The LookBOOK of 2021: A Year of Books

Written by Lois

Hello Bookworms! Welcome back! It has come that time of the year where I review my favourite and honourable mentions of the books I have read this year. So far, I have read 33 books, which I’m very happy about (considering this year has been ve4ry difficult for us all). Here is are some short reviews about 5 of the books/ series I have read and my opinion on them. Hope you like them!

1. The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner

I have previously done a review for this series, but I wanted to bring it up again! This is a dystopian book about the outbreak of a virus, and using the brains of those immune to try and work out a cure. I read this straight away at the beginning of the year, and found it relatively concerning, considering what was going on at the time. Either way, I loved the series, and reading it in the morning before online lessons. It also didn’t take me long to read, which was great as I had motivation to read.

2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I read both books in the series, and absolutely loved them! It reminded me a little of Noughts and Crosses (which I think we have gathered is one of my favourite series), but made it more current and real, especially around the Black Lives Matter protests. Through the use of gang culture, racism, and achieving dreams, this book helped not only to show the injustices in the world, but also the need to persist and break down these barriers.

3. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

So far, I have read two books, including the World Book Day Special, and have asked for the latest one for Christmas! This book is about a girl trying to find if the verdict of a crime was justified and what the actual event was. This was surrounding an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification worth half an A-Level), which I found really interesting considering I was doing mine at the same time, but on a different topic of course! I loved the structure, the characters, and the parallels I could draw between me and Pip, the main protagonist. Definitely worth a read.

4. Endgame by Malorie Blackman

Considering this is by one of my favourite authors, in one of my favourite series, I don’t feel I need to say anymore. This book helped to bring a finality to the series I have been following for the last few years, and I had been waiting for after the ‘to be continued’ at the end of the last book. I powered through this one, and finished it, loving every moment in it as well as being upset that it was the last one to come in the journey. It added a lovely end to the story, and I was glad of the outcome after following everything else taking place.

5. It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

When I read the first page of this book, I wasn’t too sure if it would ruin my favourite genre of films and books, but luckily it didn’t! The story was of a girl who had her heart broken, and was falling in love again, through working at a cinema and doing a media studies project on the structure of romance films. I both loved and hated the ending, but I felt it was needed to fit in to the story taking place. I love this author too, and am currently, as I’m writing this, reading one of her other books called The Places I’ve cried in Public. And, if you were worried, it hasn’t stopped me from liking romance novels.

So, here’s my round up for this year! I hope to read more next year, so stay tuned for my reviews. If you have any books of your own lookBOOK to share with us, please do! Here is a link for more information: https://www.girlguidinglaser.org.uk/challenges/report-for-the-hive.

Happy reading, happy new year and I’ll see you next year 😊

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