My Top 10 Books of 2021

Another year over, which means another barrage of Top 10 lists for January. This list is for my top 10 reads of 2021. I read 66 books in 2021. Unfortunately, that's not the greatest, but it's not the worst either. (I'm looking at you, 2019.) This year, I don't have to move, start a new job, buy new furniture, etc., so I can focus on just reading what I want to. Yay!

Enough of the future talk though, let's take a look at the past. In this top 10 you'll notice a theme of fantasy/sci-fi books. No contemporary allowed. Haha. I just haven't been vibing with a ton of contemporary titles lately. I'm also getting pickier when it comes to YA fantasy. Oh, and the bottom five in this list aren't really in any particular order. They could be changed based on my mood, whereas the top five are pretty much good where they are.

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Glint by Raven Kennedy

I've gone back and forth about what to put in this spot. Well, to be fair, I've had a hard time making up my mind for the bottom four in this list. Like I said, it wasn't a great reading year. But I figured I'd go with an adult title here versus YA, as I'm still feeling a bit over YA for the most part. While Glint didn't completely wow me, it was a very fun, fast-paced sequel, and I'm excited to read the fourth book once it's released. I have already read Gleam, and while it was also good, I liked book two more.

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

Oh man, this book took a long time to really get into. There wasn't a lot of detail and things just seemed to be glossed over. However, if you stick with it, the ending does provide a very intriguing and fun time. I'm actually not sure who I'm rooting for in this duology. They're all terrible. In a trashy-YA fantasy romance way.

Aurora's End by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

While I will forever complain that this book did not have enough Tyler + Saedii scenes or enough team group scenes in general, I did enjoy myself with this final book in the Aurora Cycle trilogy. I even cried. Maybe there's some fanfic out there that can give me my Tyler + Saedii kick. Haha.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Now this book, it was just pure fun and cuteness overload. Yes, there are some very serious topics in it, but the relationships between the two main characters, as well as the main character's relationship with his cousin, was so wholesome. I will say that the ending was a tad predictable, but overall, adorbs!

The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes

The sequel to The Last Watch, this book had some great character interactions and cool twists and turns. Unfortunately, it was missing a little bit of something that the first book provided. It was still a fun time, though, and I can't wait for book three!

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

The last two books in the Daevabad series gave me very mixed feelings as I was reading them. I loved every bit of the world-building and the actual characters themselves, but some of the characters' actions and the time jump had me conflicted. That's why book two didn't make it on this list. The Empire of Gold, however, has the world-building, character dynamic, and character actions that let me enjoy the series more. Thank goodness. I'm super excited that there's a short-story bind-up coming for this world, and I'm hoping one of the main characters gets his own spin-off in the future.

Oaths of Legacy by Emily Skrutskie

A YA sci-fi made it into my top five list! I'm not sure if that's a new development, but for some reason, it feels like it is. Maybe because there's very little YA sci-fi actually in bookstores right now. Oaths of Legacy is the sequel to Bonds of Brass, which I enjoyed, but didn't love. For some reason though, I found myself really enjoying this one. Maybe it was because the world had already been established and I'd become invested in the characters? I'm not sure. I think I do have a tendency to not really love books until their second installment, which is often the opposite of some people's reading experience.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

For some reason, I can't stop thinking about this book. It was so cute. It had its slow moments in the middle, but the relationship between the two characters, Robin and Edwin, was adorable. The magic system was fun too, and I didn't even mind that the story took place in a historical fiction setting. While I am very disappointed the sequel is a companion novel and doesn't follow the same MCs, I am still planning on reading books two and three. Though I don't think I'll like book two as much, as it follows a character's sister, and I didn't really care for her.

Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin

So Blood & Honey does not have the greatest rating on Goodreads, and I knew that going in. I'd also heard some very meh things about it compared to the first installment. However, I loved this book. It was awesome and a pleasant surprise to round out my 2021 reading year, which had been fairly mediocre with only one 4.5-star read so far (see #1). But now I have two 4.5-star reads! Yay! I adore Reid and Lou's dynamic. Their banter and protectiveness was fantastic. This book was much better than the first.

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes

Did anyone not see this coming? I've only been gushing about this book in every mid-year wrap up/tag post I've done. It was such a delight to read this adult sci-fi. The main character is hilarious and he balances out the female POV, who has a stricter disposition, nicely. Their dynamic is very entertaining. I can't wait for book three to be released in 2023. However, I'm hoping it releases sooner, as that is a looooong time to wait between sequels.

