What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing

Oprah

Social distancing did a LOT for my reading. I set a goal of reading 100 books in 2021 because I’ve never quite been able to reach it. I ended the year smashing that goal and compiled some really cool stats I wanted to share.

Before I get into it, I want everyone to know that no matter how many books you read, you’re still a reader. E-book and audiobooks count. Comics count. Find what you love to read and embrace. Never be ashamed of it. On Instagram I keep seeing a lot of insecurity about people not being able to read as much as others or only being able to read what their tiny libraries have. All of you are awesome. Keep doing you.

Check out my reading stats and if you scroll a little more, you’ll find my favorite books of the year. I’m not including the duds I read (there were a lot) because I’m focusing on starting the year on a positive note. Plus, posts are so much more fun when it’s about something you love!

My Reading Stats

Books Read: 155

Pages Read: 58,519

Physical Books: 65 (42%)

Audiobooks: 90 (58%)

Non-fiction vs. Fiction: 93% fiction… Not surprised there!

Most Common Genres: 37 mystery books, 32 thrillers, 29 historical fiction, 29 contemporary, 27 romance, 27 fantasy, and 23 young adult.

International Reads: It’s my long-term goal to read books by authors from every country in the world. This year I read books by authors from: Ireland, USA, India, Japan, England, Scotland, France, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, Ghana, Israel, Vietnam, Netherlands, Virgin Islands, Canada, and Cyprus.

Books by Female Authors: 104 out of 150

Magazines: ~30 Guess who forgot to count exactly how many? I read around one a week, but had several weeks where I didn’t read any. This is my best guess. In case you were wondering, I mostly read Time Magazine, Nat Geo (regular and travel) and Travel & Leisure.

Favorite Books of 2021

In no particular order except my ratings, I present my favorite books of 2021! I reserve 5 star ratings for books that really resonated with me at the time. Some books I thought were fantastic, but just didn’t get that extra connection. Regardless, these are the books I’ll recommend if you ask for my opinion on what books to pick up this year!

5 Star Reads

4 Star Reads

Favorite Book Photos of 2021

Goals for 2022

• Read 160 books
• Get to 2x speed when listening to audiobooks (currently at 1.8 speed)
• Read more books by BIPOC, LGBTQA+ and other voices that aren’t like mine
• Be pickier about what books I read so I can spend less time reading books I don’t enjoy very much
• Add 10 new countries to my books by authors from every country challenge
• Read 20 books from my shelves that I’ve neglected
• Catch up on my magazine subscription reading