Let's Bust a Recap : 2021

Wow, wow, wow. Another year in the history books and what a year it's been. Personally, it's been a particularly wild year for me and my little family.

In January, we began praying about a specific career change for Cody that would involve moving out of Florida to Western North Carolina. We decided that God was definitely leading us to take that step and throughout February and March we went through the process of selling our home and packing up our lives. In April, we moved to the top of a mountain and Cody jumped right into his new job. In May, I took a little trip down to Florida and formed a book club with four of my best friends. (What timing, right? Wait till I move three states away to start a book club when we've literally grown up and lived in the same town our whole lives.) In June, after visiting approximately a million ten churches, we landed in one that we already feel like family in which has been such a blessing. I also started applying for jobs.

In July, the aforementioned newly formed book club came up for a visit and the day after they left, I began my new job delivering packages for Amazon. In August, my mommy-in-law, two of my sisters-in-law, and my four fabulous nieces came for a visit. In September, we bought a house. Are you tired yet? Because I am just thinking back through the year we've had. In October, my entire family came to the mountain to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. 

In November, after my husband painted the entire interior of our new home, we got moved in in just enough time to get things quasi-settled before all the family came back up to spend the holidays with us on the mountain. 

Did I mention it's been a wild year? And we haven't even started talking about books yet. We navigated a lot of major transitions in 2021—career changes, two moves, selling a house, buying a house, finding a new church—and it's certainly been one of the most stressful years of my life, but God has been so good to us and I don't know where we'd be without His ever-present, sustaining peace. 

But for the love of Pete, I'm looking forward to calmer waters in 2022. 

Let's get down to bookish things, shall we? That's what this blog is about, and looking back at my reading year is one of my favorite things I do here. If you follow this little corner of the internet, I'm sure you noticed that blogging was hit-or-miss this year (can you blame me?), and it almost completely fell to the wayside after we bought our home and I entered what they call "peak season" at work. I think I delivered roughly a gazillion packages between mid-October and Christmas. Just call me "Santa's Little Helper", I'll answer. I kept reading though, and hopefully you'll be seeing a lot of recaps these next couple of months that I just couldn't get to during all the craziness that has been my life. 

My main reading goal this year was to black out The Unread Shelf's 2021 Bingo Card. And I'm happy to report that I reached that goal. (Even though I was literally down to the wire and completely ignored my family until approximately 9:00 PM on New Years' Eve to finish it.) Thank you, thank you; I appreciate your enthusiastic applause, but it's really not necessary. 

The only thing I'm slightly bummed about is that I couldn't squeeze in The Old Man and the Sea for "a book bought on a trip". I got that book down in Key West a few years ago, but Hemingway is one of those authors I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on. I didn't really want to use two books from the same series on the bingo card, but I did get Always and Forever, Lara Jean on my trip to Florida in May so it counts. I know, I know: semantics! But why even have a blog about books and reading goals if I can't get into the nitty-gritty of it with you guys? Are you over this? Fine, let's get to the list. Here's what I ended up reading in 2021, the year of letting my whims guide me. 

January

Books Acquired: 0

Books Read: 3

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (re-read) : completed 1/4

I think it's going to be a new rule that I start the year with a much-beloved re-read. 

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs : completed 1/9 

Ugh. Worst book of the year. This one was so bad. It promptly went to a Little Free Library after I was done with it.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (re-read) : completed 1/30

February

Books Acquired: 3

Books Read: 2

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella : completed 2/3

This one also ended up in a Little Free Library. Not terrible, not great. 

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty : completed 2/20

Really got into this one. So much so that I now have all of Liane Moriarty's books. 

March

Books Acquired: 43 (that's not a typo; the owners of the house we initially moved into in NC left behind an entire bookcase full of books and these are the ones I culled and added to my out-of-control collection)

Books Read: 3

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Café by Mary Simses : completed 3/1

Has been made into an actual Hallmark movie. I think that's all I need to say.

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare : completed 3/8

Possibly old Billy's zaniest comedy yet.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley : completed 3/18

LOVED Flavia. 

April

Books Acquired: 0

Books Read: 3

Hope Remains by Reppard & Summer Gordon : completed 4/25

Tough, but so good.

