Discovered your channel last year and went from zero to 12 books read for 2021. I decided that it would be all fiction as its been over 20 years! Loved The Door by Magda Szabo. Thought Jane Eyre was absolutely beautiful. Now only read your recommendations as life is too short, haha. I love your joie de vivre - your parents must be very proud of you. I live in the most isolated city in the world and for once it has its benefits as we only had one new Covid case last week. However I can't see that lasting forever. Have a great year and stay strong.
IMHO reading is not about quantity but more about the experience of reading. I actively avoid youtubers who put up videos like "I read 30 books this month", it's not a competition folks. I would rather hear in depth about one or two books that brought about an emotional or critical response.
I had an excellent reading year: 57/50 compared to 37/50 for 2020. I’m currently enjoying Great Circle, The Scarlet Pimpernel & What we See when we read.
I just started keeping track of my reading habits in 2020, the year when I returned to reading after a long hiatus. I read 70 books in 2020 and 61 in 2021, so I always feel a bit...inferior when I see people in the booktube community who hold themselves to a standard of 80, 90, 100 books per year. But then I looked back and remembered that 20 of the 61 books I read in 2021 were in a foreign language (Spanish, German, Chinese, or Catalan): that's just shy of a third! I'm really proud of that and I feel like I got a lot out of my reading even if it was numerically less than some others. I guess I just wanted to share that because your reflection on your own reading got me thinking about mine.
I had an excellent reading year. I read 185 books (up from 100 in 2020). I read some great books. I think I ended up with 40 on my 'best of the year' list. I read because I'm quite isolated and didn't have much to do and so reading was a great time filler. But this year I am trying to read slightly less and hopefully focus more on living life & travel if covid allows!
My life in 2021 truly felt like it was in stasis. Very little changed and while having a level of stability was comforting it was also stagnating. So I think as a result I had a great reading year. It was the one area of my life that actually seemed like I accomplished something. 121 books, almost 50/50 split of fiction and nonfiction.
I didn't have an exceptional reading year but it was good. The best thing about it though, was rediscovering how much I loved rereading a few old favorites. It's made me realize that I've been making my TBR's more and more extensive over the past years whilst keeping less and less room for rereading. A reading habit I will definitely course-correct this year :-) Oh and make a more realistic 2022 TBR to begin with...
I would *_love_* to hear you talk more about what manga/manhwa you're enjoying! I've been looking for recommendations (both for which titles to read, and where to read/find them...I used to know where to read online manga a 10-15 years ago when I was a t(w)een, but have been out of the loop for a while and, since having gotten back into reading them, have just relied on the library): manga/graphic novels, fantasy, and romance have served as some necessary escapism for me for the last...well, going on 5-6 years now.
I ordered both Little Women and No One Is Talking About It because of your reviews! I have not finished Little Women yet but I am enjoying it so much, and the other one is still arriving (I wanted the paperback which will be out soonish). I love your one book reviews.
i read 210 books in 2021, which is more than i've ever read ever. partially because i read a lot of childrens lit (professionally). my favourite part of my reading year was i resolved to read (1) 500+ book one at a time, until the end of the year. i did it, and i read 20 books! amazing. but i think, in reading SUCH a great volume, i lost my taste. i read maaaybe one 5 star book last year. so, this year i've resolved to put a thousand books on hold at the library, take on my friends recommendations and truly get back to reading what i love. a great volume can be just as disappointing as a poor one, if the quality of both is not great. here's to better reading in 2022. i hope the next year is gentle and peaceful for you.
I read a very good number of books (120) but so many of them ended up being meh, blah and forgettable. Yes, I had a few really big faves but all in all NOT a good reading year.
This year I've read more books than I have in previous years and it was cool but not great in terms of how many favorites I encountered. I think it's natural to have good and off years. You read so many chunky books, though! Also, you discovered transmigration stories! You're so right about how comforting that formula is. I read more webnovels in this genre than in any other form and they're a delight too. What was so fascinating to me at first was how little explanation the authors give you. They're writing to an audience that is very familiar with the tropes and so there's no need to explain the mechanics or give overlong introductions, the main characters quickly adjust to their new reality...etc.
Y'all, they said 2021 could only get better than 2020 and oh, boy were they WRONG. 2020 felt like the best year of my life compared to 2021. What a nightmare. I have zero hope for 2022 and so that way I can't truly be disappointed. I grew up in the 80's and between the 80's/90's I experienced "peak" freedom. It's been downhill since the 2000's. I'm just thankful that I grew up in the best time...no social media, etc. I'd like a time machine, but so far none is available...maybe Elon Musk could get to work on that.
