I've linked all titles to my reviews; for some of the rereads, that link goes to whatever my most-recent review of the book may be, as I don't always review rereads, especially if I've reviewed them two or three times before.
New Reads:
1. The Beautiful Ones (PG) by Emily Hayse -- breathtakingly good book two of Knights of Tin and Lead, a series that's retelling the Arthurian legends in a magical Wild West setting.
2. Swallows and Amazons (G) by Arthur Ransome -- enchanting stories of a wild and unfettered island summer for some siblings and their friends.
3. On These Black Sands (PG-13) by Vanessa Rasanen -- rollicking pirate fantasy adventure filled with romance, mystery, and handsome pirates.
4. Elizabeth and Her German Garden (PG) by Elizabeth von Arnim -- semi-autobiographical epistolary novel that makes me laugh a lot.
5. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (G) by Karina Yan Glaser -- delightful, whimsical, kind-hearted siblings having a Christmas adventure in Harlem.
6. These War-Torn Hands (PG) by Emily Hayse -- marvelous first book of Knights of Tin and Lead with achingly wonderful scenery and archetypical characters that I just love.
7. The Last Fire-Eater (PG-13) by Charity Bishop -- the latest installment of the Tudor Throne series is my favorite yet, mainly due to the feisty, friendly title character.
8. Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend (PG-13) by Robert K. DeArment -- biography of the Old West legend that left me wanting more. Happily, there's a sequel about his later life!
9. Land of Hills and Valleys (PG) by Elisabeth Grace Foley -- vintage-feeling western that filled me with nostalgia.
10. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (PG-15) by Frederick Douglass -- enlightening, electrifying account of Frederick Douglass's early life as a slave and his escape to freedom.
Rereads:
1. The Count of Monte Cristo (PG-16) by Alexandre Dumas -- my second-favorite book of all time. It gallops along, and I didn't want it to end.
2. The Blue Castle (PG) by L. M. Montgomery (PG) -- I reread this on January 1 and 2, and I plan for it to be my first read of this coming year too. Because I completely love it, but I don't want to reread it so often that the sparkle dims from over-familiarity.
3. Shane (PG) by Jack Schaefer -- an unfairly wonderful book. Unfair because I will never write a book this excellent.
4. Jane of Lantern Hill (G) by L. M. Montgomery -- this might now be my kids' favorite LMM book; I read it aloud to them this spring, and I think they've all reread it themselves a time or two after that.
5. The Enchanted April (G) by Elizabeth von Arnim -- this book refreshes me, and I love that about it.
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG) by J. K. Rowling -- my favorite Harry Potter book, which introduces my favorite Harry Potter character! Just perfect.
7. Sense and Sensibility (PG) by Jane Austen -- I read the annotated version while leading a read-along, and it was such a joy.
8. Little Town on the Prairie (PG) by Laura Ingalls Wilder -- another one I read aloud to my kids, and we all loved it.
9. Trouble is My Business (PG-13) by Raymond Chandler -- none of the these are my favorite Chandler short stories, but they're delicious anyway.
10. North and South (PG) by Elizabeth Gaskell -- I liked it even better this second time through, as I knew about the rushed-feeling ending and was prepared for it.
You can check out my previous end-of-the-year top ten lists on this page. They go back to 2014!
Did you share an end-of-the-year top ten list? Drop a link in the comments so I can check it out!
You reread a lot, amazing! I hardly have last year. Hoping I can prioritize rereading more next year.
ReplyDeleteEswee, I do. I've read 108 books so far this year (planning to finish my current read in the next few days...), and 34 of those were re-reads. Seven of those were rereading the whole Harry Potter series, three were rereading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and seven were me reading books aloud to my kids that I've read before. The rest were rereads because I felt like rereading them :-) I really love rereading! I hope you can fit more rereads in yourself next year.
