I set my reading goal at 120 books for 2021. I actually read 129, but that’s because I end the year by reading holiday-themed books and they tend to be short. I also have more time on my hands at the end of year as we take a two-week break from homeschooling.
However, out of those may books, only 11 got 5 stars! I’m a bit surprised, but when I look back, I didn’t find that many books that were so good I would want to add them to my bookshelf. The ones that did get 5 stars this year are really good, though.
In no particular order, here are the books I gave 5 stars to in 2021:
Frontier Follies is full of short chapters discussing just about every aspect of Ree’s life on the ranch. I learned how many cattle they actually have, that Ree does the dishes when she and Ladd argue and that they have a foster son. The book is divided into sections covering marriage, motherhood, family, country life and life during the pandemic. Written in Ree’s easy style, it feels like she’s sitting at your dining room table telling you her stories.
Read the full review here.
Parenting is not easy. There are so many parenting books out there that give advice on what to do and say (or not do and say), but not many address the heart and attitude of a parent. Love-Centered Parenting does focus on having parents take a hard look at their own motivations and encourages them to both evaluate they lies they believe about themselves and then replace them with the truth of being loved by God. Then parents can find a way to lean in and love their children well.
Read the full review here.
A Call to Mercy by Mother Teresa is a profound and convicting book. It goes through the Catholic works of mercy and shows how Mother Teresa applied them in her own life of service. She gave so much of her life in the service of others – taking care of their hunger, thirst, clothing and loneliness. I definitely saw my life through a different lens after reading A Call to Mercy.
In Project Hail Mary, Ryland Grace wakes up in a medical room, where a robot is asking him what is name is. He can’t remember. In the room are two other people, but they are dead. The robot feeds him meals, but doesn’t help with Ryland’s memory. As the days pass, he slowly remembers and when he finally remembers his name, he obtains access to the room above his. He’s on a space ship …. and he doesn’t know how or why! As he investigates his surroundings and time passes, he finally remembers that he’s on a suicide mission to save Earth, but he now has to do it all by himself.
Read the full review here.
Anyone who knew Eric Metaxas before his conversion to Christianity would probably never have ever guessed that he would become an outspoken defender of his faith. Fish Out of Water is his autobiography of how his life brought him to the moment when a dream would cause him to change his entire life. His story starts when his Greek father and German mother met as immigrants in America. He grew up with a little faith and a little church, but it mostly went out the window by the time he went to college.
Read the full review here.
When the U.S. military started realizing that airplanes could drop bombs during wartime, different strategies were mulled over. Two main schools of thought emerged – bombing to create broad destruction or bombing to pinpoint specific targets. Most military thinkers leaned toward pinpointed attacks and that led to the creation of the Norden Bombsight. However, the Germans used the broad attacks and that seemed to work somewhat against their enemies. Two generals used these two different tactics in WW2 – Curtis LeMay and Haywood Hansell. Gladwell examines their successes and failures in The Bomber Mafia.
Read the full review here.
In a few short days, society collapses as upwards of 90 percent of humanity succumbs to a deadly virus. Taking out its victims in less than 48 hours, the virus makes quick work and surprises even the most prepared. Survivors include lucky airline flight with no contamination on board, people isolated for work trips, souls out on boats and those blessed with an immune system that fights the virus and wins. Twenty years later, those who have survived are starting to rebuild in Station Eleven. (Written in 2014.)
Read the full review here.
Sleep is crucial … to almost everything about being a human being. Why We Sleep explores in-depth how exactly sleep affects a person’s health, intellect, energy, mood and longevity. I devoured this book and was fascinated by all the details the author offers on sleep. I highly, highly recommend this book and will be safeguarding my sleep even more after reading it!
In present day, Alice’s grandmother is facing the end of her life. While it was known that she and her husband escaped from Poland during WW2, they never talked about the details. When Alice visits her in the hospital, her grandmother insists Alice go to Poland to find out some details about her life. However, the grandmother is only able to communicate through an iPad, unable to talk from a stroke. Reluctant to leave her husband, gifted 10-year-old daughter and autistic son, she feels she has to fulfill her grandmother’s wish before she dies in The Things We Cannot Say.
Read the full review here.
After reading The Things We Cannot Say, I quickly added The Warsaw Orphan to my to-read list. It’s the sequel and follows Elzbieta after she moves to Warsaw with her adopted parents. After both her father and brother end up victims in the war effort, Elzbieta can’t ignore the Warsaw ghetto located just blocks from their apartment. However, she doesn’t expect to get her heart involved or put her parents in danger. The Warsaw Orphan is heartbreaking, but an important historical fiction read.
When the Galaxy is lost at sea, a lifeboat carries a man who is writing about his survival experience in a notebook. When the lifeboat is found, the notebook is discovered by a local policeman who doesn’t share his discovery. As he reads the notebook, he discovers there was an extra person on the lifeboat claiming to be “The Lord.” The Stranger in the Lifeboat is full of surprises and gets to the heart of what it means to really live.
What books did you read in 2021 that you would give 5 stars to? Share in the comments! I’d love to add them to my 2022 reading list!