Show Us Your Books April 2020

Channeling my inner Pete The Cat

Just another average reading month for me. Nothing exciting happening. How about you?

Most of my March reading took place before social distancing took place. You would think that staying at home most of the time would lead to an increase in reading, but my brain is scribble scrabble. Obviously 2020 isn’t turning out to be the year to care about reading goals or challenges. In the mean time I’m doing puzzles, making bread, and working in the yard.

Here are a few things I did manage to finish:

My favorites

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - This is the one book I did manage to finish in the first few weeks of staying at home. The world of Anne is so comforting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I feel lucky to just be discovering this series now.

The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede - It was inspiring to me to read about how people came together during another time of crisis.

Good Stories To Pass The Time

Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce - Mrs. Ford is living the good life until the FBI shows up. If you like the twists of Ruth Ware books I think you’ll like this one too.

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - This one is getting a lot of good reviews, and I think they’re deserved. It starts with an abduction of two sisters in Russia, but the book itself is only slightly related to the abductions. Instead we get a story each month about others in the community which of course includes mention of the missing sisters. It’s very interesting how it all comes together. I had to return it to the library, but if I hadn’t I would have read it again right away once I knew how it all fit together.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett - Good, old-fashioned girl power YA dystopia. Give it a try of you like that kind of thing.

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Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. Now more than ever I need my walks to stay sane. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

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Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to stick to the same routes, but each day I see something new. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to stick to the same routes, but each day I see something new. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

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My New Reading Garden

My reading garden is finally starting to take shape

One of my goals this year was to create a reading garden. It was hard work clearing out all of the bushes and ivy that were in this corner, but I’m so happy with the result. I can’t wait to spend the summer reading on that bench!

Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to stick to the same routes, but each day I see something new. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to stick to the same routes, but each day I see something new. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

March Show Us Your Books

I have a ridiculous amount of books out of the library right now. I’m not sure what happened. I had been doing such a good job of keeping on top of my holds.

February was a good reading month for me. I’m doing a #AuthorAMonth challenge on Litsy, so took a deep dive into Colson Whitehead. Also, current events seem to be strongly impacting my reading choices.

Here are the best books I read last month:

Best of the Best

(One fiction, one non)

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - I think most people know what this book is about by now, so I won’t re-tell the synopsis. After reading two other books by Whitehead earlier in the month I didn’t think I would like this, but it really is a masterpiece. I’m so glad I finally read it.

On the Clock by Emily Guendelsberger - My co-worker suggested this because she knew I had liked Nickel and Dimed. Sure enough I was fascinated by this updated version where a woman works at Amazon, a call center, and McDonalds. This book seems especially powerful in light of all the conversations we’ve been having lately about lack of paid sick leave.

It’s the End of the World As We Know It

(Where my Twitter feed and the daily news subliminally impacts what I read.)

The Stand by Stephen King - Stephen King’s plague book. My copy is an old, beaten up paperback that doesn’t include the expanded versions from the 1990’s. Sorry King purists, but I prefer it that way. I think it’s a better, cleaner story for the editing.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice - This book was interesting- a total breakdown of society as experienced by a First Nation tribe. When phone, internet, and services are cut off they think it’s a normal interruption and go about living as they normally would. Eventually they find out it’s something more.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead - This is Whitehead’s zombie apocalypse book, although I read it as more tongue and cheek. Maybe I’m just not deep enough, but I kept feeling like there was more to the story than I was getting.

Vox by Christina Dalcher - This dystopian novel had an excellent premise. In the not too distant future the US has become extremely conservative to the point where women and girls are only allowed to speak 100 words a day. Unfortunately after a impactful opening the book just kind of fizzled. However this book did give me the momentum to finally get my real ID, renew my passport, and check on my voter registration. So there’s that.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - My second post-plague book of the month, I read this as part of my project re-read. This book gets a lot of hype for good reason.

