Sunday, January 9, 2022

Books I Loved In 2021

I have said it many times before and I will say it many times again: reading is the best. I always make sure I set time aside to read a book. I think everyone should. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media, pick up a book. I have tons of books, so I try to go to the library since I am running out of room to store the books. 

These are the books I read in 2021 that I truly enjoyed with links on where you can get them. 


Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimand made me laugh. Finlay is a writer who is late on turning in her latest book. She meets with her agent at lunch discussing the plot for her book and a contract overhears and assumes she's a REAL killer. Chaos and hilarity ensues. If you want to giggle, pick this one up. 




I have a love/hate relationship with Nicholas Sparks. I enjoy his books but a lot of them seem to be basically the same plot set in North Carolina. His earlier books were more enjoyable to me, which is why I own copies of those. I just pick up his latest for the library now. The Return is about Trevor, who returns to (you guessed it) North Carolina after he has returned from Afghanistan with injuries. He sets up house in the old house he inherited from his grandfather. He meets deputy sheriff Natalie and she seems distant and he doesn't understand why. I do still like his latest books, but when his characters say I love you only a few days of knowing each other, I tend to roll my eyes. 




Kristin Hannah writes the best books! I highly recommend all of them. The Four Winds was no exception. It starts off in the 1920s when Elsa finds herself pregnant by Rafe, who lives on a farm and a man she barely knows. They get married so Elsa's reputation won't be completely ruined. It moves to the 1930s when the farm is struggling due to all the dust storms. Elsa decides to see if they can strike it rich in California. Will it work out? You'll have to pick up the book to see!




Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan is about the crazy Wilde family who moves into a quiet neighborhood where everyone seems proper. The dad is a has been rock star, the mom wears skimpy clothes, and the kids curse. They are welcomed to a party and after alcohol flows, too much info is shared and the Wildes are outcasts again. To add to the chaos, a sinkhole opens and one of the neighborhood kids falls in--can she be saved? I was intrigued by this story and liked the Wilde family. Whenever anyone is too proper, it feels odd to me. 




Natalie wanted me to include the Billie Eilish book called Billie Eilish. It's full of photos of the singer, from her as a small child, to now, to all her tours. She loves it. If you have a Billie Eilish fan, this is the perfect gift idea. 




If you want to be completely riveted, pick up Local Women Missing by Mary Kubica. Basically a woman in the neighborhood goes missing. Then ANOTHER woman and her six year old daughter vanish right around the area where the first person was last seen. Are the cases connected? Read and find out. I finished this book in like 2 days. 



When The Stars Goes Dark by Paula McLain is about Anna who runs to a town in Northern California after a tragedy. She thinks things will improve but then a teenage girl goes missing. It reminds Anna of a crime that happened when she was younger so she becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl. 




In Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney Flora finds out her husband has been keeping secrets. She finds the wedding ring he says he lost in an envelope and is naturally confused. Has their marriage been build on lies? I enjoyed this book because I love drama. I wanted to know what her husband was hiding! 



The Nanny by Gilly Macmillion will keep you hooked. Jocelyn's nanny went missing when she was 7. She was attached to her because her parents are distant. She wants to know what happened to the nanny but her parents won't say a word. 30 years later Jocelyn returns to her childhood home and human remains are found at a lake next to the estate. Is it Jocelyn's nanny? I wanted to know what was going on. 




I have always loved Jennifer Weiner's books. That Summer is about Daisy who has a cooking business and a lovely home. She feels she should be happy but she's not. Then she starts getting emails that are meant to be for someone named Diana--and Diana seems to have the glamorous life that Daisy wants. They decide to meet and become friends--but did the emails really come to Daisy accidentally? Or is there a sinister reason? If you have liked Jennifer Weiner's books in the past, this is no exception. I think I finished this one in about 3 days. 



I'm an only child, so I always like to read books about sisters. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is about twin sisters Fern and Rose. Fern has a structured life and doesn't like to go out much. She works at the library. Rose is more outgoing. When Rose finds out she can't get pregnant, Fern decides to have a baby for Rose since Rose has helped her all her life. Now she just needs to find a father though. Fern reminded me of my son who has autism and I truly liked her. 




I liked the other books written by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen so I had to read their latest called You Are Not Alone. It's about Shay, who wants to fall in love and belong somewhere. She's lonely--and then she meets the Moore sisters and is invited into their circle. But things aren't what they seem. There's a dark side. Will Shay be okay? I love mysteries like this. I wanted Shay to be okay. Those Moore sisters were a bit nutty!



