Can you believe we are half way through 2021? This year is flying by! Today I’m super excited to share my reflections of my reading year and my top books of 2021 (so far!).
It’s definitely been an interesting reading year for me. For a while I was struggling to pick up the right books and wasn’t enjoying much of what I was reading. I stopped putting pressure on myself and stopped setting up TBRs and that helped immensely! I’ve read a total of 32 books. Here is a little summary:
- Total books read – 32
- Physical books – 14
- Audiobooks – 18
- Pages read – 4,763
- Hours listened – 172
- Five star or Read NOW books – 6
I noticed a few things when reviewing everything I’ve read this year. I’ve been loving audiobooks this year. A lot of times I even alternated between the physical and audio format. I haven’t been able to concentrate on physical books much this year and that’s ok. The genres I’ve read the most are: Contemporary Fiction (22%), Thrillers (17%) and Non-Fiction (16%). I think it’s time for a heavier book or a historical fiction!
My Top 10 Books of 2021 (so far!)
These are my top 10 books of the year if I had to pick a top 10 right now. This is in no particular order. I tend to talk a lot about the books I love so I don’t think any of these are a surprise.
Olive by Emma Gannon
Who is surprised here? I can’t stop thinking about this book and I will be recommending it a lot. I read it at the right time and I related a lot to Olive. However, I think its a great book that people that don’t find themselves in Olive’s shoes would still enjoy. There’s a little bit of Olive in all of us. This book was included it in my Summer Reading Guide.
Rating – 5 Stars
Review – Check out my review here.
How to be Married by Jo Piazza
I didn’t expect to love this book so much! This is now becoming a book that I will gift a lot to friends and family and something that I’ll go back to often. I still think about it a lot. I am now a Jo Piazza super fan and I can’t wait for her book that comes out this fall.
Rating – Read NOW! (Check out my rating system here)
Review – Check out my review here.
Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
You probably are not surprised by this either. I have recommended this book a lot! Aaron read it too and at first he wasn’t loving it and I was kind of mad haha I wanted him to like it as much as I did. In the end he ended up loving it! This is one of the many thrillers I’ve read this year and probably my favorite.
Rating – 5 Stars
Review – Check out my review here.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite author so this is not a surprise. I loved Malibu Rising and I think it is the perfect summer book. I still think that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my favorite of hers so far but this one is really good too!
Rating – 5 Stars
Review – Check out my review here.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
This book reminded me that I love YA thrillers. This book is amazing in audio and great for a road trip (both Aaron and I loved it!). The sequel is great as well. I am glad that this is a series and there’s more to come!
Rating – 5 Stars
Review – Check out my review here.
The Truths we Hold by Kamala Harris
My favorite memoir of the year so far! I haven’t been reading a lot of memoirs this year (looking forward to reading more the second half of the year!) but this one is outstanding. I loved this book so much and learning more about Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rating – Read NOW! (Check out my rating system here)
Review – Check out my review here.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
My favorite “feel good” book of the year so far! This book is so funny and cute. I wasn’t expecting the theme of grief to be covered so heavily but it was executed so well. I read it actually right after I found out a family member passed away and it was exactly what I needed at that time. This was my book club pick for last month and we all loved it!
Rating – 4 Stars
Review – Full review coming soon!
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Another thriller I loved! I couldn’t put this one down. I listened to the audiobook and I thought it was outstanding. It kind of reminded me of the TV show Cruel Summer (which if you haven’t watch you should!). If you like that kind of TV show you’ll like this book.
Rating – 5 Stars
Review – Full review coming soon!
The Last Thing he Told Me by Laura Dave
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It is not quite a thriller and more of a domestic drama but it kept me engaged on a 6 hour road trip and I really enjoyed the characters. This was a Reese’s Book Club pick earlier this year and it will be adapted for TV.
Rating – 4 Stars
Review – Full review coming soon!
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
I read this book in January so almost forgot I had read it this year but I loved it! This is a book that will make you fall in love with the characters. It is an adorable read but at the same time it is educational, thought provoking and eye opening. It is a story that will give you all the feelings.
Rating – 4.5 Stars
Review – Check out my review here.
What was your favorite book you’ve read in 2021 so far? Let me know in the comments!
Ahh I can’t believe we’re halfway through 2021! Such a great list. The Guncle and Olive are definitely two of my top reads this year as well!