Hello lovelies!
How have you all been doing? Life has been pretty crazy for me and like most of this year, the last couple of months didn’t go as planned. But I’m very much looking forward to 2021 and the things I’m hoping to accomplish. So for this first post of 2021 I thought I’d share my reading goals, some books I’m looking forward to, and a few life goals as well.
I also wanted to start out 2021 with a new look for my blog and so I recently updated all of the images and graphics. I’m rather proud of the new look and I hope you guys like it too.
2021 Reading Goals:
This year I’m setting what is a rather ambitious reading goal for myself–100 books. I’ve never quite gotten to 100 books but I’ve gotten close and I want to challenge myself in 2021. I also need to not only get through my 2021 arcs, but also catch up on some 2020 ones as well so setting an ambitious goal seems like a good idea.
I also want to listen to more audiobooks this year and read a few more non-fiction books than I managed in 2021.
In addition to reading more non-fiction and listening to more audio books I also want to branch out a bit and read more Science Fiction, Romance, and even Horror. I tend to read a lot of Fantasy and just about every genre found under the Young Adult umbrella, but I don’t often read ‘Adult’ books of those same genres so I’d like to step outside of YA a bit more this year.
And as always I’m striving to read more Ownvoices stories and books by authors of color. I’ve added quite a few a new releases to my Goodreads shelves and I’m excited to read as many as I can this year.
And finally, comics. 2021 is the year I make VERY good use of my DC Unlimited subscription. I plan on catching up on back issues I’ve missed in addition to reading new releases. I need to catch up on whatever non-sense Jason Todd is up too, read Tom King’s BatCat and cry over Roy Harper–not necessarily in that order.
That’s a lot of reading goals for 2021 but I’m looking forward not only to the challenge for reading 100 books, but also to growing my list of favorite authors and discovering some new favorite books!
Books I’m Looking Forward to:
There’s quite a few books I’m excited to read this year and while I know I wont get to all of them I hope I get to most of them. Obviously I won’t share the entire list but here are some of the books I’m MOST excited for!
What’s not to love?
Ancillary Justice meets Red, White & Royal Blue in Everina Maxwell’s exciting debut.
While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat’s rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam’s cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control.
But when it comes to light that Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war… all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that puts a queer spin on Kate & Leopold.
A 23-year-old realizes her subway crush is displaced from 1970’s Brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her – and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time – before it’s too late . . .
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson comes her most personal book yet.
As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, she explores her experimental treatment of transcranial magnetic stimulation with brutal honesty. But also with brutal humor. Jenny discusses the frustration of dealing with her insurance company in “An Open Letter to My Insurance Company,” which should be an anthem for anyone who has ever had to call their insurance company to try and get a claim covered. She tackles such timelessly debated questions as “How do dogs know they have penises?” We see how her vacuum cleaner almost set her house on fire, how she was attacked by three bears, business ideas she wants to pitch to Shark Tank, and why she can never go back to the post office. Of course, Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor―the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball―is present throughout.
A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans, and destined to convert new ones, Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
(Maybe I’m being dramatic but have you guys seen what they get up to in comics?)
There’s a new kind of crisis threatening the heroes of the DC Universe, ripped from real-world headlines by C.I.A.-operative-turned-comics-writer Tom King: How does a superhero handle PTSD? Welcome to Sanctuary, an ultra-secret hospital for superheroes who’ve been traumatized by crime-fighting and cosmic combat. But something goes inexplicably wrong when many patients wind up dead, with two well-known operators as the prime suspects: Harley Quinn and Booster Gold!
It’s up to the DC Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman to investigate—but can they get the job done in the face of overwhelming opposition?
Life Goals:
I’m hesitant to make any life goals this year, given how 2020 went, but there’ still a few things I’m hopeful for and a few I’d like to achieve.
- I want my mom to be healthy again. The last year especially has been horrid in terms of her health and the last few days in particular have been some of the worst this year. If I can only have one thing in 2021, I want my mom to be healthy.
- Find a remote job with a publisher. It only took me 28 years and 2 university degrees to figure out books are my passion and I hope 2021 is the year I get to put my skills and passion to good use.
- Spend more time at the beach. Maybe that’s silly but my favorite memories from this last year are the few trips to the Washington coast I was able to take. Walking in the sand and listening to the waves crash against the rocks are some of my favorite things. Mask or no mask I hope I get to spend more time enjoying all that the PNW has to offer in 2021.
I could list a couple more I’m sure but these three are most important to me and I hope I’m able to achieve them in 2021.
Thank you guys so much for reading. I’m excited to read your 2021 posts and dive back into blogging. I have several posts planned out and I’m hopefully I’ll start posting regularly again this year.
Wishing all of you best,
Happy New Year!
Basement.Bookcase 