Wrapping Up the Year in Reading
I completed over a 100 books in 2021 for the second year in a row. I almost always put down books that I don’t enjoy (though occasionally I plow through) so I really enjoy most of the books I read. Everyone has different reading tastes so rather than give you a top 10 list, I am calling out some of my favorites below.
Here are My Noteables :
Favorite Reads - Hamnet was the first book I read this year; it was beautiful and sad. I think I am ready for a reread. Other Favorites: Project Hail Mary, Lincoln Highway, and Once Upon a Wardrobe (review below.)
Favorite Memoir – A Knock at Midnight, a nonfiction book about the impact of the criminalization of drugs, and mandatory sentencing on women. Compelling, heartfelt, well written; it blew me away. I also loved Between Two Kingdoms, Finding Freedom, and Crying in H-Mart. I am drawn to memoirs and it was a great year for women writing their own amazing stories.
A Book I Couldn’t Put Down – Did you hear about the killer Mermaid story? Yes, Into the Drowning Deep is an unputdownable story about deadly mermaids and a crew of scientists trying to study them. Runner ups: The Sun Down Motel and One by One. These are exciting reads for when you don’t know what you should read next.
Favorite Nonfiction Book - Wintering by Katherine May was a popular book last fall (‘20). I listened to it in January and returned to it again in November.
Favorite Mystery - When The Stars Go Dark by Paula Mclain. Mclain brought her strengths as a historical fiction author to create an evocative and moving mystery set in the real stories of kidnapped children in the early 1990s. Runner-ups are The Man Who Died Twice, and The Survivors. (I read everything Jane Harper writes.)
Favorite Backlist Book: Longbourn was a surprise highlight of my reading year. A beautifully rendered retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of the servants.
A Book I Didn’t Love - Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I have a love/hate relationship with suspense novels (not mysteries). This one dragged for me and when the big reveal came, it came with a whimper.
Reading Challenges for 2022
Below are three fun ideas to guide your reading in 2022. My sister Leslie and I are planning our buddy reading around the Genre Challenge.
Keep Your TBR Stacked
One reason I am able to finish a lot of books is that I am rarely without my next book - on my Kindle, my phone (audio books), next to my bed, or in a bookcase. Create a To Be Read (TBR) list or shelf . This can be an actual shelf that you dedicate to the physical books you have and want to read or this can be a list on your phone or in a journal. I keep a list on my phone so when I am in bookstores or browsing the Libby App, I can use it as a reference. I also have a TBR shelf on the bookcase in my bedroom as a physical reminder that, yes, I do want to read these books. Below is a photo of my current TBR stack that I plan to work my way through starting in 2022.
My favorite new bookish instagram account:
Recent Reads
From the Gram….
Looking for a wonderful story to finish out your reading year or a book that would make a great gift? Once Upon a Wardrobe is an absolute delight! This historical fiction novel follows George and his sister Megs as they try to discover where the idea of Narnia came from. The characters are endearing, the winter setting of Oxford is cozy, and the plot is well constructed. George has a serious heart problem and his one joy in life is reading “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” When he finds out that his sister is at the same college as the Author/Professor, C.S. Lewis, he implores her to find out where the land of Narnia came from. This sets Megs on her own adventure as she discovers that the truth and beauty in make-believe stories are as important as those in her beloved maths and physics. The author weaves in true vignettes from Lewis’s childhood as well. I am so glad I picked this up and had a huge book hangover when it was over. I am not even a huge Narnia fan but I still found myself moved so much by this book. Definitely one of my favorite stories this year.
The Kitchen Front is a World War II historical fiction that will not leave you emotionally exhausted as some WWII books can. Set in Britain during the height of the war, it revolves around four contestants in a Home Front cooking contest. They are competing to create the best recipes using rations and found food. Each woman has a unique story and trial they are going through and a specific reason they need to win the contest. The winner will become a BBC radio announcer for a food show. I listened to this and wasn’t sure if I liked it at first, but I came around and by halfway through I found it hard to push pause. Annoying characters became more understandable, and enough things happened along the way to keep me interested. Even the food descriptions, which at first I found off putting, sounded much better by the end. This book went from sardine roll to honey apple cake! It is charming and the ending comes together well, which makes for a satisfying read.
I picked up Notes From A Young Black Chef after hearing the hosts of Currently Reading rave about it. I am so glad I did. I was unfamiliar with Chef Kwami Onwuachi though he was a contestant on Top Chef Season 13 and ran a high end restaurant in DC for a short time. His memoir begins by detailing his childhood growing up in the Bronx and his fraught relationship with his controlling and abusive father. The book moves from his childhood to his journey to becoming a chef. He shares his struggle to make it in the restaurant business and his love of food that stems from his mom. All these parts come together to make a great story. If you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s writing, this book will fill the gap. Onwuachi is frank and entertaining.
I took a journaling workshop this fall. I have been a steady journaler for a few years and this class opened my eyes to how I can go deeper and improve my process. The class used the book above along with a workbook. If you are interested in exploring your life more deeply through journaling, this is a great place to start. Shout out to our class facilitator and teacher extraodinaire, Lisa Colburn. You can find out more about Lisa and the work she does here at Market Street Writers.
Thank you for sticking with me to the end….the end of this newsletter and the end of the year.