Top Ten Books I Read in 2021

This was a surprisingly difficult list to make, as I've reread a LOT, and I never count rereads for these lists. And unfortunately, when it comes to new reads, it's been a bit of a 'meh' reading year this year. But fortunately I did find some new reads that were absolutely outstanding, and became instant favourites.
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Without a doubt the best book I've read all year. It blew me away and left me book-hungover in a way I haven't experienced in AGES! Am VERY glad to have gotten a physical copy of this one for my library!
Meet Me in the Margins - Melissa Ferguson An ARC I received earlier this year (it'll be out in February sometime). Really sweet romance with definite shades of "You've Got Mail". Loved it!
Call Me Maybe - Cara Bastone An Audible origins, meaning it was free with my subscription. Would absolutely have been worth money though. Another really sweet chick-lit that worked perfectly as an audiobook (read by two narrators). (The companion novel, "Sweet Talk" is also well worth listening to :-D )
If I Never Met You - Mhairi McFarlane Somehow I'd managed to get this far without ever coming across any of Mhairi McFarlane's books! HUGE mistake, and one I have made sure to remedy since then. This is by far my favourite, and yet another book that I immediately wanted to add to my physical library.
Boyfriend Material - Alexis Hall Very cute and charming book, that had me laughing out loud more than once. Apparently I'm a huge fan of faux romances ;-)
Whiteout- Adriana Anders Not very realistic, but a good yarn, so I enjoyed it all the same.
The Little Brooklyn Bakery - Julie Caplin Mostly on this list because it was such a charming depiction of NYC that it made me completely "homesick" for it. I'll have to reread it just before our next visit, as it included some (as far as I could tell) real places, I want to go see.
Magic Uncorked - Annabel Chase Definitely a matter of the right book at the right time, but a witch who does magic through cocktails? I am so there for it! Also, I love reading about people who learn how to polish their spine.
Blue - Audrey Faye Audrey Faye's new trilogy, "For the Love of Purple", is just as charming as pretty much everything else she has written. This is the second book in the trilogy, and definitely the one I liked best... possibly because I found it easier to identify with Blue than with both Indigo and Violet.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness Until now I had been less than impressed by Patrick Ness' books, but this is definitely the exception that proves the rule. The story is brilliantly written, with a clever use of "Easter eggs" that I didn't notice until a few chapters down the line, and then had to go back and reread bits and pieces to make sure I got it all.

Playlist 2021

So... this is an unusual year. I've actually been listening to a LOT of different music this year, so it's been a lot harder to boil it down to my usual 20'ish. However, as usual the playlist is heavily influenced by music that Lars and my colleagues have introduced me to ;-)


Hopefully the embedding will work, otherwise the link is here.

1. Truth Be Told - Matthew West feat. Carly Pearce I think this has been my 'anthem' for the year. Simon recommended it to me back at the start of the year, and it just hit all the right notes. (No pun intended). I cried the first time I heard it, but it's incredibly empowering and I love it.
I say, "I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, oh, I'm fine, hey, I'm fine"
But I'm not, I'm broken
And when it's out of control I say it's under control
But it's not and You know it
I don't know why it's so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There's no failure, no fall
There's no sin You don't already know
So let the truth be told

2. Revolutionary - Josh Wilson I believe this was a random find via Spotify, but it quickly became one of my favourites. I love both the lyrics and the beat of it. And as we're fighting the stigma of "Christians" who seem to have forgotten the golden rule, it seems very apropos.
Why does kindness seem revolutionary
When did we let hate get so ordinary
Let's turn it around, flip the script
Judge slow, love quick
God help us get revolutionary
....
What would Jesus do
He would love first
So we should love first

3. Steady - Natalie Layne Soooo.... I found this song on TikTok :-P And yes, I immediately went to Spotify to add it to my playlist there.

4. Quarantine Life - Matthew West .... come on, you know I had to!

5. Hindsight - Hillsong Young & Free There's always at least one song by Hillsong on these lists, and this year is no different. I love the lyrics here:
My God isn't finished yet
If He did it before He can do it again
So I'll trust Him with what comes next
For the God I know is known for faithfulness
...
My hindsight says I can trust Him with what's next.

