Great Books To Read this Winter (2021 Edition)

Hello everyone, and welcome to a post about books. I’ve got a great list to share with you today with a wide variety of genres. I’m finding the older I get the more curious I’ve become about different subjects and you’ll notice that in my selections this time. However, I’m always a sucker for a great novel. A little something to escape into. 😉 So, there are plenty of those as well. If you’d like to see book recommendation lists from past years click HERE.

To enter the $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY simply leave me a comment telling me one (or two or three) books you have enjoyed reading. I always love reading over your suggestions, so thank you in advance! The giveaway will be open until Thursday January 21st at midnight. Winner will be announced on Friday January 22nd.

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse by Charlie Mackesy
5 STARS

My mother (the literature expert in our family) gave my siblings and I this book for Christmas. I loved every single page and want to read it over and over. It’s full of basic life truths, beautiful illustrations and so much…hope. It’s a simple story of a boy and his animal companions. It’s about friendship, kindness, courage and tolerance. It’s the most unique book I’ve read all year. I can’t say enough good about it. The beautiful phrases keep playing over in my mind. They are words to live by. Such a great, great read.

 

THE MASTERPIECE by Francine Rivers
4 STARS

I love Francine Rivers. Her Christian Fiction novels are well written, have flawed and lovable characters and always leave me uplifted and better for reading them. This particular story is about an artist and his personal assistant, both with tumultuous childhoods. It’s about redemption, love, forgiveness and second chances. Loved it.

LEFT NEGLECTED by Lisa Genova
3.5 STARS

This is a story about a very smart, super busy, career oriented mother of 3 who gets in a car accident leaving her impaired. The accident changes her whole life and views of what is really important. I loved it and really enjoyed seeing the transformation in her character.
3.5 star rating.

 

THE WATER KEEPER by Charles Martin
3.5 STARS

I love reading Charles Martin novels and this book was no exception. I appreciate his dramatic plot lines, the imagery and symbolism and the bits of spirituality he adds. This particular story takes place on the coastline of Florida and is about human trafficking and a man who has dedicated his life to saving its victims. While some of the twists seemed a little coincidental and often times over dramatized, it was still a great read. I enjoyed the symbolism of water representing love.

THE SEA BEFORE US by Sarah Sundin
3 STARS

This was a quick, easy, Christian historical fiction read. Set in WWII times, the plot is mostly about a love story. Clean, and though a little cheesy I enjoyed it quite a lot.

WHERE the CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
4 STARS

I really enjoyed so many things about this book. I loved the incredible prose, the strength of the main character and the story line. It ended differently than I had expected and found myself a little disappointed with the last few chapters, but still give it a strong 4 star rating. The writing style was just so beautiful!

A SONG for the STARS by Ilima Todd
4 STARS

I loved listening to this wonderful story, set in the late 1700’s in the Hawiian islands. It’s about two cultures coming together, the beautiful power of the ocean, and a sweet love story. I loved learning more about the Hawiian culture and found it a pleasant surprise to learn the author is a descendant of the main character. A great read.

 

REWIRE YOUR ANXIOUS BRAIN by Catherine M. Pittman and Elizabeth M. Karle
4 STARS

This book was absolutely fascinating to me. In the past couple of years I’ve experienced some intense waves of anxiety and have been eager to learn more about how to cope and manage my brain around them. An ad for this book came through my instagram feed one day and the title made me curious. I will admit that the more I read, the more anxious I became! Ha! Go figure. 🙂 It felt a lot like lifting the hood of a car and trying to understand every single mechanism and how to repair it in a single afternoon. Overwhelming for sure! The struggles I have with fear and anxiety run deep and that became very apparent to me while reading. However, once I reached the end I felt nothing but encouragement and relief at realizing anxiety is a human trait. It can be managed, handled, and often alleviated. It may take me a long time to put into practice all of the suggestions made but I feel grateful to know they are available and to understand a little bit of how the brain works. Truly fascinating. If you or one of your loved ones struggles with anxiety I highly recommend it. I’m eager to read more on the subject.

GRACE WHERE YOU ARE by Emily Belle Freeman
5 STARS

I loved listening to this short, but beautiful book about grace. I loved the stories she used to illustrate how Jesus Christ meets us where we are at and how to accept that grace. Highly recommend.

FORGIVEN: THE AMISH SHCOOL SHOOTING, A MOTHER’S LOVE, AND A STORY OF REMARKABLE GRACE by Terri Roberts
5 STARS

I can’t stop thinking about this amazing story. In 2006 Charlie Roberts entered an Amish School, shot 10 of the little girls there, which killed 5 of them and then took his own life. This book is written by the mother of the shooter, Terri Roberts. She is a woman of great faith and devotion to God. It was an exceptional experience, listening to this story. She talks about forgiveness being a choice…not a feeling or an emotion, but something we have to work at. The very night the shooting took place, an Amish man came to her door offering forgiveness, kindness and love. Seeing that kind of immediate reaction to a situation that was so terrible is amazing to me. I loved listening to Terri’s own journey to forgiveness and healing. It’s an exceptional book. I was looking for something to listen to and it popped up in my search. As soon as I finished listening to it I ordered a copy on amazon so I can mark some of the beautiful passages and refer back to them. I highly recommend this one. It offers so much hope.