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Alright, there you have it. My top 10 reads of 2021. What 2021 books were your favorite? Let me know in the comments section.

December Wrap-Up & January TBR

It's officially 2022, and I don't know what to do with myself! Well... that's a lie. I'm going to read and buy a ton of books and then complain about being broke. Haha. Any major plans for you in this new year? To officially send off 2021, I need to do my December wrap-up, though, and, soon, I'll be posting my 2021 wrap-up. Wow. Can't believe it's over already.

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in December

Glint: 4 stars
Gleam: 4 stars
Shadow's Seduction: re-read (ebook, not pictured)
These Hollow Vows: 4 stars 

Caraval: 3 stars

Blood & Honey: 4.5 stars

Gods & Monsters: 4 stars

Abaddon's Gate: 3.5 stars (ebook, not pictured)

I read eight books in December. Two were ebooks: Abaddon's Gate, a library copy, and Shadow's Seduction, which was a re-read. Glint and Gleam were November/December's book club picks along with the first book in Raven Kennedy's Plated Prisoner series. These Hollow Vows, Caraval, Blood & Honey, and Gods & Monsters were the other physical books I read. Unfortunately, only one of the books I read this month were owned pre-2021, and that was Caraval. However, three were FairyLoot editions, which I've been having a lot of issues making myself pick up for whatever reason. So it's nice I finally got to some.

Books Bought/Received in December

I honestly don't know where to begin with this giant mess of a haul. I guess we'll start with all the books I bought. In total, I bought seven books in December, six of which were physical books and one was an ebook. The physical books include a B&N sale order of A Psalm of Storms and Silence, Vespertine, Jade Legacy, We Free the Stars, The Queen Will Betray You, and The House of Always. I bought Of Heart and Wings by Debbie McQueen on Kindle as well.

I also received 13 books in December, four of which were preordered books that came in and nine (seven physical, two ebooks) of which were just books I received in general. The preorders were Vespertine and The Gilded Cage, both FairyLoot editions, and The Coldest Touch and Year of the Reaper, which came in the December FairyLoot box, which I'd already paid for back in August. I received Ex Hex and For the Wolf during my Christmas book club exchange, and Wolfsong, Ravensong, Ninth House, and The Little Bird were all gifts from my parents and sister. J.R. Ward's The Wolf was randomly sent to me by the publisher. Oh, and an e-ARC of Tara Sim's The City of Dusk was sent to me as well. I also realized I never put Zodiac Academy in any of my haul posts. Huh. Well, I got a copy for free on Prime Reading.

Currently Obsessed With

Lots to talk about TV-wise this month. I don't think early 2022 will have as many good streaming shows as late 2021, but I'll have to find some way to pass the time.

The Witcher season two came out mid-December, so I binged that in one weekend. Now for the long wait for season three. *sigh* I wasn't as enthusiastic about this season compared with the previous season, but it was still a good time for the most part. I also finished up season one of The Wheel of Time. While the last episode was very rushed and underwhelming, I am totally ready for season two. I might end up reading the first book in Jordan's series to tide me over. We shall see... I'm also still watching The Expanse season six and I finished the last episode of Hawkeye. Other than those major shows, I'm continuing my re-watch of the animated X-Men cartoon. Mostly for background noise.

January TBR

For the first month of 2022, I have a few books I'd like to read. First up is For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten, as it's my book club pick. I'd also like to finish the Caraval series and begin my annual re-read of the FBAA books in preparation for book four's release. I also need to read Tara Sim's The City of Dusk, as it's a NetGalley ARC I have to review. And last, but certainly not least, I have to begin my year-long journey of reading one book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. 2022's installment is A Storm of Swords, book three in the series. Hopefully, by the time I am finished with all five books (and maybe a few spinoffs), book six will be out. 😬

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Okay, well, that's the month of December, plus some January sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves: The Christmas Explosion Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Happy New Year, everyone! I can't believe we've made it through two years of this nonsense. Hopefully, 2022 will be better. And to start it off, I have a bang of a Stacking the Shelves for you. What's bad is I didn't even wait a long time to post everything, which is the normal reason my StS's are so long. I just got a ton of stuff in the past week.

Let's go ahead and start off with the actual Christmas haul. I only got three books for Christmas, all from the 'rents. Two of which I have already read, so yay me! Now, I own Wolfsong, Ravensong, and the fourth book, Brothersong by TJ Klune in paperback. All I need is the third book to complete my set. My mom also got me Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. I was surprised by this one. It has a snake on it, and my mom doesn't like snakes. It must've been on sale for her to actually purchase it. Oh, and my little sister got me a book called The Little Bird by J.M. Barrie. You'll see it later, as I forgot to photograph it here.

