Five Of My 2021 Favorite Reads
My Random Taste In Books
By Grace K. Bianco
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” — Stephen King
No Spoilers!!!
I LOVE reading, but I wasn't always like that. I would go through phases here and there throughout high school where I would read books, but for a while, it didn’t interest me. It was when I became a nanny, and had a TON of downtime during nap time that my love for reading exploded.
After I laid the toddler and baby down, I would get all the housework done quickly but as nicely as possible, and then, I would read for the two hours that they slept. I’d go through one to two books a week.
When I started dating my now husband, my reading slowed down drastically. My breaks were full of me texting him. Once again, I lost that drive to read consistently. I gained it back quickly into marriage when my husband was working, and I no longer had to have a job.
Now, here we are. I try my best to read a book a week, but it doesn’t always happen. I am still pretty consistent with setting aside time most days to read though. With all that being said, here’s my list of my top five favorite books that I read this year.
1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
My oldest sister gave me this book as a birthday gift a few years back. I have read this book at least four times. I read it again recently; therefore, I am still putting it in this blog.
This book is based off of the book of Hosea in the Bible that takes place in the 1850s. It is an amazing and unconventional romance story between a devote Christian man and a prostitute.
Sarah, better known as Angel, was sold into prostitution at eight years old after the death of her mother. She grew up being beaten, having no concept of real love, and using her body as a way to get basic needs.
Michael Hosea was a virgin who loved the Lord. When he saw Angel passing by, he heard the voice of God tell him that she was to be his wife.
Despite Angel’s stubbornness and hard attempt to get Michael to use her and leave her alone, Michael was patient. He taught her about God, and loved her unconditionally. With time, Angel’s stone walls around her heart slowly started to crumble away. But was she really ready to let someone in after all she had been through?
This book melts my heart every single time. I am still not tired of it, and I recommend it to any and everyone. To me, this book actually shows the real meaning of true love.
2. The Marriage You’ve Always Wanted by Dr. Gary Chapman
Dr. Gary Chapman is one of my favorite authors. In my blog, “What Even Is MY Love Language? : The Importance of Being Loved and Loving,” I reference Chapman’s other book, “The Five Different Love Languages,” A LOT. It’s a great book that I would recommend to singles and people in a relationship.
However, this book I would just recommend to my fellow married couples. Chapman’s book was so full of wisdom, but yet, it was so easy to read and follow. With any kind of book that dives deeply into any topic, it’s so easy for the writing to just go over people’s heads.
This book is much more Christian based than “The Five Different Love Languages”, and focuses on centering your relationship around God. Chapman shows the true potential for beauty in marriage.
This book made me want to be the best possible wife ever to my husband. Marriage is one of the topics I am passionate about. I love talking about it, and sharing my newlywed thoughts on it. One of my dreams would be for my husband and I to meet Dr. Gary Chapman and talk about our marriage.
3. A Lineage of Grace : Five stories of unlikely women who changed eternity by Francine Rivers
This is another amazing book by Francine Rivers. She really has a way with writing that just grabs at your heart.
This book is made up of five different books each with their own study guides:
- Unveiled — The story of Tamar
- Unashamed — The story of Rahab
- Unshaken — The story of Ruth
- Unspoken — The story of Bathesheba
- Unafraid — The story of Mary
Rivers humanizes each of these girls from the Bible. She stays true to their original story by just adding dialogue and emotion. She makes you really think about what it would have been like to be called by God to do unthinkable things.
This is what true empowerment for women looks like to me. God chose regular women to show true bravery that would eventually lead to the birth of Christ. Some of these women completely changed their lives around, while others gave up their entire lives to follow God.
As someone who suffers from anxiety, reading about these women showed me that God gives courage to those who full heartedly believe in Him.
4. The Cradle by Patrick Somerville
On a lighter note, this book by Somerville was an easy read.
“The Cradle” is about a young couple, Matthew and Marissa. Marissa is big pregnant when she decides to tell her husband that she wants a cradle that her mother had run off with. With absolutely no idea where to tell her husband to begin his search, she remains confident that he will find it for her.
Matthew sets out on a journey with a tip from his father-in-law. He meets interesting characters along the way that brings him closer to the cradle. He ends up finding something even more important.
While you read the story of Matthew’s journey, you also read about another older couple, Renee and Bill, that takes place a decade later. Renee is struggling with accepting the fact that her son is being deployed to Iraq.
As I read the book, I was so confused by the random story of Renee and Bill, but as the story goes on, you find out the surprising connection. I liked how simple the book was, but it still had little interesting twists throughout that kept me on my toes.
5. The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is probably my favorite nonchristian fiction author. I have read ALMOST every book that she has ever written. She mentions God in most of her books, but they hardly ever revolve around religion as a whole. Picoult’s books are super entertaining and hard to put down.
‘The Pact” is a book that truly revolves around the question, “How far are you willing to go for the one you love most?”
It is the love story about Chris Harte and Emily Gold and their tragic ending. Their tragic ending wasn’t a sad breakup or the story of two teens being kept from love. Instead Emily is found dead and Chris is found alive and passed out in the first chapter, the truth starts to come out. Was this really a suicide pact “gone wrong” or a murder scene?
You quickly go back in time and learn about the parents’, Melanie and Michael Gold and Gus and James Harte’s, friendship before Chris and Emily’s birth. The two families became next door neighbors right before Emily and Chris were born. The Golds had Emily soon after the Hartes had Chris. You read about all the parents’ close friendship and the inevitable love story that eventually sprouted between Chris and Emily as they grew up.
But can a friendship last after police suspect one of the beloved children to be the murderer of the other beloved child? Lots of things had to be unpacked throughout the book.
As each chapter goes back and forth between past and present, I was always on the edge of my seat. The past made me adore the families and the various relationships, but the present taking place in mostly the courtroom had me reminding myself to breathe.
Conclusion
I can’t really describe my taste in books. Lately, I have been loving books like Chapman’s that teach wives and husbands how to be better. Other times, I just want to read a really good fiction book. I like switching back and forth. Sometimes, I want to learn, and other times, I want to be entertained.
I have written about why reading is an important hobby to have whether you are a writer or not before. It’s really just great, because anyone is capable of becoming a big time reader. It doesn’t take much talent if you already know how to read. No skill involved just the ability to be entertained. All you have to do is find your interests. If you find a book truly boring, you can just start a different one.
Escape reality and read about someone else’s, OR learn about the things in your/this world. The topics are endless.
Need a place to start? You can buy my book, “Party Pooper: Growing up with Anxiety” by Grace Kathryn Ehlers, on Amazon. Paperback AND eBook are available.
Please leave any of your book recommendations in the comments! I love discovering new favorites!
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❤ My book, Party Pooper: Growing up with Anxiety, is available now on Amazon (eBook and Paperback).
