How many books does a book blogger read in a year? Find out with my complete 2021 reading list of every book I read this year.
How many books does a book blogger read in a year?
I don’t know about other book bloggers, but for me, when I’m asked how many books I read a year, I answer with around 200 books a year.
Admittedly, I’ve never actually read 200 books in a year. I could if I wanted to. This year, I actually picked up 196 different books and finished 176. Which is less than last year but equal to what I read in 2019.
The thing is, I feel the need to set a specific number of books to read in a year. If I wanted to force myself, yes, I could hit 200. But forcing yourself is never a good way to describe your reading life.
It’s much more fun just to read what I read.
Before I was a book blogger, I read 50-90 books a year, and that was my comfort zone. Now that reading is part of my job, I’m finding a new comfort zone is around 175-190 books a year.
Curious what I read? Today I’ve got my complete 2021 Reading List just for you. I love going over my reading because it lets me see all my year’s reading in one place.
I read so many books, it can be hard to keep them all straight. When I compile my entire year together, I can see which genres I favored (nonfiction and mystery) and which ones I skipped (young adult and classics).
Sorry, but writing up descriptions on well over 100 books is not going to happen. Instead, enjoy my star rating of each book in my 2021 reading list, along with a short description.
Fiction
Irish Family Drama
Long Lost Sisters
Obsessive Nostalgia
Gorgeous Literary Fiction
Brooding Study of Grief
Family Trauma & Mysticism
Healing From Trauma
Millennial Angst
Boy with Red Eyes
Friendship Through the Decades
Old + Young Friendship
Dull Midlife Crisis
Black Salesman Satire
Great Story Poorly Told
Mom’s Got Dementia
Holiday Romance Fluff
Time Loop Christmas Romance
Contrived Romance
Friends to Lovers
Perfect Beach Read
Fried Chicken Wars
Mindless Romance Story
Steamless Romance Story
Silicon Valley Russian Spy
Mystery & Thriller
Retired Parents Drama
Gaslighting an Actress
Vacation Murder Cover Up
Husband on the Run
Cop Character Study
Slow Burn Mystery
Australian Detective Story
Psychopath Daughter
Is My Sibling a Murderer?
Who’s Sleeping With Whom?
The Ultimate Mama’s Boy
Escaping an Abusive Husband
Killing an Abusive Husband
Eavesdropping on a Therapist
Boyfriend’s True Identity
Unlikeable Characters Galore
Stalker Ex-Wife
Desperate for Friends
My Sister Joined a Cult
Haunted Boarding School
Abandoned Swedish Village
Something in the Water
Haunted NY Penthouse
Amnesia Thriller
Publishing Office Drama
Road Trip with Serial Killer
That Twist!
Convoluted Plot
Missing Teen Mom
Family Inheritance Fraud
Slow Neighborhood Thriller
The Stepford Husbands
Desperate Mama Bear
President Jack Bauer
Temperance Brennan #20
Spy Mama Drama
Surviving Childhood Trauma
Switched Identity Problems
Glacially Slow Plot
Most Boring Book Ever
The Bizarrest Story Ever
Stereotyping Rural America
Weak Writing. Solid Plot.
Battle of the Exes
Cheesy Cozy Mystery
Historical Fiction
Shakespeare’s Wife
Three Indian Brides
Poisoning Abusive Men
Celebrity Family Drama
1960s Criminal Underbelly
The Mafia Sisters
Coming-of-Age
Hell Hath No Fury
Madcap 1950s Adventure
1930s Manhattan Society
Foster Family Tearjerker
Braving Alaskan Wild
The Dead Never Leave Us
WWII True Story
WW2 Love Story
Fake WWII Story
WWII in Eastern Europe
Vietnam Era Family Drama
C.S. Lewis Childhood
Watson on the High Seas
Found Family
Sci Fi Fantasy
Sci Fi Mysticism
Friends with an Alien Spider
Seeking Connection at the End of the World
Bleak Dystopian Fiction
Green Rider #7
Bunnies Battling Bunnies
Objects Hold Memories
Can a Robot Love?
Mixed-Up Time Travel
Don’t Read This
Homewrecker Clone
Nonfiction
Stealth Airplanes Are Cool
WWII Military Strategy Debates
Christian Holocaust Memoir
WWII Japanese Prisoner
Inspirational Sports Story
Medical Research Ethics
Harvey Weinstein Investigation
Daddy’s in Prison
Zero-Sum Racism
America’s Hidden Caste System
Child Immigrant Story
Cancer & Korean Food
Chef Rebuilds Life
War Widow Memoir
Cancer Sucks
Mama Needs Minimalism
Eco-Friendly Minimalism
Minimalist Relationship Advice
Good Man But Bad Husband
The All-In Marriage
Behavioral Addiction
Instagram Backstory
Handling Online Trolls
The Man. The Myth. The Legend.
Reexamine Your Beliefs
Becoming a Memory Champ
Primer on Memory
The Power of Stories
Habits Start Small
Plan Your Weekend
Pointless Tangents Galore
Outdated Productivity Advice
Time Management Strategies
Concise Business Advice
Keep a Business Small
Streamlining Your Life
Checklists Save Lives
Early Retirement Guide
Weakness is Strength
Nerdy Statistics Book
Subprime Mortgage Crisis
Harper Lee Investigates a Serial Killer
Modern Indiana Jones
Creepy Unethical Therapist
Classics
Jazz Age Classic
Compelling Slave Memoir
Libertarian Utopia
Poetry
#MeToo Memoir
Teen Slam Poetry
Young Adult
Gory But Gorgeous
Less Gory + Less Gorgeous
Caraval Spinoff
Tulsa Race Riots
Cute Historical Fiction
Japanese Princess Diaries
Unrealistic Cool Girl
WWII Female Spies
Children’s
Silly Dark Humor
Girl’s Best Friend
Female Hindi Percy Jackson
Fairytales Come Alive
Orphan in Paris Train Station
Lost in the Amazon
Robot in the Woods
Robot Go Home
Popper’s Performing Penguins
2022 Releases
Serial Killer Copycat?
Rogue Marriage Counselor
Murder at a Second Marriage
Mother-Daughter Time Travel
Double Booking Romance
Musician Me Before You
My Sister’s a Monster
When Things Go Wrong
Lament of an Aging Writer
DNF
What were the best and worst books on your 2021 Reading List?
Susan says
I loved your quick and simple list. I’ve read many of your picks and agree with your ratings. I bumped up a couple of your 5 stars books to read this year/soon
These books I really enjoyed and/or loved
Genuine Fraud, E. Lockhart
The Last thing he told me by Laura Dave
The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Why we sleep, Matthew Walker
Taste, my life through food, Stanley Tucci
These were some of my disappointing reads/worst reads
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
How Lucky by Will Leitch
Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Thanks again for your blog, really look forward to your posts
Susan
Lex says
I am most excited for the new Josie Silver book! I had no idea she’d be putting one out so soon. I loved One Day in December, so I hope this one is just as heart-warming.