Favorite Books from 2021

Favorite Graphic Novels:

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson

Go With The Flow by Lily Williams

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Favorite Middle Grade:

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Restart by Gordon Korman

Wink by Rob Harrell

Favorite ReRead:

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Favorite Family Audio Book:

Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary

Favorite Chick Lit:

The Sight of You by Holly Miller

Best Thrillers:

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Favorite Contemporary Fiction:

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Favorite Young Adult:

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Best Make-You-Think-What-You-Would-Do Book:

In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn

Favorite Romances:

Rescue Me by Sarra Manning

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Favorite Sci-Fi:

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Best Classic I Finally Read:

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Favorite Book I Read to Jane:

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman

Favorite Book I Read to Isaac:

The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea

109 Total Books Read in 2021

Personal Audio Books: 36
Personal Books I Read to Myself: 53
Books I Read to Jane: 10
Books I Read to Isaac: 7
Audio Books we Listened to as a Family: 3

Favorite Books from 2020

Favorite Children’s Books We Read:

Rules by Cynthia Lord

The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar

Bob by Wendy Mass

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Favorite Classic:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Favorite Children’s Audiobooks:

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng

Favorite Young Adult:

Nothing But the Truth by Avi

One of Us is Lying series by Karen M. McManus

Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot

Favorite Romance:

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot

No Judgments by Meg Cabot

Vision in White by Nora Roberts

Favorite Historical Fiction:

Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Favorite Contemporary Fiction:

Anxious People by Fredrick Backman

Favorite Sports Book:

Attucks! by Phillip Hoose

Favorite Quirky Book:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Favorite Re-Read:

These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

In 2020, I listened to 32 audio books by myself, and 10 audio books with the kids. I read 9 books to Jane, 8 books to Isaac, and 84 books to myself.

Yearly total: 143 books read

Favorite Books of 2019

Favorite Classics:

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

One I’ve Been Meaning to Read for Forever and so Glad I Did:

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Favorite Christmas Book:

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

Best Children’s Audio Books:

Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret

Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Favorite Parenting Book:

The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

Favorite Thriller:

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Favorite Romance:

The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot

Favorite Read-Alouds:

Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Favorite Historical Fiction:

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

Favorite Book Club Book:

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

Favorite Biography:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Favorite Sports Book:

Levels of the Game by John McPhee

Favorite Young Adult:

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Favorite Mystery:

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Favorite Young Hoosier Nominated Picture Books:

The Bad Seed by Jory John

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds

Overall last year,

Read to myself: 61 books
Listened to by myself: 23 books
Read to Isaac: 1 book
Read to Jane: 1 book
Read to Jane & Isaac: 13 books
Family Audio Books in the Car: 15 books
Total Books Read: 114 books

Favorite Books of 2018

Favorite Book Club Book:

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

Favorite Memoir:

Educated by Tara Westover

Favorite Author:

Fredrik Backman – I read 4 of his books this year and really enjoyed them.

Favorite Re-read:

The Guernsey and Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows **

Favorite Mystery:

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Favorite Fluffy YA Romance Author:

Kasie West – I read 5 books by her this year.

Favorite Family Audio Books:

Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Matilda by Roald Dahl (version read by Kate Winslet)

Favorite Middle Grade Novels:

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

Favorite Books I Read with Jane:

Where are you Going, Baby Lincoln? by Kate DiCamillo

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis **

Favorite Books I Read with Isaac:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio **

There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar

Wish by Barbara O’Connor

** This book has made the list before.

I only read 2 classics in 2018 – A Christmas Carol and The Grapes of Wrath. One of my goals for 2019 is to read more classic novels.

Favorite Books of 2017

Favorite Mystery:


And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Favorite Middle Grade Books:


So B. It by Sarah Weeks


Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Favorite Book Club Book:


The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

Favorite Young Adult Romance:


Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Favorite Young Adult:


The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Favorite Non-Fiction:


Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight

Favorite Newbery Books I read:


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson


Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Favorite Books I Read to Isaac:


Holes by Louis Sachar **


Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl **


The Witches by Roald Dahl

Favorite Book I read to Blake & Clark:


Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl

Favorite Family Audio Books:


Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl **


Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo **


No Talking by Andrew Clements **

** This book has made my list before.