Hello, reader!

Recently, #5OnMyTBR piqued my interest. The rule is relatively simple. I just have to pick five books from my to-be-read pile that fit the week’s theme. This week’s theme are books I planned to read in 2021. I guess this is just timely, with the year drawing to a close. There are several books I planned to read during the year but because of the constant and sudden shifts in my reading taste. I have featured some of these books in my WWW Wednesday posts for I have lined them up for reading. Without more ado, here are the books I planned to read in 2021 but never got around to. Happy reading!

5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Honestly, I did not know that two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Colson Whitehead would be releasing a new work in 2021. Without more ado, I added Harlem Shuffle to my exponentially growing list and when a copy of Harlem Shuffle was available in the local bookstore, I did not hesitate buying my own copy. With the year drawing to a close, I promised to read Harlem Shuffle, and I even featured it in my WWW Wednesday posts, listing it as the book I am going to read next. Unfortunately, my reading momentum slowed down and I wasn’t able to read the book as promised. Nevertheless, I have lined up all my unread 2021 books for January 2022.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

These past two years, I have been immersing in the works of African writers. One of these writers who left a deep impression on me was Imbolo Mbue; she earned a fan in me with her debut novel Behold the Dreamers. I adored her prose that when I learned she was publishing a new work, How Beautiful We Were, I didn’t hesitate adding it to my reading list. I believe the book was supposed to be published in 2020 but was postponed. I already have a copy of the book and I was honestly finding the right timing to read the book. Unfortunately, I never got around it. Like Harlem Shuffle, I will be lining the book up for my 2022 opening salvo.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

It has been over a decade since I read my first work by Kristin Hannah, On Mystic Lake. I wasn’t particularly enthralled by the book and I had forgotten about her since then. In the intervening period, I have learned that she built a prolific career with some stellar works. Some of my fellow book bloggers have also featured some of her works. Her latest work, The Four Winds has also been earning praises from critics and readers alike. With this, I got over my ambivalence and bought my own copy of The Four Winds, with the hope of reading it within the year. But as fate would have it, I never got around to reading it. HAHA. Other things took precedence and I forgot about The Four Winds.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I am not actually proud of the fact that I have several unread works of Nobel Laureate in Literature Toni Morrison, including Song of Solomon. I am not even prouder of the fact that the last time I have her works was back in 2016 with The Bluest Eye. With this, I was hoping, for the nth time, to include Song of Solomon in my 2021 reading line up. The opportunity came in December when I was supposed to focus on works of American literature. But I never got the chance because my focus was on completing my 2021 Beat the Backlist reading challenge. The last few books in this reading challenge were quite lengthy. HAHA. Nevertheless, I just might include this book in my 2022 Top 22 Reading List. It is about time to read more of Morrison’s works.

Second Place by Rachel Cusk

Like Song of Solomon, I was planning to read Rachel Cusk’s Second Place towards the end of the year. Like Harlem Shuffle, it was supposed to be a part of my transition to my 2022 reading journey. While I have never read any of Cusk’s works before nor have I even heard of her, she piqued my interest when Second Place was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize for Fiction. Ironically, I have zoomed past ten of the thirteen books in the longlist and Second Place is the only book in my possession that I am yet to read. It will have its place in 2022, that is if I won’t be able to read it in the coming days.

Actually, there are a lot of books I planned to read in 2021. I guess there are just way too many books to read but there is never enough time to read all of them. Anyway, I hope I get to find time in 2022 to read these five, and all of the other 2021 books I currently have. How about you fellow reader? What were the books you planned to read in 2021 but never got around to reading? Do share them in the comment box. For now, happy reading!

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