In 2021, I finished reading 90 books, a total of 22,564 pages!
My First book of 2021:
To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn
My last book of 2021:
Second Survivor by Leah Moyes
Number of books and pages per month.
I’m definitely into romance but I’ve recently gotten into memoirs and health related books.
The longest book I read in 2021:
Hardacre by C.L. Skelton – 509 Pages
The shortest book I read in 2021:
If the Fate Allow by Rainbow Rowell – 39 Pages
The average length of the books I read was 306 pages!
Guess I wasn’t super impressed in general, huh?
It seems that I enjoy crying my eyes out while reading…
…and that I mostly go for medium paced books.
I like big books and I cannot like.
I read mostly fiction…
… and I have a thing for Portia Macintosh.
Number of books and average rating by month:
January: 9 – 3.3
February: 4 – 3.25
March: 9 – 3.75
April: 12 – 2.85
May: 6 – 3.33
June: 4 – 3.0
July: 4 – 3.0
August: 8 – 4.0
September: 4 – 3.25
October: 4 – 3.75
November: 15 – 3.33 (WOW!)
December: 11 – 3.0
Books I rated 5 stars/My favorite books of 2021
Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself by Dr. Jill Biden
Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
When Things Go Wrong: Diseases: from The Body by Bill Bryson
Ramblers in Cornwall: Slow Travels Through a Salt-Licked Country by Arundhati Basu
Compendium Pandemica: A Guide to Horrible Infectious Diseases by A.D. Gray
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek, T.J. Mitchell
2021 was definitely my best reading year yet. I don’t think I’ll reading that much in the near future, since I’m becoming a mom in May, but I know I’ll always be a reader.
I know I’m late but I hope 2020 is wonderful for you and that we’re all entering our best decade yet.
I feel that I’ve never blogged that much about books which is rather strange since I spend a good portion of my time reading.
My goal for 2019 was 100 books. That was probably too ambitious as I was planning a whole church wedding and reception for 100 guests. I managed to read 71 books and I’m very proud of my literary accomplishments, even though I would have liked to meet my goal.
My second goal was to get out of my comfort zone of classics and historical novels. I wanted to explore different genres, and so I did. I read contemporary novels, fantasy and fell in love with thrillers, something I didn’t care for at all. I learned that a book doesn’t have to be the greatest piece of literature ever made for me to enjoy it. A silly romance is okay, and I can allow my literature major Cheila to like it.
All in all, it’s been my best reading year in a very long time. I was a former avid reader who didn’t read that much anymore and now I’m back to my bookworm ways. It feels like home.
I definitely want to keep it up in 2020 so I’ve come up with a list of reading goals:
1. I want to read some non-fiction. I find it mostly boring, to be honest, even if I’m interested in the subject. I understand that there are some great non-fiction books out there and I’d like to read a couple.
2. I’d like to finally finish the Grapes of Wrath. It’s my third attempt and I’m not loving it this time either. I don’t usually finish a book I don’t like (I don’t mind reading a few chapters and deciding it is not for me) but I’d like to finish this one for some reason. I think this is an old quarrel with a university professor I hated.
3. I wish I could finally stop being too lazy to write book reviews. I love following my reading on Goodreads but I never write any reviews, even when the book is perfect. I’m not sure I’ll ever become the kind of reader who writes reviews but I might as well put it out there.
4. Write a monthly reading list on the blog. I mean, I used to envy those bloggers who actually do this, simply because I was not reading enough to post a list myself. But now I am, so there’s nothing stopping me from posting my own monthly list. Maybe I can share great books with you guys and get great recommendations as well.
5. Highlight my favorite passages or quotes. It often happens that I read something that leaves me thinking “wow, this is beautifully written” or “this is definitely true”. Do I think to highlight this? No. Because I’m LAZY. I mean, it’s a Kindle. All I have to do is press and drag.
6. Read 5 classics. I absolutely love classics. There was a time it was all I would read. Then I decided I needed to be more adventurous and now I read just about anything. However, I seem to have forgotten how much I love a good classic. Which is a shame as there is so many I want to read. Sure, I do look at my copy of War and Peace and feel like crying because it is thicker than the Bible but I would like to devour the story at some point. I’d also like to eventually finish Vanity Fair and The Portrait of a Lady. I’ve recently taken them off my bookshelf and placed them on a side table, hoping I’ll look at them more often and remember I want to read them.
7. Read 5 paper books. Okay, please don’t murder me. If you’re one of those people who think a kindle is something from the devil and that I should be punished for using one, I used to be just like you. For a very long time I was personally offended by people who used this horrible devices to substitute a book. I’m pretty sure I rolled my eyes all the way back every time I encountered one of these “readers”. Then, I personally met Kindle. And Kindle unlimited. And I read about 100 more books than I had in many years. Now I’m now longer a book snob and I’m fine with whatever, as long as people are reading. On the other hand, if you’re one of those “people” who don’t like to read, you should choke on your coffee. Joking. Maybe. Still, I still love real books above all and want to keep reading them. I’m aiming for 5 this year.
8. Read 100 books. This was my goal for 2019 but I ended up at 71. I do want to try for 100 again, now that I’m no longer planning a wedding. I want to be able to say “I read 100 books this year”. It sounds like the perfect number. Besides, reading makes me very happy. Is there a better reason?
Do you have any reading goals for 2020? How many books did you manage in 2019?
My answer: I do. I’m often going through 2 or more books, back and forth between them. Then usually one of them grabs my attention and I read the whole thing until I’m done. Only then I go back to the others.
Bonus points if you tell me how this book makes you feel and a story about you and a book.
Mine:
– I remember I was reading Emma by Jane Austen when I met Rui. We’d text back and forth so those pages were filled with excitement and texting breaks.
