Hi. I’m finally getting on the ball about posting about my favorite books from last year as well as some stats on what I read. To tell you the truth, last year was a bit of an off year for me. My goal was to finish 70 books, but I ended up with 63, which I know is a small amount compared with many other bloggers. I had a couple slumps or downtimes in which I was either busy with travel, or needed to clear my head, so that is one reason I had lower results … as well as the fact that I was writing separate fiction reviews for Publishers Weekly, which took a lot more of my time.
That certainly slowed my reading down. When I read for them I practically have to memorize all the book’s details and write copious notes about them in order to write a cogent review in the style of PW’s publication … whereas with my own blog posts I can just wing whatever I want to say and my thoughts of the book, which is nice and less timely.
Anyways, below are my stats and the 10 books that sort of stood out to me. You can probably see where I need more work in balancing what I’m reading and which authors. I’m still primarily a female fiction reader who looks to diversify more geographically and racially. I improved though from last year so I am making progress in reading authors from different backgrounds and countries.
The titles that I read for Publishers Weekly unfortunately can’t be divulged as they are meant to be anonymously reviewed on PW’s site. It’s just one of PW’s rules that I have to follow, which is too bad. But I’ve listed my 10 favorite novels that I completed this year for this blog below. If I was pushed to say which one I liked best … I might say Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun … though I know others didn’t like it half as much as I did. There were just some scenes of Klara’s feelings to do right by her ill human Josie and her uniqueness and observations as an Artificial Friend (or robot) that made it seem special and poignant to me … especially the scene where Klara goes into the shed to ask the sun’s help to heal Josie, ahhh. No doubt I have a soft spot for Ishiguro’s novels, whose Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day are still favorites.
- 63 books completed
- 35 print or e-books
- 28 audiobooks
- 49 female, 14 male
- 54 fiction, 9 nonfiction
- 23 for Publishers Weekly
- 40 for The Cue Card
- 44 white authors, 19 non-white authors
- 31 American authors
- 14 U.K. authors
- 6 Asian born/raised authors
- 5 Canadian authors
- 4 Africa born/raised authors
- 3 Australian authors
1) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) – I was a sucker for the character of Klara (the Artificial Friend) and how she tried her best — along with Rick – to help the ill Josie.
2) Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (2020) — This novel opened up a whole new world of Shakespeare’s real life to me. How the author captured the family and their times was amazing.
3) A Burning by Megha Majumdar (2020) — This debut novel set in India about a bombing and its arrests is quite tragic in how it upends the three lives of the main characters, but I found it so well done. The talented author is one to watch.
4) Petra by Shaena Lambert (2021) — This novel by a Canadian author took me by surprise with its grip. It’s about a real life person – a Green Party founder and activist – whose life took a tragic turn.
5) Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (2021) — This debut was devious fun and a clever spoof of the publishing/writing world. Another very talented author to watch.
6) Passing by Nella Larsen (1929) — This classic (both the novel and movie) hit me hard with its story’s predicament and the harsh times the characters were living through.
7) The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (2021)— Although the first half of this debut novel worked better for me than the last section, I found it sharp, ambitious, and its tension well done. It’s darkly funny and scathing in parts. The author seems a talent to watch.
8) A Calling for Charlie Barnes by Joshua Ferris (2021) — This novel starts out quite amusing and takes a creative twist in the second half. I was impressed by the author and need to try a couple more of his books.
9) Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (2021) — This is a subtle novel but a bit alluring and affecting all the same. The woman’s psyche is going through a crisis of sorts and it simmers below the surface. In some ways it is like Kitamura’s debut novel A Separation, which I liked as well.
10) The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh (2021) — This historical WWII debut novel enticed me from the get-go and was something I didn’t know about Ireland during the war. It was also special since I got to do a Q&A with the author, which was fascinating.
That’s all for now. What did you think of any of these? I can’t wait to read a whole new batch of great novels in 2022. Onward we go.
I loved Klara as well. What a wonderful character! In fact, we have several books in common as among the best of the year. It was a good year for reading. Here’s hoping 2022 will be even better.
Yeah I agree Dorothy about 2022! I’m glad you liked some of these novels as well, especially Klara, Yay! Cheers.
Klara and the Sun was probably my favorite read of 2021, too. The character of Klara is a sweet one, with her mix of information about the world and her naivety about the workings of humans.
Yay Deb! … so glad you liked Klara. You’re so right how you describe her … she just drew me in hook, line & sinker.
If it’s any comfort, I think 63 books is a very decent number! In any case, I don’t think bookish targets are important, unless you have to make a living from reading.
Great to see your top books from the year and I definitely got some inspiration. So far I’ve resisted Hamnet, but I may give in sooner or later. Unfortunately, I was one of the readers who found Klara disappointing. The two Ishiguro you mention are my favourites as well.
Thanks Stargazer … I’m glad you think 63 is all right. It does give me comfort, ha. I know you had the same amount. Just too bad you didn’t like Klara better …. but I guess quite a few readers didn’t like her as well as I did. Ishiguro remains my go-to author. But I wonder if I should go back & read The Buried Giant … I skipped that one … but now thinking I should give it a go. I hope you might like Hamnet … I listened to it as an audiobook … and got into it. Cheers.
