Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

The Books of 2016

December 20, 2016 by Kristin 5 Comments

the-books-of-2016

I love book lists! I love reading other people’s and making my own. So, here you go. Here’s my list for 2016 that includes 33 fiction books, 20 non-fiction books. I beat last year’s total of 43 (21 fiction, 22 non-fiction), and really enjoyed my fiction binges. I love discovering new-to-me authors, and this year’s favorite fiction finds were Kristin Hannah, Mary Kubica, and Elin Hilderbrand.

And, no worries, I have a stocked Kindle with more new-to-me fiction for the new year.

A few notes about the list: I don’t finish books I don’t like, which I know happened a couple times this year. I also keep a running list on Goodreads, if you want to check in more often. I also talk books often on Facebook.

Fiction

  1. “Thin Ice” (Men of Valor #2) by Irene Hannon {Review}
  2. “Sanctuary Lost” (WITSEC Town #1) by Lisa Phillips
  3. “Sanctuary Buried” (WITSEC Town #2) by Lisa Phillips
  4. “Sanctuary Breached” (WITSEC Town #3) by Lisa Phillips
  5. “Cold Shot” (Chesapeake Valor #1) by Dani Pettrey
  6. “Tidewater Inn” (Hope Beach #1) by Colleen Coble
  7. “Rosemary Cottage” (Hope Beach #2) by Colleen Coble
  8. “Seagrass Pier” (Hope Beach #3) by Colleen Coble
  9. “The Inn at Ocean’s Edge” (Sunset Cove #1) by Colleen Coble
  10. “Mermaid Moon” (Sunset Cove #2) by Colleen Coble
  11. “Honeymoon for One” by Beth Orsoff
  12. “Keep Quiet” by Lisa Scottoline
  13. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins
  14. “Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah
  15. “Fly Away” by Kristin Hannah
  16. “Magic Hour” by Kristin Hannah
  17. “The Good Girl” by Mary Kubica
  18. “Home Front” by Kristin Hannah
  19. “Pretty Baby” by Mary Kubica
  20. “Don’t You Cry” by Mary Kubica
  21. “Summerland” by Elin Hilderbrand
  22. “The Rumor” by Elin Hilderbrand
  23. “True Colors” by Kristin Hannah
  24. “Silver Girl” by Elin Hilderbrand
  25. “Time is a River” by Mary Alice Monroe
  26. “Summer Island” by Kristin Hannah
  27. “Tangled Webs” (Men of Valor #3) by Irene Hannon {Review}
  28. “You Will Know Me” by Megan Abbott
  29. “Twilight at Blueberry Barrens” (Sunset Cove #3) by Colleen Coble
  30. “In Twenty Years” by Allison Winn Scotch
  31. “If I Run” by Terri Blackstock
  32. “The Stranger” by Harlan Coben
  33. “The Things We Wish Were True” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Non-Fiction (Parenting)

  1. “Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World” by Kristen Welch {Related post}
  2. “Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses” by Wendy Speake & Amber Lia
  3. “Better Together: Because You’re Not Meant to Mom Alone” by Jill Savage with Anne McClane {Review}
  4. “8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids” by Todd Cartmell {Review}
  5. “The Mother Letters” by Amber & Seth Haines {Review}
  6. “Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Became Parents” by Gary Chapman and Shannon Warden {Review}
  7. “Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles that Can Radically Change Your Family” by Paul David Tripp {Review}

Non-Fiction (Memoirs)

  1. “Coming Clean: A Story of Faith” by Seth Haines
  2. “The Gift of Friendship: Stories that Celebrate the Beauty of Shared Moments” by Dawn Camp {Review}
  3. “Looking for Lovely: Collecting Moments that Matter” by Annie Downs {Review}
  4. “Wild in the Hollow: On Chasing Desire and Finding the Broken Way Home” by Amber Haines
  5. “Everything You Ever Wanted” by Jillian Lauren
  6. “Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter” by Jennifer Grant
  7. “Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted” by Shannan Martin {Review}
  8. “Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic For a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living” by Shauna Niequist {Related Post}
  9. “The Magnolia Story” by Joanna & Chip Gaines

Non-Fiction (Christianity)

  1. “None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us (and why that’s a good thing)” by Jen Wilkin {Review}
  2. “You’re Already Amazing” by Holley Gerth // Book // LifeGrowth Guide // LifeGrowth DVD // {Review}
  3. “The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart’s Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire” by Jennifer Dukes Lee {Review}
  4. “Everything Is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams” by Jen Bricker {Review}
 
So, what’s on your list? What have you read that you loved and what are you hoping to read soon?
*****
I’m linking up with Kate Motaung, who is also sharing a list of good reads. 
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: books

Comments

  1. Jennifer Linck says

    December 20, 2016 at 7:55 am

    I LOVE that you started reading Elin Hilderbrand! Add her Winter Street Trilogy to your 2017 reading list! It’s the best!! Also, I just finished “The Magnolia Story” and just giggled my way through the book. Seriously, reading the pages was like watching them on t.v. The book captured their chemistry. Such a fun book!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 20, 2016 at 8:04 am

      I was initially motivated to read “The Magnolia Story” because I wanted to give it to Cate for Christmas and I had to make sure it was okay. I mean, I didn’t suspect it to be offensive, but I had to see what adult themes it dealt it. But I loved it so much and it does remind me of the their show. I think that’s a testimony to their authenticity. And, yes, I’ve been enjoying Elin Hilderbrand and I have the first winter book on my Kindle.

