My Complete 2021 Book List

Introduction

This blog post contains a complete list of all the books I read in 2021. I finished all the books I began reading this year except for two for various reasons, which I listed next to them on my book list. This brings me to a total of 32 books read this year. As in past years, I read more fiction than non-fiction, but the non-fiction books I read I generally found helpful and encouraging, or informative and interesting, depending on the genre.

My book list doesn’t include the children’s books I read out loud to the kids, just the books I read on my own or initiated reading out loud to the kids. As far as books the kids enjoyed this year, their favorites include Fancy Nancy and Pete the Cat, the Little Bear series by Else Holmelund Minarik, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Horton Hatches the Egg, and Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss, James Herriot’s Treasury for Children, Gracie’s Garden by Lara Casey, My ABC Bible Verses by Susan Hunt, and The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories. Samuel began reading on his own, and is working his way through ‘the big Pooh book,’ which is Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Storybook Collection. I like the original Winnie-the-Pooh books better, but this book is much less intimidating for a beginning reader!

The fiction books I enjoyed reading the most this year were those in the Wilderking Trilogy and Homer Price. You can’t beat Dobro Turtlebane; he’s one of my all-time favorite characters in a story, ever. Homer Price views the town of Centerburg and it’s residents, including some of his own family members, with simplicity, charm, and humor. And, you can’t beat Robert McCloskey’s illustrations. They’re comical and sweet.

The non-fiction books I appreciated the most this year were The Seven Laws of Teaching and Live Not By Lies. The Seven Laws of Teaching provides an excellent base for any type of instruction, for beginner and veteran teachers alike. Live Not By Lies helped me understand what’s going on in our country and how to react to it from a biblical worlview. The book also inspired me to write some stories of my own.

Do you have a favorite book or two you read this year? Please share with us in the comments. I love to hear about the books you’re reading.

My Book List

Books I Began Reading Last Year, and Finished This Year:
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman (continued from November 2020—great)
Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher (continued from December 2020–great)
Worthy by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Andrew Schumacher (continued from December 2020–okay)
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (continued from last year sometime–great)

January
The Peasant’s Dream by Melanie Dickerson (nope)
The Door Before by N.D. Wilson (great)
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (great)
Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson (great)
The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson (great–my second time reading through the 100 Cupboards series)

February
The Wisdom Pyramid by Brett McCracken (okay–I’m still not done reading it, and I probably won’t finish it; I’ve read more helpful books on the same topic)
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (great)
The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory (great–I read this as part of my teacher development)

March
The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers (twice! once to myself, once out loud to Samuel–great)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (great)

April
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (great)
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (great)

May
Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (great)
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (great–my second time reading through the Wingfeather Saga)
The Secret of the Swamp King by Jonathan Rogers (great)
Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Aimee Byrd (nope–I agree with her overall message, but not enough of the details to make it a worthwhile read)

June
None Like Him by Jen Wilkin (great–read as part of a women’s summer Bible study at church)
Right Ho, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse (okay–incredibly funny, but sometimes the humor is too much)
The Way of the Wilderking by Jonathan Rogers (great)

July
Frontier Ways: Sketches of Life in the Old West by Edward Everett Dale (great–the old West is fascinating)
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (great–so fun to read about one of my favorite movies)
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell (great)

August
Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (okay–they could have used fewer words to express the same ideas; I did enjoy all the personal stories)
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell (great)
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse by Cressida Cowell (great)
Preparing Children for Marriage by Josh Mulvihill (great–I’m about half way through)

September
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale by Cressida Cowell (great)
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (great)

October
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (great)
How to Train Your Dragon: A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell (great)
Teachers, Curriculum, Control: A ‘World’ of Difference by Daniel Smithwick (great)

November
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey (great–one of my favorite authors and illustrators)

December
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm by Cressida Cowell (great for me, okay for Samuel–the books get more intense at this point in the series, so I have to edit a little more as I read)
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (nope–I was grossed out within the first chapter; I might try reading the book again because I do have a few students who really like the series)

Books I Read Portions Of:
Repairing the Ruins, edited by Doug Wilson (reading as part of my teacher development)
Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin (reading as part of The Habit)
Sojourner Songs by Ben Palpant
David’s Crown: Sounding the Psalms by Malcolm Guite
Hope is the Thing with Feathers: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
The Poetry of Robert Frost

Happy reading, dear readers, and thank you for choosing to read Teacher by Nature.