{"id":2718,"date":"2021-12-30T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?p=2718"},"modified":"2021-12-29T19:38:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T17:38:08","slug":"books-that-didnt-quite-make-it-to-my-top-10-of-2021-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/books-that-didnt-quite-make-it-to-my-top-10-of-2021-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Books that didn&#8217;t quite make it to my &#8216;Top 10 of 2021&#8217; list"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>All of these were good read, but didn&#8217;t make it to my best of 2021 list for one reason or another. You can see my list of best books of 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/the-best-10-books-i-read-in-2021\/\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"312\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5985499.jpg?resize=312%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2719\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5985499.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2719\" class=\"wp-image-2719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5985499.jpg?w=312&amp;ssl=1 312w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5985499.jpg?resize=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1 197w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/5985499.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 312px) 100vw, 312px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"307\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/11323604.jpg?resize=307%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2720\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/11323604.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2720\" class=\"wp-image-2720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/11323604.jpg?w=307&amp;ssl=1 307w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/11323604.jpg?resize=194%2C300&amp;ssl=1 194w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/11323604.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"301\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/24568234._SY475_.jpg?resize=301%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2721\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/24568234._SY475_.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2721\" class=\"wp-image-2721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/24568234._SY475_.jpg?w=301&amp;ssl=1 301w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/24568234._SY475_.jpg?resize=190%2C300&amp;ssl=1 190w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/24568234._SY475_.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"309\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/43132607._SY475_-1.jpg?resize=309%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2722\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/43132607._SY475_-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2722\" class=\"wp-image-2722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/43132607._SY475_-1.jpg?w=309&amp;ssl=1 309w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/43132607._SY475_-1.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/43132607._SY475_-1.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 309px) 100vw, 309px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/46000520.jpg?resize=225%2C346&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2723\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/46000520.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2723\" class=\"wp-image-2723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/46000520.jpg?w=225&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/46000520.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/46000520.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"308\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/51057191._SX318_SY475_-1.jpg?resize=308%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2724\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/51057191._SX318_SY475_-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2724\" class=\"wp-image-2724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/51057191._SX318_SY475_-1.jpg?w=308&amp;ssl=1 308w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/51057191._SX318_SY475_-1.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/51057191._SX318_SY475_-1.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 308px) 100vw, 308px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"318\" height=\"318\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg?resize=318%2C318&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2725\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2725\" class=\"wp-image-2725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg?w=318&amp;ssl=1 318w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg?resize=12%2C12&amp;ssl=1 12w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53435637._SX318_.jpg?resize=80%2C80&amp;ssl=1 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"315\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/54906250._SY475_.jpg?resize=315%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2727\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/54906250._SY475_.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2727\" class=\"wp-image-2727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/54906250._SY475_.jpg?w=315&amp;ssl=1 315w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/54906250._SY475_.jpg?resize=199%2C300&amp;ssl=1 199w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/54906250._SY475_.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"260\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/56567207.jpg?resize=260%2C400&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2728\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/56567207.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2728\" class=\"wp-image-2728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/56567207.jpg?w=260&amp;ssl=1 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/56567207.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/56567207.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg?resize=681%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2726\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/?attachment_id=2726\" class=\"wp-image-2726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg?resize=681%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 681w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1154&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg?resize=1022%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1022w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/53914938-1.jpg?w=1596&amp;ssl=1 1596w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B008LV8TSU\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B008LV8TSU&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=840baa1fd833e8708ef7aa2ca2ab095c\">Howl&#8217;s Moving Castle (Howl&#8217;s Castle Book 1)<\/a> by Diana Wynne Jones &#8211; great audiobook and movie, but the other candidates on my best 10 list were stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0441013597\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0441013597&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=c51db42ea9181d1aebf1938e4619ec4e\">Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)<\/a> by Frank Herbert &#8211; I was skeptical, this ended up being quite the surprise. I&#8217;m looking forward to reading the next book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1594633924\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1594633924&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=99fe87e2ab03f4f9a396b87f50ddf75d\">The Paying Guests<\/a> by Sarah Waters &#8211; not the biggest fan of the plot and characters, but the writing is good, I didn&#8217;t even complain of the book&#8217;s length, not even once!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1536215155\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1536215155&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=425560e7580036fa6c96dfa5bba1b2c0\">Malamander (The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea)<\/a> by Thomas Taylor &#8211; a fantastic middle grade series, I highly recommend it to any middle grade fans. However, the competition with Nevermoor was fierce, so here we are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1984880985\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1984880985&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=c51c906845489aa7b34f71b947758c5e\">The Thursday Murder Club: A Novel (A Thursday Murder Club Mystery)<\/a> by Richard Osman &#8211; I wasn&#8217;t actually interested until it came highly recommended by a friend. Love the dynamic of part mystery solving, part revealing things about the characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B091PQZFWY\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B091PQZFWY&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=abc08d5e33ae8e94f046e6c3d59f1f4c\">Jade Legacy (The Green Bone Saga Book 3)<\/a> by Fonda Lee &#8211; what a finale this was! My preorder arrived way too late though, I&#8217;d already done my top 10 countdown. This is it&#8217;s honorable mention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B086WQ7J62\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B086WQ7J62&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=86c66603351f397a2247a0dcd8a2a3bd\">The Sandman<\/a> (Audible Original) by Neil Gaiman &#8211; might very be the best audiobook I&#8217;ve ever listened to. I&#8217;m looking forward to listening to Act II. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08FHBV4ZX\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B08FHBV4ZX&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=6a64b70e713c5408f9ec90743b99a3bd\">Project Hail Mary: A Novel<\/a> by Andy Weir &#8211; the human \/ alien dynamic, communication, languages, etc was all fantastic. But I think my expectations were set too high after how much I loved The Martian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08WRH53MY\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B08WRH53MY&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=b3db326198dd3a014346caf964483b3a\">The Lincoln Highway: A Novel<\/a> by Amor Towles &#8211; simply because I didn&#8217;t to feature one author twice in m top 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B089SZJF11\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B089SZJF11&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=readwithstefa-20&amp;linkId=f4bb7cf4dadb74d90f1f5327772d3433\">The Rose Code: A Novel<\/a> by Kate Quinn &#8211; I thought I&#8217;d exhausted myself on Word War II historical fiction, but turns out I just wasn&#8217;t reading the right books this year. Definitely reading more Kate Quinn next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What books were good but didn&#8217;t make it to your list? <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All of these were good read, but didn&#8217;t make it to my best of 2021 list for one reason or another. You can see my list of best books of 2021 here. Howl&#8217;s Moving&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[25,242,714,390,193,391,571,721,849,764,50,241,851,177,482,176,557,850,765],"class_list":["post-2718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discussion","tag-amor-towles","tag-andy-weir","tag-diana-wynne-jones","tag-dune","tag-fonda-lee","tag-frank-herbert","tag-howls-moving-castle","tag-jade-legacy","tag-kate-quin","tag-malamander","tag-neil-gaiman","tag-project-hail-mary","tag-richard-osman","tag-sarah-waters","tag-the-lincoln-highway","tag-the-paying-guests","tag-the-rose-code","tag-the-thursday-murder-club","tag-thomas-taylor"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/readwithstefani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pexels-suzy-hazelwood-1438044-1.jpg?fit=1280%2C817&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2718"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2733,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2718\/revisions\/2733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readwithstefani.com\/mk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}