I’ve read 33 books this year (two of which I’ll finish before Monday, so darn it, I’m counting them!). Looking back over my list in Goodreads, some of them I completely forgot I read or have no recollection of what they were even about. Doesn’t that just match up with the year 2020?
But there are three I won’t forget. Can’t forget. Two are fictional and one is a faith-based personal growth book. Maybe you’ll find yourself reading one or more of these in 2021.
3 – Standing Strong by Alli Worthington | This was the book that almost wasn’t. Alli was not someone I was familiar with but happened to hear her talking about purpose and resilience on Chrystal Evans Hurst’s podcast. I downloaded her book to my Kindle while still listening to the show and promptly forgot about it. Then I heard her on a different podcast and decided to open the book. Standing Strong ‘s subtitle spells it out: A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Adversity and Living with Confidence. If you are someone who feels God calling you to more in life but haven’t had the courage to move forward – this book is for you! If you are a woman who tries to move forward but gets stalled by a lack of support or uncertainty – this book is for you! If you are a woman who knows she’s got more to give but doesn’t have the confidence to step out in faith – this book is for you! Alli shares her story of stepping out in faith (even when she didn’t want to and even when she hesitated) and how her life has been transformed because of it. I wasn’t expecting this book to be as poignant and so on-point for my life but it has impacted me and my planning for 2021 in such a way that now I’m going to purchase the physical book, too.
2 – The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins | Y’all, this book. I received this book as part of my Book of the Month Club subscription in December. Mind you, I had three other books from previous months I was yet to read. I was in need of a thriller in my life to offset all of the Hallmark Christmas movies, so I started this one and could. not. put. it. down. Set in the upscale community of Mountain Brook in Birmingham, Alabama, this is a story of twisted love, devotion and success. Nothing is what it seems, right from the start. Jane (whose real name you quickly find out is not Jane) devises a plan to get out of her barely-making-ends-meet situation and into the country club life of those who live in the luxurious Thornfield Estates neighborhood. Little does she know she won’t be the only woman in Eddie Rochester’s life, nor does she know who she can trust. If you love a twisty, suspenseful thriller (bonus that it takes place in the south), make this your first read in 2021.
1 – 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand | Full disclosure: Elin Hilderbrand doesn’t write much I don’t like. Her books are perpetually in my favorites list (I even talk about this one in my June Buy, Borrow, Bypass post). Partly because most of them take place on the island where my heart lives – Nantucket; and partly because her characters are so relatable and fully developed. 28 Summers recounts, well, 28 summers, between Mallory Blessing and Jack McCloud. Starting from their teenage years and moving forward, you follow their bittersweet relationship throughout their very separate lives. In the theme of Same Time Next Year, this book is absolutely lovely and will leave a lasting emotional impression on you. If you’ve never read a Hilderbrand book before, you can start here.
Give me your best from 2020 that I can add to be To Be Read pile for 2021!