“Read more” seems to be a resolution that makes it onto everyone’s list in the new year. It’s not a bad one, but just one that seems to start strong but eventually fade out. This past year I shot for a book a month and actually succeeded! I succeeded in large part because I found a way to incorporate it into my lifestyle.
I’m in my car a lot, so I subscribed to Audible. Instead of listening to music, I started listening to books. It worked out well, helped me reach my goal, and now I’m addicted. Since I know so many of you love to read, too, I thought I’d compile a list of the books I read as well as some of y’all’s top recommended books from this past year, too!
Fleurdille’s 2021 Book List:
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – this is one of my favorite love stories. A nurse from the 1940s travels through time to Scotland in the 1740s and falls in love with a Scot. It’s a crazy good love story and full of crazy adventures. I HIGHLY recommend it!
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book faster. I’m not typically a sci-fi person, but this was a page turner from the very first page. Andy Weir, author of The Martian, writes a novel about a man, a sole survivor on a mission to save Earth and all of humanity.
- Ski Weekend by Rektok Ross – a thriller, this was one of my favorite reads of 2021 and not just because I know the author. Ski Weekend is a captivating story about 6 teens who get stranded in the mountains and embark on a mission to survive.
- Atomic Habits by James Clear – this was one of my favorite books from 2021. The author gives very practical strategies on forming habits that will lend life-changing results in your life.
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy – another great book with practical strategies to instill key disciplines in your life that will help you achieve your goals and succeed.
- Last Girl Gone by J.G. Hetherton – a great thriller and an easy read!
- A Promise Land by Barack Obama – albeit long, this was a super interesting read and gives such cool insight into the life of a president. I highly recommend it no matter what your party affiliation may be.
- Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton – if you enjoy love stories and historical fiction, this book is definitely for you. It’s a beauty love story immersed in Cuban culture in the 1950s.
- When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton – this sequel to Next Year in Havana follows the story of one of the sisters from Next Year in Havana. Chanel Cleeton’s writing is beautiful and captivating yet again!
- The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller – as the excerpt from Amazon explains, Timothy Keller “uses the scriptures as his guide to show readers what God’s call to marriage is, and why this is such a powerful call. He talks in frank terms about the difficulties that couples have and how they can best work them out while keeping their faith in God intact.”
- The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson – I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This novel shares the legend of Honi, the Circle Maker, and how to pray big prayers over your life. It’s a great reminder of the power and intimacy of prayer.
- The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian – unfortunately, I don’t recommend this book. I thought this one might be good – it sounded similar to Where The Crawdad’s sing, but it was definitely not. The plot is okay, the character development is okay, but it’s slow moving, a bit disjointed, and just doesn’t quite get there.
- Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaquad – a wonderful memoir about a life interrupted by cancer and how one learns to live again.
Reader Favorites from 2021:
- Malibu Rising
- Lost Apothecary
- We Are The Brennans
- Where the Crawdad’s Sing
- Something in the Water
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
- The Midnight Library
- The Four Winds
- The Good Sister
- A Gentleman in Moscow
- The Choice
- We Were the Lucky Ones
- The Girl with Seven Names
- The People We Keep
- Ready Player One
- Verity
- The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
- The Nightingale
- Educated
- Brain on Fire
- Untamed
- Paper Palace
- Olympus, Texas