Books Read in 2021

For those curious what all I read in 2021. Below is the list. Favorites or potential rereads are marked with an asterisk as well as the date I finished them. I’m also going to give a little summary of my thoughts or opinions for each book. Enjoy!

Rainbow Garden by Patricia St. John* 1/8/21

One of my childhood favorites, which was due for a reread.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes* 1/9/21

Absolutely loved this book. Definitely one of my favorite reads of 2021.

To Slay a Curse by Rae Graham 1/14/21

Not bad for a debut, but the style was lacking and I wasn’t too impressed. It wasn’t bad, but not a WOW book.

It Is Not Death To Die by Jim Cromarty 1/15/21

I had to read this one for school. There’s no way I would have read it otherwise. You couldn’t make a biography more terribly written or boring to read. It taught me almost nothing and was so hard to get through I finished it purely out of spite.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque* 1/16/21

A classic. Very heart-breaking.

Animal Farm by George Orwell* 1/18/21

I found it horribly amusing. And horrifically eye-opening.

The City of Snow and Stars by S.D. Howard* 1/19/21

Much better than I expected and gave me chills. (Which is rare.) For a full review, go check out my Goodreads. Excellent adult fantasy.

Into Shadows and Escaping Ash by Aria Brynn Miller* 1/31/21

Wattpad book by a friend. So many lines deserve to go on quote boards. Someone get this girl published. Her writing is like a dystopian contemporary fantasy Leigh Bardugo.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2/5/21

I read this for school and to understand the memes. Left me depressed and I don’t understand why people loved that period of society.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin* 2/6/21

Humorous and innocent way of portraying the evils of Soviet Russia.

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens* 3/19/21

Great classic. Loved it. Took me months to get through it though. Worth it, but it’s still a thick book.

Blood of the Seer by C.M. Banschbach* 3/26/21

Not gonna lie, this was my #1 anticipated release for 2021 and it did not disappoint.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows* 3/30/21

The Netflix film is better.

Faery Games by Stephanie Smith* 4/2/21

Another Wattpad friend’s book, this one was a whimsical novella set after her fantasy trilogy.

Daughter of the Sea by Dawn Davidson* 4/2/21

I’ve yet to read The Prydain Chronicles, but I enjoyed this fanfiction all the same.

The Water Child by Ellen McGinty* 4/4/21

A great debut set during the great Tokyo tsunami of 2011. As someone who was impacted in a small way by this event, I appreciated reading about it in this fictional story.

The Fiddler’s Gun by A.S. Peterson* 4/18/21

Love this book, second time reading it. American Revolution plus angst and the theme of family and belonging? Yes please!

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman* 4/21/21

This was a textbook for my government class, but I enjoyed it and can’t recommend it enough.

The Fiddler’s Green by A.S. Peterson* 4/25/21

Sequel to The Fiddler’s Gun, this one broke me. I can’t sing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing without coming close to tears.

The Last Werewolf by Dante Greywolf* 5/1/21

I am the last person to read a werewolf story, but this winning story for the Wattpad ONC contest deserves its prize. Amazing!!! Loved seeing Belgian folklore come to life in this.

The Walking Drum by Louis L’Amour 5/1/21

This was recommended by a dear friend. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Too much womanizing.

Burnout by Fallon Elizabeth* 5/3/21

Another story I wouldn’t normally read, but I enjoyed it a lot. Very sweet and whimsical.

Between Two Worlds by Cheyenne van Langevelde* 5/11/21

Yes, I read my very own debut in print for the first time.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson* 5/23/21

First book of The Wingfeather Saga. I was hooked.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame* 5/24/21

Another reread of a childhood favorite. I was able to appreciate it so much more this time around.

Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory 5/27/21

Entertaining if you read out loud, rather boring and repetitive otherwise.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis* 5/30/21

Classic.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis* 5/31/21

I was so obsessed with this book when I was younger. Don’t care for it as much now, but I still like it.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis* 6/1/21

See above.

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis* 6/1/21

Still am undecided whether this is my second or third favorite Chronicles of Narnia book.

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis* 6/2/21

This is my favorite Narnia book.