6. Praying - Keiino Lars and I 'discovered' Keiino at a Eurovision song contest a few years ago, and Lars especially has been a fan of them ever since. Most of their songs I can take or leave, but this one I really like :-D

7. Over and Over - Riley Clemmons According to Spotify this was my no. 1 most played song this year! Guess that automatically earns it a spot on this list (even if it was mostly because it was one of the first songs I discovered). Also a recommendation from Simon.

8. survivin' - Bastille I always look forward to checking out Brenda's yearly playlists, because she always has some awesome songs on it. This was one of my favourites, mostly due to the lyrics. 2020 and 2021 has definitely required all of us to drawn on strengths we hadn't expected to.

9. OK Not To Be OK - Marshmello feat. Demi Lovato. Another song from Brenda. The title basically says it all, but the lyrics of the chorus ("... you feel too exhausted to pray") really spoke to me. This one and "Truth Be Told" has a lot of similarities and resonated with me for many of the same reasons.
When you're high on emotion
And you're losing your focus
And you feel too exhausted to pray
Don't get lost in the moment
Or give up when you're closest
All you need is somebody to say
It's okay not to be okay

10. Shake Yourself Loose - Vickie Winans Yes, I know that this is a blatant ripoff of "Shackles (Praise You)", but come on!!! How can you NOT dance in your seat when listening to it?!

11. Are You Lonely - Steve Aoki Lars has been listening to this as LOT this year. At first I couldn't quite decide what I thought of it, but it definitely grew on me :-)

12. Devil is a Liar - Colton Dixon Spotify is getting a LOT better at anticipating my tastes. This was on its "Weekly Spotify" list back in the summer sometime, and became an instant favourite.

13. Help Is On The Way - TobyMac I "discovered" TobyMac a few years ago, and knew I had to check out more of their music. This grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go again.
Well I've seen my share of troubles
But the Lord ain't failed me yet
So I'm holding on to the promise y'all
That He's rolling up His sleeves again.

14. Insane - Black GryphOn I think this was another TikTok discovery? Not quite sure (I need to get better at writing these things down!), and it has NO business being as catchy as it is! I've considered removing it from the list several times, but I just can't make myself. I know nothing of the story behind it, and haven't actually watched the channel it's based on, but I can't help it - it's stuck!

15. The Power of the Cross - Casting Crowns One of the best songs of worship I've found this year.

16. Fallin' (Adrenaline) - Why Don't We Wish I could remember where I found this, because I love it. It hits many of the same notes as some of NKOTB's newer music, so appeals immensly to my inner teenager :-D

17. 10 Years - Daði Freyr The band who should have won ESC 2020 performed again this year with a new song. It wasn't quite as good as last years' (and didn't win - although it did get quite far), but I still like it. The main singer wrote the lyrics about his wife, and they are just so sweet! ... and of course, there's the same unique sound that they introduced us to last year.
We've been together for a decade now
Still everyday I'm lovin' you more
If I could do it all again
I'd probably do it all the same as before.

18. Undeniable - Josh Wilson Simon has introduced me to even more awesome songs than usual this year, and this is one of the best ones. I know I try not to have multiple songs by the same artist on these playlists (yeah, I know - I'm really failing at that!), but this is SO different from "Revolutionary" that I had to add both of them.

19. One Step Away - Casting Crowns Like I said - failing! But Casting Crowns are awesome and deserve the recognition. And where the previous song was more worshipful and meditative in style, this one is just so hopeful. Michala recommended this to me earlier this year, and I was immediately annoyed that I hadn't listened to it ages ago.

20. Heartbeat - Beckah Shae Another recommendation from Simon. Very unusual style for a Christian song, but that just makes it all that much more catchy. This is an awesome stand-up-and-fight anthem :-D

21. Thank You Lord - Christ Tomlin I know many of the songs have been kinda sad or melancholic this year, so I figured this was a suitable end to the playlist. For everything you give me, I thank you Lord.
Praise up
Eyes closed
One thing I know
I just wanna thank You Lord.