– When we started dating, I was reading The Catcher in The Rye and I remember sitting at the cafe, half paying attention to it, because I was so nervous, waiting for him to meet me.
How is everyone doing? Are you still enjoying Summer? A vacation maybe? Or are you already back to work and super busy? Did you go somewhere this Summer? If not, are you going?
I’m still at home but, as I’ve mentioned before, full organization mode, before the school year starts and I’m back at work and back to being busy. I intend to share my daily tasks and to-dos as I have done for the past 6 months.
What am I up to today?
Deep cleaning and organizing our bedroom:
Cleaning under and behind furniture (bed, nightstands, wardrobe, dresser, clothes rack, dressing table, mirror);
Take big area rug outside to be pressure washed;
Vacuum floor and corners, cobwebs;
Dust and clean light switchers, outlets, door knob, furniture handles;
Clean windows;
Organize clothes and shoes;
Dust and clean furniture;
Mop floor;
Work on “Online Work – Project A”:
I’ve mentioned I’m working online as a virtual assistant and I’m involved in a few projects. I intend to complete this particular project today. It’ll probably take me an hour/ one hour and a half;
Print screen tasks and send to client. Report to client;
Work on “Online Work – Project A.1”:
Same client, different task. This might take me a while longer, maybe 2 hours.
Report to client;
Work on “Online Work – Project B”:
Different client, somewhat easy task. It might take over an hour. I’ll start today and see how far I can go.
Report to client;
Keep working on online magazine along with my colleagues:
We’re almost done, but there’s always back and forth conversation and brainstorming going on either Whatsapp or email;
Cook dinner:
I’m making grilled salmon with veggies;
Answer some comments:
I’m so late, people will wonder who the hell am I hahaha. But I need and want to answer comments left by my readers;
Read a few blog posts:
I’ve been the worst blogger and friend and haven’t being reading blogs at all. I miss it and I want to go through a few, hopefully many.
My general goal is to become as active as I was before my long blogging hiatus and to go back to my general routines, while preparing for my return to work.
Yesterday it was one of my best friend’s birthday and we went over for dinner. I don’t know how but I kind of ended up playing “dungeons and dragons”. I don’t usually like games but it was quite fun, actually. Probably because there were many of us and we all picked silly names (except for me, I went with Belinda).
My friend and her boyfriend cooked us dinner and we had the most wonderful cheesecake. My friend (Catarina, that’s her name) is so good with baking and desserts. Dinner, which was a traditional seafood and rice dish was delicious as well.
One of my friend’s boyfriend went to college with me and we shared a few classes. We both love literature and classics and we always take an opportunity to talk about books and what we’ve been reading. He’s my favorite person to talk to when it comes to books because we kind of have similar taste and know the same authors.
Everyone was as funny as ever, I really had a good time.
Then I came home and chatted with my other group of favorite people, my online blogger best friends (I don’t love them just because they are bloggers, they’re just the most wonderful and some of the most inspiring women I know. I’m talking about my dearest Angela, Arundhati (A.K.A Cathy), Lyz and Pamela. Love you, girls.
I then watched a few episodes of “The White Queen”, a miniseries. Have you watched it?
A portrayal of one of the most dramatic and turbulent times in English history. A story of love and lust, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, it is uniquely told through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women – Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. In their quest for power, they will scheme, manipulate and seduce their way onto the English throne. The year is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled the country, and war has been ravaging throughout England over who is the rightful King. It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster. The House of York’s young and handsome Edward IV is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator, Lord Warwick “The Kingmaker.” But when Edward falls in love with a beautiful Lancastrian commoner, Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick’s plan to control the throne comes crashing down. A violent, high-stakes struggle ensues between Elizabeth, her most fierce adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville, the pawn in her father’s power game – each woman vying for the crown.
Please don’t forget that I’m doing this challenge with Maggie and Angela, so be sure to go over to their blogs and check their answers to the challenge. Today, you have the chance to know what their favorite books are.
I’ve been reading since I can remember. I’ve had always loved books. It become a passion when I was about sixteen. That’s when I made my first library card. It was on my Summer vacation. I didn’t have much to do and nowhere to go, as my mother was working all Summer. I needed to take two buses to get there but that didn’t stop me at all. I would go once a week and bring 10 books. That was the number the library would allow. 5 fiction and 5 non-fiction. For non-fiction I would usually get health related books, general knowledge and facts books, History and science related books. Fiction, always a few novels. Books were really good friends of mine. I would always have a book on me. Teachers would get mad because they would catch me reading in class. When it came to subjects such as Literature and Portuguese, I would be one of the few who would actually read the book. Sometimes I had read it the Summer before, and would read it again once it was assigned to us. When the time to choose where I wanted to go for college, I knew that Literature had to be part of it. So I decided on my degree (Languages, Literature and Cultures) because it seemed that it had everything I was interested in and good at. Once in college, I realized I was really good at English and that I was drawn to all of the American history, literature and culture courses, so I decided that would be my Major. American Studies. I still loved English authors and culture, so English Studies became my minor. Funny story, I had first chosen it to be the other way around, but then I changed according to my interests. My school’s library is the second best in the country and has a wide range of books in English. And so, first year of college, I began to read everything in the original language (for English and American works), no translations. Yes, even Shakespeare. I believe that reading in English helped me in becoming fluent. When I started university I was at a B2 level and I got to a C2, which the native equivalent. And then teaching came into my life.
I needed to tell you this little story, of how I feel in love with books. Now, finally, I’ll get to my favorites.
My favorite books: (and authors)
Every single one of Jane Austen’s novels
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”
Pink for Days 