Goodreads Challenge Mid-Year Update 2021

Last updated on 13 February 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

Middle of the year means it’s time for a Goodreads Challenge update!

Each year I take part in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. It’s a challenge you set for yourself on the website, Goodreads, and aim to read that many books throughout the duration of the year. Back in January, I challenged myself to read 50 books in 2021.

So far, I’m doing really badly.

It’s just one of those years! A combination of lots of things happening, working lots on the blog and also the making of Confident Content Creation, and I’ve taken to crocheting in the evening, rather than reading … it’s meant that my reading has gone down in volume, for sure.

But I’m still determined to hit my goal of 50 this year!

Books vowed to read 2/5

At the beginning of the year over on Blogger’s Bookshelf, as a team, we Vow to Read 5 books every year. Here are the 5 books I vowed to read:

• Rule of Wolves, by Leigh Bardugo
• Vicious by V.E Schwab (re-read)
• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
• The Box in the Woods, by Maureen Johnson
• Chain of Iron, by Cassandra Clare

I’ve read 2 of the 5 so far: Vicious and Chain of Iron. Vicious was a re-read so I can pick up Venegful and know what’s happening. I read Vicious for the first time 2017 so I definitely needed a refresher for the second in the series. The Box in the Woods is one I’m really looking forward to and hope to get that soon!

Top 5 books so far

• Chain of Iron, by Cassandra Clare
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab
• The Flatshare, by Beth O’Leary
• The Island, by C.L. Taylor
• A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas

Despite having a top-five favourites list, I actually haven’t given out many 5-stars this year so far. These have mostly been 4s and 4.5s, but I did love every single one of these books, and I highly recommend them.

Planning to read next

There’s quite the pile of books I want to read before 2021 is out. Here’s just a few that I’m hoping to read next:

• The Dark Vault by Victoria Schwab
• Vengeful by V.E Schwab
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, by Ryan Holiday
• The Switch, by Beth O’Leary
• One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston

Reviews on This Splendid Shambles

January

• Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus ★★★★
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab ★★★★★
• Loveless by Alice Oseman ★★★★

February

• The Cousins by Karen M. McManus ★★★
• How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black ★★★★★

March

• Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas ★★★
• The Betrayals by Bridget Collins ★★★½
• Game Changer by Neal Shusterman ★★★½

April

• Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare ★★★★★
• Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin ★★★½
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman ★★★★★
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★

May

• The Island by C.L. Taylor ★★★★

June

• Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco ★★★★
• The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary ★★★★★

Reviews and Book Posts on Blogger’s Bookshelf

• How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories, by Holly Black
• This Monstrous Thing, by Mackenzi Lee
• 10 Young Adult Books Being Released in 2021 I’m Looking Forward To
• Women’s History Month – Our Favourite Women Authors
• Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms, by Crystal Fraiser and Vale Wise

How is your Goodreads Reading Challenge coming along?

What’s been your favourite read of 2021 so far?