Another season has passed, so I’m once again sharing the BEST books that I read so that you’ll have some new reading ideas! Add these to your list – you won’t be sorry.
Books also make terrific holiday gifts, and this list contains something for every reader! If books aren’t your favorite gifts to give, check out these other terrific gift ideas, and get that holiday shopping finished!
The Best Non-Fiction Books
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but all opinions are my own*
Art Starts is the perfect gift for your favorite art lover. Or, if you are like us and just looking for indoor activities for the long winter ahead of us! It’s geared towards kids ages 3-8 but my teens had fun with a few of these projects on a cold and rainy afternoon. I got out art supplies (most of the projects use items you probably already have around the house) and set them to work. It was a relaxing and enjoyable time! My rating 4.5 out of 5.
Present Over Perfect isn’t a new book, I purchased it a few years ago and just never got around to reading it. I’m not sure why it took me so long as I love Shauna Niequist. In fact, Bread & Wine is one of my all-time favorite books. My copy of that book is well used and I’ve made EVERY SINGLE recipe from it through the years.
Right now, I feel that Present Over Perfect is exactly what I need to be reading. The inside cover says it all “Live a life of meaning and connection instead of pushing for perfection.” Yes! My rating 5 out of 5.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but the opinions stated are all my own*
If you’ve been wanting to add meditation to your life and have little kids that often distract you, Sit with Me just might be the book you need! A storybook designed to make meditation fun and simple for young children, you could read it to them and then practice together. If nothing else, I bet you’ll have a fun time trying it out! It’s pretty adorable. My rating 4 out of 5.
I’ve always been a sucker for a great memoir and Hollywood Park doesn’t disappoint. Mikel Jollett was born into the Church of Synanon and lived the first few years of his life separated from his parents. When his mother decided to leave the cult, she snuck Mikel and his brother out and they began a life on the outside and often on the run.
Mikel’s description of how the “real” world operates beyond life in the cult was fascinating as he tells it from the perspective of himself as a young child. The book begins with his escape, moves to his unusual childhood, years at Stanford, and ends with his current life as the lead singer of the Airborne Toxic Event indie band. My rating 4.5 out of 5.
The Best Fiction Books
I really loved The Last Flight! I found it so engrossing I ended up reading the whole book over the course of a busy two day weekend. If I hadn’t been so busy I probably would have finished it in one sitting. Although Claire Cook appears to have a perfect life, in reality, it’s anything but perfect.
Claire’s been plotting for a year to leave her husband and her life behind but a last-minute schedule change ruins everything. Eva is also on the run and when their paths cross, luckily (???) a solution appears just as both women begin to panic. I won’t go any further as I don’t want to give it away – and don’t read ahead! My rating 4.5 out of 5.
As my free* Amazon Prime book for November, I thought The Last of the Moon Girls was an entertaining and enjoyable story. Although I read it curled up by the fire, I also think it would be a great beach read. As the last of the Moon girls, Lizzy Moon is called back to the family farm when her beloved Grandmother dies.
Although Lizzy loved growing up on the farm, there were also a variety of reasons she couldn’t wait to leave. All Lizzy wanted was to live a normal life, and the Moon girls are anything but normal. The pull of the family history versus the life she’s created for herself mixed in with an unsolved murder creates a tumultuous few weeks for Lizzy as she decides where her future will take her. My rating 4 out of 5.
Horrifying enough to discover your young child is missing from a school field trip. Even worse to learn that the wrong child was taken. This twisty thriller ticks down the timeline as Kat moves through the nightmare that her life has become when her son Ethan goes missing. Although I did figure out who took the child before the end, the journey is still engrossing. Three Days Missing is another one of those books that you shouldn’t read ahead! My rating 4 out of 5.
*One of my favorite benefits of Amazon Prime is the FREE monthly Kindle books! Every month you’ll get to pick a free book (sometimes TWO) out of about 5 or 6 options. I’ve found some really terrific books this way and I love having a selection of books to read on my Kindle when I travel! Click on this link to try Amazon Prime with a special deal!
What’s the BEST book you’ve read recently? I need to beef up my to-be-read list as it’s getting a little slim! Please share in the comments!
PIN FOR LATER:
Thank you for sharing your reviews! I always love reading new books especially when someone I trust recommends them!
Thanks! I’m the exact same way.
I love the art book. How fun and great projects. Love the list of books. Thanks!
I thought it was such a good idea myself – we are ALL looking for indoor things to do these days!
I haven’t read any of these books, but your reviews have me sold. Gonna add them to the list!
Hope you enjoy them!
The art book is right up my alley. Looking for new ways to be creative! Thanks for the great list of books!
Thanks! I totally enjoyed them all.
These are all such great ideas! I’m adding Present Over Perfect to my 2021 reading list for sure!
Such a good one – and definitely check out Bread & Wine and Cold Tangerines from her also. Both fantastic.
Thanks for the suggestions! I haven’t read as much as I usually do this year, since starting my website but on my nightstand is “Dr. Zhivago, which I haven’t read in many years, and “Quiet”, which a friend loaned me, about introversion.
Both sound great – thanks for sharing!
I love reading book reviews. I am excited to read The Last Flight. I added it to my list.
I hope you enjoy it!
Ohhhh…I love when other readers post the best books to read! And a few sound really good – adding to my #tbr shelf!
Thanks! That’s how I find ALL my books – from other people’s reviews!
Present Over Perfect is one of the best books I’ve read. It’s easy to get caught up in nonsense.
So true! I agree that it’s a must-read for EVERYONE!
My daughter loves crafting, so Art Starts sounds like the perfect book to get us through this winter!
I’m hoping it will help our cabin fever!
It is Art Starts for me. I have some restless budding artists on my hands.
Perfect gift then!
Great book list, thank you for the suggestions!
Thanks!
Thanks! I’m always looking for new books to read!
Me too!
Sit With Me sounds like such a cute book to involve little ones in meditation. I love it! I also love the FREE monthly Kindle books with a membership. I need to remember to take advantage of that more often!
It’s super cute. I’m pretty good about downloading the books but then I don’t read them right away!
Such a variety of books. Lots of good recommendations.
Thanks! I love to read just about any genre!
I love Present Over Perfect! It is something I struggle with and I can tell from the title I need to read it!
Exactly why I picked it up! Same for me.
Present over Perfect sounds like just my kind of book plus one that would be great for gifts! Thanks for sharing this and others on your list.
It would make a fantastic gift – especially this year.
Great! I will share this with my book club!
Thanks!
I haven’t read any of these, but some would be great to present at my book club.
Love it!