My 2021 reading intentions
Plus what to read after Bridgerton and bookish crafts to get you through the winter
Hey, readers!
Happy New Year! Like many readers, I love beginning the year considering what I want for my reading life in the year to come. I usually set a number goal for books I’d like to read as well as a few specific ways I want to deepen or enhance my reading life. Past years have included goals such as read one nonfiction book each month, read more works in translation, read at least five indigenous authors, and reading from lists of literary award winners.
This year, I want to read 100 books (this used to be a stretch for me, but now that I’m not teaching, it’s more easily achievable), read more backlist, and read from my unread shelves. I’d like to set a few more specific intentions, but I’m still mulling over what would most enhance my reading.
One thing I’m setting my mind to this year is choosing some books I’ve been meaning to read for ages and actually reading them. I’m very much a mood reader, but in reading prize submissions, I learned that it actually works for me to read from a list. I won’t be making a set reading list each month, but choosing a few books I will definitely read this year will help when I get stuck and ensure that I’m actually reading the books that once caught my eye. In today’s newsletter, to hold myself accountable, I’ll share twelve of the books I intend to conquer this year.
This week in books.
This week I read…
Bloomability by Sharon Creech. I loved every Sharon Creech book as a kid, but this one was my absolute favorite. When the wonderful Annie Jones, host of From the Front Porch and owner of The Bookshelf, said she reread this back in March when her reading slumped for obvious reasons, I went down to my mom’s house and picked this off my bookshelves. I’d had it in the back of my mind to pick this up since then, but never did. On the last day of 2020, I decided it was finally the time and I read this in a single afternoon. The book follows 13-year-old Dinnie who is sent to a Swiss boarding school where her uncle is headmaster after her immediate family experiences several crises at once. It is just absolutely delightful! Of course, as an adult reader with a 2020 perspective, there are some plot points that don’t totally hold up, but revisiting it really made me see where so much of what I read and who I am comes from. It was a wonderful experience. Amazon | Bookshop
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. I don’t tend to love mysteries and I don’t read a lot of YA, so I was a little skeptical of this book. But I kept seeing it on trusted sources’ favorite reads of the year so I figured I’d try it on audio. It is a super fun, mystery set on a prestigious but eerie campus. I found it completely compelling and was basically plugged into my headphones for two days straight while I listened to it. I loved it, but no body warned me that it ends on a major cliffhanger!!! I’m on the library hold’s list for the second and the third one now so that I can devour them in one go once they come in. Amazon | Bookshop
Now I’m reading…
We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper. This is my current audiobook from Libro.fm*. I tend to enjoy true crime more when it offers some sort of social commentary, and this book is exploring gendered power dynamics and the secretive and elitist nature of Ivy League schools. Amazon | Bookshop
On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee. I chose this as the January read for the FictionMatters book club on Patreon after patrons voted to read a backlist book by an author with a buzzy 2021 release. I’ve been wanting to read this for years after a close friend recommended it to me, and I’m super excited for Lee’s My Year Abroad coming out at the beginning of February. If you’d like to join for bookish discussion, you can find out more about the FictionMatters Patreon community and book club here. Amazon | Bookshop
12 backlist books I intend to read this year.
An Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann. A FictionMatters patron recommend this campus novel / coming-of-age / feminist book to me and it sounds so up my alley, I can’t believe I hadn’t hear of it! Amazon | Bookshop
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. I’ve read several of the essays in Gay’s breakout collection, but I want to read the whole thing this year. Amazon | Bookshop
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. I already have a copy of Mbue’s forthcoming release How Beautiful We Were and I’d like to read her debut before I dive into that. Amazon | Bookshop
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Everyone I know who’s read this book loves and adores it. It’s a modern classic that falls into a time period of books I’ve just missed, but I hope to make it a priority this year. Amazon | Bookshop
I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum. This collection of television reviews sounds like a super fun read, and since I’ll be writing more reviews this year (books in my case), I like the idea of reading some well-written models. Amazon | Bookshop
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Ok, this is barely backlist, but I really want to read the bookish darling of 2020 ASAP. Amazon | Bookshop
The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. I loved Kindred when I read it (many years ago…probably due for a reread!), but never picked up any of Butler’s other books. I think this dystopian novel is a good place to start. Amazon | Bookshop
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. I’ve wanted to read this modern classic novella about an English teacher forever. Now is the time. Amazon | Bookshop
The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen. Committed, the sequel to The Sympathizer is coming out in March, so I absolutely must read it before then! Amazon | Bookshop
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. I love metafiction and Ozeki’s epic novel is on all the best-of lists of the genre. I’ve owned it for years, and will finally pick it up in 2021. Amazon | Bookshop
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi. I started this book when it first came out, and couldn’t finish it because of the teacher-student relationships (an uncomfy topic for me while I was teaching). But I always thought the structure and style of this book sounded perfect for me, so I’m going to try it again now I’m further removed from the classroom. Amazon | Bookshop
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This is another one I’ve started but never finished and another one that sounds absolutely perfect for my taste (I love Tudor history…what can I say?). I first tried reading it on my Kindle when I was just started my grad school program in literature, so I’m thinking adjusting the circumstances will mean I really enjoy this one. Amazon | Bookshop
Links I love.
This section was formerly “bookish reading,” but “links I love” gives me some leeway to include non-book related articles and content. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of bookish reading each week!
I added a lot of the books on BookBub’s anticipated books of 2021 to my reading list and the whole thing made me very excited for the year of reading we have in store for us. Bustle’s list is also great and includes a lot of December 2020 releases so you don’t have to wait to start reading your way through it!
If you burned through Bridgerton and are aching for more, check out these 10 romance novels.
Speaking of Bridgerton, if you love the Bridgerton brothers, this interview with Jonathan Bailey is a must-read.
Do you ever feel the urge to reread old favorites, but feel guilty about it? This article will help you ease that feeling.
I don’t know about you, but books were not the only form of entertainment I turned to to comfort me in this trying year. I watched a lot of TV and movies this year too, so I really enjoyed reading Vox’s roundup of the pop culture that made their editors happy.
I’m in the market for a new podcast, and the Atlantic’s list of 50 best podcasts of 2020 was here to help.
This longform article Who Did J.K. Rowling Become? takes a close look at Rowling’s political and moral worldview in an attempt to grapple with the anti-trans bigotry she’s doubled down on this year. I’m not sure I agreed with every point, but it was a really interesting look into the author and the fandom.
I’m keeping this article in mind while considering my New Year’s resolutions. I do want to be more physically active, but the way we frame fitness resolutions is extremely important.
January and February are going to be difficult months because of cold weather and continued quarantine. Bookish crafts may just be the best way to combat the winter blues.
End notes.
Watching: The Mandalorian. We started this when Season 1 first came out and it dropped off our watchlist for some reason. We picked it back up this week, and it is so much fun. Admittedly, I did have to look up a few spoilers to really enjoy watching because I get so nervous every time Baby Yoda is in danger!
Listening: I just started making my way through the figure skating episode re-airs of Jonathan Van Ness’s podcast Getting Curious. They are so fun and take me back to my skating days in the most pleasant way.
Making: A commitment to complete the new 30 day yoga series from Yoga With Adriene. I’ve done these January challenges before, but I’ve never began one on the start date or actually completed one in 30 days. I’m hoping this year will actually begin with 30 days of yoga.
Loving: My new reading journal. I love the special edition colors Leuchtturm put out this year, and I appreciate that their journals are a hair wider than Moleskines (some book titles are long!).
Readers, I’m excited to hear about your reading goals for 2021. For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. I love hearing from you!
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Happy reading!
Sara
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