Year 2021 turned out to be quite lazy in terms of reading. Like any other year, it started off at a high note with finishing 3 books in 2 months. After I got Covid, it was a downhill ride. I became pregnant and was easily tired and couldn't bring myself to read. Husband watching television before sleeping is another distraction that stops me from concentrating. Anyhow below is a list of books I finished in year 2021. 

Reading List 2021

1. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins 

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return. 

It was a slow paced crime thriller with so many characters that it became  difficult to keep track of everyone. I don't think I shall be reading anything further by this writer. She, in my opinion writes in a monotone which gets boring for the reader. 

2. Artful Lies by Jodi Ellen Malpas 

When aspiring antiques dealer Eleanor Cole is handed the chance of a lifetime to work for the Hunt Corporation, the renowned antiques dealers, she doesn't think twice. Only to discover she'll be working up close and personal with the notorious and insanely irresistible Becker Hunt. He is a man famous for getting what he wants, and Becker wants Eleanor.

But as Becker pulls her deeper into his world, she discovers there's more to him than meets the eye. I absolutely loved This Man series by the writer and few other books from her collection. However this book simply wasn't for me. It lacked depth and story and was overall a bit off putting. 

3. Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal 

In this one-of-a-kind retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry—until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider.

A scandal and vicious rumor concerning the Binat family have destroyed their fortune and prospects for desirable marriages, but Alys, the second and most practical of the five Binat daughters, has found happiness teaching English literature to schoolgirls. Knowing that many of her students won’t make it to graduation before dropping out to marry and have children, Alys teaches them about Jane Austen and her other literary heroes and hopes to inspire the girls to dream of more.

When an invitation arrives to the biggest wedding their small town has seen in years, Mrs. Binat, certain that their luck is about to change, excitedly sets to work preparing her daughters to fish for rich, eligible bachelors. On the first night of the festivities, Alys’s lovely older sister, Jena, catches the eye of Fahad “Bungles” Bingla, the wildly successful—and single—entrepreneur. But Bungles’s friend Valentine Darsee is clearly unimpressed by the Binat family. Alys accidentally overhears his unflattering assessment of her and quickly dismisses him and his snobbish ways. As the days of lavish wedding parties unfold, the Binats wait breathlessly to see if Jena will land a proposal—and Alys begins to realize that Darsee’s brusque manner may be hiding a very different man from the one she saw at first glance. 

This can easily be categorized as my favorite read of the year. It was super fun to read and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style. 

4. Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin 

Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and who dresses like he belongs in the seventh century.

When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and Hafsa, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself.

As I mentioned in my review too that considering this book to be a spin off or inspiration from Pride & Prejudice is an insult. This book is nowhere similar to P&P. It has a very different storyline. It was an interesting light read but got boring at times. 

5. Desi Distancing by Sarah Fawad

This is one book I regret reading. This was the first book I read in year 2021 however a very regretful read. The book is not my taste at all. Its a collection of social media writings slapped together in a book. Some things are meant to remain in their true form and not become books, This book is a prime example of it. 

6. Two can keep a secret by Karen Mc. Manus 

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

I thought this book was third installment in One of us is lying (reviewed here) series but it turned out to be a stand alone book. I found it to be more interesting than the aforementioned book. It seems Karen is beginning to find depth in her books; the plot and character development. I had a good time reading this book. 

7. Living with the Walker Boys by Knightsrachel 

This is a book I read on Wattpad when it used to work for Pakistan. I don't know why it no longer works. One has to use VPN in order to access it. I have read some amazing books by novice writers in the past and believe it to be a great platform for budding writers. Some of them even managed to get their books published with time. So this book is about 5 brothers known as Walker brothers and a girl who comes to live with them. The book is written in girl's POV and is like a young adult, teen romance read. It was a good time pass read especially when there is no light. 

8. 365 Days by Blanka Lipinska

I read this book after watching the movie. It was a translated version of the book. The book is well written and is an erotica. I started off with part 2 of the book as well but couldn't manage to continue so far. The book is a short read if you are into erotic books. 

My reading list has not been impressive in the past year. I don't find a single book that would leave any impression or learnings for me. But then again, reading should be for fun too not only learning. 

Have you read any of the books from my list. If you have, let me know and let's share our thoughts. Stay healthy and beautiful. xoxo!!!