My Reading Year 2021

Well 2021 was a year wasn't it? It was so much busier for me than 2020 and I think my reading suggested that. I also moved countries/continents and ticked off the final states I hadn't seen before leaving the US! 2021 was also a return to in person book events which was super exciting! See if you can see the trend in my reading as the year went on...

January

I read 19 books this month

I participated in Bout of books which was key to the amount of books that I read. 

I got a really good start on some of my review books for the year. 

This was my favourite...

February

I read 24 books this month.

I started reading Christina Lauren books with the lovely Hayley and read 1 of those each week. I read 3 book to movie adaptations. 

I took part in the 24 in 48 readathon and saved ebooks to read during that readathon.

These were my favourites...

March

I read 16 books this month (that's 20 less than March last year!).

I did the Kindle clear-out readathon which definitely helped focus my reading this month. 

I read Mike Gayle books this month after enjoying my author focus last month. 

This was my favourite...

April

I read 11 books this month and DNFd 1 book.

I had a lot of books surprise me this month either that I liked them more than I expected or that I thought I would like them more. 

I went on a plane for the first time since March 2020 thanks to being vaccinated and got to visit Powells books which was a lifetime dream of mine!

These were my favourites...

May

I read 21 books this month.

I participated in Bout of Books again this month which was such a great success for me!

I enjoyed reading this year's Quick Reads Books.

I did some author interviews on my channel and some buddy reads too.

Looking back, a lot of my favourites of the year were read in this month!

This was my favourite...

June

I read 17 books this month.

I did a graphic novel reading day...

I concentrated on books on my shelf I wanted to read before moving and honestly, I was disappointed by most of them!

This was my favourite...

Are you ready to watch my reading change now?

July

I read 7 books this month.

I moved from Denver, Colorado to Yorkshire, England...

I did quite a bit of reading on a plane this month, something that felt like getting back to normality for me.

My whole life changed and I don't think that reading was a priority for me this month somehow!

These were my favourites...

August

I read 4 books this month, again 20 less than this month last year.

I had to miss the big Bout of Books anniversary readathon which was tough but I just couldn't make that commitment.

I went on the Disney Magic at Sea UK staycation which was a massive highlight of the year for me.

I visited Dentist, hairdresser and many friends and places I hadn't seen in over 2 years!

This was my favourite...

September

I read 7 books this month 

I started teaching again (yey!) so I had more time to read on my commute (double yey!)

I started working again so I had less time to read at home

I reread 1 book (just like last year)

This was my favourite...

October

I read 10 books this month.

I did an awful lot of travelling and just generally spent more time in the car this month so I read audiobooks only!

I reread 1 book

Book vs movie videos took charge this month (just like last year!)

This was my favourite...

November

I read 14 books this month.

I did nonfiction November and read 8 nonfiction books

I also did Netgalley November and read 4 books for review yey!

Just like last November I feel like I stuck well to my TBR this month

This was my favourite...

December

I read 5 books this month.

I did Vlogmas a little differently, putting up weekly vlogs!

I posted a lot of book vs movie videos this month alongside the weekly vlogs.

I made a small TBR this month and stuck to it!

This was my favourite...

All in all I read 157 books this year which is just about half of what I read last year but I moved continents during a pandemic and went back to working full time again for the first time in over 5 years so I think that is a real achievement! I hope you've enjoyed this post and all my videos this year and I really hope that 2022 is better for all of us. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2021 28/12/21

      

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Ok I love and hate making this list in equal measure, just so you know, it basically starts off with about 25 titles on it and then I narrow it down to just over 10 and do my best to get it right down to just 10 but that isn't happening so here's my 11 favourite with 1 extra thrown in for good measure. 

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

And a special mention for my Christina Lauren reading marathon, my favourite of which was...

Top 10 Favourite Movies of 2021: Which Films Made The List?

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Vlogmas 2021 Week 3: Finishing Audiobooks, Seeing Spiderman, Prepping For Work & Bottomless Brunch!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Hope Santa Brings

      

Apologies that this is going up on Thursday instead of Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I always love this post every year because people never buy me books because I do have all the books but as a book lover, there are always more books that you want!

Favourite Books Of 2021 Q4-Which Reads Sneaked Onto Our Last List of The Year?

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Guest Review: The 12 Days of Christmas by Poppy Alexander

The most magical time of the year...

For the first time in ten years, Freya is back in the little village of Middlemass for Christmas. The streets might be twinkling with fairy lights, but after the recent loss of her mother, she's never felt less festive.

Forced to sleep under the same roof as her handsome neighbour Finn, Freya realises she's going to need a distraction - fast! So she sets herself a challenge: to cook the '12 Days of Christmas'. Her delicious food soon brings the villagers together, and as each day passes, old friendships are renewed, memories stirred and there's even the flickering of romance...

She was only meant to stay for the holidays, but could Middlemass - and Finn - steal her heart forever?

Review: This is the first book from this author that I have read. I am always looking out for new titles and writers when it comes to Christmas books, and when this one was recommended to me, I was pleased to add it to my list. I purchased the audiobook, which kept me entertained on a long car journey this December. It proved to be a compelling story, that helped make the miles pass in no time.

The main female character in the story is Freya, who finds herself back in her home village of Middlemass for the first time in many years. She has been living in Paris, where she is a sous chef in the kitchen of a world-renowned but demanding Michelin-star chef. Time off at Christmas is strictly forbidden, but this year, it is imperative that Freya makes her way home for the most tragic of reasons - to see her dying mother one last time. Feeling completely desolate after her mother’s death on Christmas Eve, Freya bumps into old schoolfriend Finn, who offers her somewhere to stay. To give her something to occupy her mind, he suggests that she could apply her cooking skills to making a dish each day that follows the gifts in the 12 days of Christmas song. Day after day, she produces amazing food along the lines of the song, culminating in a large gathering for old friends on 12th night. As the days pass, there is a growing attraction between Freya and Finn, but she’s not sure if this could become a lasting relationship. 

This is a wonderfully uplifting and heartwarming festive story, beautifully told. The characters are all well-developed and they and the situations are completely believable. We meet Freya at one of the worst moments in her life, but she is lucky enough to meet up with Finn who is so gentle and wholly understanding of her needs. I found the whole story very moving and so much more than a simple Christmas romance. The concept of cooking dishes connected with the words of the song was brilliant, and a clever way of distracting Freya from her feelings of guilt over staying away so long as well as her grief. Of course, the descriptions of those wonderful dishes had my mouth watering all the way through the book, and how kind of the author to add the recipes at the end. I can definitely recommend this book; I shall be on the lookout for more from its author.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Top Ten Favourite Books of 2021 Q4