Now, for some non-bookish items. This was the rest of my Christmas haul, minus a rolling desk table and a camping chair to go on my patio. Again, I forgot to take pictures of them. Most of the items are household stuff like a toaster, plastic drawers, towels, and weights. All from my parents. They also got me Baby Yoda socks and Pirates of the Caribbean #5 on DVD. My older sister and brother-in-law got me a Blu-Ray player, a dragon statue, a mini Dundie award, and a small baby dragons figurine. My younger sister got me a Fitbit scale. And my dad got me a tiara from Claire's. It's a whole running joke from The Big Bang Theory now, since I said that was probably how I'd react if someone got one for me. But I can't believe he picked a tiara out at Claire's. Lol.

I thought I'd already shared this one on a previous haul post, but I couldn't find it, so here it is. I received a NetGalley e-ARC of The City of Dusk by Tara Sim. The book releases in March, so I need to get on it and read it in January/February. I haven't reviewed a book in a while, which means I need ample time to think over my thoughts and write them down.

Up next, we have the December FairyLoot box. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by this one. Not because of a majority of the items, but because the book, Year of the Reaper, is actually pretty and it's one I'm fairly interested in reading. I'm also excited about the Red Rising tarot cards, though I don't know why they chose to depict those two characters. Also, I do enjoy the Hades and Persephone bookmarks, FL's new collectible item, but I just don't need dozens of Greek mythology bookmarks. As for the patch, extra book, and booksleeve, those are worthless. I can't wait for FL to do a book-only option. I am beyond ready for it.

Here are some books that just happened to show up this week. My FairyLoot orders of Vespertine and The Gilded Cage came in. Vespertine was damaged, so I'm waiting on my replacement copy. The Wolf by J.R. Ward was a complete surprise. It showed up at my parents' house and was sent by the publisher. I haven't even read the first book yet. Guess I'll have to add that to my TBR. And up top you can see a bit of the Barrie book my sister bought for me.

Because I didn't get any Funko Pops for Christmas, I decided to make my own Pop order. Imhotep from The Mummy was the first one to arrive. I'd actually ordered these from Amazon and was hoping they wouldn't ship until January, as I've already spent too much money this month. Oh well. The last Bxromance FBAA art print I needed came in from A Court of Candles too. And my pre-order incentive swag from Dana Swift for Bound by Firelight arrived super early. I don't even have my book yet.

And last, but certainly not least, we have the major contributor to my financial woes this month: Barnes & Noble's 50% off hardcover sale. I didn't think I'd make it in time for this sale, as I was visiting my parents for the first couple of days after Christmas, but the sale continued through Wednesday, so I was able to pick up some books. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop myself from getting things I really didn't need at the moment, like sequels of books I haven't read yet. But overall, it wasn't too bad. I got The House of Always, The Queen Will Betray You, We Free the Stars, Jade Legacy, Vespertine, and A Psalm of Storms and Silence all for only $72. So not terrible, just not good self-control either.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The Pre-Christmas Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

One week until my Christmas holiday vacation. Thank god. I'm so tired of work right now. It's brutal. Thankfully, I got some fun goodies to make me feel a little better during this rough period. And yes, of course there's some FBAA stuff. Because I'm an addict.

Well, the first thing I got technically isn't FBAA-related. Of Wings and Ruin by Debbie McQueen is a book I've had my eye on for a while, so I got it on Kindle. Finally. I'm hoping I enjoy it. I'm 12% in right now, so I can't really tell. I also received my FairyLoot edition of Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, but it came damaged. I'll share picks when I have a better copy. Oh, and my second hold of Abaddon's Gate came in, so I can finish reading it before the end of the year.

Prettygal pins had a Black Friday sale. I got a print and bookmark from the Plated Prisoner series, a print of Kingdom of the Wicked characters, and a Kieran pin and bookmark of the FBAA men. And boy oh boy, am I loving that bookmark. That's all I got this week, though. I normally wouldn't share such a small haul, but I didn't want to have these items shoved into the next week's (or the week after's, depending on when I'm able to post) Christmas haul.

What books have you bought/received lately?

The 2021 End of the Year Book Tag

So 2021 is almost over. Wow. A lot has happened. I got a new job, a new place to live, a new couch, an Etsy addiction, and more. Ha ha. It's been an expensive journey. Let's hope I can tame the fan art-obsessed beast that's within me during 2022. I have little hope.

