Hi, happy Wednesday!
If you’ve been following me for a while (or if you just saw my blog name, lol) you probably know that I like books! I’ve read 92 books this year, even though I only set out to read 52!
Anyways, I thought that, because it’s almost the end of the year, I’d tell you my favorite books I read this year.
When I first had this idea, I quickly thought better of it. How would I pick only my favorites?! I loved so many of the books I’ve read this year!!!
And because of that, I decided to only choose 10! This is going to be such a challenge, but it’s going to be fun to look through all the books I’ve read! I’m also going to count each series as one book, because I couldn’t just pick one book in that series!!!
My favorite books of 2021!
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
Genre: historical fiction
This book!!!! There are so many words to describe it: awesome, amazing, lovely, shocking, heartbreaking…so many! I absolutely LOVED this historical fiction book set during WW2! It was so amazing and heartbreaking…I would definitely recommend it. (There are so many great quotes too.)
“Some stories don’t have happy endings. Even love stories. Maybe especially love stories.”
— Kristen Hannah, The Nightingale
By Your Side by Kasie West
Genre: contemporary/romance/YA
This was the first Kasie West book I read, and now, she’s one of my favorite authors! This was a sweet, cute contemporary romance, with also some drama! It’s probably one of my favorites of her’s! Love it!
“It was hard to remember what I’d been so scared of. Being treated differently? Lack of acceptance? I was the one who hadn’t accepted myself for who I was. I was the one who needed to be comfortable in my own skin. I hoped I could do that moving forward.”
— Kasie West, By Your Side
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Genre: historical fiction/YA
I took so long to read this book, but I don’t know why! It’s absolutely amazing, not to mention sad and heartbreaking! I really loved the narrating of this book; it was really different and unusual, but I liked it! It’s another WW2 historical fiction, and there’s also a movie about it!
“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”
— Markus Zusak, The Book Thief
Lovely War by Julie Berry
Genre: historical fiction/YA
This is another historical fiction, this one set during WW1 and WW2. It’s an amazing story following two sweet romances! My sister and I even got my mom to read it, and she loved it! You should definitely read it!
“If music stops, and art ceases, and beauty fades, what have we then?”
— Julie Berry, Lovely War
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Genre: contemporary/ romance/YA
This series is soooo great! I loved them so much, that I stayed up until four one night reading one of them! They were all three amazing! I think that because it was a series and not just a standalone novel, I liked them even more, because I went through a lot with all of the characters!
You might have heard of the movies, which are on Netflix, too! I haven’t watched them (because my family doesn’t have Netflix), but I hope to watch them sometime!
“Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That’s the part of the risk. I don’t want to be scared anymore.”
— Jenny Han, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
“People come in and out of your life. For a time they are your world; they are everything. And then one day they’re not.”
— Jenny Han, P.S. I Still Love You
“I guess that’s part of growing up, too–saying goodbye to the things you used to love.”
— Jenny Han, Always and Forever, Lara Jean
The Shadow of the Bear and Black as Night by Regina Doman
Genre: YA/ Christian fiction/fairy tale retellings
I really liked these ones! The first was a really good retelling of the fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red”, and the second is “Snow White” I think. I found the characters really relatable and the story very compelling. They’re also both great Catholic books.
“Every once in a while you just have to decide to do something very crazy and very right–just to dare yourself to live. I don’t mean doing something stupid and destructive–just something fun and good and beautiful.”
— Regina Doman, The Shadow of the Bear
“Skin white as snow, hair black as night.”
— Regina Doman, Black as Night
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
Genre: YA/contemporary/romance
Another Kasie West book! (I just love her books!) This one was definitely one of my favorites of hers. It’s just so sweet and nice!!! Loved it!
“People easily accept things that they want to be true.”
— Kasie West, P.S. I Like You
A Curse so Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: YA/romance/fantasy
I loved this fantasy series! (Even though my sister hyped it up so much!) They were all three amazing, full of realistic and flawed characters, a story that makes you want to continue reading, and plot twists! I have a book review for the first one here!
“I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”
— Brigid Kemmerer, A Curse So Dark and Lonely
“Ah, yes, the most dangerous person at the party is the girl sitting alone with a book.”
— Brigid Kemmerer, A Heart So Fierce and Broken
“I will come back to you.”
— Brigid Kemmerer, A Vow So Bold and Deadly
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Genre: contemporary/ romance/ YA
This was such good book, although the ending…….😢😢😢 I like when a book has a meaning, and this one definitely does, although I can’t really say because it’ll spoil the end! I read Nicola Yoon’s other books, and I loved them too, although they didn’t quiet make it to the top!
“Given enough time, all love stories turn into heartbreak stories.”
— Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
All this Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott
Genre: contemporary/YA
THIS BOOK! I had so many different feeling while reading this: happiness, confusion, sadness, more happiness, DEFINITELY more confusion, HEARTBREAK!!! It was an emotional ride! But I ended up loving this book! I got my sister to read it, and she likes it too!
“Everything’s the same. It’s me that’s different.”
— All this Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott, All This Time
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Okay, I hope you liked this little mini review for each little book! I definitely read a lot of great books during 2021, but these are the ten that made it to the top! I would (definitely) recommend any of these books!!!
See you on my next post on Saturday!!!
Books and Hooks 