My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2021

 

Back in 2020, I shared a blog post called “Cultivating a Love for Reading” where I talked about my struggles with reading. You see, I’ve always loved books, but I have never been a good reader. To this day, I’m still a pretty, slow reader. In my previous post, I went on to share about how I’ve never been a good reader, but I decided to try to grow my love of reading through baby steps. It’s taken a lot of practice, but in an answer to my prayers, God is growing my love of reading each day!! I’m so thankful!!

All that to say, I was so surprised when I checked my GoodReads app, to discover how many books I read last year. A grand total of 377 books!! Just to clarify, my total is so high, because it includes adult fiction and non-fiction books, picture books, school books, and young adult fiction I pre-read for my girls. Most of the adult books, I listened to on audiobook which was helpful, because I could listen to my book while making dinner, walking, or working on a puzzle. As you can see, I used my wireless headphones so much, now they’re broken. Every year, I’ve grown into a more avid reader and I couldn’t be more proud of this accomplishment last year!! 

Honestly, I had the privilege of reading a lot of incredible books last year!! I’ve done my best to narrow this list down to my top 10 favorite books I read in 2021. 

These aren’t in any particular order…

My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2021

1. “Where the Crawdads Sing” by, Delia Owens

2. “The Nightingale” by, Kristin Hannah

3. “The Well Watered Woman” by Gretchen Saffles

4. “Risen Motherhood” by Emily Jensen

5. “The Call of the Wild and Free” by, Ainsley Arment 

6. “Dear Mr. Knightley” by, Katherine Reay

7. “Creativity, Inc” by, Ed Catmull

8. “Welcome Home” by, Myquillyn Smith

9. “The Librarian of Saint-Malo” by, Mario Escobar

10. “The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11” by, Garrett M. Graff 

*Bonus Reread* 

“The Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling

…..

Finally, I couldn’t resist sharing my favorite reread of last year, which was “The Harry Potter” series by, J.K. Rowling. I listened to the audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale and they were incredible. I had forgotten just how much I love these books. 

Now it’s your turn!! What are some of your favorite books you read last year? Have you read any of my favorites? If so, what did you think about them?

My 2022 Cultivate What Matters: Powersheets

 

For the past 5 years, I’ve used the Cultivate What Matters: Powersheets Intentional Goal Planner. In honor of their 10 year anniversary of Powersheets, the Cultivate What Matters team outdid themselves with some incredible Powersheets cover choices!! I went back an forth between green, teal, natural linen, and blooms. Seriously, it was hard for me to pick just one. As a result, I chose their anniversary green color, which is in honor of my upcoming 20 year high school reunion!! They’re just so beautiful!! 

MY WORD OF THE YEAR

This year, my word of the year is HOPE!! God has been teaching me so much about this word, I’ve decided to write it all out in more detail in an upcoming blog post coming. Trust me, it will be worth the wait.

MY 2022 GOALS

At this time, these are my goals for the New Year 2022!! Thankfully, Cultivate What Matters gives you the opportunity to work through a refresh every 90 days. As a result, if I find the Lord leading me toward new goals I can adjust accordingly. I’m so thankful these aren’t set in stone!!

1. Spend time with God

2. Love Jon well 

3. Delight in my girls

4. Renew my health

5. Cultivate my love of writing

6. Recapture the joy in my life 

OTHER RESOURCES

Lara Casey and her team at Cultivate What Matters have a lot of resources to help walk with you as you work to accomplish your goals each year. Lara has even written two books (which I will list below) and she also has a podcast called, “Cultivating Your Life with Lara Casey”. Finally, I have included a list of helpful, motivating books. I included Lara’s books and a few others that have really encouraged me this year.

“A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living” by, Emily Ley

“Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life” by, Lara Casey

“Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy” by Emily Ley

“Make it Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take the Leap. Live On Purpose.” by, Lara Casey

PREVIOUS POWERSHEETS BLOG POSTS

In the past, I’ve written blog posts about Powersheets. As a result, I included links to posts which have additional information about Powersheets and how I have used them over the years. Click links to see previous blog posts about my Powersheets!!

My 2021 Cultivate What Matters: Powersheets 

My 2020 Cultivate What Matters: Powersheets

Leaning into Jesus

My Mom’s Morning Basket

Cultivate What Matters: My 2019 Goals