Top 12 Books to Read in 2021

Another list I love making is my yearly TBR.  This is a list of backlist books that I already have sitting on my bookshelf (or TBR cart) and want to read throughout the year.  I’ve decided it’s a bit of a cursed list since I usually end up reading about half of them, but I can’t help my mood reading ways.  Either way, I go into it with the best intentions and it’s some of the most thought I put into any TBR.  As of now, these are the 12 books I want to get to no matter what in 2021 (not all are pictured- I left some at my parents house since I’m going to be back and forth for the foreseeable future).

1) Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #3) – This is the next book I’m up to in the Stormlight Archive series and I’ve been thinking about these characters nonstop since I finished book two.  They’re such long, epic fantasy books so I like to savor them and I’m taking my time instead of racing through the books that have been released so far.

2) Unlocked by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8.5)– This is another next book in a series, it’s book 8.5 in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. I still can’t believe that I caught up in time for the Unlocked release and I really can’t believe that the series is scheduled to end this year.

3) The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan (Royal We #1) – This is one of the books I own that has been on my TBR for the longest.  I’ve been loving all things royal and I’ve always loved books about royals so it’s really a mystery why I haven’t gotten to this one yet.

4) Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) – I meant to read this book before it was released, but alas, 2020. I love that it’s a duology and the next book is scheduled to be released in 2021, so I’ll likely read this one over the summer so I don’t let too much time lapse between books.

5) From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Blood and Ash #1) – I feel like everyone has been talking about this series for months and since I got a copy for Christmas, I can finally join the party!

6) I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum – This is a book I purchased toward the beginning of 2020 but never got a chance to pick up. It consists of essays about tv shows, which I love, and I can’t wait to read it.  Emily Nussbaum is the creator of the New York Magazine approval matrix and I’m so excited to check out her book.

7) Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames (The Band #2) – This is another book I wanted to get to in 2020- in fact, I had plans to read it with my D&D group (Andrew, Alexa & Macky) and then make a video about it since we all loved book one.  We kept putting it off (starting in March!) because we weren’t sure when the world would open up again and we would be able to see each other.  Little did we know, December would roll around and we still haven’t been able to see each other in person.

8) Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – I’ve heard so many good things about Big Magic.  A lot of people tend to read and reread this book in the beginning of the year which seems like the perfect time for it.  I’m really loving my new creative outlet on my blog, and I’m hoping Big Magic will inspire me further.

9) The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – I got this book for Christmas and I want to make an effort to read more adult literary fiction in 2021.  I had the same goal for 2020, but my first book was Normal People which I HATED. So I was turned off for the rest of the year.

10) Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker (Simple Wild #2) – This is the sequel to The Simple Wild which I adored! The second book came out in 2020 and I didn’t read it. Story of the year, right? I now have the holiday novella too so I want to finish out the series.

11) Dune by Frank Herbert (Dune #1) – I wanted to read this book in 2020 (see I told you), because of the film release but I pushed it back once the film was moved to 2021.  It’s a long sci-fi novel that I’m expecting to love since it had a heavy influence on Star Wars.

12) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett – This is another book I just got for Christmas from my future sister in law. She loved it and I’m excited to read it and talk to her about it.  If I end up loving it, I’ll definitely be checking out some of Ann Patchett’s backlist.