Decisions: Choosing What to Read in 2021

As last year wrapped up, I let writing about books fall to the wayside. After all, there were books I wanted to read before the year ended. However, at the start of the New Year got closer and closer I was left in a position that I am sure is overly familiar to most bookish fiends – so many books and not near enough time to read them all. Not to mention no clear idea on how to prioritize which ones to read first. I admit to envy in regards to people who have reading lists each month and complete said reading lists within the month. It inspires admiration in me.

Deciding what to read, for me, creates an interesting sort of tunnel vision. I often do not know exactly what I want to read, but I am distinctly aware of what I do not want to read. Many of the books I pick up end up being a book or series I expressed interest in years ago or one that catches my eye at the moment and I pick up as a whim. Occasionally I simply read the book that was last handed to me. I have many times attempted to create reading lists, but I am afraid I tend to spectacularly fail at those.

I researched all sorts of reading lists and challenges. There were “Books to Read Before You Die”, “The 100 Most Important Books”, “Classics Everyone Should Read”, the BookRiot Reading Challenge and so much more. Anyone who likes lists for their reading habits is well supplied by the current blogging and tweeting of book lovers, publishers, and authors. Unfortunately for me, none of them seemed to be lists that would challenge me the way I wanted. I know my opinions on many of the classics and I did not want to stick to one genre. Nor did I want to be responsible for choosing the book I was to read based on a prompt – I wanted a way to pick up books that I might not otherwise stumble upon.

With that knowledge in mind, I decided that instead of setting a reading list for myself in 2021 I would reach out to friends, family, and acquaintances to source a list of recommended reads for 2021. I asked for any one book – it could be a book that the person I asked thought everyone needed to read, perhaps a personal favorite, or even a book that they were curious to hear my opinion on. I put no restriction on genre or format. My primary request was that it be in English for my personal ease of reading. I ended up with 32 books (31 recommendations + one of my own).

In terms of my personal criteria, books that I might not otherwise stumble upon, the list is a success. The full list is shelved on my Goodreads under ‘2021 reading rec challenge‘, but the list contains genre fiction, non-fiction, new releases, poetry, manga, a webtoon, and fanfiction. I have a wealth of options at any given time as some of the reads are well outside my usual wheelhouse. As I spoke with everyone who recommended me a book I also realized it was a sterling opportunity to learn more about the person giving me a recommendation. My goal has evolved from simply reading the recommended books to reading the book and then following up with the person who recommended it for a chat.

Now, as I said earlier, I am deplorable with set reading lists, so these books are not the only ones I am reading but shall instead be spread out over the year with the books I read on a whim or fall into my lap (and the few I find out are coming and pre-order in a pique of excitement). In fact, having a list of books I know I will read has pushed me to pick up even more outside of that and I am set to finish a solid 30 books by the end of January (like, woah).

So, having difficulty choosing what to read? Perhaps try having someone else choose for you?

Regardless of how you decide what to read in the coming year, happy reading!