October Readathon!

 T-2 (noon): I figured this was as good a time as any to get the Readathon progress post started. I've gotten the crockpots started (yes, two 😄 We're going to be 8 people, so I've borrowed Henriette's, and am making chicken fajitas in one and vegetarian chili in the other! ), picked out most of my books (although you KNOW I always end up changing my mind up until the very last minute) and am now trying to figure out how we're going to fit 8 people into our library! It'll be slightly more tight than usual 😉

The readathon starts at 2pm and the others will start to arrive in about an hour, so I'd better get some lunch. I'll try to remember to update regularly this time!

T-0 (almost 2pm: Everybody's here now, and it's time for the opening survey!

1. Where are you reading from today? My library, as per usual.... more specifically: Lyngby, Denmark.

2. List three random facts about yourself: We're 8 people, so that's going to take forever! We'll just do one each!

Mum: I'm a professional translator.

Dad: I can read upside down! (Maria: Yes! He used to do that when he read aloud to us!)

Maria: I can write with both hands at the same time.

Rosa: I just found a sock that I forgot here LAST readathon! Also, sometimes I pretend I can't speak English and speak Danglish instead.

Isabella: I'm allergic to cats, but that does not stop me from petting them!

Rebekka: I don't like coffee.

Henriette: Me neither!

Michala: I love coffee.

3. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the readathon?

Mum: Six

Dad: Two

Henriette: Two

Maria: 117

Rosa: Five

Isabella: Two on the table and all the ones on the shelves!

Rebekka: Four

Michala: Two

4. Which book are you going to start with?

Mum: Pastorale or Gone-Away Lake... haven't decided yet.

Dad: Arne Dahl's Skyggezone

Henriette: "Hvor der er vilje"

Maria: Ronja Robber's Daughter

Rosa: Bernstein Bears

Isabella: Also Bernstein Bears

Rebekka: Still making up my mind!!! Either "In a Holidaze" or "Library of the Dead"

Michala: What's Up Beanie?

5. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon?

Mum: To make time go by as slooooowly as possible.

Dad: To read?

Henriette: Same.

Maria: To read more than last time I guess?

Rosa: To read at least three books. Or finish the one I started last time.

Isabella: Decide which books to read?

Rebekka: To stay awake! (Rebekka came straight from a night shift)

Michala: That's my goal every time!

4pm: Two hours gone, and MOST of the snacks X-D We always go a bit nuts in the beginning ;-) Rosa and Isabella have both finished their Bernstein Bear chapter books, and I've just finished "Ronja Robber's Daughter" - probably my favourite Astrid Lindgren book ever! Now I need to figure out what to read next...

But first - the challenge of the hour.

Do you have any childhood comfort books that you still return to from time to time?

Michala: The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye

Rosa: Bernstein Bears - the originals, not the chapter books

Isabella: Harper Hall trilogy by Ann McCaffrey (Maria: YES!!! I love that one too!)

Rebekka: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Dad: Perhaps not any that I read myself, but when it comes to reading aloud to others, I love Winnie the Pooh.

Mum: The Little House series

Maria: Several... Little House, Narnia, Baby-Sitter's Club, Famous Five and many others!

5pm: Mum finished "Gone-Away Lake" and is now reading "If I never Met You" which she and Dad gave me for my birthday. It's good! :-D Rosa finished her second Bernstein Bear chapter book, and asked me to go look if there were any more questions for her to answer, so here goes...

