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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COOKBOOK REVIEW: Spiced by America's Test Kitchen

One of my goals this year is to read and cook from twenty new to me cookbooks. My first of the year was Spiced, a book I had really high hopes for because it’s from America’s Test Kitchen.

And this book did not let me down. I loved the look of all the recipes and really liked how they included many sauces, spice mixes, and dips since that’s what most of my cooking consists of these days.

There were many things I would have loved to cook, but the only recipe I had everything on hand for was the Sriracha salt. It was very easy to make, and smelled amazing. I can’t wait to try it on popcorn and scrambled eggs.

Even though I really enjoyed flipping through this book I probably won’t buy my own copy. I would need to buy so many specialty spices and new pieces of equipment that it’s just not practical.

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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REVIEW: Jihadi Bride by Alastair Luft

Jihadi Bride by Alastair Luft is the intense story of Erik, a member of the High-Risk Traveler Task Force in Canada, and his daughter Arielle who travels to Syria to work with the terrorist group the Islamic Caliphate, thus becoming one of the people her father has dedicated his career to stopping. Erik will stop at nothing to get his daughter back, even if it means leaving his own organization to travel to Syria and recover her himself.

Overall, I liked this book. I was quite invested in Arielle's story, but found Erik's story to be a little off putting and choppy.  This would make a good book for beach reading, or for reading on a long flight. I would look for other books by this author when I am in the mood for something that is fast paced and thrilling.

Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. You can get it for free on Kindle Unlimited right now. Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

My Recommendations for the Best Books of the Decade

Two things happened this month. First I decided I should really do over my recommendations page. Then I started seeing lists of the best books of the decade. The two came together in my mind, and I started in on a project to re-read all of my favorite books from the last decade to see if they held up enough to recommend.

Luckily I’ve kept pretty good track of my reading, and was able to find one or many books from each year in the last decade.

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

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Books To Read In December

Water skiing Santas, of course

December can be a great or awful reading month depending on how over-scheduled it gets. Some years I have plenty of time to stay up late, baking cookies, and listening to audiobooks or reading by the tree. Other years I’m so brain dead the only thing I can manage is watching the Christmas episode of West Wing Season 2 over and over again while eating candy canes.

If you do end up with the more relaxed version of December this year here are some titles I recommend.

The Farm by Tom Rob Smith - Mysterious, and snowy, and atmospheric. Perfect for reading on a cold night. If you like Ruth Ware give this lesser known title a try.

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan - If you spend the holidays thinking about family dynamics and appreciating your mother for making everything seem so damn effortless when you were a kid this book is for you. Buy one for yourself and buy an extra copy for your mom.

Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine - This is the perfect audiobook to listen to if you have a long night planned in the kitchen. It is so fun and funny.

When Books Went To War by Molly Manning - This book is really interesting, and also something perfectly acceptable to talk to your boss about if you get cornered at the company Holiday Party.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy - The perfect cozy read to lose yourself in for a day.

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Homemade gifts for bookworms

Bookworms are easy to buy Christmas gifts for. Shopping list: books. Check. Done. However I love to pair books (or gift cards for books) with a little something homemade to make my gift more personal. Here are some of my favorite ideas.

Bath salts

Luxurious Lavender Bath Salts

Custom Homemade Bath Salts

DIY Calming Detoxing Bath Salts

Bookmarks

25 Creative DIY Bookmark Ideas

How to Make Unique Bookmarks

42 Chic and Playful DIY Bookmarks

Hot chocolate

How To Make Hot Chocolate Mix (Pioneer Woman)

Alton Brown’s Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

Ornaments

DIY Book Ornaments

Hand Made Book Print Ornaments

19 Christmas Ornaments for Book Lovers

Reading journal

Easy DIY Reading Journal

10 Creative DIY Journals For Kids

Happy crafting!

November Show Us Your Books!

I read a lot in October, but because it was mostly dedicated to reading for the Scarathlon on Litsy I fell like just read one long book. I enjoyed the experience, but I glad to be reading with more variety in November. My October reading highlights are below. (And because I’m in a mood, one lowlight.)

I’m Your #1 Fan

Misery by Stephen King - I haven’t read this book since high school, and I forgot how good it is. Plus it didn’t take six years to read like some of King’s other books. I’m one of Stephen King’s constant readers, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a succinct book with a good ending every now and then!

Life Is a Mystery

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - This is only the second Christie book I’ve ever read, and I was surprised by how funny it was. I wasn’t laughing with tears coming out of my eyes, but some of the comments and observations has me chuckling on the metro in a way that made others think twice about sitting next to me.

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny - This is another book that has escaped my re-reading habits until now. I’m glad I went back to this one though because this is the one where a lot of the later, wonderful story lines start to take shape.

Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear - These are serviceable mysteries for when I don’t have any Louise Penny books to read. I’d like to get through the series, but I don’t feel any particular rush. In this one Maisie goes back to France for the first time since WWI, and Hitler is beginning to stir in Germany.

Creepiness

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest - A good old fashioned ghost story. It could have been better if I actually cared about the characters, but the creepiness was definitely there.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware - Ruth Ware writes a certain type of book, and this one stuck to theme. The main character is desperate for money, and thinks her problems are solved when she gets a letter informing her of an inheritance she’s not entitled to. She just has to travel to a creepy old house to pick it up. Not Earth shattering, but a great twisty read for when you feel like crawling under a blanket.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - Another spooky old house in this one. I got this to read with my daughter, but it was a bit too much for her. I liked it though so I ended up finishing it on my own. Coraline wishes her parents paid more attention to her, but realizes that they might not be so bad when she finds another set of parents.

