The 10 Best Books I Read in 2021

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Happy 2022!! I hope you’re enjoying the weekend as we start off a new year. We were with friends till about 10:30 last night, then came home to ring in the New Year. We’re spending January 1st getting things done around the new house.

In last week’s subscriber email, I shared the top ten blog posts on Girls to Grow in 2021. (You can sign up here if you’d like to be on the list to receive those emails.) I’m just going to take one more quick look back at last year through the lens of the books I read.

2021 was the first year I kept a list of all the books I read. I think I’d tracked the number of books before but never the actual titles. I read 49 books – almost made it to an average of one per week!

Over the last six weeks or so, I missed reading. With moving and all the projects that needed to be done, along with our girls coming home from college and celebrating Christmas, I didn’t make the time. However, I finished my last book while we were on vacation this week and it ended up being in my top 10!

So here are the ten best books I read in 2021. The list is a mix of fiction and non-fiction and goes in order of how I read them throughout the year.

1. Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens. I was curious about intermittent fasting and this book got me started on that eating plan this year.

2. The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson. This is a cute modern-day fiction romance. I actually just gave it to my 19-year-old daughter for Christmas as my girls like actual copies of books they enjoy rather than just e-reader versions.

3. The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons from Ronald Reagan’s Final Years by Peggy Grande. I’m a big Ronald Reagan fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s written by the woman who was his executive assistant after he left the White House and is very poignant and moving.

4. Unscripted by Davis Bunn. I’ve read many of Bunn’s books and this was a good one.

5. Chasing Shadows by Lynn Austin. Nikki encouraged me to read Lynn Austin’s books a while ago and I’ve read several. This one that released this past summer was a favorite.

6. Empty Besting by Kristi Huss. I’ve read several books on the empty nest and I really liked this author’s perspective.

7. The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W Tozer. This one was so good I read it twice in 2021. The chapters are short but offer so much insight into God’s character.

8. The One You’re With by Lauren K. Denton. Here’s a fiction story where the main characters are an older married couple! Loved that I could relate to their season of life.

9. Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano. I just discovered this author a couple of months ago and highly recommend her books. I think I’ve read all but one now. This is the one I just finished and it was excellent. Each story has a bit of romance and a bit of mystery. They’re all set at specific periods in history.

10. The Next Right Thing Guided Journal by Emily P. Freeman. If you enjoy journaling or would like to give it a try, this is a great book to use. The prompts are very thought-provoking. I completed the journal for 2021, and just ordered a new one for 2022.

What’s the best book you read last year? I’m always looking for new books to read!

I plan to be back to regular blogging next week. I loved what another blogging friend shared this morning – let’s hold loosely to our plans and tightly to Christ in 2022. Here’s to a great year ahead for all of us!