I did a post in 2020 of books I wanted to read in 2021 because they had been on my shelf for a while and I had at least started most of them and then put down for something. For being in a reading slump most of 2021, I feel I did pretty well in reading these books. However, I still didn’t read most of them.
I did not get around to attempting The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. I’m not sure I’m all that excited to get back to this book either. I feel like I have enough series going, and there are other series I’m more excited to try and get to. Although I read his Night Angel trilogy and enjoyed it, something about the Lightbringer series just doesn’t call to me and I think may be blocking me.
I also did not get to Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I attempted listening to the audiobook some time back and felt it too much to listen to while doing other things. It was going to take some focus and so I purchased the ebook but just haven’t gotten to it. It’s one of those intimidating books. While I can’t see how large the book is, I know it is several pages long, and it’s a long series.
Another I didn’t attempt again in 2021 was Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Amazingly, I feel I do remember most of what I read in general terms. I do still want to get to this one so maybe in 2022? Only time will tell.
Woot! I did read Die Again by Tess Gerritsen. This one was a bit crazy to me as it had the annoying flash back to another time throughout the book. I can’t see a way around telling this story in this way, but it really annoys me when books do this. Just as you get comfortable and invested in the story line, you are pulled out into another. Then tossed back and forth as you go through the book.
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames is one I wish I had made myself start in 2021. I feel like it would have been one to temporarily pull me out of the slump I was in. I do want to get to this one soon.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon I did make another attempt at in 2021 and, probably an unpopular opinion, I think I’ve decided to permanently DNF. Unless my reading tastes change, I was basically reading just to say I read it. Once I realized I was doing that, I stopped and went to something else. I did give it an attempt, I think I made it 30% through the audiobook before realizing I didn’t really care what was happening.
I’m disappointed I didn’t get to Kingdome of Ash by Sarah J. Maas sooner. It’s been so long since I read the previous books in the Throne of Glass series I was having a hard time following what was happening and so I’ve DNF’d this. Possibly permanently. I feel I would need to start from the beginning, and there are just too many other books I want to read more at this point as my reading taste has changed since I first started this series. Still I kind of really want to finish the series so, we’ll see what happens.
I’m more interested in getting back to Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson than I was when I added this to my self destruct list for last year. I don’t know when I will find the time to get back to this though. Thankfully I do have the audiobook so it may be easier to slip in than some of the other books I own and want to read.
Daemon Seer by Mary Maddox…I had plans to read this around the Halloween season, but life was throwing rocks at me and I didn’t really do any reading at that time. Then I was needing something else to recover and heal from those rocks.
Yet again, another book I didn’t get to in 2021 was Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. I think I’d like to try to get to it this year, but at the same time if I’m honest with myself, I think I was talked in to buying this book. I don’t know that it’s something I would enjoy.
I regret reading Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. I immediately put it in a pile of books I was unhauling as soon as my local library was accepting donations again. I pushed myself to read this and regret it. This is the first book of a series and I will definitely not be adding this to series I’m reading. I even thought about making it a punishment in my TBR game to read these books. Except that I’m still suffering a bit from a slump, I’m thinking is being caused by stress from work, and so ended up tossing the idea for fear of putting myself deeper into the slump when I’m somewhat pulling myself out of it.
Of the 11 books I named, I finished 2, DNF’d 2, and realized I probably don’t really want to read 2. There are 5 remaining I didn’t attempt. The intention was these would be deleted from my library, but since I was in a slump I’m going easy on myself. That and I still want to attempt those remaining 5. I’m going to give a good effort to read them this year and see what I think of them.