2021 Book Review – Top Reads
Before we get too far into 2022, I’m sharing my 2021 book review with a few of my top reads. You are never going to find me reading 100 or even 50 books a year, but I was pretty proud to knock out 26 books in 2021! While the graphic below shows all the books I logged in 2021, I’m sharing the top reads from the list with you today. I only listened to three of these on audio and really want to work on adding more audio books to my list in 2022. Reading on my Kindle is still my favorite as I can do it from anywhere and it doesn’t disturb my early to sleep husband!
Fiction Top Reads
In thinking about the top 5 fiction reads for me, I realized I enjoyed most of the books I read but often had to take a look back to remember the story matching the title. The ones I remembered integral details are clearly the ones that impacted me most. The most surprising? Historical fiction holds two spots! I’m new to historical fiction but these two books I could not put down. Here are my top 5!
Honorable mention – that’s right, I couldn’t settle on a top 5 so you get one bonus! One by One is the only thriller type book I think I read in 2021. Typically I would have several so I’m not sure if I just needed a lighter, more romantic feel this year or what! I loved Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 several years back and decided to give One by One a try. As is typical, just when I thought I knew what was going to happen there was a twist.
Number five on my list is Eliza Starts a Rumor. I really loved this book and fell in love with the good guys and despised the bad guys if you will. We all have little skeletons in our family closets and Eliza’s ends up being heartbreaking but seeing her break free and share her secret to help others and find herself along the way kept me turning the pages.
Number four was the second historical fictiion read I found and I don’t remember if this was an Amazon First Reads or if it was just a cheaper Kindle read but I snatched it up and am so glad I did! The twist in this book is SO GOOD and it takes you back to othe war and 1939. A Fire Sparkling was seriously so good and is still a kindle unlimited freebie OR just $4.99 if you aren’t a member. Worth every penny in my opinion.
Number three was on so many 2020 favorite lists so I finally had to read it! This book really made you think about how many times we might stay in a situation that isn’t just quite right but what would we do if we had a flash forward? In Five Years is such a lovely love story.
Number two has been around for so long and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to dive in. Y’all, I was never expecting the twist in this book. I was so invested in Eleanor and wanted her to win at life and find love and success. The twist was unexpected but turned out to be so good! Read Eleanor Oliphant if you haven’t already!
Number ONE
My number one book of 2021 was The Four Winds. If anyone would have ever told me I would be reading much less loving and choosing as number one a historical fiction novel I would have laughed. This book rocked me to my core. It is beautiful and tragic but draws you in as if you can actually imagine being there in the middle of the depression. I cried so many tears in this book and I won’t lie, it is not an easy read but I could not put it down!
Nonfiction Top Reads
In 2021, there were only 6 nonfiction books completed on my list. Three were audio books, two took me a bit to soak up the words and one was more of a biography of sorts. I gave 5 stars to five of the six so I’m dropping them for you to check out.
Share Your Stuff I’ll Go First was the first nonfiction book I read in 2021. This was my first from Laura and after listening to her podcast some, I think it would also be great on audio. While it is a collection of stories from her life under different headings, I think she organized the book well and the premise is to encourage you to share your story to build relationships. I think it would make a great book club book for girlfriends.
If you love the Magnolia dynasty, you will love this book. If you have never heard of Chip Gaines and are just looking to grow as a person, I think you will also love this book! And I would dare say you will love him by the end. I was gifted an audio version of this book and it was SO GOOD that I wish I had actually had it in print so I could have gone crazy with my highlighter! No Pain No Gaines is a great listen or read to add for personal growth or even just a feel good book.
Y’all, if you love this couples parodies, you need this book! I was also gifted the audio version of this book and it was such a great listen. This is a great self-help book for a marriage that is solid but still looking to improve and there were soo many “aha” moments for me. I feel like the last few years the marriage books I’ve picked up have all been a bit repetitive but this one had new info and their storytelling really tied it all together. In case you can’t tell, I’m a huge fan of Everybody Fights!
This was my first audio listen of 2021 and it is SO GOOD. Austin does an amazing job of sharing her view of being a black in a white world. Were there parts that were a little hard to hear? Yes, but my mind was open and I was able to learn so much from her. If you are wanting to grow in this area, I’m Still Here is a great place to start and the Kindle version is currently $2.99!
As someone who has battled with the view of my body for pretty much as long as I can remember, I was definitely interested in this book. It is not a pick up and breeze through read and I would also say there were sections at first that felt clunky. Once I settled in, this book transformed my thinking in so many ways. This is NOT a diet book or a “how to” get in shape book. This is a book about learning to accept the GOOD body God gave you. It has made me realize how much of my view of myself and others has been shaped by the wrong thing, media, instead of the right thing, God’s goodness. Breaking Free from Body Shame is a great read for anyone who has struggled to love their body. I think it would be an amazing bible study!
To see reviews for most of the books I read in 2021 you can visit these posts:
Reading Lately – Winter Edition
Reading Lately – Summer Wrapup
All of my book reviews since I began blogging can be found here. I really do credit blogs with helping me get my reading game back after years of not reading at all. I love reading reviews to find my next great read.
So after seeing my list, do you have some suggestions for my 2022 reading list?