While I have been doing WWWednesdays (a monthly reading review) for a couple of years now, I realized the other day that I’ve never done a yearly review or recap of my reading here on GraceBought. And I very much enjoy reading the yearly favorite reads of some of my friends and other bloggers, so I thought I’d give it a go myself!
Reflecting back on my 2021 year of reading, here are a few of my favorite reads (alpha/beta reads excluded). I have a bit of an eclectic reading diet, so I broke the year down into a few different categories. You can click on the links to find my complete reviews on any of the books/series below.
Best Re-Reads of 2021
I actually re-read a lot this year. Some like the well-worn books in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis and some childhood favorite books I didn’t quite remember like The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.
For this category, I chose one book that is an absolute favorite that I often return to and one that I knew I’d loved as a kid and wanted to read again to see if I still enjoyed it as much (spoiler, I did!)
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I thoroughly enjoy the entire quartet actually. This year I buddy read the novel with a friend in Author who had never read the book before and it was really neat to read the book from the perspective of a student, rather than just a fan. I got to see a lot of well structured and intentional writing choices that Hale made that made me love the book even more.
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
I have always been enchanted by Gossamer since I read it years ago as a little girl. This year, I needed an audiobook while I drove on a long road trip and my first choice fell through for the date I’d planned the trip. But this little gem was available and honestly it took me by surprise how beautiful and emotional it was. I’d forgotten much about the book, but the threads of why I’ve always loved it so much shone brighter than ever. It was incredible to go back to this as an adult and pick up deeper threads that I may or may not have noticed as a kid.
Best New Read of 2021
Romanov by Nadine Brandes
I’ve had this one on the to-read list for a while, along with Nadine Brandes as an author period. But this year I finally picked it up because I knew I’d meet Nadine at Realm Makers and she came on as an Expert in Residence in Author, so I wanted to read some of her work. I started with A Time to Die and boy howdy that was a ride! But then I picked up Romanov because I love Anastasia and I’d heard really good things. Needless to say, this story really blew me away. If I had to choose just one fiction book that was my top read of 2021, I’d choose this one.
Best YA of 2021
A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes
I know I just mentioned this book, but I wanted to make a place to put this on this list because this book touched me on a soul-deep level. It was an amazing experience and I greatly look forward to finishing the trilogy next year! Furthermore, this was my introduction to Enclave Publishing, particularly the YA sector. I’m definitely planning to explore more of their spec fic titles in 2022.
Best MG of 2021
Anyone who knows me knows I love children’s stories and middle grade/junior fiction. There’s so much creativity and imagination and the books generally stay innocent and pure. Kids have a childlike wonder that we often lose the older we get, so I do make it a point to keep some MG in my reading diet.
I also chose two books for this category: one series that was completely new to me, and one that was a re-read (anyone noticing a theme yet? XD Cora can’t choose favorites!)
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
I’d never read this quartet before, but I enjoyed the characters sooo much. The quirky world and stunning themes of family, love, home, and sacrifice drew me in for sure. And again, I’d heard for years that I needed to read some Andrew Peterson, but kept pushing it off. His coming to Author as a Visiting Expert in the fall finally pushed me to buddy read these with a friend to get them under my belt before he came so we could make the most of our time with him.
The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen
This was a re-read in preparation for the new book she’d come out with in the series, The Captive Kingdom. But I just have to put the original trilogy up here as one of my favorites. Jaron is one of my all-time favorite characters. He’s adventurous, sassy, and oh-so witty. I love his resourcefulness, his fierce loyalty, his clever escapes from tight jams, and Nielsen’s turn-you-upside-down-and-shake-you-out twists and turns.
Best Indie Read of 2021
The Seer’s Secret by Brittany Fichter
Ficther’s my girl! And fantasy is my kryptonite. Fichter’s been teasing this dragon trilogy for years now and it’s finally here! It certainly didn’t disappoint and I’m so ready for book 2!
Best Nonfiction of 2021
I work intentionally to keep nonfiction in my palate. That’s usually a combination of devotionals, bible studies, theology books, business, finance, relationship, and personal self-help kind of stuff. And I did enjoy reading classics like Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, but this year, one book stood out far and above the rest.
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
I have to admit, this book took my breath away. And it surprised me. I did not anticipate becoming so bewitched with it, but Peterson’s raw, real, down-to-earth narrative hooked me. And he has a talent for showcasing beautiful things and drawing out that secret beauty in the most ordinary of things. This book resonated with me, much like A Time to Die and Romanov did–something I wasn’t anticipating as I read this year. I am honored to have read this and quite look forward to reading his next nonfiction book, The God of the Garden. This would be my top nonfiction pick of the year, easy.
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So there you have it. My top reads of 2021. If I had to boil it down (and we all know how much I hate choosing favorites), I’d pick Romanov and Adorning the Dark as my top reads of 2021.
What about you? What were some of your favorite books of 2021? Have you read any of the above? Or do you want to, but haven’t yet? If you did, what were your thoughts?
And may 2022 be an adventurous year full of amazing reads!