Books I Read in 2021

Here's my annual "Books I Read This Year" post.


Some of these are Advance Reading Copies I was lucky enough to receive, so may not be available just yet - but worth the wait!  


Mixed in with the books is some "book art" I like. Some I've used in previous posts, some are new to me. I enjoy finding new (to me) artists as much as I enjoy finding new authors and poets.









I think I've read more books during this year than usual, including some "comfort" re-reads.








As usual, I read quite a few books about Paris.


Those books, besides being listed here, have also been included in my Paris Reading List - Meanderings and Muses: My Paris Reading List - Updated 12/14/2021 - with much more to come I'm in the process of updating this list with links to the authors and the book covers. It's a project that won't be finished any time soon, but 'tis fun.







So. Here we go -


Books I Read in 2021.


They are all books I enjoyed. I'm not one to continue reading a book if it's not appealing to me. You'll see by the little asterisks that some of these appealed maybe a little more than others. Some get one asterisk, some two and very few get three. But even those with no asterisk at all is still a book I feel very comfortable recommending.


Enjoy! I hope you find some new books and authors to add to your own list.









". . . And Ladies of the Club" (re-read) by Helen Hooven Santmyer *
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness **




A Garden in Paris by Stephanie Grace Whitson
A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes *
A New York Secret by Ella Carey *




A Night at the Sweet Gum Head by Martin Padgetta
A Paris Affair by Mary Oldham
A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery (ARC)
A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers **

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe (ARC)*
An Ambush of Widows by Jeff Abbott (ARC)
An American in Paris by Siobhan Curham **






Barefoot in the Sand by Holly Chamberlin (ARC)
Birds of a Feather by Lise McClendon
Bloodless by Preston & Child (ARC) *






Blush by Jamie Brenner (ARC)
Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)
Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering (ARC)





Carolina Mist by Mariah Stewart
Castle Shade by Laurie R. King (ARC)
Christmas at Tiffany's by Karen Swan *

Coming to Age: Growing Older with Poetry by Carolyn Hopley (Editor), Mary Ann Hoberman (Editor) *
Crazy as a Loon by Lise McClendon
Dark Night by Paige Shelton (ARC)

Dark Things I Adore by Katie Lattari (ARC) **
Darling Girl: A Novel of Peter Pan by Liz Michalski (ARC) **
Death at the Chateau Bremont by M. L. Longworth
Desolation Canyon by P. J. Tracy (ARC)

Die Around Sundown by Mark Pryor (ARC)
Dream Girl by Laura Lippman (ARC) *
Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
Embassy Wife by Katie Crouch (ARC)

Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb **
Falling for a French Dream by Jennifer Bohnet (ARC)
False Witness by Karin Slaughter (ARC)
Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer (ARC)

Fatal Scores by Mark de Castrique
Flight Risk by Joy Castro (ARC) **
Fly the Nest by Lise McClendon

Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb ***
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand *
Gone by Morning by Michele Weinstat Miller (ARC)
Haven Point by Virginia Hume (ARC) *
Hemingway's Daughter by Christine M. Whitehead (ARC) *

Her Family Secret by Melissa Wiesner (ARC) **
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan (ARC)
Hilltowns by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)
Homeplace by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)

How They Met by Irene Vartanoff (ARC)
Hummingbird Lane by Carolyn Brown (ARC) *
Hungry Hill by Eileen Patricia Curran (ARC) *

I Have Something to Tell You by Susan Lewis (ARC) *

In Polite Company by Gervais Hagerty
Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)
Jackie and Maria by Gill Paul

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger (ARC)
Legacy by Nora Roberts (ARC)
Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger **

Lizzie and Dante by Mary Bly **
Lost and Found In Paris by Lian Dolan (ARC) *
Love Among the Recipes by Carol M. Cram *
Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)

Magical Midlife Dating by K.F. Breene
Magical Midlife Invasion by K. F. Breene
Magical Midlife Love by K. F. Breene
Magical Midlife Madness by K.F. Breene
Magical Midlife Meeting by K. F. Breene

Murder in the Rue Dumas by M. L. Longworth
Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson (ARC)

Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)

Not Dark Yet by Peter Robinson

• Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)
• Off the Wild Coast of Brittany by Juliet Blackwell
• One Christmas in Paris by Mandy Baggot *

One Lucky Summer by Jenny Oliver (ARC)
Our Little World by Karen Winn (ARC)

Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams *
Out of Anywhere by Andrea Nourse(ARC) *
Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter *
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan **
Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (ARC)* *
Reunion Beach, Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank edited by Carrie Feron

Riviera House by Natasha Lester
Runner by Tracy Clark (ARC) *
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness *
Silverview by John LeCarre

Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells (ARC)
Songs by Honeybird by Peter McDade (ARC) **
State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny *

Still Lives by Maria Hummel
Strapless by Deborah Davis
Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin

Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)
That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (ARC)
The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn *
The Beach House by Rachel Hanna
The Becoming by Nora Roberts (ARC) ***
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness *

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman *
The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne (ARC)
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser *

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan *

The Christmas Unicorn by Elf Ahearn
The Cover Wife by Dan Fesperman (ARC)
The Dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufmann (ARC) *
The Dressmaker's Secret by Lorna Cook (ARC)

The Fashion Orphans by Randy Susan Meyers and M.J. Rose (ARC)
The French Gift by Kirsty Manning (ARC) *
The French Paradox by Ellen Crosby
The Garden House by Linda Mahkovec (ARC)

The Girl From Paris by Ella Carey (ARC) *
The Girl I Used to Be by Heidi Hostetter (ARC) *
The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)
The Herd by Andrea Bartz

The House Uptown by Melissa Ginsburg
The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross (ARC)
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova*

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
The Killing Hills by Chris Offutt (ARC)
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (ARC) *

The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly (ARC) *
The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain (ARC) **
The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer (ARC)
The Last Night in London by Karen White *
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave *

The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber (ARC)
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (ARC) *
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The Lost Carousel of Province by Juliet Blackwell (Re-Read) *

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny (ARC) **
The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson (ARC) *
The Magnificent Lives of Majorie Post by Allison Pataki (ARC)
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

The Match by Harlan Coben (ARC)
The Moon Over Kilmore Quay by Carmel Harrington
The Moon, The Stars, and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan (ARC)

The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski (ARC) *
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (ARC)*

The Other Couple by Cathryn Grant (ARC)
The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub (ARC)
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf (ARC)







The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen **
The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron (ARC)

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham
The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella (ARC) *
The Perfume Thief by Timothy Schaffert (ARC) *

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
The Pot Thief Who Studied the Woman At Otowi Crossing by J. Michael Orenduff
The Purple Shadow by Christopher Bowden
The River Between Us by Liz Fenwick

The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn *
The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe (ARC) *

The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman (ARC)

The Secret of the Chateau by Kathleen McGurl
The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey *
The Secrets We Share by Edwin Hill (ARC) *
The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice (ARC) *

The Sixth Wedding by Elin Hilderbrand
The Social Graces by Renee Rosen
The Steal by M.J. Rose and C.W. Gortner (ARC)
The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli (ARC)

The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy (ARC) **
The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman
The Summer I Found Myself by Colleen French (ARC)
The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe (ARC)
The Summer Seekers by Sara Morgan **

The Turnout by Megan Abbott (ARC)
The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr*
The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey (ARC) *
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (ARC) **
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray *
These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean
These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall (ARC) *
Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons (re-read)

What Doesn't Kill Us by David Housewright (ARC) *
When All Light Fails by Randall Silvis (ARC)
When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash (ARC) **
Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah *

Who is Maud Dixon by Alexandra Andrews
Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reece (ARC) *
Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr (ARC)

Happy Reading!

A few Christmas memories

 

What Did Women Like in 2021?

You might recall that last year I asked a few of my women friends who I know to be discerning readers, and who are well known in the mystery community, if they would share some of their favorite reads of 2020. 

It turned out to be a fun thing, as you can see right here.  

They enjoyed participating, and many of us got to add some new titles, along with some new authors, to our always growing book lists.

But not just mysteries.

We decided not to limit the books in any way.  Just some favorites we'd like to share with others.

And, with that we ended up with a wonderfully fun mix of fiction, non-fiction, children's books, crime fiction, romance, fantasy, photo books, young adult, etc etc etc.  

Nor did we stick with books published in 2020 which made it fun to see some old classics along with a few books to look forward to in 2021.

So, we're doing it again for 2021.