“Did anybody have a good reading year?” 😂 Just wanted to say your channel has been a bright spot in a hard year, Jen. Loved your take on this tag and your attitude toward your reading year 💕
I read probably one or two things I really liked. I made no reading goal for this year and it was kind of nice to read things that didn't feel like they had a lot of consequences. 25 books feels like such a small number for me but like you said only I know everything I went through and looking at it through that lens it makes sense that the number isn't higher. I'm keeping my expectations similarly low for 2022 but who really knows.
I love the chatty rather goofy you 🤪 but also the in depth single book reviews. 2021 was truly crap and I’m glad you made it through, and are thriving. I am trying hard to remove judgement when talking about my reading, especially around quantity.
I had an average reading year, I think. The thing I struggled with most was my attention span - I would read the same amount of pages in a whole evening as I used to read in one hour before. When I had less time to read, I would be way more focused when I actually picked up a book. That being said, I picked up manga/manhwa this year, too! I think this is because of my reduced attention span; you can pick up your phone, read a chapter, do something else on your phone, read another chapter and it doesn’t detract from your reading experience.
OMG I’m only at 5 minutes, but I LOVE Valzhyna Mort! I’m going to have to look this one up asap. Powerful writer. I first saw her read her poems at a conference and loved them / her.
I completely understand worrying about something in the abstract. Online manga is something I’m actually planning on exploring this year. ☺️ Wonderful video.
I did have a really good reading year. The median quality of the books I've read were higher than I think it the previous few years. Not shocking, I read horror and romance in abundance. Some of my top reads or 2021 are RIM OF MORNING by Williams Sloane, RAZORBLADE TEARS by S.A. Cosby, and THE BROKEN HEART OF AMERICA by Walter Johnson. I've read THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and it is wild. I enjoyed it. However, he basically rewrote it in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, which I think was a better novel.
I had a great reading year in terms of number of books = 49 - the highest number in a year since 1997! But some were quite short. Some great ones too including The Man who saw Everything by Deborah Levy, Ali Smith’s Summer, Delillo’s Libra and Noopiming. Really hope you have a better 2022.
Your videos are a delight that I eagerly wait for. Thank you for still making them even when the books haven't been that great. Thank Wishing you and the world a much better 2022!
I had a great reading year, but only because I re-read a lot and found it a great comfort. I couldn't deal with anything challenging and read lots of Agatha Christie and PD James, many of which I had read before. I found it a helpful distraction in a year of chaos.
I love the 'Did ANYONE have a good reading year?' at the end 😅 Nope not me! I enjoyed your realisation about reading less not being the end of the world, I needed to hear that. Happy new year!
Had a great reading year for me with 77 books. Including some very long ones as well. Reading is a replacement behavior for things that used to complete with my time. But also was a great year in that my reading branched out more including classics and even more translations
O'Connor and Cain are great storytellers. IIRC Cain developed a good career in Hollywood and O'Connor was very sick and died at a young age. Their characters and storylines leave lasting impressions on the memory tho I can't say I really got the messages they wanted/needed to communicate. As for Manga, I've been watching Merphy Napier gush over Luffy of the One Piece series, and as I said on her channel: it's a great pleasure watching a video from someone enjoying their work.
When you talk about the stories you read online and how comforting it is, it reminds me so much of my love of fanfictions. Yes, I read "real books" but I also love to read fanfics, either based on books I've read or movies or tv shows, it IS very comforting and relaxing to me.
While 60 books may not be an awesome reading year compared to others for you, it’s still definitely not something to scoff at in terms of average reading. I think a lot of the trauma of 2020 really came to fruition in 2021, and I used reading as a full-out escape, but I also got pretty slumpy at times.
I read a lot of books, but I feel like most of them were just middling. But I have a feeling it was more a reflection of myself then the books. But I guess there's no real way to separate my life from what I consume and how my attitude influences the way I consume stories. Also webtoon and tapas have been a saving grace, those sites have stories that have captured my attention more than most novels this year! So I'm right there with you on online manga/manhwa/manhua!
Abigail was the first book by Magda Szabo that I read and it is still my favorite. I have My Heart and am looking forward to reading it. I'd like to read more East European writers.
