my year in books 2021

Hello!

Another year has passed, and so has another year full of reading books! This past year, I set the goal of reading 52 books (one for every week of the year). I tracked my progress on Goodreads (you can follow me via the link on the sidebar!) and passed my goal by reading 56 books!

Some statistics:

• My average rating was 3.9 out 5 stars. I typically give books the benefit of the doubt and have realized over the year that my rating system is rather skewed and is not really objective. Ooops.
• The average length of the books I read was 377 pages. Longer books were very enticing.
• I read a total of 21,139 pages (which does not count the hours I spent listening to audiobooks).
• The longest book I read this past year was Dune by Frank Herbert with 688 pages. It was also the most popular book on my reading list this year. I was heavily inspired by the movie trailer, what can I say?

Let’s compare the two books that “bookend” my reviews of the year. The first book I reviewed was The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson. This series was recommended to me by one of my friends. It’s a collection of rewritten fairytales that all take place in the fictional country of Hagenheim. I feel that it is heavily influenced by German and other western European cultures. Overall, while these books could be rated as “YA,” they are rather easy reads and have rather shallow plots and preachy morals at the end. A sweet, sappy fairytale, but still very cheesy and eh in quality. The last one was All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot. This is the second in Herriot’s memoirs and stories of his work as a veterinary surgeon in Darrowby, England. I began reading the series to prepare to watch the new PBS Masterpiece series that came out at the beginning of 2021. I was not disappointed. His writing is dynamic and illustrative, painting a picture of both the animals he took care of and the farmers. It was dreamy, cozy, and so wholesome.

Finally, here are three books I highly recommend you read in 2022:

1. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
   • An epic and entrancing reimagination of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, it takes Holmes and Watson’s descendants and places them in their own modern day mystery.
2. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
   • In this wholesome and satisfying picture of the English countryside through the eyes of a vet and his patients, I guarantee you’ll want to move to Darrowby and have afternoon tea on the Dales.
3. You’re Not Enough and That’s Okay by Allie Beth Stuckey
   • A rebuttal of all the world’s philosophies of “being yourself” and revealing the Biblical truth of relying on God and His word instead, Stuckey does an excellent job of breaking down the pervasive lies of the world – I also love her podcast!

That’s a year in review! What have you been reading this year? Let’s chat in the comments!

Gaby