I almost always set my goal at 100 books, I’ve only met it once, and last year was yet another year that I didn’t meet it. I did read 80 books though. Here are my favorite 10 that I read/listened to. A great number of these were audiobooks. I especially love memoirs read by the author and you will see quite a few of those on this list. Here are all of the books I read this year:
1. The Book of Lost Names – This WWII book takes place in France. I just loved this story of a Jewish girl in hiding and a french resistance fighter working together to help get Jewish children to safety.
3. Between Two Kingdoms – If you’ve known anyone who has had cancer as a young person (not child), this book has so much insight into that experience, but can also be very hard to read at times. Suleika is a beautiful writer and I really loved this book.
4. Better than the Movies – This book made me laugh out loud several times and really I find that hard to find in a book. I definitely smiled quite a bit while reading this book. If you like cheesy late 90s/early 2000s rom-coms, this book will give you many reminders of those movies.
5. God Spare the Girls – This is a family drama, filled with secrets from everyone. Two sisters flee to their family ranch to escape much of the drama caused by their father, a local pastor.
6. In the Wild Light – Oh this book (and this new to me author), I just loved it. Two kids growing up in rural Tennessee get the opportunity to attend a very elite boarding school in New England. They both have hard pasts and lots to deal with when trying to decide whether to take the opportunity. This is YA at it’s best.
7. Food Saved Me – I’ve followed Danielle Walker online for years and have tried many of her recipes over the years. This is her health journey in memoir form. While much of her story has been told online over the years, I love reading it start to finish (well to her current situation as she is still alive and doing fabulous). You will learn how Danielle used food to help herself heal. I listened to this on audio, read by the author!
8. Will – Another fabulous memoir audiobook read by the author! Who doesn’t know Will Smith? Well, you will certainly learn much more in this book than you probably know.
9. Broken Horses – I had heard of Brandi Carli before listening to this, but honestly didn’t really know much at all about her or her music. The wonderful thing about this audiobook is at the end of each chapter, she preforms a song! Really fantastic audio book!
10. Hurricane Summer – Another fabulous YA book about a girl and her summer visit to Jamaica to visit her father. Tilla learns so much about her family, herself, and all of their secrets. There are some tough scenes in this book, but it is full of heart and you just want to hug Tilla and help her on her journey.
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