My 2021 TBR List – mid-year check in

TBR: To Be Read.

At the end of 2020, I gathered a bunch of books I’d been excited about reading and figured I’d try to get through them all in 2021. There were fourteen fiction novels (plus a handful non-fiction). For the last few years, I’ve set myself a target to read 50 books (roughly one a week), so this seemed doable.

Then, a couple of months into 2021, I forgot I made such a list.

I recently stumbled upon the photo I took though, which, of course, brought it all flooding back. Since I’m looking to re-engage with my previous online-book-community self, now seemed like an auspicious time to review this list. I’ve called it a “mid-year” check in, though in actuality we’re almost two-thirds of the way through the year. (Mid-year check in just sounded better than almost-two-thirds-of-the-year check in, okay?)

So. Taking a look at the books on my 2021 TBR list, I discovered…

I’ve read two of them.

Yeah. Not the most inspiring start.

However. That is the benefit of reviewing mid year (two thirds) – I still have time!

My 2021 TBR List

Here are the books on my 2021 TBR list (in no particular order):

• The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern – I’ve had this book since it came out, and I’ve heard so many amazing things about it – including multiple insistences that it’s a book you must read in your lifetime. So I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet!
• The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers – I picked this up several years ago and was so intrigued by the teaser. Then I had the privilege of hearing Becky Chambers speak at a YALC panel, making me even more eager to read it. So I’m looking forward to it, I just haven’t been in the mood for sci-fi whenever I pick it up.
• Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – I went through a Neil Gaiman obsession a few years ago, though never got to this one. Apparently, it’s one of his best. I desperately want to watch the Good Omens TV show as well, but want to read the book first!
• How to be Single, by Liz Tuccillo – I saw the movie with some friends and loved it, without even knowing it was a book. Having enjoyed the movie so much, I’m expecting the book to be even better!
• An Absolutely Unremarkable Thing, by Hank Green (read) – I adore John Green’s books, I love the VlogBrothers, and the synopsis seemed really intriguing – this book was an automatic pick-up. It might have been the first book I read this year, and I’m definitely glad I did. I need the sequel now.
• Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid (read) – I’d heard so many people rave about this book, so I had to give it a go. Having read it, I understand the hype – this book is brilliant. I now go around recommending it myself, and I can’t wait to pick up more by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
• The Sun is also a Star and Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon – I’ve heard some incredible things about Nicola Yoon’s novels. I love the sound of all her books, so I’m hopeful they’ll be great reads. I’ve wanted to read her stuff for SO LONG!
• The Elite, by Kiera Cass – This is the second of The Selection series – I inhaled the first novel, just after I’d moved home, and desperately wanted to read The Elite immediately. I remember crawling through boxes in the middle of the night, frantically searching for the rest of the series. Alas, I couldn’t find them until I’d fully unpacked (I had a lot of boxes of books…). In the meantime, I had to find something else to read and got sucked into that. So, this has always been a ‘read soon’ kind of book, but somehow something else has always gotten in the way.
• Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell – Possibly my favourite author of all time (Fangirl completely stole my heart), the Carry On series are the only books of Rainbow Rowell’s I haven’t read – so I need to rectify that, asap.
• The Unexpected Everything, by Morgan Matson – I absolutely loved Since You’ve Been Gone, so I bought The Unexpected Everything as soon as it came out. I was busy reading other things though, then it was autumn and I felt like this needed to be read in the summer; unfortunately, I just never seem to pick it up at the right time. I expect great things of this one though, so there’s a chance I’ve been subconsciously putting it off so I can savour it for as long as possible!
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz – Again, another novel I’ve heard so many great things about. It also seems quite unique – it doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever read before. (But I’ll have to let you know once I’ve actually read it!)
• The Rose & the Dagger, by Renée Ahdieh – I was knocked off my feet by The Wrath & the Dawn, so I’m eager to read The Rose & the Dagger – not just to find out what happens, but to be sucked back into the poetry that is Renée Ahdieh’s writing.
• An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir – Again, yet another novel I hear nothing but praise for. I also have the sequel, so I can read them back-to-back!

Making up for lost time

Over recent years, my reading has hit a massive slump. I’ve just been so busy with other things and giant life stuff that it became the collateral damage. And when you haven’t got much time to read, random, one-off bursts don’t hold as much appeal (since you can’t be sucked into a great story quite so well).

But if you saw my blog post last week, you’ll know I’ve really been missing my love and excitement for books and reading. So, I’m trying to prioritise them again (which, as a writer, shouldn’t even be an option) and fall back into the online book world. And this list has further invigorated that plan. I’m so excited to read all of these books; I can’t promise myself I’ll read all of them this year, but I’ll give it my best shot.

What about you? Did you write a 2021 TBR list? If you did, how’s it going? Have you read any of the books on mine? I’d love to hear your thoughts – good or bad!