Top Ten Books of 2021

I read 154 books in 2021!  99 of the authors were new to me.  I primarily read historical fiction, mysteries and graphic novels but also read a few science and political books.  My top ten list combines my favorites from all genres.  Here they are:

10. Twisted Tea Christmas (cozy mystery)

9.  Primer (comic)

8.  Hemlock (cozy mystery)

7.  Superman Smashes the Klan (comic)

6.   Peril (politics)

5.  Dominus (historical fiction)

4.  The September Society (mystery)

3.  Tunnels (graphic novel)

2.  Defending Britta Stein (historical fiction)

And my number 1 book is:  China (historical fiction)

2022 Library Love Reading Challenge

The sixth annual Library Love Challenge hosted by Angel’s Guilty Pleasures & Books of My Heart is back.

Rules:  

The Challenge runs from January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022.  You can join anytime.  The sign-up will remain open until Dec. 31st, 2022.

The goal is to find your love of your local library and to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more.  While twelve is the minimum; there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.

Any format will work for this challenge (prints, ebooks, or audios); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.

Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.). Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads.  The goal is to support your local library and save money.

You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc. As an added bonus: We’re offering up FOUR GIVEAWAYS plus a few surprise giveaways throughout the year (2022) with this Challenge.  The main giveaways will be posted for (Jan., Feb., & March), (April, May, & June), (July, Aug., & Sept.), & last (Oct., Nov., & Dec.).  A linky will go up on both Angel’s Guilty Pleasures and Books of My Heart; where you can leave your links for the reviews on your library books you have read.  So make sure to stop by to enter.  More details in the giveaway section below. 

Optional Reviews: Write a review to enter the giveaway – 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences.  Not sure what to write?  How about something like, “The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me.” “I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters.” Please use #LibraryLoveChallenge when sharing your reviews, library pictures, etc…

 Levels: 

• Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
• Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books (my personal challenge)
• Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
• Library Addict: Read 48 books
• Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books 
•  

If you are interested, there is a Goodreads Group for the Library Love Challenge, where we talk, share, and discuss the books we snagged/read during the 2022 Library Love Challenge – Click Here

2022 What's In A Name Reading Challenge

The 15th annual What’s in a Name challenge is on! In years past, this challenge was hosted by Charlie at The Worm Hole.  Andrea at the Carolina Book Nook took over in 2019 and she is hosting again next year!

Rules:

1)    The challenge runs from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. You can sign up any time, but only count books that you read between those dates.
2)    Read a book in any format (hard copy, ebook, audio) with a title that fits into each category.
3)    Don’t use the same book for more than one category.
4)    Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
5)    You can choose your books as you go or make a list ahead of time.
6)    Sign up with a link to your WIAN challenge page/post, not your main blog URL. 

The categories below are links to each category sign up link.  Add your book review for each category so we can see what you’ve read and discover ideas as needed.  In 2022, choose 6 books that have titles that contain a:

(Click on the links for more examples and info)

• Compound word

• Speed 

• Person and their description

• Mythical being

• Season 

• Color

I have some ideas on what I want to read but note I am prone to change my mind daily.  Here are the books that I probably will be reading for the challenge:

The Spyglass File by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Fast Girls by Elise Hooper

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris

Hawaii One Summer by Maxine Hong Kingston

Purple Lotus by Veena Rao

2022 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

It’s back for another year!!  This challenge is focused on finally finishing those series that you’ve started but not yet completed.  It was previously hosted by Bea’s Book Nook, but Celebrity Readers has been hosting it since 2018.  I am proudly rejoining this challenge in 2022 at the B List Series Finisher Level which requires that I read books from 5 to 8 series.  Some of the series that I read that I expect to see new books published for in 2022 include the Somershill Manor medieval mystery series by S. D. Sykes, the wine country cozy mystery series by Ellen Crosby, Anna Castle's Francis Bacon Mysteries, Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series, Alison Stuart's Harriet Gordon historical mystery series and Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse mystery series.  Alka Joshi's Jaipur trilogy will conclude next year too.  In addition, I need to work on completing Nathan Dylan Goodwin's Morton Farrier Geneological Mystery series which is set in England, Susan Finley's Tangled Roots historical geneology series, and Janet Macleod Trotter's India Tea series. 

