This is a post that I love writing and find really hard to write, in equal measures! I want to talk to you about my favourite books of 2021, and I am determined to keep my list to 10 books Just 10. Can I do it?!
I find it so hard to make these selections as my tastes do vary and I think sometimes how much you enjoy a book can depend upon the mood you’re in at the time of reading it, don’t you think?
Fortunately, I keep a reading journal, so I can look back and reflect upon all that I have read this year. At the time of writing this, I have read 72 books in 2021, but the year’s not over yet so I’m sure to add a few more to that number before the year is out.
It’s been a good year for reading, I have enjoyed so many great titles and as always, I have read across a wide range of genres. I like to mix up my genres regularly, usually from one book to the next, it keeps things interesting.
I’d say most of my books are thrillers, historical, mystery, contemporary, chick lit, horror or romance. I read a few YA books too when the mood takes, and I like the odd paranormal or fantasy read. I rarely dip into sci-fi, dystopian or graphic novels, but never say never, I don’t close any bookish doors!
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I have chosen these as when I think back on them, I remember not wanting to put them down, or I feel that the characters and their stories have really stayed with me. Some of them made me smile, some of them made me cry and some of them had me gripped.
If you’re on the lookout for a few new books, then I hope this list helps you, as these have been my favourite books of 2021. I’ve popped a link to Amazon underneath each one, so you can take a closer look and check out the reviews there, if you’d like to.
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
This was one of the first books I read this year.
Having enjoyed The Flatshare, I had high hopes for it, and it didn’t disappoint.
I think I’d actually rate this one about The Flatshare, I just loved the characters and the grandmother/granddaughter dynamics and how they took to their ‘switched’ lives.
It’s a book sure to make you smile.
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
I really didn’t know what to expect when I started this one.
I was drawn to it as it revolved around a bookshop, and books about books always call to me.
It’s a slow burn at the beginning, then you’ll find you don’t want to put it down.
You’ll want to visit this small town in the US and get to meet all of the people who live there. They sneaked their way into my heart and I adored the community that shifted and changed throughout the book. It makes you think there is a perfect place for everyone.
The Book Club by CJ Cooper
Another book with books at the heart of it!
But this one is a very different premise, as this is a thriller that had me completely gripped.
It’s fast paced, and if I remember rightly I read it within a day or so as I couldn’t put it down.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
This is the YA book that convinced me to read much more YA.
I loved the main character, Pippa, and it was just so cleverly and brilliantly written, as she investigates and unpicks a closed murder case. Another book that I didn’t want to put down.
This one is the first in the trilogy, and I read the second one practically immediately afterwards and then waited on the pre-ordered third, which I then flew through. I actually rated all three of these books as 5 star reads in my journal, so well worth giving them a go.
The Holiday by TM Logan
This one was my first book by TM Logan, and I have since read another and will certainly read more.
This is an edge of your seat, unputdownable thriller, that keeps you guessing throughout.
If you’re looking for a book that will grab you and you’ll fly through, this is the one.
The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
We read this one recently as our book readalong, and I think every one of us would put this down as one of our top reads of the year.
The main character, Evie, was just so completely loveable and funny, it was impossible not to like her.
I enjoyed the backdrop to the story, 1960s Yorkshire, and I am already looking forward to the next Evie book.
Away With The Penguins by Hazel Prior
If I tell you that I read this book and then immediately searched for a sequel and pre-ordered it, you can probably tell how much I enjoyed it.
I like penguins, which is why I chose to read it, but really this book is about people.
The characters in this book are so well written, I just loved them and they have stayed with me.
I’ve seen it described as ‘heart-warming’ and that’s the perfect description for this one. Read it. You will be warmed!
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
This one is the third in this trilogy and I have loved them all.
It’s a romcom, though not a cutesy one, it’s sexy and sizzling and the characters all seem so real.
It had me laughing out loud and I adore these Brown sisters. Another one that I absolutely flew through.
The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fiona Valpy
The first few chapters of this book started to weave the story, and before I knew it, I was completely sucked in.
It moves between present time and the Second World War and it shares that time so evocatively, through the eyes of the main characters.
This is a book that made me feel and the story will stay with me.
Body Language by AK Turner
You know when you read a chapter and already know you’re going to enjoy it and absolutely love the main character? Yes, that’s why this one makes the list for me.
It was a perfect mixture of dark humour, with a mystery or two running through it keeping you turning those pages, and such a completely fabulously written main character, Cassie Raven.
Another one where I am eagerly awaiting the next book!
These are the books I have jotted down in my book journal as 5 star books. I have then been fortunate to read many 4 star books too, but if I shared those, I might get a bit carried away! I’m just pleased with myself that I managed to choose just 10!
Have you read any of these? Would any of them make your top reads of the year list?
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My favourite book of the year was “The One Hundred years of Lenni & Margot” by Marrianne Cronin closely followed by Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan. I really want to read more in 2022 as well
Ah, I have seen people mention that one but I’ve not read it…yet!