The Best Books of 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my friends! It’s time for that annual tradition people all over the interwebs are participating in of compiling lists of favorite things from the past year—favorite shows, movies, books, songs, all the wonderful artistic things that make life so wonderful. I don’t ever have a lot to share in the way of movies or TV shows, I truly just don’t watch enough to have much to share in those categories, although Chuck and I both absolutely loved Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Come From Away on Apple TV. But I always have books to share! I read a lot this year, but what was interesting as I look at my reading journal at the list of books I read this year, there weren’t very many that were stand out titles that blew me away. I had a few clear favorites, but usually I have a hard time really narrowing down what I want to share and this year that wasn’t the case. I have one book that was my runaway favorite of the entire year and a bunch of other titles I really enjoyed that I’m excited to share with you today & would love to hear from you, what were some of your favorites of the year??

My All Time Favorite Book of the Year:

A Burning in my Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene Peterson by Winn Collier. This might seem like a strange pick for an all time favorite book of the year, but I read this book in July and I think about it every week. It has stayed with me in ways most books don’t, I have quoted it numerous times in conversations with various people, and I have reflected more on this book than probably anything I’ve read in years. Collier, a friend of Peterson’s, crafted his life story in an incredibly engaging way, I loved reading about the places and people who shaped him, but he also managed to explore Peterson’s understanding of what it means to be a pastor in a way that was so powerful. I have respected Peterson for years, and being from the northwest many of the pastors I’ve had have been personal friends or been mentored by Peterson in their lives, so I do know that has shaped some of my love for this man’s sense of discipleship, prayer, intentionality and presence. But in this world of trying to build bigger churches, of trying to grow and multiply and be “relevant and influential in our culture” Peterson’s quiet voice speaks into our world, calling us back to deeper discipleship, caring for those God has placed in our midst, and trusting that when we do that faithfully and well over the years God himself will bring more people into our community. He reminds us that the Gospel is not something to be packaged and marketed, it is something to be embodied and lived in a way our fast paced culture and culture of building bigger more flashy churches is missing. I could literally talk for hours about this book and if anyone else has read it, let me know!

Other Non-Fiction I Loved This Year:

Here Now: Unearthing Peace & Presence in an Over Connected World by Kate Merrick. I read this book back at the beginning of Lent when I signed out of social media for 6 full weeks, and the timing of that was perfect. Kate and her husband Britt founded the Reality Church network in Southern California. In 2010, their young daughter Daisy was diagnosed with a form of cancer and they were launched into the world of pediatric oncology, experimental treatments and in 2013 they walked through the agony of loosing their little girl. The events surrounding the writing of this book are difficult, but this book wasn’t just a retelling of their grief, it was actually an incredibly powerful story of being present and connected and what Daisy’s cancer taught them about how they were living. When she was in the hospital one day, Kate found herself scrolling through Instagram envying her friend’s lives, and not really being present for the little girl who was laying in the bed in front of her. She realized this device in her hand that was designed to bring about connection with people was causing her to be disconnected from those who mattered the most. When they had the opportunity to travel to Israel as a family seeking an experimental treatment for Daisy, Kate and Britt packed up their two children, left their cell phones and laptops at home and boarded a plane with a paper map, a deck of cards, and a one way ticket. They say they played cards in every coffee shop in Israel. This is the story of their time of disconnecting from the world while being fully present and immersed with what was happening right in front of them. She shares funny stories, poignant observations, and how when she returned home she had no desire to go back to the way of being overly connected to people who were not part of her every day, in person community. I loved her story, as hard as it was, and keep returning to the lessons I learned from her.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede. I’ve shared about this one on here in the past, but I read this book this summer and was so moved by the true story of the pure radical goodness and hospitality of ordinary people on one of the world’s darkest weeks. When the planes hit the twin towers American airspace was shut down for 5 days, leaving hundreds of flights that were already in the air bound for North America stranded. 38 jumbo passenger jets from all over the world that were headed across the Atlantic that morning were ordered to land in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland. A town of about 10,000 people inherited 7,000 strangers who needed to be housed, fed and comforted for 5 days. This was a story of people overcoming fear and prejudice, a story of grief at what happened in our world that September morning, and more than anything a story of the pure goodness of ordinary humans and their ability to care for one another in a time of need. The musical Come From Away is based on this book and the events surrounding this week and does an excellent job of telling this story as well.

