2021 is officially over. It was another strange, scary and unusual year. I wanted to mark my first post of 2022 by sharing the books I loved in 2021. In total, I read 84 books. I'm really happy as my reading was all over the place, with various life things. I cannot wait to see what books I'll read in 2022, but for now, it's time to share my favourites from last year.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I finally read The Secret History in 2021 and I can see why it is so well loved. These characters were insufferable and awful, yet I wanted to know what happened next. I was so invested in their lives that I read this massive book in a week, with almost the final half being read in one day. This book does have it's problems in that it's very white and doesn't really feature any characters of colour. I've also heard mixed things about her other books, but The Secret History marked a good start to my reading year. You can read my full review here.
The Poppy War by R.F Kuang
I am so annoyed at myself for not continuing this series sooner as I really enjoyed The Poppy War. Rin is one of my new favourite characters as she had a no nonsense attitude and felt very realistic. I now have the other two books in this series and I will be reading them this year. I also cannot wait for Babel by R.F Kuang to come out. This was my first time reading "adult high fantasy" rather than YA.
If We Were Villains by M.L Rio
This was easily my favourite book of the year. I think I've realised that I like messy characters in intense academic settings because this book blew me away. I read it in three days because I was hooked. I love the theatre backdrop and it was incredible. If M.L Rio writes another book I would run out and buy it immediately. I have two copies of this now, the normal edition and the beautiful special edition. Just fantastic. You can read my review here.
The Familiars by Stacey Halls
Coming in close as my second favourite book of the year, The Familiars was equally impressive. I am slightly biased as this is a story close to my heart, as it tells the tale of the Pendle Witches and my family is from Lancashire. I found the issues being discussed really important, really liked the characters and the gothic backdrop was beautiful. I wasn't the biggest fan of The Foundlings, but am interested to see what I think of Mrs England, Stacey's third novel. She has become an autobuy author for me. You can read my review here.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
I read this book in one sitting and it made me feel so happy from reading it. This was easily the most wholesome book I read this year, if not the most wholesome book I've ever read. I think it's a book for everyone and one that needs to be read more. Just so sweet. I hope Charlie Mackesy writes another book as this one had such an important message.
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
My final favourite of the year is a very hard hitting book. I love historical fiction and I love feminist books. This was a combination of both. It was brutal and gripping, yet whenever I sat down to read it, I found myself flying through it. The first book in a trilogy and I don't know how I'm going to wait until the second one comes out in paperback as that's a very long time away. You can read my full review here.
Honourable Mentions
I always like to do an honourable mentions section as these are some books I really enjoyed this year, but not quite as much as the ones above. I would recommend all the books on this list. Here are some quick reviews of my four honourable mentions:
- Flake by Matthew Dooley- a graphic novel about an ice cream seller in the North-West of England. Heartwarming and funny, made me laugh out loud and I really liked the art style.
- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell- very popular book about the lives of the people around William Shakespeare. Beautiful writing and I cannot wait to dive into Maggie O'Farrell's back catalogue of books.
- Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin- very satisfying conclusion to the Serpent&Dove trilogy, one of my favourite series of all time. Flew through this and can't believe their stories are over.
- Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia- some of the most beautiful writing I have ever read. I wish I was that talented. Historical, fantasy. It ticked all the boxes for me.
Those conclude my favourite books of 2021. What books did you enjoy last year??
