I have a crisis. I don’t actually have enough 5 star books to fill up my top 5 for 2021. It isn’t like I didn’t read enough – 120 books is more than enough to choose from. Surely amongst those thousands of pages of reading I could find enough books to rave about?
Apparently not.
Though as I look through my list of five star books I can safely pull out 4 that were amazing reads of the year. Even the picture books I’ve found 5 that I gave full stars to, they all may not have been amazing in the same way, but they were all fantastic in their own way.
I felt my reading tapered off towards the end of the year with everything going on but I’m trying to get back into the swing of it. Whether I would have found my fifth amazing book if I’d kept up momentum I do not know. My reviewing certainly suffered but there is a nice backlog to dive into for the future. I’m only hoping that I can write a good review, I don’t usually like leaving it so long since I finished for those inevitable times I can’t actually remember what it was about.
But that is for a later time. This is to share my Top Five of 2021.
Sword in the Stars (#2) by A. R. Capetta
The sequel to Once & Future that featured in last year’s list and it did not disappoint. It picks up after book one and takes you on another amazing adventure that is full of mythology, space, love, action and adventure and honestly every time I think about the world and narrative Capetta and McCarthy have created I am in awe of their talent. If you love the Arthurian legend and want all kinds of diverse representation and a kick-arse story than you MUST pick up this series but you also have to start with book one.
I ADORED this story. Absolutely adored it. Oseman tells a beautiful story about growing up, self discovery and finding your place in the world and it’s filled with a range of characters that are delightful to get to know.
I will warn you that this book deals with some serious topics and can be hard to read at times but it is also so incredible powerful in what Russo is trying to tell us. I felt so much sympathy for these poor characters and their lives but there is hope which is important and no spoilers but there is light after the darkness. The format is unique and I love how Russo has told a full bodied story across numerous single days.
The Adventure Zone: The Crystal Kingdom (#4) by Clint McElroy
I love the entirety of The Adventure Zone podcast but this was also my least loved arcs so I was surprised to see how much I loved the graphic novel. I mean I still loved it, but it never stuck with my the ways the others did. But seeing it visually play out reignited my admiration for Griffin’s storytelling and Clint’s ability to convert an audio into a visual medium. The memorable, quotable moments are there and it’s another step in this journey we’re going on with this little band of misadventurers and I can’t wait to keep going.
Top Five Picture Books
Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran
My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart
Things in the Sea Are Touching Me by Linda Jane Keegan
Green Lizards vs Red Rectangle by Steve Antony
First of all, I am well aware it has been An Age since I last posted on my blog. Even my well intentions around June for Pride fell flat because of Reasons but I finally find myself in the right state of mind that I am not only excited but actually capable of posting things again (whoo!). Before you all panic, I will not be backlogging the last three months with posts, but I will be posting a lot of my posts that were meant to come out during that time i.e my AWW update, my book bingo update etc. So I will combine those into one post and the last couple updates can be done in one go and I can get back on track.
This was the first book I put on the list at the start of 2019. It wasn’t the most amazing book I had read in terms of emotions or how it moved me, but I loved it so much because it is a story that is so cleverly told it is hard not to be constantly amazed at Capin’s skill. The reflections with historical events and reimaginings of historical people is divine and each time I realised a reference, a moment, or a character portrayal I fell even further in love. This is Tudor England set in a US high school and honestly those two things are perfectly fitting with a class system, drama, and chaos. I love that era and seeing it play out in the modern era was an absolute joy.
How to Fight A Dragon’s Fury by Cressida Cowell
Book two of the Truly Devious series and it does not disappoint. It is filled with answers, new questions, a deeper descent into the mystery of this school and this kidnapping and as Johnson plays it out you can’t help but be enraptured.
Pretty sure these graphic novels will be on here every single year if they continue with their publishing schedule. From the A-MA-ZING podcast Clint has once again transferred it brilliantly into written form. The illustrations are fantastic, the humour is fantastic, and the story is wrapped up but there’s an ongoing arc to keep your interest piqued.