And a Few More Good Books Worth Talking About

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - Another book for project re-read. I think I said this last month too, but more and more I’m really starting to appreciate books that feature older people having lives and maybe even falling in love.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - This one was a ROLLER COASTER. A girl inherits a house and a whole lot of baggage. Read this if you’re a fan of Ruth Ware.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - Again, I feel like I’m probably the last person to have read this so I won’t re-tell the plot. I’ll just say the world building and magical realism in this YA chunkster were great fun. I’ve read that the next book in the series isn’t as good, and I’m bummed. I’ll still give it a try though.

We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg - One of my favorite themes in books is families we’re born into and families we make. This book had that in spades, and was just the feel good palate cleanser I needed during the doom and gloom of last month.

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Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to stick to the same routes, but each day I see something new. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

Books To Read In March

March to me means gardening, new beginnings, travel, and a little bit of romance. If you’re also thinking along those lines here are some books I can recommend for March.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

Walking Wednesday

Audiowalking is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to stick to the same routes, but each day I see something new. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.

I listened to:

And I saw:

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

Show Us Your Books Feb. 2020

My cat passed away last month, and that has seriously damped my ability to enjoy books. Is reading on the couch even reading if you don’t have a cat practicing yoga moves on your knee? I’ll miss him forever, but hopefully I’ll get back to my love of reading soon. Until then know I am probably being unnecessarily grumpy about some of these books.

My Best Read of the Month

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso - Someone described this as woke Golden Girls, which I thought was pretty funny and also accurate. Two sworn enemies live next door to each other have to put their differences aside when they realize they need each other. For those like me who have been seeking out books with characters over 40 who actually do things more interesting that drinking tea and giving advice give this one a read.

Great For Winter Reading On The Couch

The Gown by Jennifer Robson - A good story matched with good information about England after WWII.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - I almost put this down because of a lack of quotation marks, but I’m glad I ended up sticking with it. It’s a sweet story about families - the ones you’re born with and the ones you create.
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - Another sweet story about families. If you like Backman you’ll like this book. If you don’t skip it.

Operation Re-Read

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - I really, really loved this book when I first read it, and I still love it today. It was where I first learned about the danger of mitigating language and that I should trust my years of practice.
A Better Man by Louise Penny - I read this really quickly when it first came out, and wanted to read it again but slower. My initial assessment stands- not the best Gamache but still a decent read.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I am in awe of Fitzgerald’s ability to say so much with just a few words. This is a yearly read for me, but to be honest I might pull it out again in a few months. That’s how much I love this book.

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Audiowalking

I love walking this time of year, always with an audiobook playing in my ears. Some days are so dreary and gray, and then all of the sudden it will get ten degrees warmer and flowers will start poking through. Then the next day it might all be covered in snow again.

Spring is coming soon!

My 2020 Reading Goals

Every year I set way too many reading goals, and I don’t meet half of them. That’s okay - I have fun setting the goals and then give them up when I stop having fun meeting them. After all reading is my hobby not my job.

This year I set three new goals:

• Read 200 books (around 16 or 17 books a month)

• Read books from 20 different countries

• Read 20 new to me cookbooks and cook at least one recipe from each one

I also took note of a few reading challenges. Mr. Book on Litsy, the Reading Women Challenge, and Modern Mrs. Darcy’s challenges all caught my eye. I’ll cross check each of these lists against what I read, but probably won’t seek out any books to finish them.

I also keep track of states I’ve read from and like to see if I can read a book that begins with each letter of the alphabet.

Oh, and I have my project re-read to work on, and I really should finally read In Cold Blood. Not to mention the 50 new releases I have on hold at the library, and the 10 audiobooks I’ve anxiously been waiting for on Libby.

So yeah, 2020 should be a pretty good reading year. I can’t wait to see what happens!

Show Us Your Books January 2020

Winter sports have started which means a lot of my reading takes place at the ice rink now.

It never fails. As soon as I hit publish on my list of favorites from 2019 I read 3 amazing books. Don’t get me wrong, too many amazing books is a good problem to have, but I feel bad for my books. I hope they know they are all my favorites in their own way.

