice would be Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, with the film adaptation on Netflix. But I absolutely loved Maid, based on the memoir by Stephanie Land, which I have not read.

My Review

What book made you cry the most?

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

My Review

What book made you laugh the most?

Fool Me Twice at Christmas by Camilla Isley

My Review

A new favorite author you discovered this year?

I’m late to the party, but I finally picked up The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary—which I loved—leading me to quickly pick up The Road Trip!

My Review of The Road Trip

Guilty pleasure read of the year?

I succumbed to the hype and picked up the first book in the Bridgertons series, The Duke and I by Julia Quinn.

Favorite book you reread this year?

I only reread 5 books in 2021 (down from 11 in 2020), but one of my favorites was reading my 10th Anniversary Owlcrate Edition of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I’d forgotten how much I adored this book!

My Owlcrate Unboxing

What is the best non-fiction book you read this year?

Beautiful Country: A Memoir by Qian Julie Wang

My Review

Were you happy with your reading year?

I had a phenomenal reading year, reading my most books per month (13) in March and October! I didn’t rate any book lower than 3 stars and only DNFed 1 book. While I read the most ARCs ever, they were chosen selectively. I’m going to try to read less ARCs and more off my existing shelves in 2022, but that’s a goal every year. 😉

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2021?

I didn’t get to blog hop as much as I would have liked, but I was happy to discover Hasini @ Bibliosini, along with still visiting (and chatting with) some of my favorite bloggers: Carla @ Carla Loves to Read, Dini @ dinipandareads, Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse, Anika @ Chapters of May, and Tanya @ Girl Plus Books!

Favorite post you wrote in 2021?

One of my favorite posts to create this year was my Highlight Review of Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch (Including Inspired Pictorial Collage). While I was reading this book set in Greece, it was so very visual, it prompted me to include a pictorial collage inspired by the setting.

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events,  etc.)?

Much like 2020, there weren’t many in-person events in 2021, but I did attend some virtual book discussions, including The New York Times book club, the Texas Book Festival, and some author discussions. The event I enjoyed the most was a discussion between Neal Shusterman and Maggie Stiefvater: Manufactured Gods and the Power of Dreams.

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2021?

It was a challenging year with technical difficulties and moving hosts due to being hacked, leading to less traffic. But I made it to my second blogiversary!

Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Definitely what I mentioned above… early in the year my blog was hacked which started a domino effect of issues. I learned A LOT, but the traffic to my blog has never returned to what it was in 2020.

Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My most popular post continues to be a post I created in 2020: My Chain of Gold TBR: What To (Re)Read Before Starting Cassandra Clare’s Next Novel. My most-viewed post created in 2021 was my review of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. While it only has six comments, it has 800+ views. 🤷‍♀️😃

 Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I have the most fun creating my book playlist posts, even though they don’t always garner a lot of attention. This year I shared My Book Soundtrack | Love Song Edition, Vol. II: Tropes (how’s that for a title!?) for Top Ten Tuesday.

 Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Probably the most encouraging discovery I made was that there are audiobooks out there I can enjoy. I’ve never been able to focus on them before, but this year I used them in combination with some physical books—mostly classics or lengthy books that were tedious to read.

 Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

When I look back at My Top Ten Goals for 2021 post, I feel like I accomplished 7 out of 10 goals. I did NOT reread more, lessen my amount of ARCs, or post more discussion posts. But there’s always 2022, right??

What’s your favorite read of the year? Did you reach all your goals? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering & Happy 2022!

14 thoughts on “My 2021 End-of-the-Year Reading Wrap-Up”

  3. Such a great reading year!!! I totally tried not to do a lot of ARC’s but they totally took over. 😂 this year… maybe! Haha. It’s so hard not to! I hope 2022 is even better for you!

    Reply

          1. Right?! It seems like it’s always the ones I REALLY want and the ones that I would be okay not getting, I get. haha!

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