It was a record year for me, finishing 35 books just before the ball dropped. There were a few great ones, and I ended up kind of hitting a theme. I got stuck among the pages of a few not-so-good ones too. I revisited a lot of authors and even managed to squeeze in a book my middle schooler read for class so we could talk about it.

What were the standouts in 2021? Here you go, in no particular order:

1. The Inheritance Games (Jennifer Lynn Barnes)

Completing two of the three in this YA...