DeleteA great list!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and yours!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/the-10-best-books-i-read-in-2021/
Thanks, Pam! Same to you :-)
DeleteI haven't read any of your favorites of this year but I have read a few from your reread list. The blue castle is my favorite Montgomery book. Jane of Lantern Hill was an interesting read and I did like that book. The Prisoner of Azkaban is also my favorite Harry Potter book, I really didn't like when a certain character (from this book) dies later on. I find Sense and Sensibility not as enjoyable as the other Austen books but maybe I just like mini-series better. North and South, I think I like the ending from the min-series better, it really is a rushed ending.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.
Lissa, high five to another Blue Castle fan! Yes, there are two characters introduced in Prisoner of Azkaban that I mourn later, though the titular Prisoner more than his childhood friend...
DeleteElizabeth Gaskell wrote North and South as a serial, and she kind of write each installment as needed, but she had an end date deadline that couldn't be moved, and she ended up having to just condense everything for the ending into the last two chapters, so... yeah, it is abrupt. For a reason.
Great choices! Especially The Beautiful Ones <3
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie! Mmmm, yes, it's so good.
DeleteI love that you give books movie-style ratings. I do that, too. It's super helpful.
ReplyDeleteI really need to read THE BLUE CASTLE. I've only ever read the Anne books and not even all of those.
Happy TTT!
Thanks, Susan! I find the movie-style ratings are really helpful to a lot of people in deciding if a books something they'll enjoy. Very cool that you do that too!
DeleteOh man, The Blue Castle. It is quite different from the Anne books in some ways, like it's about a grown woman who's not spunky or funny or great at making friends... at least, those first two are true until she gets a devastating diagnosis that jolts her out of her shell. Brilliant book. I can't want to reread it -- I'm making myself wait until New Year's Day to start it again, as it's been my New Year's read for a few years now. And the anticipation is delicious!
Of course both Knights of Tin and Lead books had to be on your list. <3 They're on mine as well! (https://evaschon.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/my-top-ten-favorites-books-of-2021/)
ReplyDeleteShane!
I'm already looking forward to next year, when I can add your BatB retelling to my top ten list for 2022. ;)
Eva, of course! They must be here. I'll read your list soon.
DeleteThat pesky book of mine needs a title. Grr. Argh. But thanks for the vote of confidence!
Oh, and yes. Shane. Funny how often that book makes my top ten rereads list ;-)
DeleteSo many of these I have not read, like Montgomery series or Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteFrederick Douglass is a hero. I read My Bondage and My Freedom this year. Should be required reading!
Little Town on the Prairie...yay!
I didn't do a top ten this year, but a recap/review of the whole year and tried to choose some favorites from that list. Not easy to do. A broad pick of ten would have been much more rewarding.
Happy New Year!!
Grllopez, well, no one can read everything! Don't fret about not having read them. Or, if they seem like something you'd enjoy, try one!
DeleteFrederick Douglass is amazing. I will be reading more of his works.
That's a cool idea too! I'll be doing another post this weekend that's more of a general bookish recap, like of my reading goals and the challenges I joined.
Happy New Year!
Yes, as soon as I finish my unread shelf, I think I will read more Montgomery. (You should see my wishlist...LOL!)
DeleteI look forward to see your recap!
Ruth, I have Montgomery ON my TBR shelf, so it's a win-win for me! :-D
DeleteNow I really want to read those Knights of Tin and Lead books. I've found that I just absolutely love most things King Arthur, and they might be my second favorite legends besides Robin Hood. (Man, if only they could be in the same story...). My sister and I are currently watching the BBC TV show Merlin and are loving it to bits. Once that is over I might be moving on to those books you mentioned if I can.
ReplyDeleteI'm almost done with The Count of Monte Cristo! Though it's not my favorite book, I'm glad to hear that it's yours! Same for my older sister. We'll see what changes in the last 100 pages...
Chloe, the Knights of Tin and Lead books are awe-inspiring. I love them. I wish the series was going to be twice as long. I just want to refresh myself with them over and over and over.
