Wrapping Up and Looking Back at the 2021 Fifty Books Challenge!

 

Picture by Dan Dan the Binary Man on Flickr

I didn't quite make it to fifty, but I came a lot closer than I did last year!

This year, my beloved public library was (albeit in a far more limited way) available to me, and that was no small thing. More books this year I loved and had a huge impact on me.
Much to my shock, I received attention from both Alice Hoffman and Amanda Yates Garcia for my reviews of their work, including some incredibly sweet comments from the latter about my genuine gushing over her wonderful book.
But it wasn't all good stuff, I'm afraid. We lost some incredible authors in 2021. The legendary Beverly Cleary, responsible for so many wonderful childhood memories and whose work appeared here twice so far died at age 104. The author of a book that made a huge difference to me, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong which I read as a teenager, James W. Loewen, also died in 2021, and if you haven't read Lies, please do so now! But the biggest loss to me was bell hooks, a massive influence on my own feminism and activism, and a powerful force for good in the world. I tore through her books as a teenager and her work holds up and stays relevant. If you're doing it right, her work should be one of the cornerstones of your feminism and activism. If you haven't read bell hooks before now, please, please read her work.
In addition to luminaries we lost, though, there were also some real doozys here I was too happy to read to filth after reading and suffering.

So let's get into the good, the bad, and the meh! WATCH FOR THE END FOR A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT!


Favorite Books:
Orange is the New Black; My Year in a Woman's Prison: A Memoir

11/22/63

Hidden Figures

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Dark Places

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books

Still Missing

Spark Joy

The Silver Witch

Don't Ever Tell

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch

Magic Lessons

Looking For Alaska

Teen Spirit

Beartown

The Devil in the White City

Broken (in the Best Possible Way)

The Witches of New York: a Novel

A Witch in Time

Least Favorite Books:

The Fifth Petal

Fault Lines

Mrs Fletcher

Eeny Meeny

Sh*t My Dad Says

Spoken From the Heart

Under the Dome

A Secret History of Witches: A Novel

Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid



Books That Made Me Want to Stare Disapprovingly at the Author Until They Apologize:

Orange is the New Black; My Year in a Woman's Prison: A Memoir

11/22/63

The Trunk Murderess

The Fifth Petal

Fault Lines

Mrs Fletcher

Eeny Meeny

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

The Night the Lights Went Out

Sh*t My Dad Says

Spoken From the Heart

Mrs Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years

Under the Dome

The Witch's Guide to Manifestation

A Secret History of Witches: A Novel

Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid


Books That Felt Like a Sisyphean Ordeal:
The Trunk Murderess

The Fifth Petal

Fault Lines

Eeny Meeny

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

Sh*t My Dad Says

Spoken From the Heart

Mrs Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years

Beartown

Under the Dome

Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid


Books That Helped Me Look at the World in a New Way:

Orange is the New Black; My Year in a Woman's Prison: A Memoir

Hidden Figures

The Trunk Murderess

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Dark Places

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books

Spark Joy

The Silver Witch

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

Spoken From the Heart

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch

Mrs Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years

The Devil in the White City

Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid

Books I've Already Recommended to People:

Orange is the New Black; My Year in a Woman's Prison: A Memoir

11/22/63

Hidden Figures

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Dark Places

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books

Still Missing

Spark Joy

Don't Ever Tell

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch

The Devil in the White City

Broken (in the Best Possible Way)


Most Disappointing Books:

The Trunk Murderess

The Fifth Petal

The Whole Truth

The Rules of Magic

Mrs Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years

Under the Dome

A Secret History of Witches: A Novel

Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid


Most Depressing (as in Sadness-Inducing) Books:

Orange is the New Black; My Year in a Woman's Prison: A Memoir

11/22/63

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Dark Places

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

The Rules of Magic

Beartown

Under the Dome

Broken (in the Best Possible Way)

Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid


Most Uplifting Books:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books

Spark Joy

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch

Magic Lessons

Beartown

The Witches of New York: a Novel


Books I Feel Like It's Important or Culturally Significant for You to Read at Least Once:

Orange is the New Black; My Year in a Woman's Prison: A Memoir

Hidden Figures

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books

Spoken From the Heart

Initiated: Memoir of a Witch

Looking For Alaska


Finally, absolutely none of this Challenge, including the fact I received attention from two of the authors I reviewed, would have been possible without the Matron Saint of This Blog, the one and only Queen Claudine! Not only was it her idea for me to have a blog just for my reviews, she encouraged me to start it back up, and reads and comments my reviews regularly no matter what I read! Not only all of THAT, but this year alone she surprised me with two books for the challenge that were on my want list as well as several beautiful bookmarks (I'm such a sucker for bookmarks). She is my Constant Reader, more than any of you lookie-loos (although I do see you and appreciate you! Please leave a comment if you feel comfortable!), and I love her because she is the Queen. ALL HAIL THE QUEEN! ♡

...Now let's get going and see what this year might bring!