2021 - The Year in Reading

My intention for 2021 was to get more reading in, but my stated goal was 1 book per month, and I think I managed that (except for February somehow - ??). All told I read 18 books in 2021, which is ..... underwhelming, especially for the 10th anniversary. This blog began in 2011 and that year I managed 166 books; 10 years later I am barely scraping up 10% of that. Yikes. 

Well, I guess new years are times for new beginnings, so I will again state a goal of at least 1 book per month, while hoping to do at least 2. This year I don't think I will do any challenges; I think just reading my goal amount will do. (I might change my mind though so don't hold me to that, ha ha.)

As always, I want to wish my reader(s) a 2022 that is a major improvement in every way. 

Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis & Joy Division - Deborah Curtis

Why are so many talented people so troubled? As I have mentioned in this blog before, I am a huge fan of Joy Division, but until now I hadn't read this harrowing book originally written by Ian Curtis' widow in 1995 (15 years after he committed suicide in 1980). Fortunately I don't look up to musicians, actors, etc. as "heroes," so despite loving Ian Curtis' lyrics and Joy Division's musical output, this book didn't shatter my image of him or anything. He sounds like he was really difficult to live with as a boyfriend/husband, and I feel terrible that the author had to deal with that at a young age, and had to raise their daughter alone once he was gone. I won't lie, though, part of me kept thinking "this is why you don't get married at age 19" too. I wouldn't say I'm super wise now, but I shudder to think of the dumb decisions 19 year old me made, and so I do kind of get it. Very interesting to get this inside perspective from the person who probably knew Ian Curtis best. 

The Moving Pictures - Erika Maren Steiger

What a fun cozy mystery! I really enjoyed this book. The main character was really relatable, and I found myself wishing I knew her in real life so we could do genealogical research together. Apparently there will be at least 2 more books in the series, and I am looking forward to reading the next adventures of the main character. Recommended. 

The Woman before Wallis - Bryn Turnbull

Mixed reviews for this book - the subject matter was interesting but the writing was sort of clunky for my taste. Fans of The Crown, The King's Speech, or Downton Abbey might enjoy this book, as it's set in that sort of milieu and in the case of the former two, has many of the same characters. This book did make me want to learn more about the titular woman - maybe I will search out a biography. 

The Revisioners - Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

 This was a great book club choice. It's actually our book for November, and I am looking forward to the discussion. The writing was top notch and the story was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It's really a kind of tribute to women, and to mothers, and to how women can help support each other through generations. I'd definitely read more by this author. Recommended. 

Violette Nozière - Sarah Maza

Time for another library confession! Way back in 2019, I stumbled on this book in the library and the subtitle: "A Story of Murder in 1930s Paris" really sold me (I like 30s music/movies/fashion, I love Paris, and I enjoy true crime stories). I checked it out, started to read it and - I don't know what happened, but I somehow ran out of time to finish and had to return the book (I suspect some work travel got in the way). All this time has passed and I have thought about this book from time to time ever since, feeling guilty for not finishing it, and wanting to know how the story ended of course, so I finally checked it out again 2+ years later. 

This is a meticulously researched nonfiction book about a young woman who poisoned her parents. The author, who is evidently a history professor, sets the scene with a lot of detail about life in Paris in the 30s, particularly for working class/bourgeois people, as well as getting into detail about how this sensational case impacted popular culture. I appreciated the overall tone of the book being more academic, rather than sensational or "trashy" like some true crime writing can get. I won't go into detail, but the case is fascinating for many reasons and there are still unanswered questions the world will never know the truth of. Recommended. 

Me - Elton John

Stumbled across this book in the library and thought it looked interesting. As you may have surmised from the title, this is the autobiography of one of the most prolific and popular singer-songwriters in the world. His music has been around for so long that I don't remember a time when it wasn't played on the radio back when I was a kid, and even though I'm not a super fan or anything, I can name a bunch of his hits off the top of my head without trying. This book is incredibly well written - it's like having a comfortable conversation with the pop legend, who comes off as very funny, witty, smart, outrageous, and honest. If you've seen the film Rocketman (which was entertaining and well done), many of the events in the book will seem very familiar - and probably the reverse is true. This was a really fast and entertaining read. Recommended. 