      Reply
  2. Sarah Parker says

    January 3, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    You know I love a good book recommendation and we’ve read MANY of the same fiction books. One of my favorite things is life is a great fiction read!! I’d like to read a few more non-fiction in 2017…which few are your “must reads?”

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      January 3, 2017 at 5:34 pm

      You’ve got good taste! 🙂 Falling Free by Shannan Martin and Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist were probably my favorite from 2016. Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch is excellent too.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Books of 2017 {so far} says:
    June 29, 2017 at 6:01 am

    […] Last year I read 53 books, and with the 25 I’ve read so far this year, I’m on pace to do about that this year too. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • Fifteen
  • Help kids have healthy eating habits
  • How to organize your home
  • Let’s come before the throne
  • 3 Ways to Enhance Kids’ Cognitive Skills

#PorchStories button

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

I miss … … a few particular friends from whom I miss …

… a few particular friends from whom I’m separated by circumstances, logistics, and distances. 

When I make a friend, I intend to stay friends forever. Of course, life doesn’t always work out that way. 

I don’t miss my kids being young, but I miss the ease of socializing with my friends during that season. It was easy then to meet at the park or go somewhere for lunch. Now there are so many schedules to work around. 

Scheduling time to lunch or get together is still my love language, it just takes a little more work, patience, and persistence now. And sometimes that’s exhausting. But it’s always worth it. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #bettertogether #livingfaithfully #reallife
School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #mo School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #momlife #siblinglove #summerisbest #maydays
I’m proud of myself for … … surviving and t I’m proud of myself for …

… surviving and thriving this school year. I resist change almost all of the time, and the past nine months have been full of so many transitions for our whole family. I know, that’s life, but these changes seem like the kind that will mark us forever. 

My kids navigated new beginnings in kindergarten, middle school, and high school. As a mom, sometimes I’m too close to see the growth, but this year it happened in each of them right before my eyes. They navigated friendship hurdles, embraced new friends, and settled a little more into who God created them to be. Middle school isn’t for the faint of heart, but I feel like I’ve come out of this year closer to my son, so I will take it. 

I’m proud of myself for leaning into where God has me. I’ve grown deeper friendships, invested in my kids’ school as a board member and business manager, and seen God work in our ordinary days. 

Y’all know I’m a summer girl, so I’m proud of myself through getting through the winter and coming into summer stronger and braver. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #summerisbest #bettertogether
I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this book I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this book sooner. I loved so much about it, but I did want some of her stories to be  less repetitive and offer more practical advice for living out “radical, ordinary hospitality.” Rosaria Butterfield defines hospitality like this as sharing what you have in real time, preparing to continually life this lifestyle, and bringing strangers in so they become neighbors who become family. 

I took notes throughout, but especially during the introduction. I came away with an appreciation that hospitality can involve lists, schedules, and habits. I felt encouraged, even if I thought the book could have been organized better to include practical tips and other people’s stories. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #audiobooks #livingfaithfully #bookreview #booklover
Something I don’t usually share (online) … I Something I don’t usually share (online) …

I am an opinionated person, but I don’t usually share political opinions on social media. People who know me in real life know I value being pro-life, having less government involvement in our everyday lives, defining marriage as God intended it, and being fiscally conservative. As a former newspaper reporter, I still get excited about elections. I admittedly pay a little less attention in the almost 15 years I haven’t been in a newsroom. But I still care and have plenty of opinions. 

I voted today in Kentucky’s Primary Election. I’m thankful for the freedom to share my opinion by darkening some blocks on a paper ballot. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #reallife #livingfaithfully
Old friends and live music are two of my favorite Old friends and live music are two of my favorite things, so having them together is the best. My friend Aaron and I went to multiple Dave Matthews Band shows together during our college years, so now two decades later it’s fun to do it again as grown ups with our spouses for a band that speaks truth into our lives. 

@needtobreathe put on the loudest acoustic tour I’ve ever seen, but it sure was good! And its encore of completely unplugged songs was especially sweet. 

#NTBlive #needtobreathe #bettertogether #choosingJOY #favoritethings #livingfaithfully #weekending
Happiness is … … a slow morning that gave me Happiness is …

… a slow morning that gave me a chance to finish reading a good book right after I fixed my favorite cinnamon toast. 

… some shade to invite me to pick some more weeds around the house. But why doesn’t my Apple Watch count this as exercise? It felt like exercise to me! 

… an appointment with my oldest girl for us both to get our nails done this morning. 

… my youngest girl’s last soccer game of the season, even though the heat made her a little grumpy. 

… pool time, another good book to read, my mom visiting for the second weekend in a row, a little more weeding, and a night at home with no specific plans. 

Happiness is everyday, normal life with my people, especially when it comes with a slower pace after a hectic week. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #soccermom #KHTreads #momlife #weekending #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #poolpeople #PorchStories
I regretted having to go to sleep last night befor I regretted having to go to sleep last night before I finished this book, so I picked it up at breakfast and didn’t do anything else until I finished it. 

I loved the Alaskan cruise setting, the quick love and understanding between Greta and Ben, and the realistic ways grief changes people. Well done, @jenniferesmith! 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #kindlebooks #booklover #kindlepaperwhite #reallife #weekending #recommendedreads #poolpeople #amreading
Happy Friday! 🎉 We’ve got four more days of s Happy Friday! 🎉 We’ve got four more days of school next week and then it’s #88daysofsummer! Obviously, we’re ready. ☀️ 

Here’s to a refreshing weekend with much anticipation of what’s to come! #weekending #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #thirdchild #momlife #summerisbest #poolpeople #PorchStories #maydays
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2022 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.