Well, friends and family, it has been about 9 months, 3 quarters and approximately 40-some books later, but I’m back in action with highlights from my 2021 reading list!

If you follow me over on Instagram you got a wealth of curated content right before year’s end on my stories, that I will reshare with some additional favorites and highlights.

Did I meet my goal?

No I did not. I read about 47 books. I say about because I did a really poor job of tracking via Goodreads this year. It’s something I will look to improve on in 2022. As a result, my goal for this year remains at 52. I’ll move it once I hit it.

Favorite nonfiction

My favorite nonfiction book of the year was Hidden Valley Road. THIS BOOK blew my mind. From the family dynamic to the fact that a family can have 12 kids, 10 boys, all of whom end up diagnosed with schizophrenia is a whole level of nerd I didn’t even know I could get to.

This was a book that I read in my question read all of the New York Times top 10 books of the year, so just another plug for pushing yourself out of your reading comfort zone to read new challenging things. You’ll never know, a book from the list might even end up being your favorite from those 12 months! Find 2021’s list here.

Favorite fiction  

My favorite fiction book of the year was The Four Winds. Kristin Hannah is a god amongst women, I treasure each page of every novel of hers that I have read. She is adept at character development and skilled at bringing in truths from whatever time period and culture she is writing about, all the while providing for an excellent storyline that keeps you guessing. Seriously, just pick up every book she’s written whenever you have the opportunity.

This book came across my radar as part of Book of the Month, though I’m sure I would have found my way to his book given my fondness of her without it, I love when I can revisit authors I love with the subscription.

Favorite, period

Out of all 47 books that I read this year, my favorite one to read was Beach Read by Emily Henry. I read a good deal of books this year, books that helped me grow as a person, What Happened To You?, books that challenged how I see the world, Homeland Elegies and How We Fight for Our Lives, and books that were simply fabulous, The 7 ½ Deaths of Eveyln Hardcastle, but Beach Read came to me at a time when I needed her most and, for that, she makes an outsized impression and gets my vote for favorite, bar none.

How did you do in your year of books?

*This post contains affiliate links.