Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Books of 2021 – so far

July 1, 2021 by Kristin 2 Comments

I love a book list, so this post has become a favorite of mine. I hope y’all find some good reads on here! These are the 35 books, mostly fiction, I’ve read so far this year.

I link all the titles to Amazon, where I also keep a big ol’ list of recommended reads, and have links to reviews on social media if you want to know what I thought of the books. Plus, now I tag all my reading-related posts on Instagram and Facebook with #KHTreads, so follow along there too!

Some things to know about my reading habits: I like actual books, but I do sometimes read on my Kindle. I suspect I will read more on my new, waterproof Kindle Paperwhite. I will quit books if I can’t get into them, although I’ve gotten better about selecting books I anticipate liking. I almost always have a book with me, you know, just in case I happen upon some time to read. (Here are some tips for making time for books and reading more.)

Now, to the list …

Historical Fiction

  1. “Atomic Love” by Jennie Fields {Instagram Review}
  2. “Summer of ’69” by Elin Hilderbrand {Instagram Review}
  3. “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah {Facebook Review}
  4. “Send for Me” by Lauren Fox {Instagram Review}
  5. “The Secret Stealers” by Jane Healey {Instagram Review}
  6. “The Beantown Girls” by Jane Healey {Related Facebook Post}
  7. “Eternal” by Lisa Scottoline {Instagram Review}
  8. “Sunflower Sisters” by Martha Hall Kelly {Instagram Review}

Contemporary Fiction

  1. “Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe” by Heather Webber {Facebook Review}
  2. “The Chicken Sisters” by K.J. Dell’Antonia {Instagram Review}
  3. “Friends and Strangers” by J. Courtney Sullivan {Instagram Review}
  4. “Only the Pretty Lies” by Rebekah Crane {Instagram Review}
  5. “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel {Facebook Review}
  6. “The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave {Instagram Review}
  7. “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett {Facebook Review}
  8. “Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid {Instagram Review}
  9. “The Sixth Wedding” (a short story that follows “28 Summers“) by Elin Hilderbrand

Suspense Novels

  1. “The Survivors” by Jane Harper {Instagram Review}
  2. “You Are Not Alone” by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen {Facebook Review}
  3. “The Wife Between Us” by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen {Instagram Review}
  4. “An Anonymous Girl” by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen {Instagram Review}
  5. “The Half Sister” by Sandie Jones {Facebook Review}
  6. “Mother May I” by Joshilyn Jackson {Instagram Review}

Romantic Comedies

  1. “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren {Instagram Review}
  2. “The Dating Plan” by Sara Desai {Facebook Review}
  3. “One to Watch” by Kate Stayman-London {Instagram Review}
  4. “Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating” by Christian Lauren {Instagram Review}
  5. “People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry {Facebook Review}

Memoirs

  1. “That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby” by Annie Downs {Review}
  2. “Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level” by Laura Tremaine {Review}
  3. “Growing Slow: Lessons on Un-Hurrying Your Heart from an Accidental Farm Girl” by Jennifer Dukes Lee {Review}
  4. “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey {Facebook Review}

Devotionals & Non-fiction

  1. “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas” edited by Nancy Guthrie
  2. “The Enneagram Type 1: The Moral Perfectionist (The Enneagram Collection)” by Beth McCord {Related Facebook Post}
  3. “Satisfied: Finding Hope, Joy, and Contentment Right Where You Are” by Alyssa Joy Bethke {Review}

Now it’s your turn. What should I add to my Amazon Wish List (aka my to-be-read list)?

*****

Need more recommendations? Here are lists from 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

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Comments

  1. Mary Carver says

    July 1, 2021 at 1:51 pm

    Wait, do you really not use GoodReads for your to-be-read list??

    I’ll have several more overlapping with you once I make it through my BOTM books that are currently collecting dust. 😉

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      July 1, 2021 at 2:02 pm

      I use GoodReads to keep track of what I’ve read, but I started using Amazon, just a private wish list, for what I want to read because sometimes Amazon will email me if one of the items on my wish list is on sale or part of a Kindle deal. I think I started the Amazon wish list thing before GoodReads linked with Kindle/Amazon like it does now. Plus if someone recommends a good book, I’ll just look it up on Amazon and then decide if I think I want to read it or not. It works for me! 🙂

      Which BOTM books do you have awaiting you?

      Also, it makes me happy to see you comment on my blog post, like the good ol’ days! 🙂

      Reply

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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 high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

#84daysofsummer #poolpeople #momlife #momconfessions #faithlife #livingfaithfully #favoritethings #choosingJOY #countryliving #reallife #PorchStories
The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

#familyreunion #lakelife #kentuckylake #kylake #getoutside #familytime #memorialday #memorialdayweekend #favoritethings #84daysofsummer #summerisbest #choosingJOY
Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ #TeamTaylor #girl Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ 

#TeamTaylor #girlmom #boymom #momlife #reallife #summerisbest #siblinglove #countryliving #poolpeople #getoutside
First of all, who else has read this book? The plo First of all, who else has read this book? The plot was promising as a thriller and the setting really worked. There were some good twists, and then there were ridiculous twists. I skimmed the end only because I wanted it to make sense. And it didn’t. It was too weird for me. 

But this made me wonder: how do we know if a book is going to be weird, contain elements we don’t like, or go places that don’t make sense? I don’t like to read much about a book before I read the book. Usually, I do a better job of picking books for myself. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #donotrecommend #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth
I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant we I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant weather, a mixture of productivity and rest, and had plenty of wide-open space to enjoy our property and each other. 

#weekending #TeamTaylor #poolpeople #countryliving #favoritethings #choosingJOY #maydays
And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watch And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watching them both play. 

#soccermom #weekending #springtime #momlife #girlmom #boymom
On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a book, but I didn’t know what I wanted to read. Whenever I have indecision about books, picking up a thriller usually helps because of the story’s pace. 

“The Only Survivors” worked well because there was a lot happening! Lots of creepy, mysterious moments. Only so many people could be guilty of infiltrating a small group who had lots of secrets! 

I loved the timeline of this one. The back story about an accident was told in seven one-hour segments. The present mystery was told in seven days. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #latergram #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth #poolpeople #mothersday
Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ And Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ 

And when I say summer, I mean we are ready to shake up the routine, mentally regroup, turn off the alarms, establish some new habits, soak in the sun, and catch up with friends we’ve been crossing paths with too quickly. 

I want to savor the #84daysofsummer and I want to embrace this new season. And it’s almost time. Three more days of school. (Deep breaths.) 

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep collecting the moments — the hard, hurried, happy, and heartfelt. The seasons do change, but this is the life we are living. 

“The moments you collect may not be loud or flashy. They might be quiet or covered or a far-off view you were lucky to catch. But this I know to be true: A moment savored says to your soul, ‘You have lived something beautiful.’ And it keeps you buoyed. It sustains you when you’re running empty. It lifts you up and carries you forward.” — Joanna Gaines in @magnolia summer 2023 journal issue no. 27 

#momlife #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #summerisbest #teenagedriver #choosingJOY
I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but t I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but this one by Soraya M. Lane focused on three nurses, their friendships, and how the war changed their lives. It’s a hard story, but it’s full of love and hope despite the destruction around them. 

And it’s the second historical fiction audiobook I’ve listened to in a row! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #Audible #KindleUnlimited #historicalfiction
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