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.