On this final day of 2021, it’s time to reflect on the end of the year in reading! This is one of my favorite posts of the year to write as it helps prepare for a new reading year and get ready for the Best Of lists. I always intend on including my annual statistics in this post but never managed to do it before this year. Spoiler alert: if you like charts & data, you’ll love this post.
- 2021 Reading Statistics
- Year in Review Book Tag
- How do you feel about your reading goals for the year?
- New favorite author
- New Book Blogger you discovered this year?
- What is a new genre that you read this year?
- New Favorite Book Recommendation
- New Favorite Series (completed this year)
- What is a future re-read from this year?
- Biggest Surprise Read of the Year
- What is a book stuck in your head from this year?
- What are some books you wish you read this year?
- What is a book you wish you didn’t read?
- What is a book that impacted you?
- Lessons learned to apply to next year
End of the Year 2018 End of the Year 2019 End of the Year 2020
2021 Reading Statistics
For someone who had more than one 30+ day reading slump, I’m so impressed with the reading I was able to get done this year. (I’m currently wrapping up Twilight, so once that’s done I will end the year with 66 books!) Since I’m a data-loving gal who loves a good pivot table, I figured it’s about time I share the all the reading stats I compile throughout the year.
The Books by Release and Reading by Source charts show me I’ve been rather successful in my goal to split my attention between arcs and backlist. You can definitely see my slumps clear as day in the line chart of books per month… September and October were rough reading months for me but I’ve gotten my mojo back in December!
📝 Want your own reading charts without all the work? Download my free 2022 Reader Spreadsheet Template!
My reading’s definitely been dominated by Young Adult again, I just can’t get enough! I am excited to see Adult Fantasy getting more diverse and more non-cis male authors, so I look forward to reading basically all of Orbit’s catalog. I’ve also been much more successful reading more than only science fiction & fantasy!
Year in Review Book Tag
I decided to change tags (still haven’t been able to find the original creator for End of the Year done in years prior) to properly be an End of the Year tag rather than “preparing for the end of of the year” tag. I did a google search to see if there is a “Year in Review” book tag and TADA! Average Joe’s Library on Youtube created one this year and saved me from creating my own 🎉🎉🎉 The questions below are adapted from Joe’s Year in Review Book Tag on Booktube.
How do you feel about your reading goals for the year?
I feel pretty good about my reading overall. I always set my book goal to 52 books so I don’t stress too much about it but also have somewhat of a challenge still, and as of writing I’ve read 65 books in 2021! This is an improvement over last year where I read 56 books and in terms of quality it was pretty great.
I didn’t read anything below 3-stars this year and I love that I’m getting very good at choosing books I’m likely to enjoy. I only DNF’d two books this year and one of them was something I picked up on a whim because Ruby told me it was ridiculous and it was but it was also awful.
New favorite author
Welcome to my auto-buy authors list: Hannah Whitten, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and S.T. Gibson!
New Book Blogger you discovered this year?
*This is Booktuber in the original tag
I spent so much of 2021 in a blogging funk and as a result I haven’t really discovered or visited many new blogs 😭 but you should definitely check out Lay’s & Mackenzie’s blogs below!
I wish my blogging mojo would have come back sooner than it did but I am just thankful it has. Looking forward to meeting more bloggers in 2022 and beyond.
What is a new genre that you read this year?
I am basically a creature of habit but I have made a greater effort this year to break up genres while reading to try to avoid slumps & diversify a bit. I’m happy to see the romance and nonfiction slices growing a bit! In 2022 I definitely want to continue to read more of those genres and I’d love to see SFF go down a little bit in the occupation of my reading.
New Favorite Book Recommendation
I read a lot of good books this year I am recommending, but landed on these three as I haven’t seen them discussed much in the book community.
