I love to read! This has always been the way that I relax at night. It is even more important now with being in the thick of motherhood and a stressful career. Reading relaxes me.
I am a huge advocate of the public library. I think it is a wonderful resource to communities. Two months into the pandemic when the libraries were shut down, I purchased a Kindle. I didn't think I would enjoy reading on a screen and I resisted this trend. But... I had nothing left to read at home and I was desperate. I will tell you this was the best purchase of 2020! If mine broke today I would buy a new one within minutes. I love everything about it! I highly recommend it!
Starting last August, I began keeping track of the books I read and ranked them. I am shocked how many times I have referred to this list! A friend of mine has been doing this for years and it's a good resource when someone is looking for a new book to try. So here are the books I read at the end of last year and how I ranked them. If you are always looking for new suggestions for romance, family, fluffy books, then this list is for you.
August-December 2021
Clover Girls-Viola Shipman. -4 out of 5
A Secret of the Keys- Hope Holloway -4 out 5
A Reunion in the Keys- Hope Holloway 4 out of 5
A Season in the Keys- Hope Holloway 4 out of 5
A Haven in the Keys - Hope Holloway 4 out of 5
A Return to the Keys- Hope Holloway 4 out of 5
A Wedding in the Keys - Hope Holloway 4 out of 5
Complications by Danielle Steel 4.5 out of 5
It's Better this Way by Debbie Macomber 4 out 5
Yoga Pant Nation. 3 out of 5
Family Reunion. Nancy Thayer 2 out of 5
Rushing Waters by Danielle Steel 4 out of 5
A Promise in the Keys - Hope Holloway 4/5
People we meet in vacation. 4.5/5
Wish by Nicolas Sparks 4/5
Bookstore on Peony Island 4.5/5
Santa Suit 4/5
Book 2 in Peony Island Series 4/5
Escape to Peony Island 4/5
The bookstore on the beach Brenda Novak 4.5 /5
The Christmas Wedding Guest Susan Mallery 4.5/5
Christmas on Peony Island 4/5
The Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams 4.8/5
Temporary Roomie by Sarah Adams 4/5
The cheat sheet by Sarah Adams 4/5
The Match by Sarah Adams 3.5/5
Love by Sherryl Woods 4/5
Honor by Sherryl Wood 4/5
A Perfect Christmas by Debbie Maccomber 3/5
Sixth Wedding Elin Hildebrand 2/5
New to me authors 2021:
I found Hope Holloway and Sarah Adams last year! I love them both and would highly recommend anything they write.
The Keys Series that Hope Holloway wrote was excellent. I read them one right after the other. A friend of my mom's recommended them, and they didn't disappoint. She described them as "family, life books". I completely agree, a great way to describe them. They are about life and family dynamics. Light, easy reads are my favorite, and these were perfect for the summer. She has a new series coming out in the next month or two and I am looking forward to reading them!
Sarah Adams is hilarious! I was looking for a book on Kindle Unlimited and honestly selected my first Sarah Adams book based on the cover. The books are light, predictable and funny! A fun escape from reality.
Top picks from 2021:
The Off Limit Rule By Sarah Adams
I have found rock bottom. It's here, moving in with my older brother because I'm too broke to afford to live on my own. It's okay though, because we've always been close and I think I'm going to have fun living with him again.
That is until I meet Cooper...
Turns out, my brother has very strong opinions on the idea of me dating his best friend and is dead set against it. According to him, Cooper is everything I should stay away from: flirtatious, adventurous, non-committal, and freaking hot. (I added that last part because I feel like you need the whole picture.) My brother is right--I should stay away from Cooper James and his pretty blue eyes. He's the opposite of what I need right now.
Nah--who am I kidding? I'm going for it.
---I literally laughed out loud at this book. I highly recommend for a fun, easy book!
Complications By Danielle Steel
About:
Awaiting them all is the Louis XVI’s new manager, Olivier Bateau, an anxious man whose lack of experience leaves him unprepared. He and his level-headed assistant manager, Yvonne Philippe, both strive to continue the hotel’s tradition of excellence. But they quickly realize that anything can happen at any moment, and on one cool September evening, everything does.
A successful art consultant arrives at the hotel for the first time since her brutal divorce, and is surprised to find new love—if she is willing to risk her heart again. A new guest contemplates ending his life, and saves a life instead. A couple finds their once-in-a-lifetime trip interrupted by a tragic medical emergency, leaving the idyllic future they’ve long waited for hanging in the balance. And one of the hotel’s most high-profile guests, a French politician and assumed presidential candidate, holds a mysterious meeting in his suite that will threaten his life and legacy. Rocked by the events of this one fateful night, guests and staff alike brace themselves for the aftershock, as it quickly becomes apparent that more dramas and misfortunes are still in store.
Danielle Steel tells an unforgettable story about a famed hotel, where a few complications quickly escalate into a matter of life and death, changing the lives of everyone who passes through its doors.
The Bookstore on the Beach By Brenda Novak
About:
Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.
Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.
The Christmas Wedding Guest By Susan Mallery
About:
The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with the Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. In the spirit of the season, will they let go of past hurts and greet the New Year together?
Done waiting for the one, Dena is pregnant and on her own—on purpose. But then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks in to a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. One snowflake-speckled kiss and he’s a goner. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.
As the Christmas wedding draws closer, these two sisters just might unwrap the most treasured gift of all—love.
---I rarely read Christmas books. I can usually never get into them and they are also usually always on a wait list around Christmas. This year i did try and read a couple because my mom highly recommended some. This one was great! Highly recommend!
What have you been reading that has been a nice mental escape for you recently? I would love to hear!
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