Hi all!

Can you all feel it? 2022 is just over the corner. In about 20 days, we will be all welcoming a new year. But before turning on a new leaf (or leaves for that matter), let me complete the End of Year Book Tag 2021 edition. The basic premise of the book tag is to talk about books that readers have to complete before the year draws to a close. And for me, there’s a lot that I want and need to finish! Without any more ado, here’s my version of End of Year Book Tag.

Are there any books that you started this year that you need to finish?

Honestly, I haven’t started reading T.C. Boyle’s Drop City yet but I am about to. I just completed reading Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. Both books are part of my 2021 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge, the last of my active reading challenges that I want to complete before the year ends. I haven’t read any of Boyle’s works before but I have learned that he is quite the prolific writer and that Drop City was even listed as part of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

None. Lately, my focus has been on completing my active reading challenges. Because of this, I really am not putting much thought into the transition between autumn and winter. Besides, I live in the tropics which have neither seasons. HAHA. However, It has been getting colder lately.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Hmmm. I have already mentioned several times that I am the backlist type of reader. Because of this, I haven’t been abreast with the latest releases, except perhaps if I casually encounter these releases while browsing the vast world of the internet.

The last releases I looked forward to were two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Shuffle, Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land, Benjamin Alire Saenz’s Aristotle and Dante Dive Into The Waters of the World, and Charlotte McConaghy’s Once There Were Wolves. They are authors whose works I have previously read before and had the subject of Anticipated Books of 2021 been part of the Top Five Tuesday update, I would have not learned of their latest releases. HAHA. Thankfully, I have three of these four books and I am looking forward to reading them within the month, if not on January 2022.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Apart from completing my 2021 Beat the Backlist Challenge, I have another goal in December. I aim to read as many 2021 books, or “new” books as I can. As I have mentioned, I am the backlist type of reader but lately, I have been slowly trying to immerse myself in as many new books as I can. I have a record-breaking year in 2020, apropos reading new books but 2021 is certainly on its way to breaking this record. I also have not realized that I have been piling up unread new books. Among these new books, I am looking forward to reading Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List, Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds, and Rachel Cusk’s Second Place. Adams and Cusk are unfamiliar names but they made quite the noise this year: The Reading List is an outstanding debut while Second Place was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. Hannah, on the other hand, is a name I first encountered over a decade ago but whose works I have not read since. In reading The Four Winds, I am hoping to re-experience her brand of prose.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2022?

In the previous years, I would have said yes. Reading resolutions are part of my annual traditions, especially in the past three years but, as of this time, I haven’t started planning for my 2022 reading year yet because I have been quite busy as of late. But I guess I don’t have to think much about it for I have established some sort of pattern in the past two or three years.

A definite part of my 2022 reading year would be a 2022 Top 22 Reading List. However, I haven’t started contemplating which books to include for this annual reading endeavor. One of my first goals come 2022 is to read all 2021 books I have on my shelf for I have quite a lot for I intend to come up with my own assessment of how 2021 was in terms of literature. Beat the Backlist challenge has become a staple and I will carry over into 2022. See, even if I haven’t thought about 2022 yet but I can already envision it. I am not sure if I will be taking part in any other reading challenges because of my fear of failure. LOL.

Another dream, perhaps still a pipe one, that I am hoping to achieve in 2022 is reading at least 100 books for the year. I have made several attempts but not once have I been successful. However, I have read at least 90 books twice and 2021 is going to be the third time I am achieving this feat. 100 in a year remains elusive after all these years but maybe 2022 is the year to achieve it? Maybe.

There are so many things to do before the year ends and so many things to look forward to in 2022. I am hoping for success on both ends.

As always, I am not going to tag anyone to do the tag. However, if you want to do your own version, feel free to do so. Just don’t forget to tag me so that I can check out your answers!

Happy reading everyone!

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