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis* 6/4/21

Also a great Narnia book. Probably my fourth favorite.

North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson* 6/4/21

The Wingfeather Saga continues.

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis* 6/5/21

This is the other one tied for second or third favorite.

The Story Peddler by Lindsey A. Franklin 6/8/21

Extremely dull and same voicing for every character. Did not enjoy at all.

The Loveliness of Christ by Samuel Rutherford* 6/14/21

Excellent read, graduation gift.

Broken Wings by Ellie Rose* 6/15/21

Another beautiful Wattpad novel from this girl. Her books need to be published asap.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell* 6/18/21

Classic novel, just as good as the TV miniseries. So many feels, so much angst.

The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson* 6/18/21

Binged this in three hours.

The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson* 6/20/21

Stayed up way too late reading this. Broke my heart but I love these books so much.

The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff* 6/30/21

Is it even a good year if I don’t read my favorite book of all time?

These War-Torn Hands by Emily Hayse* 7/3/21

Fantasy? Check. Western? Check. Arthurian legend? Check. Took me awhile to get into, but it’s still good.

Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans edited by Robert Palmer* 7/17/21

Excellent. That’s all I can say. Another graduation gift.

Oath of the Brotherhood by C.E. Laureano 7/28/21

I had high hopes for this book after being recommended it so many times. But was vastly disappointed. Sorry, I don’t like physical-attraction-centered romance. And so much wasted potential considering it is inspired by Celtic history and culture.

Rome and the Romans by Grant Showerman 8/14/21

Finally finished this book I used as my main research source for writing my debut. Full of information.

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson* 8/16/21

A reread, and still as powerful as ever.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury* 8/19/21

So far the only dystopian book I’ve read that doesn’t have a totally depressing ending.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 8/21/21

Creepy. Worth reading, but still creepy.

The Earth-Treader by Alissa J. Zavalianos* 9/5/21

Excellent debut, whimsical fantasy that needs to be turned into an RPG.

London in the Dark by Victoria Lynn 9/8/21

Still undecided whether I’ll reread. Needed stronger editing, but it’s a wholesome story.

Heart in the Highlands by Heidi Kimball 9/10/21

Cute, Scottish romance. But dang, the resolution wasn’t clear and mainly based on instant physical attraction. It’s a clean read, but not my cup of tea.

The Wishing Seed by Alissa J. Zavalianos* 9/12/21

Petition to re-release this as an illustrated book, please.

Third Winter’s War by Melissa Little* 9/23/21

The long-awaited climax to the Seventh Realm Trilogy was worth the wait. I guessed the ending since it’s similar to The Wingfeather Saga, but still had the feels.

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George* 9/30/21

This book was all over my Instagram. I don’t get the hype, wasn’t too impressed by the story. But the prose and narration style have my heart.

World Diver by Hailey Hanson* 10/9/21

Not a sci-fi fan, but this book was amazing. Excited for the sequel!

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw* 10/16/21

One of my favorite historical fiction stories. Set in ancient Egypt no less.

The Goblin and the Dancer by Allison Tebo* 10/19/21

Sweet story.

Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy 10/24/21

I wish I could say I liked this book. It’s extremely well-written and the detailed writing is stunning. But the content is not something I want to read again.

Dawnsong by Bryn Shutt* 10/28/21

This author’s style fairly sings its way off the page. Can’t wait to read more of her work!

The Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths, & Legends by Marc Alexander* 11/16/21

A birthday gift that took me almost two years to read. Excellent resource for anyone interested in studying myths of the UK and Ireland.

The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson* 12/3/21

This book was much more personal than Adorning the Dark, but impacted me in just as good of ways.

Endlewood by Alissa J. Zavalianos* 12/8/21

This was a beta-read, scheduled to release this year!

The Beautiful Ones by Emily Hayse* 12/16/21

I loved this sequel to These War-Torn Hands so much. Can’t wait for book three!

A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance* 12/18/21

Fascinating historical tale. Censored some minor language and romance stuff since I am keeping this book. Otherwise, I enjoyed it.

And there you have it! Have you read any of these titles? What books are you looking forward to in 2022?