guidelines:

• The challenge will run from January 1st, 2022 to December 31st, 2022.  Books must be read during this time frame to count.  Sign up is open from now until December 1st, 2022, so you may join even just for the last month of the year.
• Series can be already completed as well as still ongoing.  For ongoing series, the goal is to catch up to the most recent book published by the end of 2022.
• We don’t care if you have only 1 book or 10 books to read in order to finish your series, as long as you’ve started the series before 2022 (ie read at least one book in the series), it counts.  Re-reads are not required.
• Any format and length of book counts – print, ebook, audio, ARC, etc.
• Series can be any length (even if it’s just a Duet).
• Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable!
• Reviews are not required, but highly encouraged.

new this year:

A side Finishing the Anthology challenge has been added to the challenge this year!  For this side challenge, you must have read at least one story in the anthology prior to 2022, and then obviously finish it this year (I don’t care if you DNF a story, as long as you give them all a try).  There are a few “read an anthology in a year” type challenges, but what the host was really looking for, and thus far hadn’t found, was one where you’d already started the anthology and just want to get it off your TBR once and for all.

how to play:

• Declare your intentions to participate in this challenge somewhere on the internet!!  You do not need to be a blogger to participate, there are many ways to declare.  You could write a blog post, create a reading challenge page, create a Goodreads shelf containing series you hope to finish, post about it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Some things you could include (but that aren’t required):
  • A link to the challenge page so that others may find us and join the fun as well (feel free to download the button at the top to use in your posts).
  • A list of series you hope to read for this challenge.  You could even get fancy and list the length of the series, or the books you’ve already read, etc.
  • The level you are aiming for.
• This year only one link up will be posted for the whole year.  This is where you can add links to your reviews or any wrap-up/overview posts you wish to share.
• Go forth and READ!!  And have fun!!
• Use the hashtag #FinishingTheSeries2022 on any social media to keep up with other participants!

the levels:

Participants are offerred 3 different “Celebrity” levels of achievement for this reading challenge:

C-LIST SERIES FINISHER ⇒ COMPLETE 1-4 SERIES.

B-LIST SERIES FINISHER ⇒ COMPLETE 5-8 SERIES.

A-LIST SERIES FINISHER ⇒ COMPLETE 9+ SERIES.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

I signed up to read 50 books for the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I read 43 books by 21 new to me authors. The time periods that I read about covered 5 BC to the 1970s. The settings covered European and Asian cities. Here.is a list of the books that I read:

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee

Death and the Maiden by Ariana Franklin

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams

Vendetta by C. DeMelo

Now and Then Stab by Anna Castle

The Binding by Bridget Collins

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray

Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan

The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul

The Art Collector's Daughter by Derville Murphy

The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper

The Tea Planter's Daughter by Janet Macleod Trotter

The Lantern Boats by Tessa Morris-Suzuki

Murder in Venice by Maria Luisa Minarelli

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

Midnight Fire by P. K. Adams

Apricots by Sally Christie

Portrait of Peril by Laura Joh Rowland

Beneath an Indian Sky by Renita D'Silva

My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray

China by Edward Rutherford

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by by Alka Joshi

Dominus by Steven Taylor

The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan

The First Actress by C. W. Gortner

The French House by  Helen Fripp

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli

A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy

The Widow Queen by Elzbieta Cherezinska

The Good Death by S. D. Sykes

White Ivy by Susie Yang

Defending Britta Stein by Ronald Balson

The Flower Boat Girl by Larry Feign

Prayers of the Dead by Priscilla Royal

Berlin and Betrayal by Susan Finley

Master Wycliffe's Summons by Mel Starr

The Rabbi's Wife the Bishop's Wife by David Jacobson

Anticipation by Melodie Winawer

The Samurai's Daughter by John Healey

Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell

Favorite Book:  China    

2nd Favorite Book:  Defending Britta Stein

Least Favorite Book:  The Flower Boat Girl

Brigid of Kildare

The publisher's summary:  

In Fifth Century Ireland:  Brigid is Ireland's first and only female priest and bishop.  Followers flock to her Kildare abbey and scriptorium.  Hearing accounts of Brigid's power, the Church deems her a threat and sends Decius, a Roman priest and scribe, on a secret mission to collect proof of Brigid's heresy.  As Delcius records the unorthodox practices of Brigid and her abbey, he becomes intrigued by her.  When Brigid assigns Delcius a holy task - to create the most important and sacred manuscript ever made - he finds himself at odds with his original mission and faces theist difficult decision of his life. 

