Before 2021, I was in the longest reading slump of my life, no exaggeration. I started to wonder if I could even call myself a reader anymore. I couldn't finish a new book to save my life and my local library was so small that I had a hard time finding anything I was interested in within their limited selection. But I've always loved to read and write, so the fact that I was losing these lifelong loves of mine was really upsetting to me. I told myself that 2021 was going to be the year that I was going to rediscover my love of books again. So I set a Goodreads goal of 12 books for the year so that it wouldn't be too overwhelming and I could slowly jump back into reading. Well, according to Goodreads, I've read 39 books this year. So I definitely surpassed this goal.
I read some incredible books this year. I didn't love every book I read but that's okay; not every book is for every person. I read books that I've known about for years and books I've never heard of until this year. It was a very mixed bag and I'm really proud to say that I can call myself a proud bookwork again. So I'm here today to talk about my favorite books of the year. If you haven't read these yet, I would definitely recommend that you go check them out!
1) The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand
This story follows Cassandra, a teenager that was adopted when she was a baby. It was a closed adoption, so she has no idea who her biological parents are. Her adoptive family has given her an incredible life but the story begins when her adoptive mother is in the hospital with a heart condition. Cassandra learns that letters were written to her by her biological mom when she was pregnant. So the book follows Cassandra's search for the letters while also balancing the guilt she feels for doing so while her mother is sick/in recovery.
The letters were definitely my favorite part of the book. I love when books do flashbacks or include written letters. It's always such a nice touch. I couldn't put this book down. Hand's writing was just so addicting. Her characters were so compelling and I was genuinely invested in the journey to find out about her birth mother. When the book was over, I was scared to read another one because I knew that I couldn't possibly love it as much as I loved this one.
2) Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Alosa, daughter of the elusive and powerful Pirate King, allows herself to be taken hostage aboard her enemies' ship while she secretly looks for a map for her father. While onboard, she falls in love with the ship's first mate and discovers that her life with her father might not be what she thinks it is.
This book was so much fun! I couldn't put this down. The banter between Alosa and Ryden was perfect. This book had everything, romance, humor, action, betrayal. Alosa's backstory was so interesting and it was perfect for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean (which I am). I immediately went to Barnes and Noble to pick up the sequel.
3) The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Avery Grambs is randomly left a billionaire's fortune, even though she never met him before he passed. The only condition for receiving the fortune is that she has to live in his mansion for a year. Unfortunately, his family is, understandably, very upset that they've been stilted in the will. While in the house, Avery receives death threats, becomes involved in a love triangle and tries to solve the mystery of why she was left the fortune in the first place.
This book had so many twists and turns. It was such a wild ride. I am not someone that's adept at solving puzzles or figuring out riddles, so every twist caught me completely off-guard. I loved the use of games within the story. It showed that the author really thought everything out beforehand. The characters had big personalities and they were so much fun to follow. I preordered the sequel immediately and also loved it.
4) Go the Distance (Twisted Tales #11) by Jen Calonita
This year, I decided that, since I'm such a big Disney fan, that I'd start reading the Twisted Tales series. I read 5 this year but this one was by far my favorite. This book starts out right after Hercules defeated the Titans. He tries to give up his rights to Mount Olympus to be with Meg as a mortal but his request is denied. So the only way for he and Meg to be together is if she becomes a god like Hercules. She is then sent on a quest to save her ex-boyfriend's wife from the underworld. If she can't do so before the time limit, then she can't be with Hercules.
This one was another book that was just pure fun. It was amazing to jump into this world and go on such an interesting adventure. I loved that Meg wasn't just saving someone random. This gave her a real challenge, to save the wife of the man she gave up her soul for. I could definitely see myself reading this again, which is more than I could say for some of the other Twisted Tales. I also picked up Mirror, Mirror, also by Calonita, this year (the Snow White Twisted Tale) and that one was also really good. But if you're looking for a Twisted Tale to start off the series, please go with this one.
5) The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
17-year-old Holly Chase is visited by 3 ghosts on Christmas Eve and shown the error of her selfish ways. The ghosts try to warn her that if she doesn't change her ways, that when she dies, there will be punishment. She ignores all of their advice and ends up dying shortly after their visit. As part of her punishment, she is doomed to live as the new Ghost of Christmas Past. She has her new job for a few years and goes through the motions until one day, she falls in love with the new prospect for Project Scrooge.
This was the first and only book that I read in a day this year. There is just something about Hand's writing that I find addicting. I wasn't even sure that I was going to love this book when I first bought it. I just picked it up because it was December and I wanted to read something about Christmas. I'm so glad that I gave this book a chance. I loved all of the characters, the wit, the world that Hand created and the ending. Hand definitely solidified herself as my new favorite author this year. If you've never read her books before, please pick them up. You won't be sorry!
Overall, I had a very solid reading year and I'm very pleased with all of the books that I was able to finish. What were your favorite books of 2021? Have you read any of my favorites? What were your thoughts?
-Chelsea
