My Favourite Books Of 2021 So Far// 10 books I've loved this year (January-June)

 Hi Everyone! 

Today I have a bit of a different post as I am sharing 10 books that I've loved this year. My reading has gone very well this year so far and it was very hard to narrow all these books down and order them. I am also mixing (and I guess comparing) contemporary and classics which isn't something I usually do as I don't think it's very fair, but here I've tried to think about my enjoyment of the book rather than the literary genius although inevitably something well-written I will most likely enjoy more. Anyway, here they are, starting at an honourable mention, moving on to number 10 and counting down to what has become my favourite book of all time. Enjoy!

Honourable mention: Women Who Did

I couldn't narrow it down any more so for an honorable mention we have Women Who Did! This is cheating a bit because I haven't read all of the short stories in this collection but the ones I've read have been great and so insightful. This is a time period I am more and more fascinated by and reading these short stories has offered me so much joy and I've learnt a lot, especially about different opinions of people at the time. 

The suffragettes is such a brilliant topic several of the stories mention them which I love. I've mainly read towards the later end of the 1890-1914 time frame so one of my goals for the rest of the year is to read more of the earlier works. 

10. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

This was a bit of a last minute addition because I finished this early/mid June! But wow, what a story! I think it isn't Dickens' most polished or well written book but I love the London Backstreet feel and preferred this to Great Expectations because I understood it more. It was a wonderful reading experience and Dickens has the power to make you feel sorry for the criminals! Loved this so, so much! This is the only book on this list I haven't mentioned yet on this blog so there's a review coming soon!

9. I Was Born For This, Nick and Charlie and Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

I know...I couldn't choose! These books are my favourite of her work that I've read this year. I didn't love Solitaire and Radio Silence as much, which you can read about in my post all about Alice Oseman's books. 

I'm counting Heartstopper and Nick and Charlie as one because they are similar just following a different part of Nick and Charlie's relationship. I have already said this in my other posts but I am just totally in awe of their relationship and how genuine they are. They aren't your average teenage relationship because they aren't doing it to be 'cool' or popular but because they care so much about each other. 

The art style is beautiful and Alice Oseman is so talented. I hadn't read a graphic novel before this and I was a bit dubious going in but it is now one of my biggest comfort reads. 

I Was Born For This really surprised me because I thought it would be my least favourite of her work. I'm not sure why, just something about the plot didn't grasp me as much as the others. Turns out I prefer it to Radio Silence and Solitaire! It is written from two perspectives, Jimmy and Angel. Jimmy is the lead in a very successful boy band and Angel is a huge fan of the group. But as they discover, fame isn't everything.

I Was Born For This gave me a new perspective on fame and what it means to be famous. It was engrossing and shocking at times as some of the fans a very extreme! Heartstopper warmed my heart and it's a stunning book that EVERYONE need to read!

8. Diary Of A Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

This is a stunning diary with a unique perspective on the natural world and descriptions that warm my heart every time I read them. This gave me a new perspective on the world around me and made me love nature even more. I fell in love with Dara and his family too, I can't wait to read whatever else he writes! The beauty of his descriptions and the quality of his writing just transported me to the Irish countryside in a magical way. I highly recommend all the books on this list but if you haven't read this then PLEASE do yourself a favour and read Dara's beautiful words, you won't regret it.

7. Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

This is a passionate and empowering book written after WW2, about a girl Cilka who after being imprisoned at Auschwitz, is sent to a Russian camp for collaboration with the Nazis. I did a post on it which you can view here.This book shows a desire to live so great that they just push on through the abuse, hard labour and starvation. This is such an important book about a time which is often overlooked. These people spent years and years in camps for crimes that weren't theirs. This is a must read if you love learning about WW2.

6. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The ending of this shocked me. But it was SO GOOD! I am definately going to read more DuMaurier in the future and I can't wait! This also wasn't too hard to read so if you aren't used to classics but want to read about a different time with beautiful language then this is for you! I love the settings, the characters, how creepy it is and the similarities with Jane Eyre of course! This is a book I am sure I will return to a lot!

5. Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

When I first read this towards the end of May, I really liked it. Then I read it at the beach with highlighters in hand and annotation tabs waiting for me at home and loved it. Yes, I wrote in a book. For the first time. This is thanks to CarolynMarieReads and her video on annotation, which is on her YouTube Channel linked below. This was even better on a reread and I could barely wait a week to do so! I tabbed quotes, beautiful language, parts I loved and other random things! But what an experience! Rilke's words are something I can't get away from now and I am definately going to write more about his work, maybe a quotes post? Anyway, this book is a new all time favourite and I can't wait to keep re-reading it! Maybe I'll do another post on it soon...