Should have been on my best of 2019 list

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - This read like a warning to us all, with a glimpse of a silver lining. It’s not too late, but you need to pay attention. I was worried this sequel would be awful, but I liked it quite a bit.
The River by Peter Heller - A lot of the reviews on this book went back and forth on if it should be called a thriller. The tension of people vs. nature plus the constant threat of a hidden adversary thrilled me.
Stoner by John Williams - This book shows up a lot on lists of classics you probably haven’t read. I finally read it for a book club and thought it was wonderful. It sounds boring if I describe it - the story of an undistinguished man’s life, but Williams wrote with such a thoughtful melancholy and I loved it.

Audiobooks that got me through December

Cookies don’t bake themselves, and I needed the help of some good audiobooks.

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - A good story that kept me guessing until the end. However I probably wouldn’t recommend this on audio because the narrator mispronounced all of the Massachusetts names and it drove me nuts.
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem - Another one that kept me guessing. However this one worked especially well on audio. If you tried to read this and couldn’t get into it because of the main characters ticks you might want to try it again.
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - Completely bananas. I couldn’t believe this was a true story. If you think you know workplace drama, give this one a try. Woah.

Just as good the second time around

Part of project re-read

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline - Once again this book ripped out my heart and crumpled it up like an old piece of paper. It’s very similar to Stoner now that I think about it.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I’ve been seeing this book everywhere lately, and I’m so glad it’s getting the love it deserves.

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Books To Read In January

It’s A Brand New Year!

Happy New Year! It’s time to get a fresh start on everything- life, work, reading challenges…

My recommendations for January 2020 reading:

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - This is the book you need if you want to understand how to meet your New Years resolutions. Buy this book - you’ll want to return to it again and again.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman - A book about hockey, but also so much more. This took me about 100 pages to get into, but after that I couldn’t stop.
Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazarus Dean - A trip back in time to the last days of the Space Shuttle program. It’s a great reminder of why we love space travel, and a reminder to embrace whatever makes us geek out.
Good Cheap Eats by Jessica Fisher - If you want to cook more and/or save money this year this is the book for you. This is good, inexpensive, family pleasing food.
Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay - If you get snowed in this is the perfect book to spend the day on the couch with. It’s a remake of the classic Dear Daddy Long Legs, which in itself is worthy of spending a day on the couch with.

And a few new releases I’m looking forward to reading soon:

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Books To Read When You're Having A Bad Day At Work

A rainbow out my office window last week.

A popular New Year’s Resolution is to get a new job. Sometimes though you don’t need a new job. You just need to get some perspective on why your current job isn’t so bad. Here are four books to read when you feel like you just can’t take it another day.

The Martian by Andy Weir - Coworkers a pain, and your to-do list got you down? At least your co-workers didn’t leave you on Mars trying to figure out how to survive.

The Travelers by Chris Pavone - Sometimes your boss will ask you to do things that don’t seem to fall within your job description. In The Travelers Will is just trying to write an article about Argentina when he gets recruited to be a spy.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - This book is completely bananas. Most people are used to signing non-disclosure agreements, but what about non-disclosure agreements that cover previous non-disclosure agreements, threats against your family, and being followed by private investigators?

Breaking and Entering by Jeremy N. Smith - It’s scary to think about being hacked, and in this book you can see how someone could charm you right into it.

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2019 Show Us Your Books

2019 was a very prolific reading year. I listed to more than 70 audiobooks this year, loved biographies of people I don’t agree with politically, and learned I really love graphic novel adaptations of the classics. I read 20 five star books, and they were all really good, but when it was time to pick my favorite I had a hard time. Here’s my best effort, but be warned that it will take me a while to get there.

Re-Reads

Here’s what I wrote when I first read these:

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline -- If you have ever felt like you're invisible, or taken for granted by the people around you, I think you'll really feel for the main character in this book. (Even as she makes bad choices.) I appreciated that this wasn't the usual artist has affair with muse story.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman -- I listened to this book about a grumpy old man for the Imaginary Book Club. It had been on my TBR forever, and I was so glad for the push to get to it. It's great on audio if for no other reason than to get the correct pronounciation of Ove.

The Martian by Andy Weir - I've been embracing the spirit of Mark Watney lately when faced with tasks that seem impossible. If he could get off Mars, I can get my work projects done.