I think 63 books sounds wonderful! I suspect that many of us were ‘off’ in some way in our reading lives. I certainly was. I’ve not read any of your favorites, but I’ve had Who Is Maud Dixon? and The Other Black Girl on my TBR was quite some time. Maybe in 2022. Take care and hope your 2022 is wonderful in lots of ways!
Hey thanks Kay — great to hear from you. This pandemic continues to throw me off! But we try to move forward. Hope you are well and I’ll stop by your site soon. Happy 2022!
I loved Passing. And I have both Klara and the Sun and The Elephant of Belfast on my list to read this year. 🙂
Hey Lark …. Glad you also liked Passing … it packs a punch right? I think you will like Klara and The Elephant of Belfast whenever you get to them. Enjoy!
I know how you feel about 2021 feeling like an off year for reading. Though I had some that were really good, overall I’d say it was a lesser year with fewer books that loved and wanted to rave about.
I hope you have a good start to 2022 and that the year ends up being a success personally as well as reading-wise.
Thanks Helen. I’m trying to get better on track & organized this year about my reading etc. Less distracted. Hopefully it’ll be better. Wishing you a great year too!
Congratulations on reading 63 books last year – that’s something to be proud of, not apologise for!
Wishing you a great reading week
Thanks Shelleyrae. I really appreciate it. We do what we can! Have a great year.
I’d say that 2020 was my off year. I started and stopped so many novels that I would have loved at any other time. There was something about the start of the pandemic that made me find a lot of novels trivial. As 2020 went on, I got my footing back and by 2021, I had shucked that odd sentiment I’d acquired about contemporary novels.
No matter how much people tell me that it’s not the number of books I read that’s important, I still am happier when I make my way through a lot of them. Still, the books I take away the most from are those I spend time with, reading slowly, rereading while I’m reading, researching a little, making a few notes, talking about the stories with others.
Yeah Deb, I fall into the slow reader category … but I take a lot in too. I don’t tend to rush. Though I’d like to pick it up a bit. I’m glad you got back on track in 2021. I became distracted but hopefully can regain my footing this year. Though Omicron is making things crazy right now. But my drop off in a few weeks? We can only hope. take care.
You had a great year IMO and, lot’s of excellent books. I’ve read (3) from your favorites list and enjoyed them: Hamnet, Who is Maud Dixon? and A Calling for Charlie Barnes. I do want to read Klara and the Sun in 2022. Hope 2022 is a good year for you in all things.
Thanks Diane, nice of you to say. Yeah these 10 books especially hit the mark for me. You know I still need to get to Eskens Stolen Hours … which should be a joy. I hope you like Klara! Happy reading to you.
You read an impressive number of books! I know others read a lot more but still… I’m glad that Klara and the Sun impressed you. I would love to read it at some point. I only read 17 books last year, but 5 of those were well over 500 pages long, and 3 more flirted with the 500 pages mark. My 3 favorite reads of the year were The Magician by Colm Toibin, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, and Bewilderment by Richard Powers.
Yeah Carmen: you read high quality novels! Many of which are sooo long. I have yet to pick up a chunkster since probably the Goldfinch a couple years ago. I often avoid books over 400 pages b/c they take me so long, but I shouldn’t. I plan to read Bewilderment in the first half of 2022. I actually started it last year but then had to finish a book club book or something. Klara is a bit of a quiet subtle read in some respects … but still I came to love the character Klara. I’m always impressed by the books you take on, wow. What will be your first of 2022? Cheers.
When I was blogging I used to avoid chunksters due to posting schedules but now I draw the line at 700 pages or more… at least so far. 🙂 I spent the last week of last year and the first week of the new in a daze, sampling ARCs of new releases and not in the mood for any, until three nights ago I picked up The Master by Colm Toibin, a backlog that was shortlisted for the Booker and it’s in the same vein as The Magician. It’s engrossing, though from what I’ve read so far I liked the latter more.
So The Master is about Henry James? Toibin is really getting into writing these kinds of books eh? They seem quite interesting. Though maybe Thomas Mann makes a better subject … hmm. I wonder who he will choose next. Let me know what you think of it … and happy reading.
I haven’t read the book Passing, but saw the movie.
I need to check out these other titles!
I’m impressed with your Publishers Weekly reviewing.
Enjoy your week and your upcoming reads.
Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
Thanks Laurel. PW reviews are good practice for my brain. But it takes away from my regular reading. The Passing movie I thought was quietly powerful as were the performances. Hope you liked it. Have a great week.
I am always in awe this time of year hearing about how much others have read in a year’s time. Sixty-three is a lot! And look at all the quality reading you did! I stuck with mostly lighter fare this past year which seemed to serve me well. A Burning sounds amazing. I hope your reading year this year will be a good one!
Thanks LF. I guess I try for reading 60-65 books a year. That’s about what I can manage. I’m going to try also for more literary reads … try to keep up the quality if I can. The debut A Burning was really well done. Good luck for your year!
