Susan’s Book Blog

 I’m hardly qualified (or well-read enough) to tell you what the “best” books of the year were but these are my picks for my Favorites of the year. To me, they were the best among the 118 I read.  Top Ten of 2021: 🌟  The Guncle (My #1 fave) ⭐️  Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World  ⭐️  Under the Whispering Door  ⭐️  The Charm Offensive ⭐️  A Marvellous Light  Any Way the Wind Blows Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun The Love Hypothesis  If This Gets Out Peter Cabot Gets Lost Obviously, I read mostly romance this year (and a lot of queer romance within that genre) and I honestly can’t imagine topping several of these choices even if you look in any other genre. But again, these are just my picks from among what I read.  What were your faves this year??

I got a big bright yellow box of HAPPINESS from Illumicrate today! I was fortunate enough to be able to order their TJ Klune set when it became available back in August. I’d read both books (and if you’ve read my other posts, you know how much I love them both) and knew I had to have them in these gorgeous signed hardback editions. (I am so excited to put these on my shelf!) Take a look! Beautiful edges that match the covers! Surprise illustrated covers!  Look how adorable they are! Front: Front & back: GoodReads page for The House in the Cerulean Sea  GoodReads page for Under the Whispering Door  

It’s always an exciting day when book mail arrives, but look at these beauties!! Above Left: Fairyloot Special Limited Edition hardcover of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper  graphic novel. Pink foil accents and pink sprayed edges. Above Right: Waterstones exclusive special edition of TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door. Signed with teal sprayed edges. Pick up these books in any form you can. They are wonderful!!  Heartstopper Vol 1 summary: Charlie and Nick are at the same school but they’ve never met… until one day they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends and soon Charlie is falling for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realized. Under the Whispering Door summary: When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own sparsely attended funeral, Wallace is outraged. But he begins to suspect she’s right and he is in fact dead. Then when Hugo, owner of a mo...

 I was so happy to see two of my favorite reads from this year ended up on Barnes & Noble’s Best of 2021 list! (Click here to read their blog post!) They might even be two of my favorite books of all time. They’re that good. I was fortunate enough to have received digital ARCs of both of these books back in April and was absolutely thrilled with how utterly magnificent they both were. They are both profoundly beautiful and make wonderful reads for any age, not just the YA demographic. If you want something to make you feel all the feels and be left with a sense of hope, give these a try.

 I was fortunate enough to have received this ARC several months ago from NetGalley and MacMillan/Tor books, and when I tell you it was one of the MOST AMAZING BOOKS I have EVER read... oh man. I knew I had to get a copy (or three) for my shelf. I preordered a copy, then preordered the beautiful sprayed-edge set pictured below from Illumicrate when that was announced (that I AM SO EXCITED about!! Cannot WAIT to get them!) But Tor was running a promotion for those who preordered UtWD that they would send out a poster created by immensely talented artist Venessa Kelley (take a look at her Instagram !) and it just arrived today! What a great preorder incentive. It's absolutely beautiful. 😭