Want to laugh? You always will with books from Sophie Kinsella. She knows how to write! You Are Not Alone is about Effie, who is still upset that her parents got divorced. It doesn't help that her dad is with someone years longer and is irritating. Effie does not get along with her and is even more upset when she finds out her childhood home is being put up for sale. She blames the girlfriend. She decides to crash the farewell party (but secretly) at the home and hilarity ensues. I laughed and laughed. I cannot wait for Sophie's next book. 



I'll be honest, Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty wasn't my favorite book of hers. I loved her other ones but this one was difficult for me only because I didn't care for many of the characters. But I wanted to know what was happening! Basically it's about the Delaney siblings. Their mother has gone missing and their father is the prime suspect. Did he do it? Some of the siblings think he did--others say there's no way. So what's the truth? Will their mother be found alive? Or at all? Again, I didn't really like any of the characters, but I wanted to find out what happened to the mom. So I still recommend this! 




I read more books than these, but they are the ones that stuck with me. Reading is the absolute best so go pick up a book and enjoy! Have you read any of these?



36 comments:

  1. I read and liked a bunch of these, especially Local Woman Missing, The Good Sister, That Summer, and The Four Winds.

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  2. Lots of good selections here! I'm more into sci-fi and fantasy but do enjoy Sohpie Kinsella once in a while :)

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  3. So many good books. These are ones that I need to check out.

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  4. I love relaxing with a book, not my kindle but an actual hardcover book...lovely. Holding a book is totally different, for me, than just swiping pages. I will check out your list. Thank you Amber!

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  5. I feel like such a bum. You read all of those books and I can't even finish one!

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  6. I have read some of these books too and I love them especially the Part Crasher

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  7. I`d love to read more fiction books this year. I haven`t read any for a while now. Thanks for sharing your list

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  8. I'm always looking for books. I've heard a few of these are really good from others so I may need to check some out.

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  9. We read many of the same books, but my all time favorite was Four Winds. That books spoke to me in ways only really great literature does.

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  10. I need to get back to reading. I sure do love reading. Looks like you read some amazing books too. I'll be checking some of these out.

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  11. Making a note of them all. I love your suggestions. We have the same taste in books!

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  12. These are all really great looking books, I really love reading specially when I'm sad.

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  13. I haven't read much last year but this year my goal is to read more! I will have to add these to my reading list

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  14. You have great collection! I love reading but barely have time to sneak in a book.

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  15. We seem to have a similar taste in books! I added several of these to my list. I also love Liane Moriarty. I have never not LOVED a book I have read from her. I added her this book from her to my list too! I have a lot of reading to do!

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  16. I have not being doing much reading lately. Between work and blogging and the kids commitments, I have no free time! But it is a little quieter this time of year and I will have to add some of these to my reading list.

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  17. The best book i read in 2021 was The Stranger In The Lifeboat. We are Commercial Renovation Services Chicago IL company that providing you the customized solutions according to your Commercial Renovation needs.

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  18. Thanks for sharing the books you loved last year. I have to check them out.

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  19. I haven't read any of those. I need to go back to reading. I used to read a lot. -LYNNDEE

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  20. These are great books I would love to check it out in the library.

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  21. Great list! I must check out these books, especially Good Neighbor! It sounds fab 😍

    Everything Enchanting ❤️

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  22. I really love all of the books since I am already a book lover

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  23. Thank you for sharing all these awesome book choices. I added a few to my Kindle just now.

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  24. My favorite book was "Luther, Wyoming" This was Super enjoyable read with solid plot twists and interesting characters. At Alpha House construction, we offer Commercial Renovation Services Chicago IL so that you can appreciate a sparkling workspace in the long run.

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  25. I added a few of these to my reading list. I love to read on those rainy days.

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  26. I think we have different tastes in books, but this reminds me I need to finish up my current book so I can make my 2022 Reads post!

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  27. The Four Winds changed my life. I was so sad when I finished reading it and truly had to take a few weeks before I started reading anything else.

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  28. These look like some wonderful books. I love to read. I see so many ones here that I'd love to read too. I need to make a book post soon too. There are so many wonderful books out there.

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  29. Wow! These are all really great and interesting book to read! I can’t wait to check this out!

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  30. I like your taste in books! The summaries for The Four Winds and When the Stars Go Dark gripped me the most, I'll have to check them out!

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  31. These seem like fantastic reads that I should add to my list. Thanks for sharing!

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  32. How many books you've read and they are so different between them!

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  33. I am adding these to my wish list and the one from Nicholas Sparks will be the first on my list to read. I always love his books!

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