In the modern day:  Alexandra Patterson, an appraiser of medieval relics, has been summoned to Kildare to examine a reliquary box believed to belong to St. Brigid.  Hidden within the sacred box is the most beautiful illuminated manuscript Alex has ever seen.  Even more extraordinary is the contents of the manuscript's vellum pages, which may have dire repercussions for the Catholic Church and could very well rewrite the origins of Christianity.  

I loved this book but had many questions about fact versus fiction as I was reading.  This novel has alot of information on how illuminated manuscripts are created.  Since I have been studying ancient manuscripts for 2 years I wanted to find out more about Brigid's manuscript, which is referred to in the book as the first illuminated manuscript in history.  Her manuscript was used as a guide for the sixth century Book of Kells.  I have never heard who or where the first illuminated manuscript came from before reading the book and later research showed me that they began being produced in the 500s AD.  That matches with Brigid's life time as she lived until 525.  Note that there are earlier illuminated manuscripts, some literature and some Muslim, but they were not Christian manuscripts.  The general definition of illuminated manuscripts these days is a manuscript with Christian themes.  After finishing the novel I headed over the Wikipedia for more information about Brigid.  There I read that most scholars do not believe that St. Brigid existed.  The reason is that the stories about her are fantastical, such as she healed people of physical ailments.  Since I am not a Catholic I had never heard of Brigid before but if she did not exist how did she come to be a Roman Catholic Saint?  Wikipedia cites her birth and death dates and places. If she never existed where did this information come from?  The book states that she was born in the 450s which is when this story begins.

Another fact versus fiction item that I had to research was that allegation that the veneration of Mary, mother of Jesus, began with Brigid.  The only authentic information I found was that the first image of Mary as "The Virgin Mary" was created in the 5th century in  Gaelic lands.  The author gives us a portrait of how the veneration of Mary began, with a Brigid who wonders why the people around Jesus were all men.  Why were there no woman of influence?  Why were the women around Jesus portrayed as whores and serving girls?  While Brigid was growing up, she read a heretical book that her mother owned titled The Gospel of Mary the Mother.  Brigid is captivated by the strong and wise Mary in this gospel and long after she joined an abbey, she hired the Roman scribe Decius to create an illuminated manuscript that glorified Mary.  Further along in the book we read that the Roman Church attempted to crush this idea about Mary but as the belief in Mary began spreading throughout Europe, Rome gave in and began to teach the veneration of Mary.  Rome was nearing its end and did not want to upset the faithful. 

The Gospel of Mary the Mother is an actual text written around 150 AD.  It was basically rewritten later in the 2nd century in the Protevangelium of James. (another actual 2nd century manuscript).  James enhances the role of Mary by describing her birth as miraculous, her childhood as one of incredible knowledge and wisdom and that she was taught faith in the Temple for 9 years. Her childhood as portrayed in the Protevangelium has no parallel in the New Testament and contradicts Jewish customs at the time but the fact that the author wove these details into her story is incredible. I was entranced by all these details and couldn't wait to finish the book to do some research. However, I knew that the process of creating an illuminated manuscript in the novel was spot on.

When I first began to write this review I intended to point out that the extensive playing with the facts outweighed any enjoyment I had from reading the novel. However, the author had me researching various parts of her novel for 2 hours. That alone makes this a 5 out of 5 star book.

The Samurai's Daughter

Soledad Maria, called Masako by her father, is a child of two worlds. Born in Seville in the seventeenth century, she is the daughter of a beloved Spanish lady and a fearsome warrior sent to Spain as a member of one of the most intriguing cultural exchanges in history.  After her mother's death, Soledad Maria and her father set out to return to Japan, though a journey across the world can never be without peril.  Once they return, even their position in her father's home is not secure. As they try to stay one step ahead of those who would harm them, Soledad Maria finds herself grappling with not only the physical challenges of her many voyages, but with who she is, which legacy to claim - that of a proper Spanish lady or of a samurai - and which world she can really call home.

