jlshall's 50 Book Challenge for 2021

OK -- another year, another challenge. I did a little better than I thought I would in 2020 -- read 47 books, which is closer to 50 than I've been in several years. Of course, some of those were children's books and very short. But I'm counting them anyway. 2020 was a great year for comfort reading.

Anyway, I'm hoping I can do at least that well again this year.

Happy New Year, everyone! And happy reading in 2021!

(posted 1/02/2021)

........

MY PERSONAL RATING SYSTEM

Here at LibraryThing, I use the following:
✭✭✭✭✭ All-time favorites and new discoveries that I loved - not many get this rating
✭✭✭✭ Really liked it - an author I might consider reading again
✭✭✭ An enjoyable read, but nothing extraordinary; most books will likely fall into this category
✭✭ It was OK, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to others
✭ Mediocre; disappointing; had trouble finishing
DNF (Did Not Finish) Books I started reading and then abandoned. This doesn't necessarily mean I didn't like a book, just that I wasn't able to finish it or didn't feel like continuing with it. Might or might not finish it later.

..........
MASTER LIST: What I Read in 2021

1. Nemesis (Miss Marple #11), by Agatha Christie ✭✭✭½
2. 1066 And All That, by W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, illus. by John Reynolds ✭✭✭✭
3. Jerusalem Inn (Richard Jury #5), by Martha Grimes ✭✭½
4. Suspicious Death (Inspector Thanet #8), by Dorothy Simpson ✭✭✭½
5. Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1), by Mary Pope Osborne; illus. by Sal Murdocca ✭✭✭✭
6. Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons (Peculiar Crimes Unit #17), by Christopher Fowler (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭✭½
7. The Clue of the Tapping Heels (Nancy Drew #16), by Carolyn Keene ✭✭✭
8. A Guilty Thing Surprised (Inspector Wexford #5), by Ruth Rendell ✭✭✭✭
9. Faithful Unto Death (Chief Inspector Barnaby #5), by Caroline Graham ✭✭✭
10. My San Antonio Childhood: A Memoir, by Michael L. Hall ✭✭✭✭✭
11. The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (Nancy Drew #22), by Carolyn Keene ✭✭✭½
12. The Postscript Murders (Harbinder Kaur #2), by Elly Griffiths (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭✭½
13. An Extravagant Death (Charles Lenox Mysteries #14), by Charles Finch (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭½
14. The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland, by Angela Youngman (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭
15. A Body at the Tea Rooms (Kate Palmer Mystery #3), by Dee MacDonald (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭½
16. The Lost Village, by Camilla Sten; trans. by Alexandra Fleming (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭✭
17. Life in Miniature: A History of Dolls' Houses, by Nicola Lisle (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭✭½
18. Dead Dead Girls, by Nekesa Afia (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭½
19. Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17), by Agatha Christie ✭✭✭✭½
20. Castle Shade (Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes #17), by Laurie R. King (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭½
21. Killing in a Koi Pond (Murder, She Wrote #53), by "Jessica Fletcher" and Terrie Farley Moran (ARC: NetGalley) ✭✭½
22. Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Høeg ✭✭✭✭
23. Franklin Endicott and the Third Key (Deckawoo Drive #6), by Kate DiCamillo; illus. by Chris Van Dusen ✭✭✭✭½
24. The Religious Body (Inspector Sloan #1), by Catherine Aird ✭✭✭✭½
25. Summer, by Edith Wharton ✭✭✭✭
26. The Hollywood Spy (Maggie Hope #10), by Susan Elia MacNeal ✭✭✭
27. Wolf Lake, (Dave Gurney #5), by John Verdon ✭✭✭½
28. The Victim in Victoria Station (Dorothy Martin Mystery #5), by Jeanne M. Dams ✭✭✭
29. The Return of the Pharaoh, by Nicholas Meyer ✭✭✭✭½
30. Five Little Pigs (Hercule Poirot #25), by Agatha Christie ✭✭✭✭
31. John Prine Beyond Words, by John Prine ✭✭✭✭½
32. Palm Springs Noir, ed. by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett ✭✭✭✭½
33. Our Lady of Darkness, by Fritz Leiber ✭✭✭
34. Oh William!, by Elizabeth Strout ✭✭✭½
35. The Empty House, and Other Ghost Stories, by Algernon Blackwood ✭✭✭
36. Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X (Tom Swift Jr. #17), by Victor Appleton II (audiobook) ✭✭½
37. Bloodless (Pendergast #20), by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ✭✭✭✭
38. Plot It Yourself (Nero Wolfe #32), by Rex Stout ✭✭✭✭
39. Capote's Women, by Laurence Leamer ✭✭✭
40. The Golden Spiders (Nero Wolfe #22), by Rex Stout ✭✭✭✭

