Every year, I aim to read as much as I can. And though I haven’t read the 52 books in a year that I dream of, I am proud of the number I do complete each year. In 2021, I am not setting a reading goal. Instead, my goal is simply to make time for reading.
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How is that different? Well, making time for reading means sitting down to read. It means giving myself permission to sit down to read. And I don’t mean at the end of the day when I am too tired to do so.
I want to read when it rains. I want to read when the sun is shining. I want to read whenever the mood strikes.
So off we go.
- The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White — Karen White’s Tradd Street series centers around a family with psychic abilities in Charleston, South Carolina, who use them to solve mysteries, helping spirits move on. It’s been several years since I read something by this author, but when I saw this novel I couldn’t resist. And though I read the first few chapters around Christmas, it wasn’t until New Year’s Day that I let myself be swept away. So yes, I finished this book mostly in a single day. And yes, I enjoyed the engrossing story immensely. And, if I am not mistaken, there are a few references to Hamilton in it as well, which gave me a chuckle. I love it too.
- Empire Falls by Richard Russo — This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about small-town life in Maine where the mills have stopped running rings true with the attitudes and relationships. The character development was what pulled me into the novel. But I was disappointed by the climax of the novel, which — while fitting for one character’s story arc — delivered a gut-punch of a scene without warning. As a mother of a school shooting survivor, I felt betrayed by the scene and the chapters that came after.
- Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand * — I am a sucker for books set by the beach. I am also a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, whose easy reading books often center around Nantucket and family dynamics. This book, her newest, though is a little different: Set on St. John, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a woman and her adult sons have arrived for a fresh start after the patriarch of the family is killed in a helicopter crash. Come to find out he 1) had a second family; 2) owned a spawling villa; and 3) was in all sorts of legal trouble. The story is filled with the usual family dynamics and interpersonal drama, but it’s not quite what you’d expect after a family learns of the duplicity that’s been swirling around them. Honestly, while easy to listen to, this wasn’t my favorite of her books. It was a bit too sweet, too much, too understanding.
- City of Villains by Estelle Laure — I’ve always said the Disney Villains got a bad wrap. In this new, alternate telling, they are given fresh origin stories in a mixed-up story about a time without magic. It’s a gritty fairytale-inspired crime story where the main character finds herself caught between those who wish magic would come back and those who never had it in the first place.
- Fear Street: The Beginning by R.L. Stine — The first novels in the Fear Street series are bound together in this volume and let me tell you — they are every bit as good as I remember. I had a blast one weekend reading this.
- The House of the Seven Gables by Nathanial Hawthorne — I’ve wanted to reread some of the classics I’d delved into in college. So I picked this up. It was every bit as sad and hopeful as I remember.
- The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin — This comes out in June but I had a galley. And let me tell you: From the first page I was drawn in and enraptured with the story. If you are into witchy tales, you’ll want to read this. Highly recommended.
- Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah — It was the Netflix series that first got me interested in this. But once I picked up the book, I was surprised to find how much I loved Kristin Hannah’s writing, world-building and character creation. I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone, but I will say that the series was good and the book was better — and a bit heartbreaking.
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston * — Zora Neale Hurston has been in my literary vocab since college. But it was only a few years ago that I first read her writing in a lit class that I took for fun. This book, widely regarded as her best work, is something I knew I should read — and I finally found the time now. I am so glad I did. It’s rich with experience, imagery, friendship, love, and getting on with things.
- Marvelous Manhattan by Reggie Nadelson — Growing up in New York, I never thought I would leave. But eventually, I did — and I miss it almost always. This book was like an instant transport back to the city of my heart, taking me through the neighborhoods and customs of a place that formed me as a person. If you love New York, you will love this look at the restaurants, bars and shops that make it special.
- Fear Street: Secret Admirer by R.L. Stine — Have I mentioned that I love these books? This is a reprint of the 90s series.
- Fear Street: Runaway by R. L. Stine — Seriously, I love them. Another reprint.
- Fear Street: The Perfect Date by R.L. Stine — Another reprint. Such fun to read these again.
- The Missing House by Julia Dahl — (This comes out in September; I had a galley.) Julia Dahl is a former crime reporter who now writes crime fiction. In this novel, set at and around NYU, a rich, well-known freshman is raped one night that she can’t remember. The act was caught on camera and the revenge porn sent to a select few people. As she pieces together what happened and tries to make sense of it, she also pushes everyone away — except for the kind boy next door that she’d never given a thought to before. Power, money, social media, friendship and fear collide. This is a story that pulls you in and keeps you reading late into the night just to find out what happens next.
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty — Nine people arrive at a pricey health retreat in a remote area of Australia. Some come together — a couple, a family — others come alone. Each comes with heavy emotional baggage. Together they begin a journey, trying to find the thing they are looking for. But this health retreat has secrets and the woman who runs it has bigger plans. I loved the wild ride of this book.
- A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway — Lately, I’ve been digging into the books I’ve carried from place to place. I can’t remember where or when I picked up this book, though I suspect it was at a library book sale years ago. When I finally picked it up, I was surprised to find how humanizing it is. I didn’t know much about Hemingway’s life in France, or the time before he was the writer of classics. Now that I do, I see so much more in him. Also, I was enamored with the writer’s life shown in this — and how much room creatives had to be creative in the 1920s and 30s.
- Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton — A memoir, this tale of a woman seeking purpose and meaning in her life — sometimes in all the wrong ways — was compelling and honest. Now a renowned chef with a New York restaurant and a column in the New York Times Magazine, she took a curious route to get there — and I loved following every minute.
- That Summer by Jennifer Weiner — Set in the same world as Big Summer, which I enjoyed.
- The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff — This was a story of family, friendship and survival.
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
- An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
- Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand — I love Hilderbrand’s books set on the island of Nantucket. But this one may be her very best. It got me thinking a lot about the lives we leave, and who we leave behind.
- An Eggnog to Die For by Amy Pershing — As December neared, I wanted some easy to read, food-centric books. And this cozy Christmas mystery delivered. It was easy to enjoy. This is part of the Cape Cod Foodie Mystery series.
- Murder at the Mistletoe Ball by J. D. Griffo — Another cozy Christmas mystery. This one featured a lovable family from New Jersey that made me want to crowd around their loud, boisterous table.