This is a captivating story, one that continues the author's The Samurai of Seville novel, published in 2017.  It was hard to put down so I read straight through the night in order to finish reading it. I particularly enjoyed reading about their travels to and from Japan by two different routes which brought the scenery and cultures of the entire world into view. While traveling to Japan they traveled through Greece to Turkey and on to China. On their return trip to Spain, they crossed the North American continent and encountered peoples that they had never heard about before. Soledad Maria had to pretend to be a boy in order to prevent being abused and as a result learned the skills of warfare the most women of the era never gained. 

I loved this one!  5 out of 5 stars.

2022 Chunkster Reading Challenge

I am rejoining the Chunkster Reading Challenge again next year.  I have always loved large books, especially those hard cover ones that I can hold.  Ebooks don't do much for me when I am reading a chunky. There is something satisfying about holding a big book.

Challenge Rules:  

1.  The challenge runs the calendar year from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.

2.  Books must be 450 pages or more to be considered a chunkster. 

3.  Any book qualifies for the challenge. It can be an adult book or young adult book.

4.  The books can be hard copy, e-books, or an audio book.

5.  Rereads are welcome as are crossovers with other challenges. 

6.  A blog is NOT required to participate. 

7.  There is no set number of books to read. 

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

12 books were required for the challenge, one for each month of the year.  I read 15 books however and 11 of the authors were new to me.  They are as follows:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams

The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul

The Lost Ancestor by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper

The Girl From Silent Lake by Leslie Wolfe

The Night Away by Jess Ryder

Beneath an Indian Sky by Renita D'Silva

Gone by Sharon A. Mitchell

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

Top Producer by Laura Wolfe

Sweet Tooth Compendium by Jeff Lemire

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs

One Night in Tehran by Luana Ehrlich

Thin Air by Ann Cleeves

Favorite Book:  The Midnight Library

2nd Favorite Book:  Sweet Tooth Compendium

Least Favorite Book:  Thin Air

2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge is my favorite reading challenge.  This year I read 40 books.  There are 3 or 4  more novels that I plan on reading and reviewing before the end of the year.  I am planning a change in my level of participation though.  In 2021 I challenged myself to read 50 books.  I will not be able to meet that challenge.  With over 150 books read during 2021, I want to reduce my reading next year to accommodate work on art projects.  If my hands hold up, I will be able to do more art.  If not, I will be reading much more.

Reading Challenge details

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created where you can add the links for the books you have read. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

Everyone can participate! If you don't have a blog you can post a link to your review if it's posted on Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon, or you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish.  Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, History/Non-Fiction, etc.)

During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th Century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books  - this is my challenge level
Prehistoric - 50+ books

To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link in Mr. Linky in the challenge post.  You can also

 use the challenge hashtag #histficreadingchallenge and join in on the Facebook page.

2022 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

 

The Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge is one of my favorite challenges.  However, I am reducing my challenge level to the Inspector Level where I will read 26-35 books.  In 2021 I signed up at the Special Agent Level where 36-55 books are required to be read.  I read over 150 books this year and want to reduce my reading in 2022.  I am hoping to be able to work on more art projects in my leisure time.

Challenge Rules:

• You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.
• You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up. (blog, Goodreads, Instagram, etc.)
• Make a goal post and link it back here with your goal for this challenge.
• Books need to at least 100 pages long. Please no short stories.
• Crossovers with other challenges are fine.
• The Challenge will run from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st. (Sign up ends March 15th)

The challenge facebook group is still up and running.  Here’s the group’s link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/350512171977943/. It’s a closed group.  There will be a monthly link-up so we can see what everyone’s reading – and probably add some to our own tbr lists. At the halfway mark and at the end there will be a giveaway for those participating.

Please continue to use the hashtag #CloakDaggerChal.