The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis swept me away to another time and place. I enjoyed the characters and world created, as well as the vivid and immersive prose. Fans of V.E. Schwab’s writing style will certainly enjoy this one. 📖 Read my spoiler-free review
The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi somehow appeared on my Kindle shelf and I’m so thankful because it was an absolute delight to read. This diverse and feminist reimagining of Pride and Prejudice made me cry happy tears and reminded me why I want to read more romance. 📖 Read my spoiler-free review
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw hit me in the feels with it’s mental health representation and exploration of friendships that kind of outgrow their welcome. I wasn’t expecting it! But it’s also a hauntingly written horror novella perfect for creeping you out. 📖 Read my spoiler-free review
New Favorite Series (completed this year)
*The rules on this one was that you just had to complete the series, not necessarily that it finished in 2021.
Curse of the Divine by Kim Smejkal was such a fantastic conclusion to the Ink in the Blood duology! I found myself on the edge of my seat while reading, the tension of the narrative just crept into my own veins and I needed these characters to be okay. This is one of the most immersive and developed fantasy worlds and is dark fantasy at its finest. Cast is effortlessly diverse. 📖 Read my spoiler-free review
My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows came out in 2020 and completed the Lady Janies trilogy, but I didn’t get around to reading it until this year. Yee haw, friends! This book was so much fun and I loved seeing the world of Edians across the pond and in a western setting. This book and series is an absolute delight. 📖 Add on Goodreads
A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna Emotional devastation wormed its way into my life with the conclusion of the Celestial Trilogy and to be honest? I’m okay with that because I love these characters so much and am thankful for the time I had with them. (Yes, Esmae and Sybilla and Max are all real to me, and I won’t be accepting criticism at this time.) 📖 Read my spoiler-free review
What is a future re-read from this year?
Ooohhh I love this prompt so much! 🤔🤔🤔 Any book I read that’s part of a continuing series I will need to re-read because I have the memory of a goldfish, but these books are ones I loved so much and expect to want to re-visit for funsies.
Biggest Surprise Read of the Year
Probably The Bennet Women. I went in without any expectations and was so pleasantly surprised at not only how fun it was to read but also how diverse the book is. My favorite aspect is the Darcy-inspired character had friends who didn’t coddle him and called him out on his bullshit behavior, which made for a more satisfying character arc as he caught feelings.
What is a book stuck in your head from this year?
If you follow me on Twitter, The Red Palace by June Hur should come as no surprise to you as I’ve declared it my new personality. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD and I literally cannot get it out of my head. I can’t wait for you all to be able to read it when it’s published on January 25th and my review will be up on the blog on January 9th!
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is an absolute delight, full of heart, and amazing growth for the main character and narrator Vanja. Little Thieves reads as if a friend of mine is just telling me a story over a pint (or twelve) or ale. Vanja’s story is one of constantly being alone and fighting against insurmountable odds.
For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten basically made me feral. It’s the Beauty and the Beast & Red Riding Hood -inspired mashup that I didn’t know I needed and has grown into my heart like a invasive vine. For the Wolf features a medium-burn romance with a broody and misunderstood guy, sisters who would do anything for one another, and an enthralling & lush writing style. Read my spoiler-free review
What are some books you wish you read this year?
This is a question that I could truly flood with answers because I wasn’t able to get to so many books this year! CAN I SAY ALL OF THEM? No? Fine.
I received eARCs for these three YA debuts and have since purchased finished copies… but I still haven’t read What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo, Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone, or Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood.
What is a book you wish you didn’t read?
Eh, life’s too short to read a book I’m not enjoying… that’s why I DNF (and I only had 2 of them this year).
What is a book that impacted you?
F*ck No!: How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can’t, You Shouldn’t, or You Just Don’t Want To by Sarah Knight is a book which gave me sooo many tools for setting boundaries in the workplace! I love this book. The narrative style. The puns. The snark. The flowcharts! Not only does this book delve into the various ways we can say no with hundreds of examples to choose from, but gets deep with the various reasons why we feel obligated to say yes.
Lessons learned to apply to next year
We love a good reflection moment! 2021 for me was a year of learning to let go of the inner perfectionist who likes to rule my life. I love reading and I love book blogging, but they aren’t the only things in my life and my biggest lesson was a bit about balance and going with the flow.