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat. I have a very strange fascination with incredible rescue stories. A few years ago, one of my favorite books was Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of the 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and I’m fascinated both by the stories and experiences of those trapped in horrific conditions and the incredible ingenuity and international cooperation that it takes to free them. Apparently I love stories where people come together in difficult circumstances! All Thirteen was written for older elementary and middle school kids but I found it fascinating as an adult. She explored the culture surrounding the village the boys lived in, their beliefs, the incredible difficulty and danger of what it took to get them out and highlighted the work that happened elsewhere on the mountain that led to the divers being successful—stories that weren’t really reported on but sacrifices so many made to help lower the water levels inside the cave. It was such a good book that I could not put down!

Fiction Books I Loved This Year

The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny. There are 17 novels in this series that centers around the head of homicide for the Quebec police force and the tiny village of Three Pines just north of the border near Vermont. Louise Penny crafts a fabulous cast of characters that you journey with through each book in these “cozy mysteries” that are less about crime and gore and more about human nature and what makes us do what we do. I read all 17 this year and thoroughly enjoyed every single one. I believe they should be read in order as the character development and some story lines build on one another. If you’re looking for a world to purely escape into, these novels are such a delightful read and after the last 2 years who doesn’t need to escape a bit??

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Was this a life changing novel containing the meaning of life? No. Did I fly through this and thoroughly enjoy it? Yes! I’m learning more and more than sometimes the best books of the year don’t have to be the most earth shattering or profound, sometimes they can simply be a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. That’s what Malibu Rising was for me. This novel is set in Malibu, CA that followed four siblings dealing with an absent father, and each harboring secrets of their own which all come out at the notorious end of summer party this famous family throws. was just a pure delight to read. It was fast paced with characters I enjoyed and a setting that made me a bit homesick for the California coast.

What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins. This was Tompkins first novel, and I’m not really sure how I came across it or ended up reading it, but I absolutely loved it and so did many others! This novel tells the story of a small Pacific Northwest town where two teenage boys who lived next door to one another and grew up as best friends both tragically have died. In the aftermath of their deaths a pregnant teenage girl emerges from the woods and inserts herself into the grieving families. They aren’t entirely sure whose baby this is and her presence in their lives bridges the gaps between these two families as a community once torn apart begins to heal. This was a gorgeous novel of redemption with some mystery elements thrown in as the parents try and unravel what happened in the lives of their kids, how this girl fits in, and how they’re going to give her and her baby a family when she clearly doesn’t have one.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. This was a wonderful novel based on the life of Laura Bush. Sittenfeld created a character Alice Lindgren and set her story in a small Wisconsin town instead of Texas, but the events in Alice’s life mirror Laura Bush’s autobiography. It’s a fiction story but asks wonderful questions—what happens if you end up married to someone you fundamentally disagree with about important issues? And what happens then when that person lands in a spotlight? How do you be true to yourself and support your spouse? How do you fit into a new family that is so drastically different than the one you grew up in? This was a book I flew through back in the spring and found thoroughly enjoyable!

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. I shared about this book this summer when I read it, and loved it. This was one of those books that was published and got a ton of attention in 2020 and because it made so many “best of 2020” book lists I knew it had to go on my list for this year. This is the story of a young Latin tutor (William Shakespeare) who falls in love with a fairly eccentric young woman (Agnes) who is known for her many gifts of healing and knowledge of plants in the community. They begin a family, have their children and then in the 1596s the Black Plague falls upon them causing their 11 year old son Hamnet to die. This is a wonderful novel of love, grief, and really is the story of Shakespeare’s wife. When Hamnet dies it leads to the inspiration for Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. I loved this novel. Very little is known about Shakespeare’s private life and this historical fiction retelling of version of his story was phenomenal.

Those are my main highlights of this year! A couple other honorable mentions that I thoroughly enjoyed were: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Whole Hearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu, and Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey. I’d love to hear from you all, what were some of your favorite books of 2021??