My Reading Year, 2021

Total number of books: 123
# Rereads: 56 / 46%

# Physical Books on my Shelves by End of Year: 1213 (-64 ...thanks to my MAJOR declutter in August)
# TBR: 213 (+12 ...I'll DEFINITELY need to do something about that this year!)
Longest Book (not counting fanfics or omnibusses): Blue Smoke - Nora Roberts (440 pages)
Shortest Book (not counting short stories or graphic novels): Wine's Up? - Wendy Meadows (104 pages)

Average rating: 3.9

Best New Series:
For the Love of Purple by Audrey Faye. But then, I love pretty much anything she writes!
Love Lines by Cara Bastone. I've read two so far, and they were both very, very sweet.

Abandoned Books
None, but I have some on my "currently-reading" shelf that I probably ought to abandon... at least temporarily.

Worst Book(s) of the Year
* Bear, Otter and the Kid - T.J. Klune. I was so disappointed by this! I usually love everything he writes!
* The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary. Waaaay too depressing for what I thought was supposed to be a feel-good book.
* Little Lady Agency - Hester Browne. I was listening to this as an audiobook, but ended up finishing this as an e-book, as I just couldn't stomach any more of Melissa's father or her insecurity.

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Awards: Worst Book That Everybody Raved About: "Under the Whispering Door" by T.J. Klune. I didn't dislike it, but just found it very average - and since everybody else seems to rave about it, that was very disappointing.

Best Book I Would Never Have Read If Somebody Online Hadn't Told Me To: "Magic Uncorked" by Annabel Chase. Unfortunately I can no longer remember who told me about this 'midlife magic' genre (Paula? I think it was probably you?), but I was instantly interested, and fortunately this, my first forey into that genre, was right up my aisle!

Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): I didn't really travel all that far this year, so I guess it will have to be "The Holiday Cruise" by Victoria Cooke, read in the summer house Mum and Dad rented in Jutland.

Book that took you the longest to read: "The Selected Journals of LMM, Volume 1". Granted, I read this in fits and starts, but it took me half a year to read.

Book you read on your birthday: "Oddball" by Sarah Andersen. An ARC I received of a new comic by one of my favourite authors.

Book you read in 2021 but already want to re-read: "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir! I basically considered turning right around and starting all over again the minute I finished it.

Most books read by one author this year:
Counting rereads: Debora Geary (21 as herself, another 5 as Audrey Faye)
Not counting rereads: A tie between Audrey Faye and T.J. Klune (4 each)

Favourite new author you discovered Mhairi McFarlane.

Biggest Tear-Jerker: "Last Night" by Mhairi McFarlane.

Epic that Completely Captured my Attention: "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. Not sure that it quite counts as an epic, but at almost 500 pages, it's certainly not SHORT either!

Best Memoir: "The 52 Week Project" by Lauren Keenan. Half memoir, half happiness project. Granted, I'm definitely biased (I featured in the book on numerous occasions!), but I'd like to believe I'd have loved it anyway, as it's up my aisle, even putting aside the fact that the author's one of my best friends.

Best Travel Book: "The Little Brooklyn Bakery" by Julie Caplin. I know it's fiction - and not even high fiction at that! - but the book made me feel like I was in NYC while reading it - and that's quite a feat!

Best Paranormal for Grownups: "Magic Uncorked" by Annabel Chase. Apparently there's an entire genre of people finding magic in their 40s. This is the only one I've read so far, but I loved it and am DEFINITELY going to look out for more!

Book you said you'd come back to but still haven't picked up again: "And All the Stars" by Andrea K. Höst. I started reading this back in April, and still haven't finished. It's even a reread and I loved it the first time I read it, so I have no clue what's happening here. Wrong book at the wrong time, I guess.

Book read the quickest after receiving it: "The Beginner's Guide to Loneliness" by Laura Bambrey. I started it 10 minutes after purchasing it, and finished it in less than 24 hours. Definitely a case of right book at the right time.

Book you wish you could go back and read for the first time again: "A Modern Witch" by Debora Geary. *sigh*

Book you "pushed" the most people to read: "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. I started raving about it even before I finished it, and have currently pushed it to 3 sisters, 1 niece, both parents and 3 colleagues! :-D

Book you're most excited about in 2022: "Meet Me In the Margins" by Melissa Ferguson (expected publication: Feb 15th). Granted, I've read it already, but I loved it so much that I can't wait for it to be published, so I can push it on everybody else as well. Also, I want a physical copy for my library :-D

Currently Reading...

A common question I often get asked is, "So, what are you reading at the moment?" Sounds like an easy question, right? Yet my answer very much depends on who asks, and how long an answer I think they're looking for ;)

See, I'm never reading just one book. I know there are readers who can't cope with (or simply don't want to) read more than one book at a time. I'm the complete opposite. I can't cope with ONLY reading one book. I think a typical average number would be somewhere between 4 and 6.