The Thirteenth Pearl by Carolyn Keene (partial read aloud) : completed 4/26

Started this one with my niece. Finished on my own.

Stories I Wrote When I Was Young by R.P. Osborne : completed 4/29

A wild ride.

May

Books Acquired: 28

Books Read: 5

Sisterchicks Say Ooh La La! by Robin Jones Gunn : completed 5/7

You know I can't go a whole year with no Robin Jones Gunn.

Martin Van Buren and the American Political System by Donald B. Cole : completed 5/12

Surprisingly accessible. 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen : completed 5/24

One of my favorites this year.

I'll Be There For You: The One About Friends by Kelsey Miller : completed 5/29

Eh. I could take it or leave it with this one.

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : completed 5/30

First introduction to Sherlock Holmes did not disappoint.

June

Books Acquired: 16

Books Read: 10

Matilda by Roald Dahl : completed 6/2

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah : completed 6/5

Did NOT enjoy.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall : completed 6/7

Oh my goodness, this and the other four books in the series immediately added to my list of All-Time Favorites. This was our book club's first book.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall : completed 6/9

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall : completed 6/15

The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall : completed 6/20

The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall : completed 6/23

So sad coming to the end of this delightful series.

None Like Him by Jen Wilkin : completed 6/26

The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : completed 6/27

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl : completed 6/28

So sweet.

July

Books Acquired: 7

Books Read: 4

The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera : completed 7/11

I truly wish there had been one more chapter in this one.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han : completed 7/15

Loved this cute trilogy. This was July's book club pick and it gave me like a more edgy, teen Penderwick vibe.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han : completed 7/17

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han : completed 7/19

August

Books Acquired: 11

Books Read: 3

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (partial read aloud) : completed 8/4

Read most of this out loud to my nieces, but they left before we could finish together so I finished on my own.

Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare : completed 8/19

Not the Bard's greatest.

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis : completed 8/28

August book club selection. Recap coming.

September

Books Acquired: 6

Books Read: 2

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett : completed 9/9

Loved, loved, loved. Recap coming for this one, too.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan : 9/28

September/October book club selection. This one was so bitter. 

October

Books Acquired: 6

Books Read: 1

Old Tippecanoe by Freeman Cleaves : completed 10/11

Ugh. Much more of a slog than I was expecting. Couldn't get to John Tyler like I'd hoped after finally finishing this one.

November

Books Acquired: 14

Books Read: 2

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell : completed 11/14

Started my "book with over 500 pages" kindof late in the year, but I could not put it down. Another new favorite. 

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery : completed 11/28

I have things to say about this one. Recap coming soon.

December

Books Acquired: 7

Books Read: 4

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor : completed 12/8

Once we recap this one, it will be going to a Little Free Library. Not great. (November book club selection.)

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan : completed 12/27

This one showed up in my mailbox from my best friend, and I LOVED it.

Awake My Heart by J. Sidlow Baxter : completed 12/31

This devotional was a real anchor for me this year. I got so much more out of it than I did with My Utmost for His Highest, and it's one I will definitely revisit in future.

Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear : completed 12/31

The second installment in the Maisie Dobbs series and the book I ignored my family to finish on New Years' Eve.

42 books total which actually amazes me given all that we went through this year. As you can see, I tracked my book acquisitions this year. In January, I finally rounded up all my unread books and started the year with 508. I naively thought I could get that number below 500 by the end of the year. Only eight books, right? That leaves plenty of wiggle room to add some new books to the library, right? 

My new unread total is 614. 

Six. Hundred. Fourteen.

Y'all. It's just laughable is what it is. Anyway, I probably will not continue to track my acquisitions, but I will be keeping my unread shelf up to date on Goodreads.   

I read a few duds this year, but I also discovered several new favorites. I'm talking books I really loved. Reading helped me maintain my sanity through a year of big change and mondo stress, and I'm thankful for the gift of BOOKS. 

I'd love to hear about books you read or things you went through this last year. You know I'll be posting my 2022 book list soon, so come back to tell me what your goals for this fresh new year are. And as always...

...keep on reading the best books first.