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Books • December 30, 2021

My Favorite Books of 2021

2021 was another…let’s say interesting…year. Yet again, reading helped keep me focused and grounded. It’s been the perfect escape the past two years when I’ve felt stressed. After reading 56 books (almost 57 — the year doesn’t end until tomorrow), these were my favorites. As a reminder, these aren’t all books released this year, but are books I read this year. You can find my full list of what I read in 2021 on Goodreads or the 2021 Books highlight on my Instagram. (Click the images for affiliate links.)

Best New Release

The Four Winds was simply incredible. The story was so powerful and I learned so much about the Dust Bowl, a time in history I honestly knew nothing about. I love a book with a strong female heroine — and this one has two. Be sure to grab a box of tissues for this one.

Best Fiction

I was intimidated by the length of this one, but then flew through it. The tales of both the parents and four sisters came together to create such a complex family drama. I didn’t want this one to end.

Best Historical Fiction

I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book that sat on my shelf for years, but now I can easily say it’s one of my favorite books ever. The author paints such a vivid picture of New York City in the late 30s, but it were the surprising twists and turns throughout the story that made this one hard to put down.

Best Memoir

Beautiful Country is such a powerful memoir about a family that came from China only to live impoverished and face extreme racism in New York City in the 90s. Wang tells the story of being a young girl getting an education as her parents struggle to earn money.

Best Suspense

I honestly had trouble with this one and didn’t give it a 5 star rating at first. But when I reflected on how much I thought about this book and the feelings it brought out in me, I knew how powerful the story and writing were. As a mom, reading about a lack of connection between her and her daughter — and so much more — truly spooked me.

Best YA

I highly recommend The Hate U Give. The main character lives in two worlds in high school — a poor neighborhood and a fancy private school. When she sees her unarmed friend shot by a police officer, she has to come to grips with what happened and her role in fighting for justice.

Best Self-Improvement

I made big strides this year in helping set boundaries with my work, and this book definitely played a role. Whether you need better boundaries with others or with how you live, this is a fantastic read.

Other Favorites

Want more book recommendations? These were my favorite books of 2020. Thanks for following along on my reading journey this year!

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Raise your hand if you love moving furniture aroun Raise your hand if you love moving furniture around in your home? 🙋‍♀️ Bringing this @serenaandlily cart into the living room and adding an old lamp gave this reading corner new life! 

#readingnook #readingcorner #readingchair #readinglife #homedecor #serenaandlily #barcartstyling #barcartdecor #readingcommunity #readingspot #redecorate
Saturday things: thank you notes, starting a new b Saturday things: thank you notes, starting a new book and a pretty cup for my second coffee of the day. Have a great weekend, friends!

#saturdaythings #saturdaystyle
✨🥂Giveaway🥂✨ Ready to cheers to another ✨🥂Giveaway🥂✨ Ready to cheers to another year of reading and surpassing my goal of 52 books! I’m celebrating by giving away a book from my 2021 favorites list to a lucky winner. My blog post listing these favorites is now up — click the link in my bio — this pic only shows a few! 

To enter:
📚 Read my blog post and comment with what book you’d want to win
📚 Like and save this post
📚 Tag a friend (or more) or share to your stories

Giveaway ends 1/2 at 5 pm CT.

This giveaway is not sponsored, is for those 18+ and you must be within the U.S. to win.

#bestbooksof2021 #favoritebooks #favoritebooksof2021 #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #bookrecs #topbooksof2021 #booklist #readinggoals #readinggoal #readinggoal2021 #2021readingchallenge
Do you have a reading goal for 2022? The past two Do you have a reading goal for 2022? The past two years I’ve read about a book a week, hitting 52 books in 2020 and even more this year. I can happily say this goal is no longer a tough one for me, but a new habit and hobby that bring so much joy to my life. Part of that is this community, so thank you all! I’ll continue reading (and posting about it) just as much next year, but I’ll be focused less on quantity and more on quality. I’m excited to see where another year of reading takes me.
 
I’d love to hear what your plans for reading are in 2022! And watch for a post on my favorite books of 2021 coming soon!

#readinggoals #readinggoal #readingchallenge #readingcommunity #readingislife #currentlyreading #readersofig #readingismagic #readingisfun
Merry Christmas to those celebrating today and a v Merry Christmas to those celebrating today and a very happy birthday to @chrismeadows8 ❤️🎄❤️
Christmas Eve magic 🎄✨ Christmas Eve magic 🎄✨
Squeezing in a couple more holiday reads this year Squeezing in a couple more holiday reads this year! 🎄

#holidayreads #holidayreading #holidayreadinglist #holidaybooks
Cheers to a Friday martini in December and holiday Cheers to a Friday martini in December and holiday nails with my girls 🎄❤️
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