I did have a great reading year. For about 18 months now, I've been discovering classics, rediscovering fiction as a source of nourishment. It was a tough year in all other respects, but the reading was good. Thoroughly enjoyable video, especially that manga twist at the end! To a better 2022!
I finished work today earlier (3:15 pm) and what a beautiful surprise to find this video! I had no idea mementori was the creator of this booktag - because I just recorded and posted online my video based on that tag, but I saw it on a British booktuber channel and she said that tag was created from another British booktuber.. Anyway, it was fun watching you answering the same questions and we share one answer in common (LOL) - other than that, you read loads of books over 500 pages so it does explain the lowest number of books read but I still 60 is a lot especially when you went through ups and downs, I find it really good ! I am of course glad to see you again on this channel ! You can watch my video if you want to see my answers.I did have a good reading year and I have a all time favorite book. I still have to record my top 12 books of 2021. And at last, I couldn't help but to notice the cat's house, it's so cute ! Wishing you the best for 2022 !
the robert alter video is 💯 pure and intense bookish joy, and not knowing much about the subject might actually make it even more enjoyable. it was kind of the video a lot of us needed at that time.
Elizabeth George is one of my favorite mystery writers. All her books are DOPE. plus I got to do a book signing with her once and she was delightful to be around
I read one book this year. This year my entire attention and energy was spent on making it out alive. 🙏🏼
You've made it?
@@sesame135 Maurice by EM Forster. Loved it!
@@wronggeometry Here 🥳
Your favorite video of the year is my favorite video of yours from this year! Your taste is very good :)
Discovered your channel last year and went from zero to 12 books read for 2021. I decided that it would be all fiction as its been over 20 years! Loved The Door by Magda Szabo. Thought Jane Eyre was absolutely beautiful. Now only read your recommendations as life is too short, haha. I love your joie de vivre - your parents must be very proud of you.
I live in the most isolated city in the world and for once it has its benefits as we only had one new Covid case last week. However I can't see that lasting forever. Have a great year and stay strong.
IMHO reading is not about quantity but more about the experience of reading. I actively avoid youtubers who put up videos like "I read 30 books this month", it's not a competition folks. I would rather hear in depth about one or two books that brought about an emotional or critical response.
I had an excellent reading year: 57/50 compared to 37/50 for 2020. I’m currently enjoying Great Circle, The Scarlet Pimpernel & What we See when we read.
I just started keeping track of my reading habits in 2020, the year when I returned to reading after a long hiatus. I read 70 books in 2020 and 61 in 2021, so I always feel a bit...inferior when I see people in the booktube community who hold themselves to a standard of 80, 90, 100 books per year. But then I looked back and remembered that 20 of the 61 books I read in 2021 were in a foreign language (Spanish, German, Chinese, or Catalan): that's just shy of a third! I'm really proud of that and I feel like I got a lot out of my reading even if it was numerically less than some others. I guess I just wanted to share that because your reflection on your own reading got me thinking about mine.
Thank you for enriching my life this year. I never miss your videos and love your discussion of all things books. Happy New Year!
I had an excellent reading year. I read 185 books (up from 100 in 2020). I read some great books. I think I ended up with 40 on my 'best of the year' list. I read because I'm quite isolated and didn't have much to do and so reading was a great time filler. But this year I am trying to read slightly less and hopefully focus more on living life & travel if covid allows!
My life in 2021 truly felt like it was in stasis. Very little changed and while having a level of stability was comforting it was also stagnating. So I think as a result I had a great reading year. It was the one area of my life that actually seemed like I accomplished something. 121 books, almost 50/50 split of fiction and nonfiction.
I didn't have an exceptional reading year but it was good. The best thing about it though, was rediscovering how much I loved rereading a few old favorites. It's made me realize that I've been making my TBR's more and more extensive over the past years whilst keeping less and less room for rereading. A reading habit I will definitely course-correct this year :-) Oh and make a more realistic 2022 TBR to begin with...
I would *_love_* to hear you talk more about what manga/manhwa you're enjoying! I've been looking for recommendations (both for which titles to read, and where to read/find them...I used to know where to read online manga a 10-15 years ago when I was a t(w)een, but have been out of the loop for a while and, since having gotten back into reading them, have just relied on the library): manga/graphic novels, fantasy, and romance have served as some necessary escapism for me for the last...well, going on 5-6 years now.
