Top Ten Tuesday -New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

Today’s Topic: New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

I always enjoy discovering new authors I’ve never read before. It’s a bit like receiving a present, when I open it will I like it? Will I not? Will I be surprised. I never know what I will get when I read a new author and that’s half the fun.

Julia Quinn – I’d heard of this author, but never got around to reading any of her books until the Netflix juggernaut that was Bridgerton aired.

Harper St. George – I’ll be honest, the cover alone convinced me to read the first book in this series. But the story inside convinced me to continue and finish the series.

Lyssa Kay Adams – The first book in this series really hooked me, but I didn’t enjoy the others as much. Still the overall premise of a group of men reading romance novels to improve their relationships was a creative one.

Kimberly Duffy – This author quickly earned her place on my must read list with vivid depictions of Colonial India and complex (sometimes unlikeable) characters that captured my attention.

Regina Scott – I wouldn’t have thought a series about National Parks would hold my interest, but the author made the settings come alive.

Natalie Jenner – I couldn’t escape talk of this book early last year. It was everywhere! I did enjoy it enough to make me seek out other titles from Jenner.Stephanie Landsem – I’ve been meaning to read one of Landsem’s books for years. But it was this re-telling of the Prodigal Son story set in classic Hollywood that finally got my attention.

Caroline George – At times I struggled to get through this book. Jumping around three different stories within the book made it hard to maintain my focus. But the revelation of the deeper message the author was creating really wowed me.

Jenn McKinlay – This is the first book I’ve read by Jenn McKinlay, but I was impressed how she wrote a sensitive portrayal of a hero with mental and physical challenges.

The Umpteenth Blogathon – It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

FILM SYNOPSIS

When a group of strangers hear the confession of a dying man who leaves a mysterious clue about the whereabouts of a large sum of cash, they aren’t convinced he’s on the level. Yet, when they suspect each other of going after the money, they pause to discuss how to locate it and also how to split it when it’s found. Talks quickly break down and it becomes, “every man (and woman) for himself!”

Next thing you know, five different groups of people are racing to be the first one to find the dough, unaware that they are being tracked by the cops who have long wished to recover the money from a robbery case. Their attempts to beat each other out lead to the involvement of other strangers and motorists as well as crazy situations that quickly become destructive. Continue reading “The Umpteenth Blogathon – It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)”

Top Ten Tuesday 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

Today’s Topic: 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

I had the best reading year I’ve had in several years in 2021. Despite that, I still didn’t get to read all the new releases I was excited about. Here are some I missed that will now be on my TBR pile for 2022 Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To”

2021 End of Year Book Survey

Although, I always do a full review of each book reading year. I ran across this fun annual survey originated by the Perpetual Page Turner thanks to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl who hosts the Top Ten Tuesday weekly. I love that it allows me a different way of looking at my reading year so of course, I had to participate.

2021 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 128 plus
Number of Re-Reads: about 10
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary Romance Continue reading “2021 End of Year Book Survey”

2021 Film Year in Review

Despite ongoing life challenges and demands (or maybe because of them), 2021 turned out to be a good film and entertainment year for me. Or at least a prolific one as I watched just at 500 titles.

This year I  worked my way through some of the Poirot films, re-watched the Narnia franchise and some of my old favorites from Disney. I also branched out a bit to give 1970’s-80’s films a try though I’m normally not a fan of their aesthetic. In other big news (to me anyway), I got the Hallmark channel back after a two year absence, right around the holidays. So I spent a lot of time at the end of the year catching up on all their Christmas films.

The big decision I made in 2021 was to focus on classic musicals which is a genre that is usually more miss than hit with me. And while it still isn’t my favorite, I’ve learned to appreciate it more. I’ve found I have a decided preference for the dancing performances over singing ones. Continue reading “2021 Film Year in Review”

Top Ten Tuesday – New Releases In the First Half of 2022 I Can’t Wait to Read

Today’s Topic: Most Anticipated Books Releasing In the First Half of 2022

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

Ooh, I love a new year fresh with new books. It makes the world feel like a place of hope and possibilities. And also gives me something to look forward to during the long, cold, grey days of winter. Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday – New Releases In the First Half of 2022 I Can’t Wait to Read”

2021 Book Year in Review

If anything defines my reading this year, it is contemporary romances and classic film biographies. I binged both like there was no tomorrow.

Unfortunately for the contemporary romances, they all blended together after a while, so that I don’t have strong memories of most of them. This makes me a bit sad as I was especially looking forward to reading this years’ releases from authors, Sally Thorne, Sarah Hogle, Beth O’ Leary and Emily Henry. I did like their books, but none of them stood out to me in the sea of contemporary romances.

I suppose the good news is that I far exceeded my reading goal for the year which was set at 80 books, based on previous years’ accomplishments which hadn’t exceeded 85 in several years. But in 2021 I read over 125 books. Continue reading “2021 Book Year in Review”