Most of you who read Meanderings and Muses know some, if not all, these women.  And what an amazing group they are; readers, writers, book advocates, librarians, teachers, reviewers, publicists, webmasters, bloggers who support authors and the world of books.    

You might run into any of them at any time at a book convention (when we're all able to actually start attending book conventions again).  

Consider this list of holiday recommendations our gift to you.

Marlyn Beebe is a librarian, knitter, reader, and grandmother (not necessarily in that order).  AND a blogger -http://mbstuffandnonsense.blogspot.com/  

She intensely dislikes being cold.

Adams, Sara Nisha. The Reading List. William Morrow, 3 August 2021.

Bhatia, Anisha.  The rules of arrangement.  Alcove Press, 13 July 2021.

Brenner, Jamie.  Blush.  G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 22 June 2021.

Dev, Sonali.  Incense & sensibility (The Rajes #3).  William Morrow, 6 July 2021.

Doller, Trish.  Float plan. St Martin’s Griffin, 2 March 2021.

Edmondson, Lauren.  Ladies of the House. Graydon House, 9 February 2021.

Fraser, Jackie.  The bookshop of second chances.  Ballantine Books, 4 May 2021.

Hawkins, Karen.  A cup of silver linings (Dove Pond #2). Gallery Books, 6 July 2021.

Kelly, Julia.  The Last Garden in England. Gallery Books, 12 January 2021.

Lalli, Sonya. Serena Singh flips the script.  Berkley, 16 February 2021.

Lackey, Mercedes.  Briarheart. Little, Brown BFYR, 5 October 2021.

Martin, Madeline.  The last bookshop in London.  Hanover Square Press, 6 April 2021.

Pearce, AJ. Yours, cheerfully (Emmy Lake chronicles #2). Scribner, 10 August 2021.

Sampson, Freya.  The last chance library.  Berkley, 31 August 2021.

Thompson, Elizabeth.  Lost in Paris.  Gallery Books, 13 April 2021.

Verant, Samantha. Sophie Valroux’s Paris stars.  Berkley, 19 October 2021.

Webber, Heather.  The Lights of Sugarberry Cove.  Forge Books, 20 July 2021.

Youngson, Anne.  The narrowboat summer.  Flatiron books, 26 January 2021

Sarah (EC) Byrne is a lawyer and dilettante from Canberra, Australia.  She has had a lot of trouble this year with the facial recognition feature on her phone

Sheerwater - Leah Swann

Slough House - Mick Herron

How To Pronounce Knife - Souvankham Thammavongsa

Memorial - Bryan Washington

These Women - Ivy Pochoda

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

A Couple of Things Before the End - Sean O'Beirne

Rodham - Curtis Sittenfeld

No One Is Talking About This - Patricia Lockwood

Empire of Pain - Patrick Radden Keeffe

Anxious People - Frederik Backman

Seven Doors - Agnes Ravatn

House of Correction - Nicci French

A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth - Daniel Mason

Gathering Dark - Candice Fox

A Line to Kill - Anthony Horowitz

Homeland Elegies - Ayad Akhtar

Consolation - Gary Disher

A Treacherous Country - K M Kruimink

Bloody Women - Helen Fitzgerald

Jen Forbus is a former teacher, former blogger, and life-long learner with a passion for animals and photography. 

I've immersed myself in non-fiction for several years now, partly due to a natural curiosity and also my desire to be as educated as possible about the causes and issues that matter to me. In addition I've reviewed children's books for Shelf Awareness and have several titles that are just amazing standouts for any aged reader.

1. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

2. Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America's Heartland by Jonathan Metzi 

3. Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm By Robin DiAngelo

4. Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter's School by Courtney E. Martin

5. After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made by Ben Rhodes

6. How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger 

YA/Children's Books

1. Me, Moth by Amber McBride

2. The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege by Brendan Kiely

3. The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin

4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Adapted for Young Readers): The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

M'Lou Greene -  "My grandmother taught me to read at age 3, and I've never stopped!" 

I was able to enjoy reading a lot more in 2021 than I did in 2020, thank goodness.

There were a few I didn't like or didn't finish, and many which didn't make the list of "favorites."


These were all at the top!


