Twelve Books I Want To Read in 2021

I’ve been looking back at my reading over the last two years or so. I have obviously read some excellent books, as evidenced by my Top Ten Lists of 2019 and 2020. It’s just that I’m not really sure that the books I picked are wholly… me?

I used to read more widely, with a mix of all genres, and now I just seem to be reading the new fantasy releases, and a lot of them seem to be Young Adult. Obviously I like them, for the most part, or I wouldn’t continue reading them, it’s just that I don’t tend to feel the same satisfaction after reading, or the buzz of a truly great book.

I’m hoping to combat this in a number of ways:

• I’m going to aim for 2/3 of my books read in 2021 to be books I already own prior to 31 December 2020.
  
• I want the average year of publication overall to be 1999 or prior. This isn’t something I used to struggle with, but this year I was at 2004.
  
• I’m also going to take part in one of the many TBR challenges to keep me focused on the books already on my TBR.
  
• Lastly, in 2021 I’m going to read the following twelve books, which I’ve been meaning to read for years but never seem to get round to:

Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Dune by Frank Herbert
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Night by Elie Wiesel
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Island of Dr Moreau by H.G. Wells.

There are obviously some chunky books on that list, but there are also some I’m really looking forward to reading. If I don’t get through them all, that’s okay, but I’m certainly going to try my best.

Soon there will be a little box in my sidebar that should fill you in on all my challenges – and to hopefully give me a sense of accountability.

I should be feeling daunted by the rules I’ve set for myself, but actually I’m really looking forward to revitalising my reading. Roll on 2021!

What books are you hoping to read this year?