I put so much pressure on myself for everything, even hobbies, which eventually sucks the fun from everything. It’s okay to take breaks and do something else even if there’s this audience waiting to hear my thoughts: what I’ve learned is you all will be here when I’m ready. I’ve found I’m at my best when refreshed and don’t phone it in, and I think you all like my content better then, too.
I’m going into 2022 limiting the number of ARCs that I accept and focusing a bit more on my backlist. I don’t like the albatross around my neck of overdue ARCs and look forward to working on that backlog while still reading the books I’m most excited about.
What are the lessons you’ve learned in 2021? Have you read any of the books I’ve listed here? Let’s chat in the comments!
Congratulations on a great year of reading! A really comprehensive summary, thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, and here’s to an amazing 2022 in reading!
This is such a fun post to read! I admit I missed sooo many 2021 releases and barely aware of 2022 releases, unless the very hyped one. I think 2021 has been a meh blogging (and general) year for me so I’m trying to take it slow right now hahaha.
Happy new year, have a wonderful one!
Happy new year to you, Tasya! I don’t think you are alone in feeling meh and kinda disconnected in 2021? I basically ignored the Book World for new releases and whatnot for the latter half of 2021. Taking it slow is good, there’s plenty of books out there to read! Thanks so much for reading. 🙂
You sure had a great year of reading!
It definitely was a good year overall, thankfully I am good at choosing books I will enjoy! I hope you have a fantastic 2022, Wendy!
I never really noticed what genres you read from the most so that graph was surprising to me!
Wow, really?! I feel like all I talk about is SFF, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that I’ve been better about reading different genres. Thanks so much for reading and happy new year, Fadwa! <3
You did well. With everything that happened last year to interrupt the time we have to read, it’s amazing that any of us got any reading done.
😭😭 Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Mary! You are absolutely right, and I am doubly blessed because I read all good books!
wow, it’s amazing that you didn’t read a single book under 3 stars! i definitely enjoyed more of the books i read in 2021, but i can only wish to reach a point where everything is above 3 stars lol. faridah àbíké-íyímídé is definitely an author i also cannot wait to read more from after such a phenomenal debut!!
I KNOW I AM SO SURPRISED! Like, all my reads were at least enjoyable??? Love that for me. I honestly cannot WAIT to see what Faridah writes next because Ace of Spades was so damn good. HNY, May! <3
Love the post and your answers, Kal! And yes, I loved the charts and stats haha. I’ve read barely any of the books you mentioned because I’ve been doing my own thing this year for the most part instead of picking up new releases and requesting ARCs. It has helped me read a lot more romance and books from my country.
Happy new year!
Thank you so much, Sumedha! (Charts and stats are my lifeblood!) I plan on doing more of my own thing for the most part in 2022 as I have quite a big list of owned books on my TBR; hoping to find more balance.
Happy New Year, love!
That was a great year of reading!!!Lakesedge is also on my TBR!
Here’s to hoping we both enjoy Lakesedge, and everything else we read in 2022!
I loved seeing your end-of-the-year stats, Kal! 💕 So excited to read All Of Us Villains, it sounds fantastic and just what I usually enjoy 🥰 I also didn’t manage to read my eArc of Within These Wicked Walls in 2021 😅 Hopefully it’ll happen this year!
I’m so glad you enjoy reading the stats – they bring me so much joy!!1 I hope you fall for All of Us Villains too, the book was so good. Happy reading!
ah, I’m so glad you enjoyed the stats & data, Caro! I love nerding out about this kind of stuff. I hope you love All of Us Villains as much as I did and here’s to us reading Within These Wicked Walls this year!
I really like this tag! Sounds like you had a good year, even with a reading slump. I am also cutting back on ARCs this year (she says every year!), so we’ll see how that goes. Have a wonderful 2022, Kal!
