2021 Reading Recap and Favorites

It’s time for an end of the year update on my reading challenge. Hang on, this is a long post with lots of links. 

My goal for 2021 was to read 104 books (2 per week), and I HAVE met that goal! Yay! There are technically a few pages left to finish because my final two are a year-long devotional and a through-the-Bible-in-a-year reading schedule we’re doing with friends from church - but I went ahead and marked them as finished on my Goodreads page since I’m definitely going to be done in time and I wanted the page counts to be accurate for this post. 

I’m super grateful for the way these books have stretched my brain, taught me more about God and myself and others, and just brought a lot of joy into my life. It’s challenging to choose favorites, but I narrowed it down to the top ten and came up with this list (arranged in the order in which I read them). All these Amazon links are affiliate, meaning I’ll get a tiny kickback if you click through and order.  

1. Lost! A harrowing true story of disaster at sea, Thomas Thompson 

This was actually the very first book I finished in 2021, and it was definitely memorable. I have read many true life adventure stories, including a number of tales of people who were capsized at sea. But this is the first featuring a devout Seventh Day Adventist and an agnostic. The story gives much to ponder on the role of God’s will vs. human effort. How can a believer take care that their “faith" does not become a liability in desperate situations? Absolutely fascinating, superbly written, and a story that will stay with me for a long time. 

2. This Too Shall Last, K.J. Ramsey 

I got SO much encouragement from this book. K.J. deals with chronic illness issues also, and her perspective of God’s tender love towards those who are suffering was tremendously helpful. I underlined all the way through, and probably annoyed my FB friends with all the quotes I posted, petty much every day for a couple weeks. I’d recommend this book to anyone struggling to trust God through suffering. 

3. Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, Ellen Vaughn

I have read stacks of books by and about EE over the years, and listened to many of her radio programs and other presentations. I’m quite familiar with her story, yet this biography filled in many gaps and gave me a much better sense of who Betty really was “behind the scenes.” The author has thoughtfully and fairly portrayed EE as a very real human, with relatable weakness and strengths, dreams and questions. Her example of trusting God even through seasons of grief and “strange ashes” is something I will always look up to. So thankful for this book! I’m already looking forward to volume 2. 

4. Sick and Tired: Empathy, encouragement, and practical help for those suffering from chronic health problems, Kimberly Rae 

I’d recommend this book to any person facing chronic illness. It is like a lovely chat with a friend further down the path, one who has a great sense of humor and a solid faith in God’s goodness. This is a book I need to reread often. The others in this series that I’ve read are also good, and they are all quite inexpensive on Kindle. 

5. Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund 

There are a few minor theological points I’m not sure I agree with, but otherwise this is such an encouraging book and I understand why it has been so popular in many circles. Worth reading slowly, a chapter a day, for fuller savoring and application. Looks like they have a study guide and video series out now, for group studies. I read this one from the library but want to get my own copy of the book so I can mark my favorite quotes for easier reference. 

6. Forgotten God, Francis Chan

I read this book alongside a Bible study the kids and I did this summer on the first chapters of Acts. Our pastor was also preaching through Acts at the time, so I was learning about the Holy Spirit on all sides. Growing up in conservative circles, I heard very little about Him - so this was a much needed study for me, and one that changed the way I think about God. This is an easy-to-read book, not intimidating even for those who are a little wary of the topic, as I was. Very Scripturally solid and balanced. 

7. Boundaries for Your Soul, by Alison Cook & Kimberly Miller

I actually read this book in 2020, but pulled it out again this year and went through it more slowly as I talked through the concepts with my counsellor. I can truly say it was deeply life-changing for me, and helped me work through some old baggage. 

8. The Tanglewoods’ Secret, Patricia St. John 

I don’t cry over books easily, but this one had me so choked up at several points that I had to stop reading it to the kids for a bit. My mom read it to us many years ago, but the beautiful portrayal of Jesus as a Good Shepherd touched me in far deeper ways this time. Such a sweet, memorable story, and one I was delighted to be able to share with my kids. 

9. Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life, Emily P. Freeman 

This one had been on my shelf for quite a while, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to pick it up. It’s one of those rare books where it felt like the author was in my head, and I underlined a ton because everything was so spot-on. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who has been raised with a solid knowledge of the Bible and wonders why it often feels so hard, so fake. This helped me understand God’s grace and love for ME in needful ways, and I know I’ll have it on my re-read stack. 

10. Untwisting Scriptures that were used to tie you up, gag you, and tangle your mind (Book 2, Patriarchy and Authority), Rebecca Davis 

I’d seen many recommendations for this series for several years, but was wary of them because the title seemed angry and deconstructionist, and I was pretty sure I’d find the viewpoints frustratingly unBiblical. But then I grabbed an ebook copy of this one for free and eventually decided to give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised by the author’s respectful approach to Scripture and her clear calling out of many Christian teachings I have also seen as deeply problematic. I can’t vouch for the rest of her series since I haven’t read those yet, but I’m glad I read this one and I wish I’d had input like this 20+ years ago. 

All the books I read in 2021. The color key is:
Dark blue = Christian non-fiction
Light blue = secular non-fiction
Red = Christian fiction
Pink = secular fiction

Looking ahead to next year... 

I’ve done the Tim Challies reading challenge for several years now and really enjoyed it (find his for 2022 here), but I think I’ll change it up a bit for 2022 and try this one. 

That list only has 52 prompts, but I’m hoping to hit more around 100 books again since that seems to be a pretty good pace. So I’ll plan on using this beautiful page as a master log of ALL the books I finish. I'll also log them on Goodreads, since that’s so handy - follow me there if you aren't already! 

I also have really enjoyed listening to The Literary Life podcast the past couple years, and loosely following their reading challenges. They do a GREAT job explaining more difficult books that I probably wouldn’t tackle on my own, and it’s basically a homework-free literature course. Super educational! So I’ll be doing that again as I have time, but won’t stress if I don’t fully fill out this chart. 

Did you set a reading goal for 2021? How did you do with it? What were your favorite titles? If you've read any of these on my list, let me know what you thought of them! If you’re still looking for a challenge to follow in the coming year, there are a TON of options here. 

Here’s to another great year of reading! I’m looking forward to all the books I’ll discover in 2022.