You had a great reading year, especially considering your work for PW. I imagine that, as you say, those reviews are pretty time consuming. Of your top 10, I’ve read three and I’m familiar enough with a couple of others that I may still end up reading them at some point. Klara and the Sun is just a great book, and I loved it even with its terribly sad ending. I also liked The Elephant of Belfast a lot, but Who Is Maud Dixon? left me kind of cold because I despised both the main characters. I found myself hoping that they would destroy each other in the end…first time I’ve ever not enjoyed a book solely because of the unlikable characters. I’m usually better than that…Ha!
Hi Sam: I can see where Maud Dixon would leave readers cold b/c of the two main characters … they are both bad people ha. But I guess I just admired how the author set up the story which I thought was clever. But the story gets pretty crazy as it goes on! I’m glad you liked Klara a lot and Elephant of Belfast. Klara was my top choice. I’m looking forward to hitting a lot of good ones this year! Happy 2022 and reading to you!
We read about the same number of books last year, but I’ve only read one of your ten – Passing. It was excellent! Most of the others are on my list, so we’ll see how many of them I get to this year. 2020 was my awful reading year… things rebounded this year. I tend to read around a book a week, so was pretty happy when I hit 61. I’ll look forward to seeing where your reading takes you this year!
Thanks JoAnn. I too read around a book a week … and that suits me well. But I was a bit off this year … and hoping to rebound. You read the Franzen novel which I want to get to. Happy reading to you in 2022.
Sounds like you had a good reading year! I always like to see the stats that readers keep. For 2022 I want to track the location and time period of the books I read.
Passing is on my TBR and I look forward to reading it.
Have a great week!
Thanks Gretchen. I list my books on Goodreads but only seem to count my reads and all their details at the end of the year … so it’s always a bit of a surprise to see. I hope you have a fun reading year in 2022!
I looked at that picture of your backyard and it reminded me of mine when we lived in Nebraska! The trees are a bit taller, but we had a similar path toward the fence and with the snow, it really does look like our yard in Lincoln. How odd!
Hooray for 63 books! That must be the magic number of 2021. I think JoAnn read that same amount! We’re all kindred spirits. 🙂
Are you still writing reviews for PW? That sounds quite challenging. I’ve looked back on some of my early reviews and they were much more extensive than in recent years. I definitely read more female authors and very few translated works in 2021. I am also low in my diversified reading, but I really do just want to read what I want to read. I’m trying not to let the word “should” enter in to my choices this year.
My book group is reading Klara and the Sun later in the year and I can’t wait. It sounds like such a wonderful story. I’ve yet to read anything by Ishiguro, but I have seen the film version of Remains of the Day (twice), which I loved. I have a copy of Never Let Me Go in my stacks, so maybe I’ll get to that one, too. I also have a copy of Hamnet on my “Must Read in 2022!” shelf. I meant to read it last year, but the time got away from me.
Here’s to a great year of reading and friendship.
Yay Lesley! We are kindred readers, getting about the same amount per year. I hope you like Hamnet and Klara this year. I’m hopeful to get to other high quality ones I missed. It’s okay to read what you want to read. More enjoyable that way. That photo is of our front yard … but we have quite a few trees — more aren’t pictured there. It’s an okay front yard as it muffles the street noise. We are a bit more in town than we’d perhaps like. Have you returned to Lincoln lately?
And the PW reviews are a bit challenging … who knows how much longer I’ll last. We’ll see. I like my editor there. Here here to more reading & friendship in 2022!
We have not been back to Lincoln since we moved. Shocking, right? We’ve had several friends come out here to visit, so it’s not like we haven’t seen people from NE. We just have so many other places we want to explore in the RV, so Lincoln isn’t high on our list right now. 😉
I can imagine that the PW reviews take a lot more thought and effort, but it’s good that you have a good editor. I’m just sorry we don’t get to read those reviews of yours.
I know Lesley, right? I think it’s a bummer that my PW reviews have to be kept secret. Bahhh. I don’t know why but it’s all supposed to be anonymous. Grrr.
Anyways it is a surprise you haven’t been back to NE … but I know there are many other places to want to go. Though I wonder if the pandemic has taken some steam out of our travel plans for good. We’ll still travel but perhaps not as much. Hmm. Cheers.
It sounds like you read a lot of really good books! I have Hamnet and Passing on my TBR list. I hope I like them as much as you did.
Thanks AJ, I got a few good ones in but I need to get to others I missed! I hope you like those two books. I’ve gotten some book titles off your site to read that you listed coming out in 2022. Thx for the heads up. Have a great week.
I loved Hamnet too–so different from what I expected. I will always think of Anne Hathaway as she is portrayed in this novel. Such a powerful character.
Hey Jane, thanks for your input. Yeah I agree Anne is a big part of the book and I totally got a window into the family’s world through the story. Both the plague and how the relations worked & were affected then were fascinating. I loved the historical aspects. Perhaps I should read more from Maggie O’Farrell.