Top 10 12 things about Readathons

1. Snacks!

2. Hygge!

3. Company

4. Guilt-free reading time!

5. Mixi: No kids (This caused Rosa to glare at her, so she rephrased, "None of MY kids.")

6. Rebekka: Bringing my kid!

7. Rosa: Being the smallest one here!

8. Being in a library with tons of good books.

9. Dad: sitting in this chair!

10. Maria's crock-pot dinner!

11. Relaxation!

12. Being together without finding it awkward that we don't have anything to talk about.

9pm: I finished my second book ("End of Summer" by Rosamunde Pilcher) just before dinner. Unfortunately, it was only okay (VERY unrealistic), so now I'm returning to a reread instead - the first "Dragon Kin" book by Audrey Faye & Shay Geary.

Next challenge:

What's book outside your comfort zone did you end up loving?

- Michala: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

- Isabella: Wonder or Anna and the French Kiss

- Rosa: Vildheksen

- Maria: Feed by Mira Grant. I had NOT expected for a book about zombies to become one of my favourites!

- Dad: Laurus

- Mum: "Until the End of the World"

What is the best book you've read so far in 2021?

- Henriette: A Gentleman in Moscow (reread)

- Rosa: Baby-Sitters Club (her auntie is SO happy that she FINALLY has a niece who's reading them!

- Rebekka: Call Me Maybe

- Michala and Maria: YES!!!

- Mum: "Return to Me" - Lynn Austin

- Isabella: My Hero Academia

- Claus: Dominion - Tom Holland

10am: And I'm back 😄 People started leaving between 9:30-10:30 last night, and as I had slept poorly the night before, I actually didn't last much longer after that either, and didn't wake up until 9am!! Must have needed the sleep! I finished "Dragon Kin" this morning, and am now reading "Last Night" by Mhairi Mcfarlane which my sisters gave me for my birthday. At 400 pages, it's a tad longer than I usually prefer for readathons, but I was in the mood for a new read by a known author, so there you go 🙂 I'll probably only just finish it before the readathon ends though.

Books Read: "Ronja Robber's Daughter" - Astrid Lindgren (192), "End of Summer" - Rosamunde Pilcher (160), "Dragon Kin: Sapphire & Lotus" - Audrey Faye (247)

Currently Reading "Last Night" - Mhairi McFarlane (managed 260 pages before 2pm)

Almost time for the April Readathon! 

  Hour 0 - Opening Survey!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Copenhagen, Denmark.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Rebekka: Under Currents - the only one in my stack.

Michala: I'm missing 10 minutes of my audiobook! Looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Rosa: Vildheksen! Bought specifically for today!

Dad: The same Agatha Christy I said last time, but never ended up reading!

Mum: Tre piger i en bil

Henni: The Secret Inheritance by Natasha Lester - also the only book in my stack!

Me: Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire - a Christmas present I saved for today!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Michala: Rebekka's macaroons!

Everybody else: SAME!!!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

We have an extra visitor this year - Rebekka's oldest daughter Rosa has decided to join us, and she has been looking SO much forward to it!!! She and Rebekka even arrived early because she COULD NOT WAIT any longer (according to Rebekka, she's been asking to come over since 6:30 this morning!!!)

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

Michala: Hopefully not getting a phone call that my son has to go in quarantine...

Rosa: Not reading alone!!!

Mum: Actually being here in person rather than over skype!

Dad: Yes, same!

Rebekka: Bring my daughter along!!!

Me: Nah, I've pretty much got it sorted by now ;)

Hour 2 Mixi finished her audiobook and then promptly decided to take a nap! ;-D One hour later, dad decided to follow suit - but then he does have the best chair of us all ;-) I'm just over halfway with "Come Tumbling Down" - have had a few problems settling down and getting properly into reading, but that's definitely not the fault of the book - it's just as good as I had expected it to be.

Hour 24 Completely forgot all about updating here. I didn't get quite as much reading done as usual - actually only finished two books - but there was more talking than usual (Rosa couldn't quite keep her focus for the entire time, but she managed admirably, until she fell fast asleep at 9pm!) and unlike most readathons, I didn't pick my book back up on Sunday morning. I loved having Rosa there though, and hope she'll want to join us again another time. It was also great to have Henni back! She's a great addition to the tradition :-D

Books read: "Come Tumbling Down" - Seanan McGuire, "The Strangers" - Margaret Peterson Haddix

Playlist for 2020

Direct link in case the embedding doesn't work

Perfect Disaster - Drew Sycamore
Lars has been listening to this a lot, and it's totally grown on me.

