2021 was a surprisingly good reading year for me! I managed to hit my Goodreads and Beat the Backlist reading goals, while reading more books than I did in 2020. I also started using StoryGraph more consistently throughout 2021, so I thought it would be fun to share some of the reading stats they generated for me, along with my favourite books of 2021!
StoryGraph Stats
The Numbers
Total Books Read: 80
Number of Rereads: 8, including an Infernal Devices reread in preparation for Chain of Iron
Average Rating: 3.7 stars (not bad!)
Total Pages Read: 30,122 pages, with most books (68%) being 300-499 pages long
It’s not surprising that the summer held my busiest reading months! I spent a lot of time laying on a picnic blanket in the park, with an iced coffee and a book – it was a really nice way to decompress after a busy work day.
The Charts
Reading Formats
Despite the pandemic, I didn’t read too many digital titles – most of the books I read were print, from my local library. The 3 digital titles that I did read were ARCs that I had downloaded from NetGalley.
Towards the end of 2021, I decided it was time to finally give audiobooks a try. I only listened to 3 audiobooks, but I did enjoy the change in pace from just listening to the same playlist over and over while out on walks. I’m excited to see how much this chart changes over 2022!
Genres
As always, fiction dominated my TBR in 2021. I read 6 non-fiction titles, about half of which were memoirs. I may have to add more non-fiction audiobooks to the rotation for 2022, since I would like to read more of it!
One of my goals for 2021 was to read more diversely, including across more genres. Fantasy and Romance have always made up a big portion of the books I read, but I’m glad to see that I’m reading across more age groups than just YA (which I still do love reading).
Top 5 Reads of 2021
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation made me laugh, restored my faith in the concept of soulmates, and left me sobbing in the park because of how emotionally resonant it was. Read my full review here.
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
This was a brutal but nearly perfect ending to a series that I have grown to love so much. I eventually want to reread The Poppy War, but I need time to emotionally recover from the first read through.
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle
One of the sweetest, most wholesome romances I’ve ever read. It brought much-needed levity and positivity to a pretty hard year!
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I am a huge Japanese Breakfast fan, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her memoir. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking, and as soon as I finished reading it, I called my mom to tell her how much I love her.
Sadie by Courtney Summers
I listened to this as an audiobook, and I could not put it down. It was like listening to a true crime podcast, and the ending hit me hard.
Wrapping Up…
How was your reading year? What books were your favourites?
