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Sometimes I like to measure years by the books I read — not how many, but which ones linger in my mind, which scenes I can’t get out of my head, which genres I dipped my toe into and fell in love with. When you look back on your year of reading, what books became a part of you? Which ones sent you down a rabbit hole into an author’s back catalog or into a new niche of #BookTok or #Bookstagram? I know a book has become a new favorite when I turn the last page and just need to sit there for a few minutes, letting the last words wash over me, gathering myself before I have to return to the real world.
As we turn the page on 2021 and gear up for a brand new year of books, our book-loving POPSUGAR editors reflected on what made their favorite 2021 releases so special. Spanning genres from memoir to romance to young-adult fantasy, these are the books we just have to recommend one last time before the clock strikes midnight. See if you can spot some of your own favorites, or add a few new titles to your TBR list for next year — some might just fit the 2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge — and find out if one of our picks will end up on your favorites list for next year.