Audiobooks

My first impressions:

City of Thieves by David Benioff - This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. Two men in Leningrad during WWII set off to find some eggs. It’s horrifying and sad, but also oh so funny. Highly, highly, highly recommend.

Save Me A Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan - My son and I both wished it were longer.

Save me the Plums by Ruth Reichl - This book was a great peek into the workings of Gourmet Magazine, told by someone who clearly loved her job. I also loved the insights into how a working mom with a demanding job made it work.

Non-Fiction

My thoughts:

50 Great American Places by Brent Glass — Highly recommended for anyone who will take a detour when they see a brown sign on the highway.

Hoover by Kenneth Whyte — This book completely changed what I thought about Herbert Hoover. An amazing biography about an amazing life.

Betty Ford by Lisa McCubbin — An amazing book about an amazing woman.

Fiction

My twenty second reviews:

The Boat People by Sharon Bala - This was a timely and relevant book. Highly recommend for anyone interested in issues facing refugees coming to the US and Canada. (One note: the lack of quotation marks was distracting, but I was able to get past it because the story was good.)

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza — Beautiful and heartbreaking. This one will stay with me for a long time.

The Kite Runner Graphic Novel by Khaled Hosseini — The Kite Runner (Graphic Novel) by Khaled Hosseini - This leaves a few big chunks of the novel out, but still packs an emotional punch. I liked it a lot.

Drum roll please: my very favorite

This is the one I keep coming back to, and the one I think I’ll still remember in ten tears.

Thank you all for giving me a place to talk about books this year! Here’s to happy reading in 2020!

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Books I'm Gifting This Year

Getting up at 4 am isn’t so bad when you get to look at this.

The elves have been busy buying books for the people in my family. Here’s what they got:

My 9 year old loves these books, and I was happy to find one about Lucille Ball who seems to be a kindred spirit.

My 11 year old son is a budding cook, so I am trying to encourage that since I get dinner out of it once a week at least.

It’s a weird thing when I’ve read a history book that my husband hasn’t, so I got it for him for Christmas.

Happy holidays all!

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December Show Us Your Books

My cat can be slightly distracting…

November was a good reading month. I took part in Non-fiction November on Litsy, and really enjoyed myself. I also started in on my project to re-read my favorite books of the last decade.

These are my notable books from November. Check back on December 27th for a round up of my favorite books of the year!

Best of the Month

It’s All Relative by A.J. Jacobs - I grabbed this book on a whim from the Libby app, and ended up loving it. Author A.J. Jacobs falls down the rabbit hole of genealogy and ends up trying to plan a family reunion for everyone he’s related to which turns out to be pretty much everyone on earth. Funny, interesting, and touching- a great audiobook read by the author.

Non-Fiction Audiobooks That Kept Me Company While Raking Leaves and Baking Pies

Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America by Jared Cohen - I started reading this book because of my current obsession with Andrew Johnson, and ended up really enjoying the whole thing. Presidential psychology is one of my favorite things to read about, and it turns out Vice Presidential psychology is just as interesting. There’s also a lot in here about how hard it is to go from a position that is essentially considered a show piece to running a whole country (and you thought you had a bad day at work.)

Me by Elton John - This had everything you’d want in a celebrity autobiography: gossip, name dropping, outlandish outfits, descriptions of how famous songs came to be, and a few touching moments. I love that Eton John doesn’t take himself too seriously.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel - Listening to this I kept thinking about how my college trip to the Louvre was wasted on my 21 year old self. I had no idea what those precious works of art had to go through to hang in that museum.

Project Re-Read

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and Brooklyn by Colm Toibin are both still the punches in the gut I remember them to be. They’ll both stay on my favorites list.

And A Few More Current Reads That I Liked A Lot

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones - Two girls from different backgrounds are forced together when a race riot breaks out at their high school football game. Similar to, but not as good as The Hate U Give; it’s still well worth the read.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Homes - I loved Linda Holmes in her Television Without Pity days, and was really excited to read her debut novel. This was a solid story about Evvie and her journey after her husband who she didn’t like very much died. I listened to the audio which was well done.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - Lisa See is a go to author for me, and this was no exception. If you enjoy books about friendships between women read this book.

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