It was a good year in spite of literal months at a time of not reading! It was nice to be kind and lean into other interests during them, at least. Here’s to hoping we both are better about ARCs in 2022@
lol yea, I totally feel you on being a broken record on the less arcs this year goal. I mean it this time, I think! Good luck yourself and have a great year Tammy!
Congrats on so many great reads in 2021! Hope you find plenty more in 2022. Your ‘how I heard about my reads’ chart is intriguing to me – I think my chart would be 90% social media, haha. I haven’t read any Margaret Owen and think that will have to change this year…
You DEF need to read some Margaret Owen, Little Thieves is a damn treasure. Thank you so much, Jenna, and I hope you have a wonderful 2022 in reading & life!
Thank you, Jenna! I honestly was quite surprised by my how I heard about chart — I thought it was mostly social media as well. AND YES YOU NEED TO READ MARAGRET OWEN! I still need to read The Faithless Hawk, but I loved the heck out of The Merciful Crow as well as Little Thieves.
omg, that opening gif is 💯 and absolutely perfectly describes 2021 (and 2020, tbh). it looks like this year you accomplished lots to celebrate, reading-wise, and i love that for you! (seriously, NOTHING below 3 stars and only 2 DNFs??? teach me your ways, please.)
2021 and 2020 both can die in a fire, horrible years. I DON’T KNOW HOW IT HAPPEN, IZZY! I would normally say that DNFs are the reason why I didn’t read anything below 3 stars, but I didn’t even have that many and I am le shocked at how good I’m getting with knowing the books I’m typically going to like. My advice? Go with your gut… most of my reading mishaps are with books I was on the fence on and decided to give it a try. KAL, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE, STOP IT.
Thank you for sharing your reading highlights and reflections from this year, and I’m wishing you a happy new year! What you said about being okay with taking breaks and not striving for perfection all the time really resonated with me — I am hoping to post more consistently on my blog this year, and I think I can do that if I forgo the expectation of perfection. Loved this 🙂
claire @ clairefy
Hi Claire, it’s nice to see you again!!! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you cultivate a safe space of forgiveness with your blog in 2022 – it’s okay to not be 100% all the time, we all are here when you have the energy!
I loved seeing your bookish year in review and you did so well! I can totally relate on wanting to read more books by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé in the future, because Ace of Spades was really something! I do hope to read For the Wolf soon as well. I had it on my most anticipated releases list for 2021, but somehow just … didn’t get to it? I liked my reading year, but it was a weird one, where a lot of my books were chosen for me haha
I always like to focus on backlisted books when I can and have limited the amount of physical books I buy. There’s just no room anymore and I’ve mostly switched to ebooks (exceptions do, of course, exist).
Hope you’ll have a fantastic year in 2022!
ahhh thanks so much, Kat! I am definitely in the same boat with the limited space — I am placing a big focus on my owned backlist this year and am trying to limit new purchases to one for every 3 I read. And unhaul! I hope you have an amazing 2022 and love For the Wolf as much as I do! (please feel free to yell at me when you read it ok)
Congratulations on your reading progress! 2021 was such a shit show of a year, so seeing that you still came out on top? I’m proud of you. ♥ And I love this tag so much? Definitely going to have to add this one to my posting plans soon!
😭😭😭 thank you so much, Destiny! I can’t wait to see your take on the tag and happy 2022, love!
I always look forward to your year end posts and your spreadsheets, to see what improvements you have made. I love your comprehensive list and graphs and I have added quite a few of them to my TBR.
Have a great year ahead, Kal.
Awww thank you so much Gayathri, it means so much to me that you look forward to my posts (like what?!). Have a wonderful 2022!
I hope you enjoy Lakesedge when you get to it!! I really need to read Little Thieves… Just waiting for a matching prompt to show up when I play Bookopoly 😂
Also, 66 books is amazing in the trash-fire year that 2021 was. Personally, I’m hoping (for all of our sakes) that 2022 is much kinder.
Sending love to you, Kal 🥰
Sending much belated love to you, Meeghan! I hope you have been well xoxo