"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, December 6, 2021

TTT: Freebie Week -- My favorite book reviews I wrote in 2021

 


Top Ten Tuesday: (Freebie topic) Favorite book reviews I wrote in 2021.

Face it. All book bloggers wish that their reviews would generate more traffic and a bit more love. Here's a chance for you to read the reviews you may have missed on my blog and perhaps you will find a book or two you hope to read yourself. The reviews below are some of my favorites. TTT participants, I hope you visit the post for at least one of the book reviews. Titles are hyperlinked. Thanks for visiting!


Hell of a Book
by Jason Mott
A profound yet absurd book about racism in America and what is expected from Black Americans who gain a little fame. I have thought about this National Book Award winner every day at least once since I read it. 

The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken
The stories in this collection of short stories are all funny to some degree and I found myself chuckling as I read along. I highlight many of the stories in my review.

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
This book was the 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner for literature. Some critiques said Erdrich won it for the body of her work, not for this book because they didn't like the story as much as others she has written. I think this book has a powerful message that should help inform us how to be a good ancestor for future generations.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
I loved this and talked about it with more people than any other book I read in 2021. If you haven't read it yet, or are trying to decide if you should, my review might provide the tipping point.

This is not an easy book to read but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it for its complexity. I know my review will be helpful and enlightening even if you decide not to read the book.

A book of essays by a favorite author about issues related to the "age of man." This is a perfect audiobook for a trip since each essay is fairly short and can be digested in small bites. This is NOT a YA book, though Green is most well-known for his YA novels (The Fault in Our Stars.)

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
I love it when I read something that opens my eyes to the experiences of people different then me. This is one of those books.  I am one of those people who HAS to read poetry. I enjoy ready fiction and nonfiction but poetry sustains me.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
This is a graphic biography about Yang, the writer/illustrator and about basketball. It is also my most viewed review in 2021. 

I am a Round 2 Nonfiction judge for Cybils, the book bloggers book awards. Since my life is all about reading nonfiction during January and half of February I thought I'd include one of my favorite reviews written for one of the high school nonfiction finalists. The topic is especially poignant today.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Hands down my favorite book of the year. I think the review will give you a good feel for why I love the book so much.

Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood
I couldn't resist adding one more book of poetry. This one by the much loved author of A Handmaid's Tale.

I wrote the review for this book last week and it hasn't generated much interest. It is such a good book, the graphic edition of the print edition published in 2017. I was just hoping that more people would read the book and that my review would give them a shove in that direction.

Did you find any books that interest you from this list? 
I hope you found my reviews helpful and interesting.
-Anne

27 comments:

  1. "Project Hail Mary" was one of my favorite reads of the year. I liked "Hamnet" much more after our BC discussion of it. The same with "The Night Watchman."

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    1. I know what you mean. Books often improve in my mind after a good discussion.

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  2. This is a great idea. So many blog posts don't get enough views- especially reviews. I'm going to take a look at On Tyranny.

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    1. On Tyranny is excellent. The illustrations are spot on, too.

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  3. It always makes me smile when I get a notification from Goodreads that someone liked one of my reviews. Thank you for sharing your favorite reviews. It's nice to give us a chance to take a second look at these.

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    1. I have noticed that you review your books on Goodreads and use the blog for activities like this. I haven't worked on my Goodread reviews as hard, though they might generate more love than the reviews on the blogs. I try to go back to Goodreads and link my reviews to my blog. Though I am not sure if that helps.

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  4. Ooh the Roe V Wade book sounds really interesting!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/top-ten-tuesday-345/

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    1. It is excellent. I would recommend it for every secondary and public library.

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  5. I love it when people share their favorite reviews. I think we would all like our reviews to be read a little more.

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  6. I read Roy's book this year as well and to this am not quite sure what I thought of it. Thanks for linking up your reviews. Happy reading! My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/10-middle-grade-fantasy-books-set-in-winter-and-christmas-book-recommendations/

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    1. I listened to the Roy book and it felt like I was visiting India -- all its colors, noises, smells. I thought that was the best part of the experience.

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  7. Great list! I've got a Louise Erdrich book on my shelf that I've been meaning to read once I get the chance, and you've definitely gotten me to add a few to my TBR off this list!

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    1. I am a huge Erdrich fan. I especially like Round House and LaRose. This book is fantastic, too. But as my review shows, this book is populated with so may characters it was hard at time to keep track of everyone.

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  8. This is a great topic idea! Have a great day! https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-ten-tuesday-free-little-library.html

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  9. Since you said your review for DRAGON HOOPS was the most popular, I decided to check it out. Even though I'm not a sports person at all or really a graphic novel reader, your review made me want to read this book. It sounds fantastic, even though it's about a sport I don't enjoy watching or playing. Bravo to you for convincing me to give the book a chance!

    Happy TTT!

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    1. I am so delighted that you enjoyed the review of Dragon Hoops. I hope you do read it.

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  10. Oooh! I need to go back and look over my book reviews! Great picks!

    Here’s my TTT!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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    1. I hope they provide a catalyst to finding new reading materials.

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  11. What a great topic! Always good to remember to praise ourselves for our reviews which probably get the least attention.

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  12. I haven't read any of these but I really want to read Hamnet and Hail Mary

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  13. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir seems to be very popular.

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  14. If I wrote more book reviews this would be a fun topic for me to feature too. Maybe some year I'll write enough. ;) Thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland on this week.

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    1. since I have retired I am more determined to review all the book club selections, and most of the novels I read. I rarely review children's books or poetry.

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