2021 Reading Review

According to my records, I finished 167 books in 2021. Goodreads lists my total as 166 books, totaling 52,504 pages. The shortest was a 30-page story by Julia Keller, the longest a mystery by Elizabeth George (718 pages).

I know that I missed quite a few, so that number may be at least a dozen higher, as I forgot to post re-reads and neglect to include a picture book or two. I managed to track 17 re-reads. Of those 167 books, 130 belonged to some kind of book series. I read 113 of the titles in e-book format, listened to at least one audiobook, and 23 of the books are titles I own. 

Female authors dominated my reading again, with 120 books written by women, 31 by men, and 16 titles were written by both genders. 

Genres By the Numbers

Romance - 29

Mystery - 98

SciFi/Fantasy/Paranormal - 5

Non-Fiction - 8

Young Adult/Children - 6

Authors I read the most:

Charles Todd- 15

Kerry Greenwood - 15

Elizabeth George - 10

Anna Lee Huber - 8

Jill Churchill - 4 

Elmore Leonard - 4

Julia Keller - 4 (all short stories)

Lorraine Heath - 4

Craig Johnson - 3

Susan Elia MacNeal - 3

For 2022, I vow to take better notes as I read, as I struggled to come up with my favorite books of the year. It took some research and digging to spark my memory.

Top Reads

Louise Penny: "The Madness of Crowds" and "All the Devils are Here"

The latest titles in Penny's Inspector Gamache series. I love the characters.

William Kent Krueger: "Lightning Strike"

This is a prequel to the Corky O'Connor series and it was fantastic. 

John Sandford: "Ocean Prey" 

This book is a continuation of Sandford's Prey series, about police detective Lucas Davenport, but is also part of his Virgil Flowers series. 2022 will bring a new series, based on the adopted daughter of Davenport, who readers first meet and then "watch grow up in the Prey series.

Jacqueline Winspear: "The Consequences of Fear"

This is the latest in her Maisie Dobbs series. I also enjoyed Winspear's memoir, "This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing".

Sally Thorne: "99 Percent Mine"

A contemporary romance, which is not usually my favorite genre, but I enjoyed the chemistry between the leads. 

Julia Keller: "Evening Street"

This is a short story in her Bell Elkins series, set in West Virginia. It was intense and a bit heartbreaking, much like the longer titles in the series.

Charles Todd

I devoured titles in two series by Todd, totaling 15 books or short stories in 2021. Both series are set in England and/or France around the time of the first World War. One follows a police detective with severe PTSD, the other a nurse. Written by a  mother/son duo, the books are utterly riveting. Sadly, 2021 claimed the maternal half of the team. I know there will be at least one more title, and hope the son will carry on.  

It feels like I was on a reading rut for most of 2021, as I struggled to focus. I also found myself disappointed in new books by romance authors whose past books I loved. 

My Wisconsin library card expired with the year, which means I won't have access to as many titles as I used to. I managed to transfer most of my reading wish list from my WI account to Goodreads. My Hancock library card comes with access to four Michigan digital library systems, but those can't compete with Wisconsin's system, which covered the whole state. I used to know several people who worked in Wisconsin libraries, but most have either retired or moved on to other jobs. I know there are other library systems that don't require proof of residency for a library card. I plan to join a few in 2022, in hopes of gaining back access to more titles. 

Using a library card easily saves me several thousands  each year, not just by borrowing books instead of buying them, but also movies or TV shows still available on DVD that I don't have streaming access for. Watching something on the screen helps make folding laundry and washing dishes semi-tolerable. 

So far, I am two books in to 2022. One new to me title, and a re-read. Several of my holds will become available soon, and I am eagerly awaiting the latest title in the Outlander series. 

One of my goals for 2022 is to weed my book collection, but as I like to read a book one last time before deciding to set it free, this will take some time. I do hope to read at least one book a month that has lingered on my shelves unread for far too long. There are also too many titles (16) in my Goodreads "Currently Reading" stack that need to be finished. Perhaps those books will become part of my 2022 goal of 144 titles.