Children's Picture Books Read in 2021:

1. Planting a Rainbow, by Lois Ehlert (illus. by author) ✭✭✭
2. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, by William Steig (illus. by author) ✭✭✭✭
3. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss (illus. by author) ✭✭✭✭
4. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, by Dr. Seuss (illus. by author) ✭✭✭✭
5. A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard; illus. by Alice & Martin Provensen ✭✭✭
6. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak (illus. by author) ✭✭½
7. Outside Over There, by Maurice Sendak (illus. by author) ✭✭✭
8. The Funny Little Woman, retold by Arlene Mosel; illus. by Blair Lent ✭✭½
9. Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg (illus. by author) ✭✭✭✭
10. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein (illus. by author) ✭✭½
11. Zathura, by Chris Van Allsburg (illus. by author) ✭✭✭✭
12. Queen of the Falls, by Chris Van Allsburg (illus. by author) ✭✭✭

Happy Reading in 2021!

>3 PaperbackPirate: Thanks! And the same to you!

1. Nemesis (Miss Marple #11 or #12), by Agatha Christie



Finished reading: January 17, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭½

2. 1066 And All That: A Memorable History of England, by W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, illus. by John Reynolds



Read: January 27, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

3. Jerusalem Inn (Richard Jury #5), by Martha Grimes (1984)



Read: January 2-29, 2021
Rating: ✭✭½

4. Suspicious Death (Inspector Thanet #8), by Dorothy Simpson (1988)



Read: February 1-6, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭½

5. Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1), by Mary Pope Osborne; illus. by Sal Murdocca



Read: March 8, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

6. Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons (Peculiar Crimes Unit #17), by Christopher Fowler



Read: March 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

7. The Clue of the Tapping Heels (Nancy Drew Mystery #16), by Carolyn Keene



Read: March 9, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭

8. A Guilty Thing Surprised (Inspector Wexford #5), by Ruth Rendell



Read: March 7-12, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

9. Faithful unto Death (Chief Inspector Barnaby #5), by Caroline Graham



Read: March 13 - April 6, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭

10. Planting a Rainbow, written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert



Read: March 8, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭

11. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, written and illustrated by William Steig



Read: March 8, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

12. My San Antonio Childhood: A Memoir, by Michael L. Hall



Read: March-April 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

13. The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (Nancy Drew #22), by Carolyn Keene



Read: April 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭½

14. The Postscript Murders (Harbinder Kaur #2), by Elly Griffiths



Read: January - April, 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

15. An Extravagant Death (Charles Lenox Mysteries #14), by Charles Finch (2021)



Read: April 2021
Rating: ✭✭✭½

16. The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland, by Angela Youngman (2021)



Read: April 30 - May 12, 2021
Nonfiction
Rating: ✭✭✭

17. A Body at the Tea Rooms (Kate Palmer Mysteries #3), by Dee MacDonald (2021)



Read: May 12-20, 2021
Fiction / Cozy Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭½

18. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss (1958)



Read: May 15, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

19. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, by Dr. Seuss (1938)



Read: May 15, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

20. A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard; illus. by Alice & Martin Provensen



Read: May 15, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭✭

21. The Lost Village, by Camilla Sten (2019; 2021)



Read: May 21-23, 2021
Fiction / Horror
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

