Reading/Writing Goals and Most anticipated Adult Books of 2021
- Chynna Williams
- Jan 10, 2021
- 9 min read
Hello Everyone, and welcome back to another edition of The CW Torch!
Today, I'm going to be discussing my 2021 reading and writing goals. I decided these were really the only goals I was going to make in 2021, because we really don't know what the world is going to look like in 2021. Basically, meaning that I don't want to make goals or resolutions that might not be achievable or unrealistic in 2021.
In this post, I will also be discussing my most anticipated adult science-fiction and fantasy books of 2021! There are a lot of books coming out in 2021, which I'm really excited about. When in 2020, I felt there was a definite lack of book releases which obviously had to do with COVID as a lot of release dates were being pushed back, because of the current circumstances our world is in. I thought I would also talk about those books in this post, because it kind of relates to one of my reading goals which I will be talking about in a little bit.
2021 Reading/Writing Goals:
I am going to list these goals in number format, but they aren't necessarily going to be in any particular order.
Read more new releases (at least current new releases or releases from the last couple of years): I found that in the past when I got back into reading, I was trying to read a lot of back-listed books to catch-up to all of the amazing books I missed out on in college. But now that I feel I've read most of the popular back-listed books from those years, I can get to all the new releases that I'm generally excited to read. Obviously, with watching booktube and following bookstagram accounts, I learn a lot about popular new releases, but I never get the chance to read them right away. I also get a lot of new releases from my Owlcrate subscription, so with this new goal I hope to read a lot of those Owlcrate books so they don't keep stacking up on my shelves, unread. So, I hope that in 2021, I will at least get to one new release per month. Another reason why I put this goal on this list is because I've been feeling a lot of fomo. Watching all of these people talk about these amazing new releases and not being able to feel the same thoughts they are feeling when reading these hyped debut books or new series/stand-alone's.
For every new release I read, I will try to finish or continue a series I've already started: One thing I've noticed about my reading, is that I tend to start a lot of series, but take a very long time to finish them. I don't know why that is, but I think a big reason is because I read a lot of Fantasy and when I pick up a new fantasy series I might not want to marathon it right away. I don't like being in the same world for a very long period of time, because I love reading about new and interesting worlds. So, because of that I just put off a lot of the series I start and read something else instead. But there are a few fantasy series that I've just been putting off and avoiding for some reason when I only have one book in that series left. So, for every new release I read per month, I will try to continue or finish a series I've already started. I think this will help me get the accountability and incentive to actually finish all of these series I own.
Borrow more books from the library rather than buying: I think I did this pretty well last year, as I didn't buy nearly as many books in 2020 as I did in years past. So, I definitely want to continue this trend, especially since I am running out of space in my room to shelve all of the books I buy. So, I am going to try and borrow more books from my library using apps like Scribd, Overdrive, Libby, and Hooplah. I will only buy books of certain editions I really want and think might sell out because they are very special editions. Or will buy books of certain series that I know I'll love and think it'll be easier for me to read the physical format. For instance, high adult fantasies, which I have a tough time reading in e-book format.
Finish writing my second novel: I started writing a lot of different stories in 2020, but have been in a bit of a writing slump recently. I have a lot of good ideas so I always start writing them down as soon as they come to mind, but it's really hard for me to finish the books I start. I have a few good stories that I've recently started and want to finish writing at least one of them next year. I am applying to Creative writing graduate programs for the Fall 2021 term, so I'm hoping that going to graduate school will help me finish one of those novels I've started writing. In the hopes to publish one of the many stories I've started sometime in the near future.
Write more reviews: I am always thinking of ways to amp up this blog so that I'm not writing the same content each month. One thing, I didn't do a lot in 2020 was write a lot of reviews. Whenever, I've written reviews, I've always liked doing them. So, I'm hoping in 2021 for every book that I absolutely love and think deserves a review, or even for books that are written by debut authors, or the starts to a series I think I'll love. I will try to write a review for those books and post them on my blog as well as Goodreads. Hopefully, as I get into publishing in the future, I know how important reviews are, especially for new authors. So, I definitely want to make it a habit of writing reviews for these special books that I think deserve them.
Goodreads Goal: I set my Goodreads goal a lot lower than my 2020 goal, and hope to read at least 40 books in 2021. If I read more than that, of course that would be great. But, I felt this was a good goal, because I think it will help me read books for quality rather than quantity. I felt that last year with setting my goal to 60 books, I had to do a lot of catching up and read shorter YA books or graphic novels to meet that goal. Due to that, I felt like I didn't read as many memorable books as I had hoped to. So, I think setting this goal, will help me pick up books that I'm generally excited to read. I also set it lower, because if I get into graduate school I will most likely still be working, hopefully, and writing a lot more. With that, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to read later in the year, so I felt this was a good number to achieve with all of that possibly going on.