We only have a few weeks left, so I thought I’d do the End of the Year Book Tag. Even though it's pretty late. Okay, very late. I’m not sure who this tag was created by, but I found the questions on Green Tea & Paperbacks blog. So, let’s get this party started!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

Kind of. I have one I haven't finished, but I was only a chapter in, and I don't think it's a priority. Now, Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey, the third book in the Expanse series, was a book I checked out via my local library's Libby app. Unfortunately, I only got 56% through before I had to return it. I'm hoping my second hold comes in soon so I can finish it up.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

It's almost winter, but I'll still answer this question. I'm reading These Hollow Vows now, and while it's not a specifically autumnal storyline, the FairyLoot edition does give some fall vibes. Also, I'm going to try to read Caraval as well, and that gives me autumn vibes too, for some reason. As for winter books, I don't have anything to transition to that season. I'll have to search for one.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Nope. I'm doing this tag too late in the year for that. I don't even think I had an anticipated December release overall. However, this month's FairyLoot box hasn't come in yet, and I don't know which book it'll be. So it's going to be a surprise until I spoil myself by looking at Instagram photos.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan (currently reading)
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

Not really. If I get to The Poppy War, I think that one will be a hit. However, I'm probably going to save it for 2022. I want to start that year off right.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2022?

Yep. I have to read A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin in order to continue my goal of reading one A Song of Ice and Fire book each year. I also want to read the last two books in the Serpent & Dove trilogy and For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten.

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Alright, there you have it. My End of the Year Book Tag answers. What would your answers to these questions be? Let me know in the comments below!

Stacking the Shelves: The Book Club Christmas Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Only two weeks until the holiday break/vacation. I am beyond ready for it. I am so sick of the darkness, and I'd like to get out and run during the daylight instead of the 15 minutes before it gets completely dark after work. But anyway, this week was a decent book haul experience, with some other ordered goodies that just came in.

My book club did a gift exchange for two books on our Amazon wishlists. My friend chose Ex Hex by Rachel Hawkins and For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten for me. Both are books I've been wanting for a few months now, though I think I'm going to hold off on reading Ex Hex until next Halloween season. But we'll see... Oh, and my B&N order of FBAA came in. It actually came in around Thanksgiving, but I wasn't home and my front office had it, which meant I couldn't access it for a couple of days.

More FBAA items! I know. I know. I have a problem. I don't even remember why I got this order. I mean, it was on my to-buy list, but I think I just randomly panicked about it selling out and decided to go for it. The FBAA print in the middle is by Bxromance and it's sold by EnchantedBooksShop, a German fan art store. I'm trying to collect most of Bxromance's FBAA pieces, so I needed it. Now, I only have one more to go from A Court of Candles. I also bought the Poppy and Hawke magnetic bookmarks in their shop. They're very cute. Enchanted gave me a free Feysand print too, which I might re-gift. I haven't decided yet.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The November FairyLoot Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Well, Thanksgiving is over, and now I have to go back to working five days a week until Christmas time when I take a week-long vacation made up of unused personal days. I am so ready for it. Beyond ready. *sigh* Like most weeks this year, I've gone a little overboard in the book and fan art purchasing department. Thankfully, most of these were pre-ordered items that just arrived. Buuuuut I also ordered a few more things that won't arrive until next month. Oops.

I read Gild by Raven Kennedy for this month's book club, and we all decided to go ahead and read the sequels together as well. So I purchased books two and three. Unfortunately, I was stupid and bought the physical copies instead of the ebooks, which meant I spent $$$ on a couple of paperbacks, even using Amazon. While I very much like to support indie authors, I hate the expensive prices. I guess I just need to encourage myself to buy ebooks more often to save some money.

Up next, I have an order I made from A Touch of Magic Designs. They had a "Three's a Party" surprise pack of six prints of various trios. It included Will, Tessa, and Jem from the Infernal Devices trilogy; Silas, Nathaniel, and Elisabeth from Sorcery of Thorns; some Caraval characters I don't know the names of; Mal, Alina, and the Darkling from Shadow & Bone; Poppy, Kieran, and Hawke from FBAA; Chaol, Celaena, and Dorian from Throne of Glass. I also bought another FBAA print from them and received a free print for spending so much. It's of Lorcan and Elide, I believe, from the ToG series. I was a bit disappointed in this pack. I think I'll be getting rid of all of the prints except the FBAA ones, the trio ToG one, and the Sorcery of Thorns one. But even the FBAA print that came in the pack wasn't super great. I had some issues with Kieran's depiction. Namely, his finger is super long.