I Give Up

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy - Way too much detail about submarines, and not enough action. I bailed after 50 pages. Should I go back or let this one go?

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Non-Fiction November

I know I was just complaining about theme reading, and now here I’m talking about another monthly reading scheme I signed up for.

But, but, my TBR! I swear this will help.

This month I’m taking part in Non-Fiction November (hashtag #NFNov on Litsy.)

I have so many non-fiction books I have started, but haven’t finished. My planned stack is in the picture above, audio on top and paper on bottom. Plus I might have one or two saved to the kindle app on my phone.

Anyone else taking part in Non-Fiction November?

You might also like:

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Old Dog, New Reading Tricks

Last month I took part in my first ever Buddy Read. Basically it’s like school where the read leader chops a book up into sections, and tells you how much you should read each week. By the end of the month you will have finished the book, and you can discuss it with other readers. By sticking to the schedule you all finish right around the same time, and no one spoils anything for anyone else.

At the same time my 6th grader came home with a notice about his first ever book report. My son is not one to sit down with a good book and read the day away, so I helped him create a reading schedule to hit all of the milestones he needs to, just like with the buddy read.

After that it occurred to me that I have a huge stack of books I’m having trouble finishing, either because they’re long and all of my other books get jealous when I spend so much time away from them, or because the subject matter is heavy and I can’t take them in large doses. I realized that since the buddy read technique worked well for me, I could try it with some of these books.

My first test will be Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. It’s a novel about the Vietnam War, so it’s both full of heavy subject matter and very long. I started yesterday, and will be sure to report back on how it goes!

You might also like:

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Books To Read In November

Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen - Cold, and dark, and spooky. It’s everything a November read should be.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - This tenderhearted book is perfect for reading under a blanket.

Start Without Me by Joshua Max Feldman - This is one of the few books I’ve ever read that takes place on Thanksgiving, and it’s a good one.

I’ll Be There For You by Kelsey Miller - This book is filled with nostalgia. Perfect for November!

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin - Complicated families make for great reading this time of year.

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Books About Andrew Johnson

Certain events that you may have heard about in the news have had me wanting to read about Andrew Johnson lately. Turns out there haven’t been a whole lot of books written about him. You’d think he’s boring, but he’s not. He was kind of a disaster as a president- drunk at his vice presidential inauguration, very racist, didn’t play well with others, but he was anything but boring.

I’ve found interesting snippets about him in Accidental Presidents and Where They Stand. The Impeachers is coming up soon on my TBR. I also really enjoyed the Andrew Johnson episode of The Presidential Podcast.

What are you reading in response to current events?

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The Trouble With Theme Reading

This month I’ve been taking part in a reading challenge on Litsy. The goal is to earn points for my team by reading as many books about Halloween and dark and twisty mysteries as I can. It’s been fun, and I’ve met some great people, but boy am I tired of unreliable narrators and psychopaths. There are still 8 days left in October, and I’m not sure I’m going to make it to the finish line.

This isn’t a job, and my team will win nothing but bragging rights, but also I live in fear of letting people down. That said, if I read any more about murder I might never read again. (My solution- re-read the Baby-Sitters’ Club. Not a super good use of my time.)

Does anyone else have these problems reading on theme? Right now I can’t wait for it to be November so I can curl up with something cozy.

Show Us Your Books October

Free image from Unsplash. The water damage to the book upsets me, but the apple and book image suits my mood, so I’m trying to let it go.

So, internet gremlins ate my first attempt at putting up a Show Us Your Books post, and I was ready to just skip this month because those types of things always happen when I have huge projects at work requiring all my brain cells. But September was such an amazing reading month I couldn’t not talk about it.

The best of the bunch

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.

A Good Punch In the Guts

The Return by Hisham Matar - A nonfiction book about a man who returns to Libya to find his father who was imprisoned twenty-one years before. Very moving and educational.

American Fire by Monica Hesse - This book was fascinating. A deep dive into a series of arsons that occurred on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I’ve been recommending this to all my book friends this week.

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.

After the End by Clare Mackintosh - What happens when two parents don’t agree on the care of their terminally ill child? So many questions, so few answers. Once I started this book I couldn’t stop.

And A Little Adventure To Keep Things Fun

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis - Jennifer Pharr Davis set the speed record for hiking the Appalachian Trail a few years ago, but this is the hike before that one. Very interesting to see what she went through alone on the trail.

Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson - In this one Bill Bryson attempts to go all around England using public transportation. It’s not as bombastic as some of his later books, and I appreciated that. He reads the audiobook himself, which I also appreciated.

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REVIEW: Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice McFadden

Every year I take myself to the bookstore on Christmas Eve, and buy myself a book. This was my Christmas Eve book last year, and I got around to reading it in early January. I started it in the morning, and all day I was very crafty about avoiding my to-do’s so that I could keep reading this book.

This book is a lot more hopeful than it sounds like. It’s the story of Abeo, a little girl in West Africa, who is left at a religious shrine by her father to atone for the crimes of his ancestors.

The subject is horrifying. Ritual servitude is basically sex slavery, and the tale starts when Abeo is only nine. (Not that it would be an easy subject to take at any age.) You know from the beginning that she eventually escapes, and Abeo’s journey from slavery to healing is truly unputdownable despite reading about the hard things she endures.

I highly recommend this quick and compelling read.