2021 Reading Challenge

Reading challenge rules are to read books cover to cover, including re-reads, audiobooks, and books for class, work, or pleasure.

As an avid reader, I set myself a reading challenge every year. In 2021, I aimed to read 50 books, but I surpassed my target by reading 70 books. It was a year filled with a diverse range of genres, from historical fiction to science fiction, memoirs, and non-fiction. In this blog post, I want to share my thoughts and reflections on some of the most notable books I read during my 2021 reading challenge.

Books Read in 2021

1. Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1) by George R.R. Martin

2. A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1) by Deborah Harkness

3. The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin

4. Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener

5. Just Like You by Nick Hornby

6. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

7. Time's Convert (All Souls, #4) by Deborah Harkness

8. Globalization: A Short History by Jürgen Osterhammel

9. Lovecraft Country (Lovecraft Country, #1) by Matt Ruff

10. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

11. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

12. Ember (Awaken Online: Tarot #1) by Travis Bagwell

13. The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President⁠—and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer

14. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

15. Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs, #1) by Richard K. Morgan

16. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain

17. Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2) by Ernest Cline

18. Racism: A Very Short Introduction by Ali Rattansi

19. Shadow of Night (All Souls, #2) by Deborah Harkness

20. Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror by Mahmood Mamdani

21. Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) by Jim Butcher

22. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

23. Angelology (Angelology, #1) by Danielle Trussoni

24. The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction by Martin Bunton

25. Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions by Lisa Wade

26. The Book of Life (All Souls, #3) by Deborah Harkness

27. Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality by Frank Wilczek

28. Essentials of Oceanography, Loose-Leaf Plus Mastering Oceanography with Pearson eText -- Access Card Package (13th Edition) by Alan P. Trujillo

29. Embracing the Unknown: Life Lessons from the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Pema Chödrön

30. Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) by Jim Butcher

31. Mao: A Very Short Introduction by Delia Davin

32. Being Ram Dass by Ram Dass

33. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

34. Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico by Carlos Castaneda

35. Still the Mind: An Introduction to Meditation by Alan W. Watts

36. The Mystical Life of Jesus: An Uncommon Perspective on the Life of Christ by Sylvia Browne

37. The Haunting of Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright

38. The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts

39. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

40. The Human Age: The World Shaped By Us by Diane Ackerman

41. The Cross of Christ by John R.W. Stott

42. Caging Skies by Christine Leunens

43. The Martian by Andy Weir

44. Blindsight (Firefall, #1) by Peter Watts

45. Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

46. Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler

47. The Kremlin's Candidate (Red Sparrow Trilogy, #3) by Jason Matthews

48. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan

49. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

50. Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going by Neil deGrasse Tyson

51. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Hogwarts Library) by Newt Scamander

52. Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson

53. Munich by Robert Harris

54. American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott

55. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

56. The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1) by Terry Brooks

57. Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town by Barbara Demick

58. Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7) by Jim Butcher

59. Life, the Universe and Everything (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #3) by Douglas Adams

60. Hiroshima by John Hersey

61. 1984 by George Orwell

62. 36 Righteous Men by Steven Pressfield

63. The Art of Dreaming by Carlos Castaneda

64. Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, #1) by Jim Butcher

65. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman

66. Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life by Sarah Knight

67. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, #2) by Philip Pullman

68. The Bourne Supremacy (Jason Bourne, #2) by Robert Ludlum

69. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

70. The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman

71. Conclave by Robert Harris

72. Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton

73. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

74. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell

75. The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #1) by Heather Morris

76. News of the World by Paulette Jiles

77. Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card

78. The Second Sleep by Robert Harris

79. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

80. Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari

81. Death's End (Remembrance of Earth's Past, #3) by Liu Cixin

82. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

83. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

84. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #4) by Douglas Adams

85. The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb

86. The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

87. Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History by Dan Flores

88. Lyra's Oxford (His Dark Materials, #3.5) by Philip Pullman

89. The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

90. The Captured by Scott Zesch

91. The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

My favorites this year were the following

1. The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness This is a beautiful series for fantasy and historical fiction fans. The series follows Diana Bishop, a historian, and witch who stumbles upon a bewitched manuscript that thrusts her into a world of magic, vampires, and demons. Along the way, she meets Matthew Clairmont, a vampire geneticist. They fall in love while unraveling a mystery that spans centuries. The series is well-researched and expertly weaves together real-life historical figures and events with fictional magical elements.

2. Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline Ready Player Two is the highly anticipated sequel to the bestselling novel Ready Player One. The story takes place in a future where the virtual world of the OASIS has become a central part of daily life. When the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, passes away, he leaves behind a new challenge for players to solve that is even more difficult than the first. The book is filled with references to pop culture and video games, making it a fun read for fans of nostalgia and adventure.

3. Mahmood Mamdani Mahmood Mamdani is a renowned Ugandan academic and political commentator. He has written several books on the topics of colonialism, genocide, and political violence. His work is highly regarded for its nuanced analysis of complex issues and its willingness to challenge conventional wisdom.

4. Assassination Vacation and The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell Sarah Vowell is a unique and entertaining voice in nonfiction writing. Assassination Vacation takes a humorous and slightly macabre look at the history of presidential assassinations in the United States. The Wordy Shipmates, on the other hand, examines the early Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and their impact on American culture and politics. Both books are informative and engaging, with Vowell's witty writing style making them highly enjoyable reads.

5. His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman The His Dark Materials trilogy is a beloved classic in the world of young adult literature. The series follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua and her daemon, Pantalaimon, as they journey through multiple parallel universes. Along the way, they encounter witches, armored bears, and other fantastical creatures. The books are known for their philosophical themes, including questions about free will, morality, and organized religion. Despite being marketed towards a young audience, the series can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.