Levels:

5-15 books – Amateur sleuth

16-25 books – Detective

26-35 books – Inspector - This is my challenge level

36 – 55 – Special agent

56+ books – Sherlock Holmes 

Wrap-Up of the 2021 New Release Reading Challenge

I signed up to read 30 books for this challenge and I more then met the challenge by reading 55 books.  23 of them were mysteries, 13 were historical fiction, 10 were graphic novels and the rest were about politics, science, and Amish fiction.  28 of the authors were new (to me.) Here is what I read:

Now and Then Stab by Anna Castle

Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs

Deliberate Duplicity by David Rohlfing

The French Paradox by Ellen Crosby

The Wedding by Ruth Heald

The Grand Odalisque by Ruppert and Mullet

Women Discoverers by Marie Monard

One Perfect Grave by Stacy Green

Freiheit by Andrea Grosso Ciponte

The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper

The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson

The Cartiers by Francesca Cartier Brickell

The Murder of Emma Brown by Rod Kackley

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

Portrait of Peril by Laura Joh Rowland

The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion

Play Dead by Ted Dekker

The Night Gate by Peter May

The Perfect Daughter by Daniel Palmer

China by Edward Rutherford

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

The Fourth of July by Cami Checkouts

Gone by Sharon Mitchell

Return to the Big Valley by Wanda Brunstetter

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

The Cellist by Daniel Silva

Dominus by Steven Saylor

Factory Summers by Guy DeLisle

Rebecca & Lucie by Pascal Girard

Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan Erskine

The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan

Hemlock by Susan Wittig Albert

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs

An Untidy Death by Simon Brett

Peril by Bob Woodward

The Good Death by S. D. Sykes

The Tenant by Keith Ververka

Berlin and Betrayal by Susan Finley

COVID Chronicles by Ethan Sacks

Home by Julio Anta

The Beginning by Beverly Lewis

A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy

The French House by Helen Fripp

Menorca Sketchbook by Graham Byfield

The Widow Queen by Elzbieta Cherezinska

Defending Britta Stein by  Ronald Balson

The Rabbi's Wife the Bishop's Wife by David Jacobson

The Waiting by Keum Suk Gentry-Kim

The Flower Boat Girl by Larry Feign

Prayers of the Dead by Priscilla Royal

Master Wycliffe's Summons by Mel Starr

Tunnels by Rutu Modan

The All Nighter by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo

A Lancaster Family Christmas by Kate Lloyd

Anticipation by Melodie Winawer

Favorite Book:  China

2nd Favorite Book:  Defending Britta Stein

Least Favorite Book:  The Flower Boat Girl (a vulgar historical fiction novel. Yuck!)

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

I signed up to read between 36 and 55 books in 2021 and I met the challenge by reading 50 mysteries.  18 of the authors were new to me. Here is what I read:

Death and the Maiden by Ariana Franklin

Plaid & Plagiarism by Molly MacRae

The Girls in the Snow by Stacy Green

Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

The French Paradox by Ellen Crosby

Piece of my Heart by Mary Higgins Clark

With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George

Followed by Helen Macie Osterman

One by One by Ruth Ware

Now and Then Stab by Anna Castle

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Deliberate Duplicity by David Rohlfing

In the Blood by Steve Robinson

The Wedding by Ruth Heald

One Perfect Grave by Stacy Green

Raven Black by Ann Sleeves

The Lost Ancestor by Gill Paul

The Easter Sepulchre by Mel Starr

My Sister's Grave by Robert Durian

The Girl From Silent Lake by Leslie Wolfe

The Murder of Emma Brown by Rod Kackley

The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion

Play Dead by Ted Dekker

The Night Gate by Peter May

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Perfect Daughter by D. J. Palmer

Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan

Ice Blue by Emma Jameson

One Night in Tehran by Luana Ehrlich

The Fire Thief by Debra Bokur

The Fourth of July by Cami Checketts

Gone by Sharon Mitchell

Peaches and Schemes by Anna Gerard

The Cellist by Daniel Silva

The September Society by Charles Finch

Viral by Robin Cook

Top Producer by Leslie Wolfe

Hemlock by Susan Wittig Albert

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs

An Untidy Death by Simon Brett

Murder on the Metro by Margaret Truman

The Last Odyssey by James Rollins

The End of October by Lawrence Wright

The Good Death by S. D. Sykes

Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs

Thin Air by Ann Cleeves

The Tenant by Keith Veverka

Master Wycliffe's Summons by Mel Starr

Prayers of the Dead by Priscilla Royal

Roses Are Red by Miranda Rijks

Favorite Book:  The September Society

2nd Favorite Book:  Hemlock

Least Favorite Book:  Thin Air