I ordered both Little Women and No One Is Talking About It because of your reviews! I have not finished Little Women yet but I am enjoying it so much, and the other one is still arriving (I wanted the paperback which will be out soonish). I love your one book reviews.
i read 210 books in 2021, which is more than i've ever read ever. partially because i read a lot of childrens lit (professionally). my favourite part of my reading year was i resolved to read (1) 500+ book one at a time, until the end of the year. i did it, and i read 20 books! amazing. but i think, in reading SUCH a great volume, i lost my taste. i read maaaybe one 5 star book last year. so, this year i've resolved to put a thousand books on hold at the library, take on my friends recommendations and truly get back to reading what i love.
a great volume can be just as disappointing as a poor one, if the quality of both is not great. here's to better reading in 2022. i hope the next year is gentle and peaceful for you.
I read a very good number of books (120) but so many of them ended up being meh, blah and forgettable. Yes, I had a few really big faves but all in all NOT a good reading year.
This year I've read more books than I have in previous years and it was cool but not great in terms of how many favorites I encountered. I think it's natural to have good and off years. You read so many chunky books, though!
Also, you discovered transmigration stories! You're so right about how comforting that formula is. I read more webnovels in this genre than in any other form and they're a delight too. What was so fascinating to me at first was how little explanation the authors give you. They're writing to an audience that is very familiar with the tropes and so there's no need to explain the mechanics or give overlong introductions, the main characters quickly adjust to their new reality...etc.
Bruh, you better spill your guts to me about the manhwas and mangas you've been reading right now!!!!
I will abandon you if you don't! I mean it!
I had a great nonfiction reading year. Fiction was pretty poor.
Your video about little women and March is one of my favorites I watched this year.
Y'all, they said 2021 could only get better than 2020 and oh, boy were they WRONG. 2020 felt like the best year of my life compared to 2021. What a nightmare. I have zero hope for 2022 and so that way I can't truly be disappointed. I grew up in the 80's and between the 80's/90's I experienced "peak" freedom. It's been downhill since the 2000's. I'm just thankful that I grew up in the best time...no social media, etc. I'd like a time machine, but so far none is available...maybe Elon Musk could get to work on that.
“Did anybody have a good reading year?” 😂 Just wanted to say your channel has been a bright spot in a hard year, Jen. Loved your take on this tag and your attitude toward your reading year 💕
I read probably one or two things I really liked. I made no reading goal for this year and it was kind of nice to read things that didn't feel like they had a lot of consequences. 25 books feels like such a small number for me but like you said only I know everything I went through and looking at it through that lens it makes sense that the number isn't higher. I'm keeping my expectations similarly low for 2022 but who really knows.
I love the chatty rather goofy you 🤪 but also the in depth single book reviews.
2021 was truly crap and I’m glad you made it through, and are thriving.
I am trying hard to remove judgement when talking about my reading, especially around quantity.
"I am trying hard to remove judgement when talking about my reading, especially around quantity" 💖👍😊
I had an average reading year, I think. The thing I struggled with most was my attention span - I would read the same amount of pages in a whole evening as I used to read in one hour before. When I had less time to read, I would be way more focused when I actually picked up a book.
That being said, I picked up manga/manhwa this year, too! I think this is because of my reduced attention span; you can pick up your phone, read a chapter, do something else on your phone, read another chapter and it doesn’t detract from your reading experience.
Omg, I'm so curious about some manga/manhwa recommendations. I hope she makes a video about it one day ❤
2021 doesn’t deserve anything more from me is right.
OMG I’m only at 5 minutes, but I LOVE Valzhyna Mort! I’m going to have to look this one up asap. Powerful writer. I first saw her read her poems at a conference and loved them / her.
Well, I read 12 books this year, so, obviously...I'm pretty ecstatic
one of my favorite things to do is to leave a comment then come back a week later, just to make sure that no one cares
I completely understand worrying about something in the abstract. Online manga is something I’m actually planning on exploring this year. ☺️ Wonderful video.
Loved every single one of your videos in 2021. Really appreciate you taking the time to talk life and books through a struggle-bus year! 🐻 Bert
I did have a really good reading year. The median quality of the books I've read were higher than I think it the previous few years. Not shocking, I read horror and romance in abundance. Some of my top reads or 2021 are RIM OF MORNING by Williams Sloane, RAZORBLADE TEARS by S.A. Cosby, and THE BROKEN HEART OF AMERICA by Walter Johnson.