Now, that I've talked about my reading/writing goals of the year. Here are my most anticipated adult fantasy and science fiction new releases of 2021.
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff (September 7th, 2021)
I didn't read the full synopsis of this book, but from what I did read it sounded like everything I love about a good, gruesome Vampire story. It sounded dark, bloody, and all about very ancient Vampires. The parts of the synopsis that I did read reminded me a lot of Interview with the Vampire, which is a book and movie I love. So, I'm really looking forward to this next adult fantasy series written by Jay Kristoff. Jay Kristoff's writing took a while for me to get into, but I think it would be the perfect fit for this ancient old Vampire story.
Untitled (Alex Stern #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Now, this book does not have a cover, book release date, or synopsis on goodreads. But it is the second installment to Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, which was her first crack at Adult Fantasy, so I had to put it on this list. I love Leigh Bardugo's writing, and she is now an auto-buy author for me. With Ninth House, it did take me a while to get invested in the story line and writing, as it is different then her young adult books. It deals with darker themes and a different type of magic system then what we are normally used to from Leigh Bardugo. As it's set in modern day world, but deals with death and the paranormal at it's core. Even though, it did take me a while to get into the story and to figure out what this book was actually about. I will say, that by the end I was really interested in learning more about the characters in this story and the world. I'm also really curious as to how this series is going to progress.
Threads of Power #1 by V.E. Scwhab
This book doesn't have a cover or release date on Goodreads either. But, it is a new series written by my all-time favorite author, so you know I had to put it on this list. Goodreads has a small synopsis, but all it says is that it's a new series set in the same world as the Darker Shades of Magic series, following new characters and a new plot-line. The Darker Shades of Magic series is one of my favorite series of all time, so I'm really looking forward to more stories within that world, whatever that may entail.
She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Empire #1) by Shelley Parker-Chan (July 20th, 2021)
In 2021, I want to try to read books that are inspired or set in more Eastern civilizations rather than Western ones. A lot of that had to do with my reading of The Poppy War last year, which was set in 20th century China. Even though, it took me a while to get into that story, I was really interested in the historical themes that story told. This new release reminded me a lot of the Poppy War, as it is set 1345 China. Honestly, it was really the blurb, which I'll quote here, that got me interested in this debut, "Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun, a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy. To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything." Now, I haven't read The Song of Achilles, but it is high on my list to read in 2021. So, the fact that it is compared to both Mulan and The Song of Achilles, really sparked my interest for this book, I also love a good Historical fiction-fantasy.
Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long (1/19/2021)
It was honestly the cover that struck me the most with this book. As I am trying not to read a lot of the synopsis' that are provided, because a lot of the time I feel that they are somewhat misinterpreted with the actual story and plot or even spoil a lot of the plot. But, certain buzz-words that I kept seeing in this synopsis and kept me interested, were Gods, Demons, warrior priestess, and a battle between old and new worlds. I love fantasies having to do with ancient gods or demons, and the battle between old and new worlds reminded me a lot of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Now, while I am not a big fan of Neil Gaiman's writing, I really enjoyed that plot-line of ancient and newer gods, and look forward to seeing the interpretation in this story.
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (May 4th, 2021)
This was another cover that stood out to me when I was looking at that list of 2021 releases. But the themes and genres the book also covers, really peaked my interest for this new release. It follows a young girl who gets pregnant and lives on a religious compound. She flees and lives for shelter in the woods. So, that was honestly, all I needed to read for me to get interested. This book seems to deal with raising her children on her own outside of her natural society, and then having to go back into society for them to grow. So, it will be interesting to see how those topics and themes are dealt with, and to see the struggle of going back into the society that made the main character flee in the first place.
As you can probably tell, I'm trying to read a lot more fantasy in 2021. In the last year, I've come to realize that I absolutely love fantasy as a genre. So I am trying to get into the habit of reading what I enjoy, because while I think it's important to read a variety of genres, there are certain genres that I know I'm just not into. With that being said, while I think 2021 will be my year of fantasy, there are a few genres that I have become interested in and will also want to read, such as adult mystery/thriller and adult literary fiction. I find that I am falling out of love with young adult and getting tired of a lot of the tropes and plots that are written in that age category. I also think it has to do with the fact that I am maturing as a reader. So I am looking forward to reading more within the adult age category.
Now, I know this is just a small list of the adult books that are coming out in 2021, but these were the one's that really stood out to me. These were the few that I would definitely try to make a priority as I try to read more new releases next year.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this post and have a wonderful reading year in 2021! I can't wait to see what all the Booktubers, bloggers, and instagram influencers I follow, as well as my friends and family read in the new year. I'm looking forward to seeing all the trends of 2021, and also recommending more books to you all in the new year as I plan to write a lot more on this in 2021.
This is The CW Torch, signing off!
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