The Henna Artist - Alka Joshi

 This book was another good choice for the virtual book club. It's a page turner - while reading, I really wanted to see what happened next, and I liked the main character a lot. The writing is heavy on the telling rather than showing, but the story carries you along and it's an enjoyable read. Evidently, there is a sequel that's been published, and I would definitely read it to get more of the story and of the main character (some of the side characters I could do without, ha ha). All in all a recommended read. 

The Poison Squad - Deborah Blum

You know the French saying "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (the more things change, the more they stay the same)? This nonfiction book is a case in point. Subtitled "One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century" this book shows that the current issues our entire planet seems to be having with a small group of wealthy people doing everything in their power, including deliberately inflicting harm on people, so they can get even richer, is an apparently eternal conflict. That it seems to play out day after day after day, year after year after year, century after century after century, is, frankly, infuriating and disgusting. 

When we apply Mr. Rogers' wonderful "look for the helpers" principle we find people like the subject of this book, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who spent decades fighting for basic food safety legislation. Of course, he was fought tooth and nail by the creeps that profit on literally poisoning humans to make a buck, and their idiotic arguments were pretty much exactly the same idiotic arguments these creeps make today to get away with their numerous misdeeds. I'm just glad that we have had (and still have) people like Dr. Wiley on the side of what's right. 

The Lost Book of Adana Moreau - Michael Zapata

This book can best be described as a "mindflip." It's another book that I am not sure what to think of. I liked the premise but it's one of those books that would most likely benefit from multiple readings to really see and grasp the connections the author has set up. There are a lot of disparate elements that sort of come together and sort of don't. Fans of speculative sci-fi type books might love it. 

Libertie - Kaitlyn Greenidge

Confession time - I have to admit I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I found the main character fascinating, and the time period really rich with potential, but I think the book had two distinct parts and I am not sure how well they blended together. I think I would have preferred a book that focused on either one of the halves, if that makes sense. Or, a book that focused on the main character's mother - that would really have been a story I would have liked to hear. The writing was good so I would definitely read more by this author. 

The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones

Hot on the heels of reading a bestseller with "meh" writing, I dove into this amazing, well written book and couldn't put it down. If you like horror novels, you need to read this book. Even if you don't like horror novels, you should read this book for the sheer pleasure of reading something so well written. If you have any interest in Native American folklore and contemporary life, you should read this because I think you will be as captivated as I was. How is it possible that I have only now heard of this author, who apparently has something like 20 books out??? I have to credit Christopher Buehlman for mentioning this book on social media - no way could such a recommendation be something I wouldn't enjoy, I reasoned, and I was correct. I'm actually really happy that there are so many books I can catch up on for a new favorite author. Very highly recommended. 

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie - Marie Benedict

Did you know that famed mystery writer Agatha Christie went missing for more than a week? It's a very mysterious thing - Agatha herself never spoke of it, and didn't even mention it in her autobiography. It was played off at the time as amnesia but there is no way to know, and considering she is to this day the best selling mystery writer of all time, it's easy to think she could have planned something as a publicity stunt, or for some other, more personal reason. 

This book is a speculative historical fiction novel that posits an explanation for the disappearance (I won't give it away). It was the latest book club choice, and I think it was a good one for book club. Despite devouring Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories when I was a kid, I was only vaguely aware of this event in her personal life, so this book was an entertaining way to learn more about her life. As is typical for "bestseller" type books, the writing is a tad clunky and there is a lot of telling rather than showing, but all in all this was a fast read that had me wanting to read more Agatha Christie books. 

The Blacktongue Thief - Christopher Buehlman

Longtime readers may remember me discovering this author many years ago, and raving about his book (now books). He got me reading horror again, although I haven't branched out into other modern horror authors yet (but I do have a read coming up, so stay tuned!). 

Well, now he's got me back to reading more fantasy type books with this latest release. As you might imagine from a master storyteller, it's a "ripping yarn" full of unforgettable characters and amazing action sequences - this would be a super cool movie. I think there are enough elements of horror to please his current fans as he branches out into fantasy, but if you love Lord of the Rings, for example, I think you would love this too. Highly recommended.  

Searching for Sylvie Lee - Jean Kwok

This book is billed as a mystery but it's more of a family drama with mystery elements. I am not sure what to think of it - I figured out something early on, which I don't normally do, so that tells me it must have been super obvious - ? Lots of weird things happen and ... I don't know. I would love to hear what others thought of it. 

Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise - Scott Eyman

You probably don't know this about me, but Cary Grant is my favorite actor. I absolutely adore him. He's the perfect package: suave, sophisticated, funny, and of course, stunningly handsome. And yes, I know that most of time these personas are created by the Hollywood studios and etc., but Cary Grant just embodied his so well! 

As a huge fan, I knew some of the basics about his life, but this book filled in a lot of details. It's well written and researched and was a fast, entertaining read. I do wish there had been more photos, but that is a small nitpicky "critique." Now I think I will go see if I can catch one of his films on TV! Highly recommended. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Despite being a fan of Japanese fiction, I am apparently out of the loop because I had never heard of this book, which is apparently a worldwide bestseller, before it became a book club choice. This book was right up my street. I won't describe the plot or anything, but to sum up, it grapples with the eternal question of what you might change if you could go back in time. 

Although this is a novel, apparently the author is a playwright, and this was originally a stage play. I think that showed in many aspects, but it also probably contributed to the very quiet and calming feeling I had when reading. Recommended. 

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

March's book club choice is timely and devastating. The title comes from slain rapper Tupac, who used the acronym THUG LIFE (meaning "the hate u give little infants f---s everyone"). He's absolutely right. Hate begets hate and it creates cycles of abuse and horror that keep going and going.... and are very difficult to escape. 

This book personalizes this cycle by showing how the main character and her community react when she sees her friend murdered by cops. The story feels very immediate and personal and we are able to see why and how the characters react as they do. Recommended. 

Side note - somehow I missed the movie that was made of this book, I will have to check it out. 

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Have you ever been sure you've read a book, but when you went to re-read it, nothing seemed at all familiar? So it was with this book, which I would have sworn I read years ago (long before this blog). After watching the recent mini series, I thought it would be good to re-read. While reading, I kept waiting for that moment of recognition - and it never came! Of course, some things seemed familiar because I had just seen them depicted on the screen, but.... Maybe I only thought I read the book? Who knows. 

In any case, there isn't much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. Many of the concepts and events seem slightly dated, as they are products of the time in which the book was written, but at the same time the universal themes (including, in my opinion, "what does it mean to belong") always apply. It's a classic for a reason and well worth a read. 

Color-Coded Reading Challenge 2021

 Bev at My Reader's Block hosts this fun challenge, which you can read all about and sign up for here. Over the years I have really enjoyed finding books to fit this challenge, with brown being the most challenging overall. I'll update this post with links as I fill in the categories.

Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc.) in the title/on the cover. Searching for Sylvie Lee has a blue cover

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgandy, etc.) in the title/on the cover. The Moving Pictures has a predominately red cover

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) in the title/on the cover. The Poison Squad has a yellow cover

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc.) in the title/on the cover. The cover of The Woman before Wallis shows a green dress 

5. A book with  "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Beige, Sand, etc.) in the title/on the cover. I'm using The Henna Artist for this one, since Henna is usually a brownish color

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc.) in the title/on the cover. The Only Good Indians has a mostly black cover

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc.) in the title/on the cover. The Hate U Give has a mostly white cover 

8. A book with any other color in the title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Magenta, Pink, etc.). 

9. A book with a word that implies color in the title/on the cover (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc.). Me - Elton John has a rainbow effect on part of an otherwise black and white cover

It's my 10th Blogaversary!!

Happy Birthday to this blog!! 10 YEARS!! I am honestly shocked to my core that I have managed to keep this blog going in any fashion for an entire decade. WOW! 

Since the last several years have not been great for reading for me, this year I am going to do my 2 favorite reading challenges: The Color-Coded Reading Challenge and the Mount TBR Challenge, but I am not going to do them "officially" by signing up and etc. I'll make a separate post for the Color-Coded Challenge so I can start all over with that one, but I will just continue last year's Mount TBR post and keep posting books to that. Links here:

New Color-Coded

Continuing Mount TBR

I don't really do New Year resolutions, but this year I decided to set goals each month - things like drink a certain amount of water each day, take a certain amount of steps each day, and of course read at least 1 book per month. I'm hoping that keeps me on track. 

What are your plans for reading in 2021?