Laura Lippman, My Life as a Villainess
Jess Lourey, Salem's Cypher
Anna Jean Mayhew, Tomorrow's Bread
K F Breene, Magical Midlife Madness
Melissa Gould, Widowish
Jess Lourey, Bloodline
Laura Lippman, Dream Girl
Elyssa Friedland, Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
S A Crosby, Blacktop Wasteland
Chuck Wendig, The Book of Accidents
Kim Michelle Richardson, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who loves to talk about what she is reading. She blogs for Kevin’s Corner (https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/) on Mondays and her own blog Happiness Is a Book (https://happinessisabook.com/) on Fridays.

1. Take It Back by Kia Abdullah (2020)

2. Body Zoo by J.D. Allen (2021)

3. Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher (2019)

4. Odds-On Murder by Jack Dolph (1948)

5. When I Grow Rich by Joan Fleming (1962)

6. Death of a Showman by Mariah Fredericks (2021)

7. The Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller (2012)

8. The Dime by Kathleen Kent (2017)

9. Greasy Bend by Kris Lackey (2019)

10. Doing the Devils Work by Bill Loehfelm (2016)

11. The Judge by Steve Martini (1996)

12. The Hallows by Victor Methos (2019)

13. Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich (2016)

14. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (2016)

15. Hopjoy Was Here by Colin Watson (1962)

 Lesa Holstine is a librarian and award-winning book reviewer. While she specializes in mysteries, only half of her favorite books from 2021 fit that category. She blogs at https://lesasbookcritiques.com

Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

The Mystic's Accomplice by Mary Miley

The Killing Hills by Chris Offutt

The Becoming by Nora Roberts

Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan

Tricky by Josh Stallings

  Patti Lang is a Reader, librarian, coloring aficionado, both nerd & geek, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, feminist, transplanted Michigander.

Favorites through November 23, 2021

Mystery

The Windsor Knot (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #1)

by S.J. Bennett

The Heron's Cry (Two Rivers #2) by Ann Cleeves

A Rogue's Company (Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery #3) by Allison Montclair

Comes the War (Eddie Harkins #2) by Ed Ruggero

Murder Under Her Skin (Pentecost and Parker #2) by Stephen Spotswood

Fiction

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Science Fiction

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers #4) by Becky Chambers

Nonfiction

Taste: My Life through Food by Stanley Tucci

The Boys : A Memoir of Hollywood and Family

by Ron Howard and Clint Howard

 

Dru Ann Love is an award-winning mystery blogger at dru's book musings (https://drusbookmusing.com/) and is Fan Guest of Honor at Malice Domestic 2022

 

The Twelve Jays of Christmas by Donna Andrews

A Plus One For Murder by Laura Bradford

Dessert is the Bomb by Catherine Bruns

Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron

Fallen by Linda Castillo

Runner by Tracy Clark

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Murder at the Taffy Shop by Maddie Day

The Night Hawk by Elly Griffiths

Independent Bones by Carolyn Haines

Watch Her by Edwin Hill

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

A Side of Murder by Amy Pershing

Up To No Gouda by Linda Reilly (2022)

Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb

Fogged Off by Wendall Thomas

The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber

Stitch, Bake, Die! by Lois Winston

Erin Mitchell is a reader who is lucky enough to get to work for authors and publishers.

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger (2021)

Where They Wait by Scott Carson (2021)

Every Cloak Rolled in Blood by James Lee Burke (2022)

Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham (2021)

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard (2021)

Find Me by Alafair Burke (2022)

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (2021)

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (2021)

A Different Dawn by Isabella Maldonado (2021)

1979 by Val McDermid (2021)

The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville (2021)

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz (2022)

Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt (2001)

A Secret About a Secret by Peter Spiegelman (2022)

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham (2022)

Maki Morris  is a creative director who lives in Northern California and is a published author of YA Paranormal Mystery, Blood and Brume.   https://makimorris.com/  She is a Certified Saké and Wine Professional and a Saké Scholar. She is currently editing her new 19th century Historical Romance novel and working on her third Saké certification.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh
The Plea by Steve Cavanagh
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now by Thich Nhat Hanh
Ikigai by Héctor Garcia
Let That Sh*t Go: Find Peace of Mind and Happiness in Your Everyday by Kate Petriw and Nina Purewal
Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen
The Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen by Wilfred Owen

Kathy Boone Reel is a former English teacher who earned her Library of Science Masters because she loves reading and sharing reading so much.  Her blog, The Reading Room, is where she reviews the books she's read, which are 99% in the mystery/crime genre.  Kathy loves nothing better than to talk books with family, friends, and strangers on the street.