Next, I have a free ebook I borrowed from my library via Libby. It's Katee Robert's Neon Gods. I'm not sure if I'll get to this one soon, so I may need to renew my hold. I really do want to read it, but it seems like all my library holds come in at the worst time.

Here, we have a pre-order I've been anxiously awaiting. I've been collecting Sallteas's character pins over the past year. She's only released three sets of these so far in this style, but I've been buying each and every one. I pre-ordered Cardan, Jude, Reid, and Lou earlier this year and the pre-orders came with free stickers. To save a little money on shipping, I combined this order with my Kieran order I made in September. I also bought a Roth bookmark too. Additionally, I have the pre-order swag I got from C.S. Pacat for pre-ordering her book, Dark Rise.

And last, I have November's FairyLoot. Am I super impressed with this box? Absolutely not. I reeeeeaaallly need FairyLoot to hurry up with their book-only option. I think it's coming soon. Possibly. Which is great, because I'm tired of receiving a bunch of junk I have to try to sell. The travel mug and towel are just useless for me. Well, the towel isn't useless, but it's not my aesthetic. And, while I love FBAA, the reading journal is something I'm not sure I'll actually use. I also am not a big fan of the color palette of the book, Jade Fire Gold. Dark green and pink? Ugh. It would've been better if it was black and pink. Plus, the stencil design on the edges isn't great quality. However, I am really looking forward to reading this one. If I end up liking it, I may buy the U.S. edition.

What books have you bought/received lately?

November Wrap-Up & December TBR

Winter is coming. Ick. I love autumn, but I do not like that it leads in to my least favorite season. I'd 10x rather be warm than cold. Especially because I like to run outside, and you can't run outside very often when it's freezing. But anyway, books. That's what you're here for, not my weather complaints.

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in November

Heartstopper: Volume One: 3 stars (ebook, not pictured)
A Clash of Kings: 3 stars
Foolish Hearts: 3 stars
Shielded: 3.5 stars 

Gild: 3 stars

Dark Rise: 3.5 stars

Aurora's End: 4 stars

A Marvellous Light: 4 stars

I read eight books in November. Wow. I haven't done that in quite a while. Only one was an ebook, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and it was actually a library ebook from Libby. The rest were physical books: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills, Shielded by KayLynn Flanders, Gild by Raven Kennedy, Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, Aurora's End by Kristoff and Kaufman, and A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I finally finished A Clash of Kings! Sadly, I have to start A Storm of Swords in 2022, but for now, I'm done with my year-long read of one book in the ASOIF series per year. Yay! Other than that, the only other major goal I accomplished was reading both library books I had on hold, Aurora's End and A Marvellous Light, and reading three books I owned prior to 2021: Foolish Hearts, A Clash of Kings, and Shielded.

Books Bought/Received in November

In total, I bought six books this month: FBAA books 1-3, ASITE, and the Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy, which for some reason, I decided not to take a picture of. Lol. I bought the FBAA series and ASITE in hardcover from Barnes & Noble since they were having a 20% off orders of $60+ sale. I basically got one book for free. Yay! And I ordered Gild, Glint, and Gleam from Amazon. I also received two free ebooks that I technically "bought" on Kindle called Nightfall by L.H. Cosway and If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell. And finally, I received my November FairyLoot book, Jade Fire Gold, but I paid for that back in August.

Currently Obsessed With

I actually have an obsession this month. And boy, is it coming on strong. I think I may be feeling a little bit of my Narnia, GoT, Harry Potter obsession level for this show. This is both a good and bad thing.

Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime is sucking me in. It doesn't have the greatest CGI and some scenes are a little clunky, but I'm just having a lot of fun with it. I'm not a book reader for this series, so I don't have to nitpick like some people. Thankfully. But I do know a few things about the book series since I used to work at Tor and worked a little on the series' mass market copies. But yeah. I'm so excited for tonight's episode. As for other shows, I'm watching Hawkeye on Disney+ and re-watching the '90s X-Men cartoon. I also watched Shang-Chi, Eternals, and Red Notice over the holiday with my family.

December TBR

Here you can see at least two of the Plated Prisoner books that I forgot to photograph earlier. Ha! Currently, I'm trying to read Glint and Gleam for next week's book club, and I'd like to get to These Hollow Vows and Caraval before the end of the year. There are a few others I'd like to read, but I'm keeping my TBR pretty loose. I think I may want to mood read soon, and I don't want to force myself into anything.

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Okay, well, that's the month of November, plus some December sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!