Since the start of the pandemic and the introduction of our book club at the office, I have been, at times, face-first in my books. Before 2020, it seems I never had time to read, despite my best attempts at hitting my measly Goodreads Reading Challenge goals. This often frustrated me because I loved reading as a kid. It passed the time and sparked my interest in becoming a writer. Getting lost in other worlds, especially in the romance genre, had been my passion growing up. But as they say, life happened.
Now, as I’ve spent the last twenty-one months mostly at home and not traveling or running around on the weekends as I usually would, I’ve found more time to read. I’ve also bolstered my home library with an extraordinary amount of books. Between the YouTube vlogs I watch regularly, the advertisements that hit my eyeballs on a regular basis, and my natural desire to shop for books, I have outgrown my bookshelves this past year. I’m not one to purge a book after I’ve read it, but my goal for 2022 is to donate books I know I will never read again. Truth be told, I have never read a book twice. But there are some books that I’ve read this year that I will probably never part with because they were just that good.
Below are my top 6 books of 2021 that have found a permanent home on a horizontal surface until I get another bookshelf for my home library.
#6
Truth or Dare by Danielle Allen
I learned about this book from Jess at Peace Love Books. She is an avid reader and posts books she’s read throughout the month. She mentioned this book in multiple videos and I liked the premise so I gave it a read and loved it. The lead character meets up for a reunion with her friends from college - a group that vowed not to date one another because they didn’t want to ruin their friendships and make it weird. Needless to say, when she sees our hero for the first time in years, looking all buff and unbelievably hot, she doesn't think she can keep her vow. It was a quick read but nonetheless fun.
#5
I was one of “those people” who saw all the hubbub about this book (along with the author’s follow-up, People We Meet On Vacation) and read both back-to-back. While I was not a fan of the follow-up, Beach Read was great. First of all, the main character is a romance writer. While living in a beach house for the summer, she strikes up a relationship with a fellow writer living next door. They are both in a rut and decide to try writing the other person’s genre. Their banter was fun and I enjoyed how they got out of their comfort zones and ultimately, fell in love.
#4
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Some of you may know that Christina Lauren is not one author, but two. I love the idea that two women work on a novel together because I have first-hand knowledge that writing is hard, and having someone to bounce ideas off of can be ultra helpful. This was the first book I have read by them and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it. Enemies to lovers may be my favorite trope and in this book, the two characters are stuck on a honeymoon meant for their friends when the newly-married couple gets food poisoning. They head to Maui, fully intending to have separate vacations, but end up assuming the role of a married couple. It’s a fun read, and I look forward to reading more by Christina Lauren.
#3
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I am the first to admit that I have never considered myself a fantasy reader. I always figured the genre was akin to science fiction, and it would have terms and a lingo that I wouldn’t be able to grasp. How wrong I was after reading thsi book by Sarah J. Maas. Spoiler alert, the other book I read by Maas is my number one pick for this year. Similar to the enemies to friends trope, the main character makes a huge mistake and is taken captive by an immortal fairy who has been condemned to wear the face of a beast. She goes from hating the man fairy to helping him save his kingdom. The suspense was fantastic. I did read the second book in this series, which was equally as good, and hope to read the third in 2022.
#2
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Thanks to the members of our book club at the office, I picked this book up just a few months ago and fell in love with its thought-provoking premise. Admittedly, the story starts in a dark place - the main character has decided to take her own life. She is sent to a place called the Midnight Library where she is allowed to try out other versions of her life. It makes you think of all the choices you’ve made in your life, what if you had zigged instead of zagged. It also makes you think, when you have those moments of “what was I just doing?” as if you’ve had a brain freeze for a second, that those are the times your alternate self is visiting to see how your life turned out. It was deep and beautiful.
#1
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
I started reading my top book of the year in 2020. At 800+ pages, and a fantasy novel no less, I had not expected to love it as much as I did. If I were ever to re-read a book (and as I mentioned, I have never done that in my entire life), this would be the book. As my first entry into the fantasy genre, this story is part of a series and I cannot wait or the next book to come out (February I believe). I never thought I would fall in love with angels, demons, and fairies like I did with this book. Much like the other book by Maas, the main character is key to saving the world. The story was easy to follow, especially for someone like me who had never read fantasy before. And it was very romantic in the sense that you want the two characters to find their happy ever after. But it’s not a romance. It’s full of adventures and moves at a pretty good clip for a behemoth of a book. I highly recommend it if you love fantasy or ever wanted to dip your toe in the fantasy waters.
As we close out the year, I have a stack of books on my coffee table that I want to read over the next few weeks. If any of them stand out, I will post about them on my Kelly Duff Writes Facebook page. In the meantime, I’d love to know what books stood out for you in 2021.
Until next month (when I’ll recap my crazy, and I mean crazy, year),
XOXO