2021 in Review

It’s been awhile since I posted in this blog. I had a difficult and stressful 2021. The start of 2022 has not been easy either. My life is undergoing significant changes so this blog and a couple other things in my life fell by the wayside.

On a good note, I committed from late 2020 to read more and I achieved this in 2021. Books have always been a solace for me. Even with the stress that I experienced, I managed to read 70 books in 2021. That is the largest number of books I’ve read since 2008. The books I read now are smaller and they are definitely lighter. For example, I use to read more classics. These days, I strive to rotate more comfort books. Personally, I’ve found children’s literature and young adult books to be a good way to take my mind off the world. I still try to read a lot of non fiction, but I do read less literary fiction than I use to. In late 2020, I joined a local monthly book club which has allowed me to talk about various books for the first time in my life. In the past, I only had this blog to discuss my books and now I have another outlet.

In addition to reading, I was knitting more again in 2021 including finishing and working in on a few small projects. Currently, I’m knitting a sweater and planning on more stashbusting sweaters. In late 2020, I also rediscovered jigsaw puzzling. I have collected various jigsaw puzzles. I am hoping to do 1-2 puzzles every month in 2022. I watch a lot less TV these days.

My resolution in 2022 is to continue reading, knitting, and puzzling. I will also go back to writing in this blog again. Starting later this month, I will try to do monthly book reviews. I’ve never been one for long book reviews and there are a lot of books which I don’t have much to say about. Part of is lack of energy. I still want to share my books so I will try to write one or two sentences for all books that I read now.

To start off, I’ll mention some notable books that I read at the end of 2021 here.

Books in Recent Months

Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with the Apples by Ruth Reichl

I rediscovered Ruth Reichl and love her memoirs. She’s a terrific writing of food and people.

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Very good English young adult fantasy novel.

Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Very short cathartic memoirs about losing a parent.

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

Finally finished this after years of putting it on hold. It was fun in parts but I won’t continue with the series.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas

Another book which has been on my TBR list for a long time. I liked the reflection on consumerism and luxury.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

I really should have written a full review of this book. I loved it. It’s like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets anime. Looking forward to see where this series goes.

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