Exceptions to the rule are when I'm off on vacation - there I usually only read one book at a time. Don't know why, other than that it would be too much of a hassle to bring along THAT many books ;)

There are several reasons for why I read several books at a time. The first (although this is not quite as true as it used to be) is thta I get bored with reading just one book at a time. I need variation, so though there are days where I honestly only do pick up one book, I usually read a bit of at least 3 on any given day.

The second reason is that I need different books for different occasions! So generally it's not that I feel like reading and then arbitrarily decide which book to turn to - it all depends on the time of day, where I am, and what I'll be doing while reading. I don't want to lug around heavy books on commute, and I obviously have to pick an audiobook for 'reading' while doing the dishes.


So! In case you're wondering what I'm reading and the moment and why, I'm here to satisfy your curiosity!

Book 1: The "for my entertainment" book
There is usually one book that I consider my "main" read. Either this is because it is the book I'm most interested in reading just now, or it's because it's the one I need to finish first (in the case of an ARC or a library book that has to be turned in soon). If I don't think you really care about all the details, this is my stock answer to the "What are you reading" question.
The Physician by Noah Gordon
A reread - I think it's the 5th or 6th time I'm reading this. I love historical novels, and though I have no clue at all how accurate it is, I still find it fascinating. I'm currently debating whether or not to continue with Shaman once I finish. They're LONG books though (700+ pages), so they take awhile to get through - even for me ;)

Book 2: The audiobook
Ever since I discovered audiobooks, I've had one on my mp3-player to listen to on my bike ride to and from work. If it's an interesting enough book, I'll also have it on while shopping, doing dishes or other mindless chores. Audiobooks can't be too heavy, as I can't give them my full concentration all the time.
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
One of those books I saw ALL the time on "Paranormal" book tables in book stores. I found it on audible and decided to give it a try, and it's actually not half bad. Quite entertaining, and not nearly as predictable as most books of that ilk.

Book 3: The commute book
Though I usually bike to and from work, sometimes I get lazy or the weather is too bad or my bike's in the shop, and I have to take public transportation. Of course I have to have a book for that occasion too! Ever since I got my e-reader, it's been an ebook, as they're so much easier to lug around :)
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Though this has mostly received bad reviews from my friends, I've been intrigued by it ever since before I saw the musical. I decided I might as well give it a shot, and am actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I only have another 150-200 pages to go, so I'm pretty sure I'll finish it.

Book 4: The book I HAVE to read but simply can't get through
This is usually a book I have to review, a book for a book club, or a book that I for whatever other reason feel like I have to get through, but which doesn't hold my attention enough to end up in the "Book 1" category. So I set myself a set number of pages a day/week and plod my way through it as best I can.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
I received this as an ARC as it's being considered for translation into Danish, but really can't make myself read it. I'm only a couple of pages in, but so far nothing about it appeals to me - not the writing style, not the characters, not the plot. I'll give it another 30-40 pages and then tell my publishers I had to give up. Thank goodness for that "boredom-clause" in my contract! :D

Book 5: The Book I WANT to read, but have currently abandoned
The book I have no real reason for not getting on with, but due to the other books being slightly more interesting (or more pressing), it's been put on the back burner.
The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic
A slightly more scientific approach to synesthecia. It's interesting enough that I want to finish it, but unfortunately not interesting enough (and a tad too dry) to hold my attention. It's a library book though, so I have to finish by August 2nd. I may or may not give up - haven't completely decided yet.
If you've read this, and can let me know whether or not it's worth pushing through, I'd love to hear it!

Book 6: The inspirational book for mornings
That elaboration should become apparent in a minute ;) I try to hold a morning devotional every weekday morning, and read an inspirational book for about 10 minutes.
The Hippopotamus in the Living Room by Tommy Hellsten
Yes, I know it's usually called "The elephant in the living room", but it's not my fault that's not what the title is! An interesting book about children who've grown up with abusive and/or alcoholic parents.

Book 7: The inspirational book for evenings
And there you have the explanation ;) I try to read a few pages in bed each evening before going to sleep.
The Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Gretchen Rubin went on and on about this autobiography in her book, so I became intrigued and went out and bought it. I'm not that far into it yet, but so far I like it. It's interesting.

Book 8: The Bible
Hopefully selfexplanatory. I try to read a bit of the Bible as often as possible. At the moment I'm reading the Psalms for my morning devotion, and we're reading Galatians for Bible study.

Of course I don't always have books for every one of these categories. Books 1, 2, 6 and 8 I'll have at any given moment (although sometimes 6, 7 and 8 - or any two of those - will be the same book), but the others come and go as circumstances demand. Just a lucky coincidence that I actually have all 8 at the time of posting this! :D