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean (2021)

The Nighthawks by Elly Griffiths (2021)

Fogged Off by Wendall Thomas (2021)

A Gingerbread House by Catriona McPherson (2021)

State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton (2021)

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (2021)

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (2021)

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths (2021)

The Hollywood Spy (Maggie Hope #10) by Susan Elia MacNeal (2021)

The Playground Murders (The Detective’s Daughter #7) by Lesley Thomson (2020)

The Distant Dead (The Detective’s Daughter #8) by Lesley Thomson (2021)

Body Zoo by J.D. Allen (2021)

Shot Caller by Jen Danna (2021)

Murder in Material Gain by Anne Cleeland (2021)

Untrue Blue by Emma James (2021)

Division and Clark by Naomi Hirahara (2021)

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020)
The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett (2021)
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day (2021)
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020)
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny (2021)

 

LJ Roberts, a professional reviewer since 2004, reviews for multiple online mystery sites, plus Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine and Mystery Readers' Journal, and has a review site at

https://booksaremagic.blogspot.com/      

 

Dark Sky by C.J. Box

The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves

State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny

Dead Ground by M.W. Craven

The Stolen Hours by Allen Eskens

The Custom House Murders by Ashley Gardner

The Drop by Dennis Lehane

Transient Dreams  by Donna Leon

Black Coral by Andrew Mayne

To the Dark by Chris Nickson

Final Out by Sheldon Siegel

 

 

 

 

Sara Weiss - High school teacher/College professor, avid reader and part time reviewer. 

I’ve been reading mostly series this year.

Nora Roberts The Awakenining and The Becoming

Naomi Novik A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate

Mercedes Lackey’s whole catalog! 

Leigh Bardugo Rule of Wolves

Andy Weir Hail Mary (Stand-alone)

JD Robb Faithless in Death and Forgotten in Death

John Sandford The Investigators

Gregg Hurwitz Orphan X series and Tim Rackley series, I read all of both! 

Dean Koontz Namless series, great on audio if you like listening. 

So many more… feel free to check out my goodreads list. 

My Turn!

I read a LOT of books this year, which you can see in the sidebar at my blog, Meanderings and Muses.  More than usual, I think. 

But these were my top favorites read in 2021. 

This was the hardest year yet to cull my list down to a number that would not seem ridiculous to some.  It leaves off many books that I loved; books I'll be recommending to friends, and that I'll be re-reading in the future.

A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers

A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

An American in Paris by Siobhan Curham

Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb

Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb

Flight Risk by Joy Castro

Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

Lizzie and Dante by Mary Bly

Lost in Paris by Elizabeth Thompson

Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby

State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

The Becoming by Nora Roberts

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman 

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen

The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan

Those Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash

And these!  They're 2022 releases - January through June, so add them to your list.

You will thank me.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain (Releases in January 2022)

The Fashion Orphans by Randy Susan Meyers and M. J. Rose (Releases February 2022)

Songs by Hummingbird by Peter McDade (Releases in March 2022)

Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan (Releases in April 2022)

Darling Girl: A Novel of Peter Pan by Liz Michalski (Releases in May 2022)

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (Releases in June 2022)

Happy Reading!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, 

the Happiest of Holidays, 

Joy , 

and Good Cheer!

And Magic!

I hope you find magic

And may I also suggest snuggling up with Eloise!

Another Christmas novel recommendation

 

"What do you do when the man you pledged your life to breaks your heart and shatters your dreams? You pack your bags and travel the big, wide world to find your destiny—and your true love . . .

Ten years ago, a young and naïve Cassie married her first serious boyfriend, believing he would be with her forever. Now her marriage is in tatters and Cassie has no career or home of her own. Though she feels betrayed and confused, Cassie isn't giving up. She's going to take control of her life. But first she has to find out where she belongs . . . and who she wants to be.

Over the course of one year, Cassie leaves her sheltered life in rural Scotland to stay with her best friends living in the most glamorous cities in the world: New York, Paris, and London. Exchanging comfort food and mousy hair for a low-carb diet and a gorgeous new look, Cassie tries each city on for size as she searches for the life she's meant to have . . . and the man she's meant to love."

Merry Christmas!

 

From Princess Annabelle of Meat Camp, NC

Happy Wishes for this Holiday Season

“Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!