Already There - Casting Crowns
There as to be at least one song recommended to me by Simon on these lists, and this year is no exception. I love Casting Crowns, and the lyrics to this one just got to me. "When I'm lost in the mystery / To You, my future is a memory / 'Cause You're already there"

Courtesy Call - Thousand Foot Krutch
A Canadian Christian rock band. I'd never heard of them myself, but a friend from work played it for me because he figured I ought to know of them.

Hard to Be the Bard - Christian Borle
I found this via tumblr and was immediately hooked! I've never seen the musical it's from, but have seen Christian Borle in other things, and absolute adore him :-D

You're Welcome - Dwayne Johnson
After having watched the two new "Jumanji" movies, I've become a total Dwayne Johnson fangirl. Anybody who can make THAT much fun of himself is A-OK with me :D Then I saw him singing "You're Welcome" to his daughter, and I was sold ♥

Lions - Skillet
Terrify the Dark - Skillet
Two more recommendations from Simon. I kept waffling about which one to keep on here and could NOT make up my mind - so both it is :-D Somehow he always knows exactly what I need to listen to. Skillet is definitely not my usual fare, but they have a few songs that I love.

Good Grace - Hillsong
We started singing this in church right when the services went virtual. The start "People, come together" got me every time - not to mention "God is madly in love with you" :-)

Me Without You - TobyMac
Think I got this off the "War Room" sound track, although I'm pretty sure I've heard it before that. It's foot-tappingly good :D

Impossible - Building 429
We're never given the spirit of fear Only the power of love We'll keep on running and not grow weak His strength is more than enough
Also from the "War Room".
When we trust the God of miracles. There's no such thing as impossible.". Amen!

Break My Heart - Dua Lipa
Lars listened to this a lot at the start of the year. I was immediately hooked.

You've Always Been - Unspoken
Before my heart knows what to pray You've already made a way, Jesus You've been my Savior, Sustainer, when I'm at my end My Healer, Redeemer, again and again Everything I've needed Lord, You've always been
Another recommendation from Simon. I've reminded myself of this over and over again when life seemed bleak.

Wake Up - Julie and the Phantoms
My newest obsession - I had a really hard time picking out which song to use here (I also adore "Flying Solo"), but this was the song that made me fall in love with the show, so it had to be this one. If you haven't yet seen the Netflix series - what are you waiting for?!?!?

The Other Side - SZA & Justin Timberlake
The music from Trolls has absolutely no place being as good as it is.

Mama - Clean Bandit & Ellie Goulding
There HAS to be a Clean Bandit on this list apparently :-D It's one of the few artists who's a favourite of BOTH Lars' and mine.

Think About Things - Dadi Freyr
Iceland's entry at the did-not-happen Eurovision Song Contest. I didn't like it much at first, but it totally grew on me. Though the contest itself was cancelled, all the songs were aired in two long live streams on Youtube, so Lars and I could keep up our tradition of watching and commenting :-D

Story of My Life - Lesley Roy
Ireland's Entry to the ESC-that-wasn't and my personal favourite. I know it's a total Katy Perry rip-off, but....

Yes - Ben & Tan
Denmark's entry. I almost left this out of the list, but the more I listened to it, the more I loved it.

UNO - Little Big
Russia's entry and probably Lars' favourite. I cannot count how many times he's listened to this since! Their music videos are very much in the "I don't know how to process this!" category - this one and "Hypnodance" especially.

Banana Boat Song - Harry Belafonte
During the first lockdown, a friend from work set up a discord voice channel for a bunch of us, so we'd have a bit of company. It worked like a charm, and we got to share some of our favourite songs as well! (There's a bot that allows you to play music). This was his contribution, and I'm surprisingly fond of it.

They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV
Another friend from work introduced me to this one. It never fails to make me laugh!