End of the Reading Challenge 2021!

I have finished the first part of my reading challenge for this year. It was always a bit of a conservative estimate for books I would read this year, but I wanted to set myself something that was doable, rather than feel that the challenge was turning into a bit of a chore. I’ve continued with having my husband pick out random books for me to read, which I have really enjoyed, as I have not had to sit in front of a bookcase and go – “What now?”

My TBR pile has grown though, and my plan of not buying any more books hasn’t really worked – but oh well! More bookcases are on their way!

So, as with last year, I thought I would rate my top five and bottom five books for the year, and use the same genres as last year to pick out my favourites!

Five Best Books of the Year:

1. Yours Cheerfully – I loved this book! It was the sequel to one of my favourite books ever and had everything that I love – WW2, humour, romance, intrigue and a really lovely female friendship.
2. Magpie Murders – This book is one that is definitely better than its sequel, and I have waxed lyrical about it to friends and family members alike. I loved the mix of modern and ‘golden age’ mystery.
3. Middle Earth: From Script to Screen – I really enjoyed how the book showed the immense hard work that went into the films and the way that it always focussed back on the lore of JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece. It also reignited my love of the films and books – so yay!
4. The Good Hawk – a beautifully written fantasy, set in Scotland, my favourite place in the world. I loved the inclusiveness of the book, with its beautiful portrayal of a girl with downs syndrome as our main heroine.
5. A Thousand Ships – this year, I have really got into books that are feminist retellings of Greek myths, and in my opinion, this was the best of them. I loved how all of the different female characters were shown throughout the story.

Five Worst Books of the Year:

1. Shadowplay – couldn’t get into it, and didn’t really understand the story. I didn’t really care about the characters and I couldn’t bring myself to listen to much of it.
2. Priestess of the White – usually I love fantasy books, but this one just wasn’t for me. I didn’t really like the characters, and found the story really hard to follow. It isn’t one I will be trying again – life’s too short.
3. The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow – not a massively bad book, but just one that I couldn’t picture myself continuing to enjoy as it continued. The characters were a bit two dimensional and I didn’t really like them!
4. Grimm Tales for Young and Old – excellent narrator, but the stories were uninspiring.
5. The Wicked King – After the Cruel Prince, which I really enjoyed last year, this book was one that I was looking forward to but unfortunately didn’t meet the potential of the first one.

And now, my favourites of each genre (not including the ones above)…

Favourite History Non-Fiction: The Volunteer

Favourite Feminist Non-Fiction: Toksvig’s Almanac 2021

Favourite Other Non-Fiction: Poirot – The World’s Greatest Detective

Favourite History Fiction: Romanov

Favourite Crime Fiction: A Quiet Life in the Country

Favourite Fantasy Fiction: Priory of the Orange Tree

Favourite Drama/Romantic Fiction: Pursuit of Love

As with last year, my plan is to continue my blog (and the podcast that goes with it) into the rest of the year. I’ll continue rating them out of five, and my aim is to try and read 100 books by the end of the year. Let’s see how I go!