Here we are at last, at the end of another year. And this one was particularly trying. With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting quarantine, 2021 has felt long. It wasn’t as hard for me as for other people (I’m an introvert) but I wouldn’t call the year a pleasant experience. 2020 was quite the tough start of a new decade. I’m with everyone hoping for a better 2022.
Even without a pandemic or home isolation, I read every day. The number of books I finished this year wasn’t that much higher than usual. Some of them were really good, which made it a hard choice to pick between them. As I’ve done before, I ended up with 10 picks. These are the books I enjoyed reading the most this year. The list starts after the jump:
10. MIND’S EYE by Douglas E. Richards
Genre: Science Fiction
My rating: 4 stars – Definitely enjoyed it!
When it comes to science fiction, one of my favorite aspects is futuristic technology. If I could live a hundred years from now, my biggest motivator would be to see the tech they’ll have then. Mind’s Eye isn’t set in the future, but it does have tech that doesn’t exist yet. The main protagonist, Nick Hall, appears to be a regular guy at first. He’s introduced during strange circumstances, suffering from amnesia. It doesn’t take long for Nick to discover people are searching for him…to kill him. How he figures this out amazes him, but Nick is able to keep his head on straight. And the reason they want him dead has to do with one-of-a-kind tech with astounding capabilities. This alone got me hooked.
9. WICKED SEXY by J.T. Geissinger
Genre: Romance
My rating: 4 stars – Definitely enjoyed it!
This is the second entry in a romantic suspense series. While the first one was good, I enjoyed this one more. The main character, Tabitha “Tabby” West got my attention when she appeared in Wicked Beautiful. Her personality isn’t quite appealing to me, but she’s cute and she’s an extremely skilled hacker. I admire smart women. Wicked Sexy finds Tabby partnering with Connor Hughes, owner of a private security firm, for an important case. The two can’t quite stand each other, but they can’t resist their intense attraction either. They must learn to get along while trying to catch a hacker who’s every bit as talented but way more dangerous than Tabby.
8. TRUTH AND LIES by Caroline Mitchell
Genre: Thriller
My rating: 4 stars – Definitely enjoyed it!
I am rather partial to mystery and police procedural novels with great protagonists. I’ve read a lot of them, but they all had American police officers or federal agents. Truth and Lies takes place in England. The main character is Amy Winter, a DI (Detective Inspector). Her father was Robert Winter, one of the most respected officers Essex Police has had. Amy herself has a particular talent for getting into the minds of criminals. But even she had no idea why that is so…until she receives a fateful letter. In it, Amy discovers a truth that completely changes her life. It may also change how Amy’s colleagues see her. Finding out how Amy deals with this is one of the main draws of Truth and Lies. The book has lively characters, incredible twists, and a woman who has to rediscover who she is.
7. BE THE GIRL by K.A. Tucker
Genre: Romance, New Adult
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
As a fan of New Adult romance novels, I’d heard of K.A. Tucker. She seems to write likable books, and I decided to start with Be the Girl. The main character is Aria Jones. Soon to be sixteen, she’s just started a new life in a new town with her mother and uncle. Aria even changed her name. When she meets her next-door neighbors, Aria has no idea how much they will change her life. Among them are Emmett Hartford, a popular hockey player, and his younger sister Cassie. The latter has autism, and in her case the major symptom is she may be mentally stuck as a pre-teen girl forever. Nevertheless, Aria and Cassie form a strong bond. And the attraction between Aria and Emmett is just as intense…pity that Emmett already has a devoted girlfriend.
Genre: Thriller, romance
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
This is one of those books that greatly exceeded my expectations. It was the synopsis that most got me hooked. The main character, Cherry, seemed to be compelling, never mind her curious name. Cherry is a young woman who has high aspirations in life…perhaps too high. She meets Daniel when he comes to the real estate agency where she works. From then on, it’s insta-love. Daniel is absolutely smitten by Cherry. She seems just as madly in love. The problems start when Daniel’s mother, Laura, meets Cherry. Laura has bad feelings about Cherry that eventually turn into distrust and then outright hostility. But Cherry is determined to have the life she wants for herself. I was rooting for her, so I couldn’t wait to find out whether Cherry succeeds.
5. SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
I’ve been wanting to read this series for ages. In 2021, I finally got to it. Shadow and Bone needs little introduction; it’s perhaps as popular as the Harry Potter and Mortal Instruments series. The protagonist is Alina Starkov, an army mapmaker in the fictional kingdom of Ravka. During a life-threatening situation, Alina displays a great power many believed didn’t exist. Turns out Alina is a Grisha, a human capable of elemental manipulation. The Darkling, leader of the Second Army, adds Alina to his ranks right away. With her power, Ravka may finally be freed from the Shadow Fold, a monster-infested magical wall that’s divided the country for ages. But first, Alina must master her power and outrun enemies seeking to kill her.
4. WHEN I WAS YOURS by Samantha Towle
Genre: Romance, New Adult
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
There are novels in which the synopsis makes you think “I have to know what happens.” This is one of those. It’s a love story about second chances. The main characters are Adam Gunner and Evie Taylor. Adam first sees Evie when he’s in the back of his California beach-side home. There, sitting on a rock while drawing something on a sketchpad, is Evie. Adam’s usually forward with women, but when it comes to Evie he’s too nervous to approach her for ages. When they meet, it’s love at first sight. They get married really soon after. Then one week later, Evie drops out of Adam’s life for ten years. The chapters alternate between the present and the past. I think it keeps you from finding out too much too soon about what happened.
3. SHADOW HUNT by Melissa F. Olson
Genre: Urban fantasy
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
The Old World Chronology is one of my favorite magical worlds in fiction. Olson writes endearing characters and thrilling stories. This one is the third entry in Scarlett Bernard’s second trilogy. The titular character makes a discovery that rocks her world. While Scarlett goes on an impromptu trip to speak with someone who may have answers, an old enemy resurfaces. They steal Shadow, the bargest that Scarlett claimed from a werewolf-hunting witch clan. What follows is one of the most dangerous missions Scarlett has ever taken. The enemy that she must confront could prove to be too powerful, even for her. It was a stunning conclusion to the Disrupted Magic trilogy. Characters from the Boundary Magic series also make appearances in this book.
2. NEMESIS by Brendan Reichs
Genre: Science Fiction
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
The premise of this book is what most drew me in. High school sophomore Min Wilder is the main character. Something inexplicable has been happening to her for a long while. On her birthday every couple of years, an unknown man (the same one every time) finds and kills Min. Later that same day, Min wakes up somewhere else, good as new. I couldn’t wait to find out why this was happening to her. And Min’s not the only resident in tiny Fire Lake, Idaho to whom strange things have been happening. Noah Wright, another sophomore, experiences unexplained nightmares about killing. On top of that, there’s an asteroid called the Anvil that could destroy the Earth soon. How are all these things related? You’re likely never going to guess, but the answer is absolutely not disappointing. It’s astronomical. I was wowed.
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
Yet another series I just couldn’t seem to get around to reading. And not for lack of wanting to! Since it’s been around for a decade, I decided to finally read the Mortal Instruments novels. I’d already watched the Shadowhunters TV show that stars Kat McNamara, so I wanted to find out more about its world. This fantasy series is mostly the story of Clarissa “Clary” Fray. She stumbles into New York’s hidden supernatural world one night, when she meets three mysterious teenagers. They are Jace, Alec, and Isabelle. Clary learns that, like them, she's a Shadowhunter: a race of half-human/half-angel beings who protect the world from demons. City of Ashes is a good entry, as it shows a Clary who's still mastering her powers and finding her place in the Shadow World. Valentine Morgenstern, the main antagonist, also returns for another showdown. All in all, I strongly enjoyed the Mortal Instruments saga. The great magical world in the series also includes werewolves, vampires, fairies, and warlocks in addition to the Shadowhunters.
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And that is the end of this blog post. Those are the books I read in 2021 that I liked most. While making the selections, I did notice that I re-read more titles than I usually do. I prefer to read mostly new-to-me books every year. Harry Potter took up a large percentage of my re-read books. At least what was new is that I read the series in French for the first time. I’d been looking forward to doing so and got the opportunity after signing up for Kindle Unlimited. I’ve mastered French now, but there were still a bunch of French words I didn’t know. Reading Harry Potter in French improved my fluency even more.
That’s it for now (and for this year). I’ll be back in 2022 with more book reviews and a new look. Yes, I’m giving Ivan’s Insights a fresh design for the new year. Not that the current one looks bad, but it could do with a refresh. And the new theme will be a little more fitting for what Ivan’s Insights has become. More on this in a future post. Au revoir, and Happy New Year!
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