READING GOALS + TBR LIST // 2021

Reading Goals + Intentions

1 | Backlist titles from 2020 favorite authors
Yangsze Choo stole my heart with her 2019 release The Night Tiger and I’m excited to get to her first book, The Ghost Bride this year. Similarly, I want to prioritize reading Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, whose 2020 release Little Fires Everywhere took the reading world by storm at release, then again with the Hulu TV series. In both of these cases, I’ve read these authors second novels, but am excited to get to their debuts in 2021!

2 | 2021 releases from 2020 favorite authors
Without a doubt my most anticipated book of 2021 is Riley Sager’s Survive the Night, set to release July 6th. Sager was easily my favorite author of 2020 – I read his entire backlist and they were all 5 star reads. His previous 4 thrillers were Book of the Month picks, so I’m expecting to have this as an early release, my hope is in June. My next most anticipated read is Paula Hawkin’s A Slow Fire Burning, to release August 31st. Followed by The Maidens by Alex Michaelides and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, both to release on June 1st.

3 | New to me authors
These are authors I’ve heard such great things about this past year and I’m excited to dive into their works this year:
☐ Fredrik Backman – Anxious People and A Man Called Ove
☐ Leigh Bardugo – Ninth House
☐ Alice Feeney – His & Hers and Sometimes I Lie
☐ Lisa Jewel – Watching You
☐ Lars Kepler – The Sandman
☐ Jo Nesbø  – Blood on Snow
☐ Stuart Turton – The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water
☐ Ruth Ware – The Turn of the Key and The Woman in Cabin 10

4 | Author diversity and inclusion
I think I did a great job of reading from a wide variety of authors in 2020. The plan here is to continue being intentional and mindful of what voices I’m learning from and supporting in the new year.

I’ve clearly found a love of mysteries and thrillers in 2020 but have noticed the majority of books I read were by white authors. My hope is to read from more BIPOC and queer authors in this genre in the coming year. A few authors I have in mind include Oyinkan Braithwaite, S.A. Cosby, Eva García Sáenz, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.
(further recommendations linked here)

5 | Genres and reading format
In general, I’d like to read more from the following genres: comedy, poetry, memoirs, non-fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi. No specific goal here, just a general intention. Along the same lines, I’m hoping to consume more audiobooks. I spend so much time in the car commuting from my various job sites and it’s probably time I slow down on Taylor Swift’s Evermore (but can you blame me?)

This is quite the unpopular opinion but I didn’t love reading Daisy Jones and The Six. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the audiobook, so that’s one I’m considering!

6 | Buddy reads
Hoping to buddy read and discuss non-fiction and sci-fi reads with my brother as he too spent a lot of time reading in 2020. Some possible titles include Atomic Habits, Let My People Go Surfing, and Recursion.

Also planning on buddy reads with my BFF, ideally with coffee shop discussions, as COVID allows. Two books we for sure will buddy read are Homegoing and My Sister, the Serial Killer. Other books I’d like to get to this year are Gods of Jade and Shadow (since we both loved Mexican Gothic) and The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh.

7 | General goals
☐ 60 books
☐ 20,000 pages
☐ 5 books about race/racism

Interested in my favorites books of 2020? Blogpost linked here
Or curious of everything I read in last year? Go here!

To Be Read List

A mix of 2021 releases, favorite authors backlist titles, and some books I have in my personal collection that can’t be ignored any longer! Full list of 2021 TBR list can be found on Goodreads, linked here.

Until tomorrow, Meryn

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