I've read THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and it is wild. I enjoyed it. However, he basically rewrote it in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, which I think was a better novel.
I had a great reading year in terms of number of books = 49 - the highest number in a year since 1997! But some were quite short. Some great ones too including The Man who saw Everything by Deborah Levy, Ali Smith’s Summer, Delillo’s Libra and Noopiming. Really hope you have a better 2022.
Hell yeah!!! I read so much, SO MUCH, mangá this year (team translations too). It was kinda of a life line? LoL. Like light food when you're sick.
Your videos are a delight that I eagerly wait for. Thank you for still making them even when the books haven't been that great. Thank Wishing you and the world a much better 2022!
I had a great reading year, but only because I re-read a lot and found it a great comfort. I couldn't deal with anything challenging and read lots of Agatha Christie and PD James, many of which I had read before. I found it a helpful distraction in a year of chaos.
I love the 'Did ANYONE have a good reading year?' at the end 😅 Nope not me! I enjoyed your realisation about reading less not being the end of the world, I needed to hear that. Happy new year!
I had a great reading year. I read 101 books which is more than I ever have before. Last year I read 81. That being said, I mostly read books
Had a great reading year for me with 77 books. Including some very long ones as well. Reading is a replacement behavior for things that used to complete with my time. But also was a great year in that my reading branched out more including classics and even more translations
O'Connor and Cain are great storytellers. IIRC Cain developed a good career in Hollywood and O'Connor was very sick and died at a young age. Their characters and storylines leave lasting impressions on the memory tho I can't say I really got the messages they wanted/needed to communicate. As for Manga, I've been watching Merphy Napier gush over Luffy of the One Piece series, and as I said on her channel: it's a great pleasure watching a video from someone enjoying their work.
When you talk about the stories you read online and how comforting it is, it reminds me so much of my love of fanfictions. Yes, I read "real books" but I also love to read fanfics, either based on books I've read or movies or tv shows, it IS very comforting and relaxing to me.
While 60 books may not be an awesome reading year compared to others for you, it’s still definitely not something to scoff at in terms of average reading. I think a lot of the trauma of 2020 really came to fruition in 2021, and I used reading as a full-out escape, but I also got pretty slumpy at times.
I read a lot of books, but I feel like most of them were just middling. But I have a feeling it was more a reflection of myself then the books. But I guess there's no real way to separate my life from what I consume and how my attitude influences the way I consume stories.
Also webtoon and tapas have been a saving grace, those sites have stories that have captured my attention more than most novels this year! So I'm right there with you on online manga/manhwa/manhua!
Abigail was the first book by Magda Szabo that I read and it is still my favorite. I have My Heart and am looking forward to reading it. I'd like to read more East European writers.
I did have a great reading year. For about 18 months now, I've been discovering classics, rediscovering fiction as a source of nourishment. It was a tough year in all other respects, but the reading was good.
Thoroughly enjoyable video, especially that manga twist at the end!
To a better 2022!
Your video on the Hebrew Bible was fascinating. It also has a great thumbnail. ^J^
Was disappointed upon finding no recommendations for manhwa in the doobly-doo 😔
I finished work today earlier (3:15 pm) and what a beautiful surprise to find this video! I had no idea mementori was the creator of this booktag - because I just recorded and posted online my video based on that tag, but I saw it on a British booktuber channel and she said that tag was created from another British booktuber.. Anyway, it was fun watching you answering the same questions and we share one answer in common (LOL) - other than that, you read loads of books over 500 pages so it does explain the lowest number of books read but I still 60 is a lot especially when you went through ups and downs, I find it really good ! I am of course glad to see you again on this channel ! You can watch my video if you want to see my answers.I did have a good reading year and I have a all time favorite book. I still have to record my top 12 books of 2021. And at last, I couldn't help but to notice the cat's house, it's so cute ! Wishing you the best for 2022 !
the robert alter video is 💯 pure and intense bookish joy, and not knowing much about the subject might actually make it even more enjoyable. it was kind of the video a lot of us needed at that time.
Such a rough reading year. 😖
Ahhh I am so curious about the manga and manhua you've enjoyed!
Should I try to read Elizabeth George? I've heard about her but haven't picked her up yet? Anyone have thoughts that you could share?
Elizabeth George is one of my favorite mystery writers. All her books are DOPE. plus I got to do a book signing with her once and she was delightful to be around
Hi