Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Books of 2021

December 30, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

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 like reading Kindle books even more now 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 other tips for making time for books and reading more.)

I can’t choose favorite books, but how about some superlatives before we dive into the whole list of 62 books.

  • BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BY AN AUTHOR WHO USUALLY WRITES SUSPENSE: “Eternal” by Lisa Scottoline
  • BEST SUSPENSE BY AN AUTHOR WHO USUALLY WRITES SOUTHERN FICTION: “Mother May I” by Joshilyn Jackson
  • SLOWEST BOOK that I don’t actually recommend: “Sunflower Sisters” by Martha Hall Kelly
  • MOST UNIQUE WORLD WAR II NOVEL that I do recommend: “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristin Harmel
  • WEIRDEST BOOK THAT I ALMOST QUIT: “Golden Girl” by Elin Hilderbrand
  • READ IN ONE SITTING: “The Secret Keepers of the Old Depot Grocery” by Amanda Cox
  • FELT LIKE THERAPY (IN A GOOD WAY): “Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level” by Laura Tremaine
  • STUMBLED ON DELIGHT: “The Accidental Text” by Becky Monson
  • WISHED I LISTENED TO ON AUDIO: “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey
  • HELPED ME ESTABLISH A GOOD MORNING HABIT WITH MY KIDS: “Roar Like A Lion: 90 Devotions to a Courageous Faith” by Levi Lusko
  • MOST EERIE, ESPECIALLY AFTER 2020: “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel
  • SUSPENCEFULLY SET IN COVID TIMES: “56 Days” by Catherine Ryan Howard
  • LEAST FAVORITE: “Friends and Strangers” by J. Courtney Sullivan

Now, here’s the whole 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}
  9. “The Last Bookshop in London” by Madeline Martin {Facebook Review}
  10. “Sold on a Monday” by Kristina Morris {Instagram Review}
  11. “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristin Harmel {Facebook 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 {Related Post}
  10. “The Accidental Text” by Becky Monson {Instagram Review}
  11. “The Magic of Found Objects” by Maddie Dawson {Facebook Review}
  12. “Eliza Starts a Rumor” by Jane L. Rosen {Instagram Review}
  13. “Under the Southern Sky” by Kristy Woodson Harvey {Facebook Review}
  14. “Summer Rental” by Mary Kay Andrews {Instagram Review}
  15. “The Secret Keepers of the Old Depot Grocery” by Amanda Cox {Review}
  16. “Golden Girl” by Elin Hilderbrand {Goodreads Review}
  17. “Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty” by Lauren Weisberger {Instagram Review}
  18. “The Newcomer” by Mary Kay Andrews {Instagram Review}
  19. “The First Husband” by Laura Dave {Instagram Review}

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}
  7. “Northern Spy” by Flynn Berry {Instagram Review}
  8. “A Double Life” by Flynn Berry {Facebook Review}
  9. “56 Days” by Catherine Ryan Howard {Instagram Review}
  10. “Not a Happy Family” by Shari Lapena {Instagram Review}
  11. “Everything We Didn’t Say” by Nicole Baart {Facebook Review}
  12. “You Were Always Mine” by Nicole Baart {Instagram Review}

Romance / 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}
  6. “Field Notes on Love” by Jennifer E. Smith {Instagram Review}
  7. “Tacos for Two” by Betsy St. Amant {Review}
  8. “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” by Sophie Cousens {Instagram Review}
  9. “We Met in December” by Rosie Curtis {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}
  5. “Inheritance: A Memior of Geneology, Paternity, and Love” by Dani Shapiro {Instagram 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}
  4. “Roar Like A Lion: 90 Devotions to a Courageous Faith” by Levi Lusko {Review}
  5. “When Change Finds You: 31 Assurances to Settle Your Heart When Life Stirs You Up” by Kristen Strong {Review}
  6. “The Wonder of Creation: 100 More Devotionals About God & Science” by Louie Giglio {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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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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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. 

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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. 

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Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ And Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ 

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“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 

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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
I became a mom because three other women sacrifice I became a mom because three other women sacrificed, chose life, and chose me to. Motherhood is sanctifying, unexpected, adventurous, and constant. It’s also among the greatest joys in my life. 

A low-key Mother’s Day that included church and felt like summer was exactly what my soul needed. Don’t worry, my eldest was around too but she had to work on homework and then at her job. 

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This second novel by @carleyfortune speaks right t This second novel by @carleyfortune speaks right to my summer-loving heart. I loved Will and Fern’s love story, appreciated the depths of some of their experiences, and enjoyed the happy ending. Put this one one your summer reading list! 

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