4. All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman

This book was such a heartbreaking but also uplifting read with very relatable characters and a beautiful friendship. This shows the power of having someone who cares deeply about you and who shows that care and emotion towards you openly and doesn't shy away from the fact that they have this deep connection to you. Many people don't start to do those things until it's too late and this book demonstrated that so well. It made me reflect on my own life and who I want to be, what friendships I want to have and what people I want to meet. These are three friends who depend on each other more than anything. Cara, Mehreen and Olivia all have a secret. They all have something they struggle with and in a moment of desperation, sign up to a suicide website. It pairs them together and they form an unbreakable bond. Soon, they all want out of the pact they made upon entering the website. But it won't let them stop and their friendship is soon tested to the limit, which takes a huge toll one their individual problems. 

3.Bookishly Ever After by Lucy Powrie

We are now in the realm of my top three favourite books that I've read this year! There isn't much between the next two but I had to place them somehow! When you saw the title of this post, this might have been a book you knew I would include. This was my most anticipated release of 2021 and I have a whole host of posts about this book and the rest of the series. You can view them all in Categories-Lucy Powrie or by clicking here. What can I say about this book that I haven't already said? I'll do another synopsis but you probably all already know what it's about, I talk about it way too much! So this is about Ed, who starts working at a bookshop and meets Hannah, who he wants to impress. But Ed's mum is dating for the first time since splitting up with his dad and his dad is blanking him out. Ed begins to stress a lot, but with the help of The Paper and Hearts Society and Hannah, he can make it through anything. There are also many book club meetings which are always funny, bookish (obviously!) and entertaining. These characters are my biggest fictional friends and I love them so much. ❤

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This was another very anticipated book for 2021 and finishing it in January was a wonderful feeling! I loved this so much and found a new love in Jane Austen. I love the regency era and the whole atmosphere and feeling of this book is so warm and makes me so happy! This is one of the most famous books ever written in the English language and I was very nervous going into it, but the writing style was beautiful and I got very attached to the characters! I would also love to read The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. It is about the 'forgotten' Bennet sister, Mary, who features very little in the novel and is often portrayed as the plain one. I think this could be a great book to re-immerse myself in this world that I loved so much, though I'm sure I'll read Pride and Prejudice many more times! I also splashed out and bought the clothbound edition of this- no regrets though because it's absolutely beautiful!

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

If you've read my blog before, you probably know that this is my favourite book of all time and you probably guessed this would be an important feature of this list! This book just absolutely ruined me. It left me smiling and internally crying! Jane's strength has given me strength and her character means so much to me. I loved this book so much and did several posts about it which you can view all collected by clicking categories-Jane Eyre. I can't wait to read more Charlotte Bronte and reading this also gave me more confidence in reading classics because let's face it, it's quite a long, very famous and well-loved book! I didn't think I would read this aged 12, or that I would read it this year but I am so glad I did! There are also so many quotes that warmed my heart and I ended up feeling so attached to Jane. I also need to share something with you that happened and that made my day, my week...it relates to Jane Eyre- promise! One of my favourite booktubers (you can view her channel here- please give her support ❤) recently started a P.O. box and I wrote to her. She replied with not only a beautiful letter but also one of her Etsy prints. These are prints I've been wanting ever since I saw them. She is such a talented artist and I love everything she draws and paints (especially when it's book related!). SHE SENT ME JANE EYRE. I started jumping around the kitchen for joy at the sight of this stunning print! The fact that she could have sold it on Etsy but that she chose to gift it to me means so much and I've written a letter back to her. Jane Eyre is just such a powerful book and I've loved watching a university lecture which you can view here but beware for major spoilers. I can't wait to one day re-read this and immerse myself in this world again but in the meantime, I've got plenty more Charlotte Bronte to get on with!

If you want one of these then watch out for her restock
 coming soon on her Etsy shop Carolyn Castagna

All lined up...beautiful <3

(and you can see my Jane Eyre print again in front of my clothbound)

Thank you so much for supporting me in my blog and I'll be back soon, especially now I've got my end of year maths exams out the way! PLEASE read any of the books on this list they are all amazing and have made 2021 a wonderful reading year so far. Happy Reading!

What's been your favourite book of the year so far? I'd love to know so let me know in the comments :)