I spent a lot of last year immersed in books. According to Goodreads, I read 91 books. Twenty of those books were for the 2021 Reading Challenge my friend and I decided to participate in since we had so much fun doing a reading challenge the previous year.

For the 2021 Reading Challenge, not only did we have to read books that fit the listed categories, but we also added the extra task of looking for authors were not white, straight males. This really added to the diversity of topics and themes of the books that we read. I won’t go over all twenty here in this article, but I will tell you some of our favorite reads. I’ve been in a High Fidelity mood lately and making a lot of Top 5 Lists, so in no particular order, here are my Top 5 Reads from My 2021 Reading Challenge:

Friend Recommendation: THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA Sea by TJ Klune

If you like fantasy, you need to read this book. If you like books with quirky characters (fantasy or human or children or adult), you need to read this book. If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh out loud, want to reach in and hug the characters, want to climb in and hang out with the characters, you need to read this book. If you are looking for a new favorite author, you need to read this book. Did I mention that I think everyone should read this book?

Linus Baker is a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He must go to an orphanage where Arthur Parnassus lives with six children who are not only magical but may also be dangerous.

Seriously. Go read this book.

YA Book: THE EXTRAORDINARIES by TJ Klune

I did say that Klune is one of my new favorite authors, didn’t I?

Set in a world where superheroes, called “extraordinaries,” are the norm, Nick Bell writes fanfiction about Shadow Star, his hero crush. Nick then sets out to become an extraordinary himself, forcing his friends to help him.

Klune has a way of making these worlds I want to live in and characters I want to be friends with. I devoured this book and impatiently waited for the second one to be released. Now I’m on a mission to read as much Klune as possible.

Horror: THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley

I listened to the audiobook version of this, which I highly recommend due to there being more than one person doing the narrating; it really helps to immerse yourself into the characters’ tales, hearing each segment performed by a different person.

A wedding should be a happy event, right? Well, the guest list of the bride and groom’s friends are not exactly happy. Foley has a talent for creating complex characters and writing realistic interactions, showing how even lifelong friends can push their resentments for each other deep, deep down. But it wouldn’t be an interesting read if someone didn’t end up dead. So whodunit? You have to read to find out.

Fantasy: THE CHILLING EFFECT by Valerie Valdes

Captain Eva Innocente runs the crew of La Sirena Negra, but when her sister Mari is kidnapped by an evil syndicate, Captain Eva and her crew have to take more dangerous missions than simple cargo delivery.

I liked the characters and the blend of Spanish and English. As a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, it was nice to read about people with a culture like my own in a futuristic setting. This was book one of a series so I am eagerly awaiting the next one.

Historical Fiction: THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennet

I don’t know how it happened, but we ended up reading a book about passing during the 2020 reading challenge and now this book included the idea of passing, too: the Vignes are twin sisters born in the 1950’s. The novel follows them when they are young and into the 1990’s when they are living separate lives with one sister passing for white. Their lives eventually do intersect, through their daughter’s lives.

In case you are interested in what else we read, here are the other books for each category:

Classic: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

First in a Series: Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely

Winner of a Booker Prize: A Tale for the Time Being

Set in a Place You’d Like to Live: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Chick Lit: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Controversial: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Book about Mental Health: Running on Empty by Jonice Webb, PhD

Gothic: White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

War Novel: Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

An Author You’ve Always Wanted to Read: Kindred by Octavia Butler (note: we read the graphic novel version, due to running out of time to complete the challenge)

Wild Card: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Book You Can Read in a Day: Happiness Will Follow by Mike Hawthorne

Book Originally Written in a Foreign Language: Black Clover by Yuki Tabata (manga)

Monster Book (over 1,000 pages): The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

Own Voices: The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist by Ben Barres

Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Tell us in the comments which of the above books are in your Top 5.

Christina Ortega

Writer, bookworm, geek in too many fandoms to name, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago White Sox fan.