DeleteI really like the Arthur legends too, and have a small collection of them that's shelved with my Robin Hood books :-)
I hope you like how Monte Cristo wraps up! It's such a good, good book.
Everyone seems to have loved the last Tudor book the most, because of the fire-eater. I love her, so I will take the enthuiasm. ;)
ReplyDeleteCharity, well, she's a really relatable character, so maybe that's why? :-)
DeleteI love that you make lists for both the new reads and the rereads! So fun.
ReplyDeleteI especially enjoyed reading about your favorite new reads. It's telling that Emily Hayse's books were so high on your list!
North and South was definitely one of my favorite rereads of this year, too. Mmm, so good.
Olivia, since about a third of my reads this year were rereads, I'm really glad I do lists for both. It would be too hard otherwise.
DeleteNorth and South grows on me more and more every time I read or watch it. So many layers. Love that.
I haven't read any of these but so many of them are on TBR list. And I love that you added your top rereads too. That's so fun! Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteAshley, I think about a third of my reads this year were rereads, so I definitely needed to split them up, or my top ten list would be mostly those :-) Happy New Year!
DeleteLooks like you had a GREAT reading year, Rachel. That's the best. I've seen lots of good about Vanessa's book, so someday maybe I'll read that one, and of course, I do own some of Charity's books as well. :) I have this weird relationship with re-reads. I'm always "scared" to bother with re-reads because my first impression is so shiny (the books I love best) that I don't want to dim that. Thanks a bunch for visiting Finding Wonderland! As always, I'm grateful.
ReplyDeleteRissi, I really did! I hope you get to read On These Black Sands, and soon! It's a rollicking good time.
DeleteRereads do occasionally disappoint me, but most of the time, they're a delight. Usually the disappointment happens if it's a book I loved as a kid and now discover is written rather clunkily or is a little too farfetched for my adult credulity.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser seems cute!!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT list.
Lectrice, Vanderbeekers is just a scrumptious book -- so good that I bought the next two in the series this week!
DeleteThanks for sharing a link to your TTT. I will check it out :-)
Swallows and Amazons is such a wonderful book, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it! It's one my whole family loves, as well. (And we refer to it A LOT especially when we go sailing.)
ReplyDeleteApropos of your thought about "Shane"--isn't it both horrible and wonderful to read a book that makes you doubt your writing abilities? XD
Samantha, I am not surprised you love Swallows and Amazons too! How awesome that your family sails! Have you read more books in the series? I bought the next one and hope to read it to my kids this summer.
DeleteAnd yes, it is always a special kind of ache when you find a book that is so astonishingly good you wish you wrote it, but know you couldn't.
Yes, I've read several more books in the series! My family has all of them, but I'm not quite at that level of dedication to the series. XD I quite enjoyed the other ones I read, though.
DeleteWow, looks like you had a great reading year! You seemed to balance new books with rereads! That is something I always struggle with as new books always seem shinier and then they fall flat compared to favorites. Awe, I read the Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. Such a cute book! Love Monte Cristo and the Blue Castle. I've been intrigued by North and South like the TV show version. Is it much different?
ReplyDeletePages to Remember, I think that about a third of my reads this year were rereads :-o I'm working on a more detailed wrap-up post where I beak down what I read and look at the numbers a bit, but I think that's about how the ratio went this year. Usually it's more like a quarter of my reads are rereads, though.
DeleteThe BBC version of North and South with Richard Armitage is soooooooo good -- is that the one you've seen? If so, it follows the book very, very closely. I rewatched it after this reread and was impressed with how faithful it is. I haven't seen the Patrick Stewart version yet, but my library has it so I will one of these days :-)
So flattered to see Land of Hills and Valleys on here!
ReplyDeleteI just read These War-Torn Hands over Christmas vacation and really enjoyed it—I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
Elisabeth, LOHAV is such and excellent book. Definitely deserved its spot.
DeleteI'm eagerly awaiting the last Knights of Tin and Lead book, while also bemoaning that it will be the last.