22. Life in Miniature: A History of Dolls' Houses, by Nicola Lisle (2020)



Read: May 24-25, 2021
Nonfiction
Rating: ✭✭✭½

23. Dead Dead Girls, by Nekesa Afia (2021)



Read: June 1-4, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭½

24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak; illus. by author (1970)



Read: May 26, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭½

25. Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17), by Agatha Christie (1929)



Read: June 5-10, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

26. Castle Shade (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #17), by Laurie R. King (2021)



Read: June 11-20, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭½

27. Killing in a Koi Pond (Murder, She Wrote #53), by "Jessica Fletcher" and Terrie Farley Moran (2021)



Read: June 21-24, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭½

28. Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Høeg; translated by Tiina Nunnally (1992)



Read: June 24 - July 4, 2021
Fiction / Mystery / Thriller
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

29. Franklin Endicott and the Third Key (Tales from Deckawoo Drive #6), by Kate DiCamillo; illus. by Chris Van Dusen (2021)



Read: July 7, 2021
Children's Literature / Middle Grade
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

30. The Religious Body (Inspector Sloan #1), by Catherine Aird (1966)



Read: July 4-14, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

31. Summer, by Edith Wharton (1917)



Read: July 14-21, 2021
Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

32. Outside Over There, by Maurice Sendak; illus. by author (1981)



Read: July 21, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭✭

33. The Funny Little Woman, retold by Arlene Mosel; illus. by Blair Lent (1972)



Read: July 21, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭½

34. The Hollywood Spy (Maggie Hope #10), by Susan Elia MacNeal (2021)



Read: July 26 - August 4, 2021 (but I'm counting this as a July read)
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

35. Wolf Lake (Dave Gurney #5), by John Verdon (2016)



Read: August 17-22, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭½

36. Jumanji (Jumanji #1), by Chris Van Allsburg; illus. by author (1981)



Read: August 22, 2021
Children's Literature / Fantasy
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

37. The Victim in Victoria Station (Dorothy Martin #5), by Jeanne M. Dams (1999)



Read: August 23 - September 1, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

38. The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. (Holmes Pastiche #5), by Nicholas Meyer (2021)



Read: September 2-18, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

39. Five Little Pigs (Hercule Poirot #25), by Agatha Christie (1942)



Read: September 25 - October 4, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

40. John Prine Beyond Words, by John Prine (2017)



Read: September 18, 2021
Nonfiction / Autobiography
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

41. Palm Springs Noir, ed. by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett (2021)



Read: July 9 - September 30, 2021
Fiction / Mystery / Short stories
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

42. Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X (Tom Swift Jr. #17), by Victor Appleton II (1961)



Read and listened to: September 28 - October 1, 2021 (audiobook)
Fiction / Mystery / Young Adult
Rating: ✭✭½

43. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein; illus. by author (1964)



Read: September 27, 2021
Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭½

44. Our Lady of Darkness, by Fritz Leiber (1977)



Read: September 26 - October 14, 2021
Fiction / Horror - Fantasy
Rating: ✭✭✭

45. Oh William!, by Elizabeth Strout (2021)



Read: October 14-21, 2021
Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭½

46. The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, by Algernon Blackwood (1906)



Read: October 17-26, 2021
Fiction / Horror / Short stories
Rating: ✭✭✭

47. Bloodless (Pendergast #20), by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (2021)



Read: October 28 - November 13, 2021
Fiction / Mystery / Science Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

48. Zathura (Jumanji #2), by Christ Van Allsburg; illus. by author (2002)



Read: November 21, 2021
Children's Literature / Fantasy
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

49. Plot It Yourself (Nero Wolfe #32), by Rex Stout (1959)



Read: November 16-24, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

50. Queen of the Falls, by Chris Van Allsburg; illus. by author (2011)



Read: December 18, 2021
Children's Literature / Nonfiction / History
Rating: ✭✭✭

51. Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, by Laurence Leamer (2021)



Read: November 28 - December 20, 2021
Nonfiction / Literary History / Biography
Rating: ✭✭✭

52. The Golden Spiders (Nero Wolfe #22), by Rex Stout (1953)



Read: December 23-31, 2021
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