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.

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

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:

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

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.

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