- The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton and Laura Hardin. Stop everything you are doing right now and read this book. I read this for my book group, and it ended up being one of the best book group discussions I've ever head. Eric even joined in since he had also read the book at my insistence.
- Lovely War by Julie Berry. I loved this way more than I thought I would.
- Maybe You Should Talk to Somebody by Lori Gottleib. Everyone needs a therapist.
- The Wildlands by Abby Geni. If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing, check out Abby Geni's books. I need her to write some more.
- The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. This author hasn't failed me yet.
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. This was my favorite book in 2019. It didn't fail me on the re-listen.
January
1. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo* - This was a fun read. I thought it was a really cute story with surprising depth. I look forward to reading or listening with my kids.
2. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton and Laura Hardin* - This was such an amazing and important read. Stop reading this blog post and go read that book.
3. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough* - I loved considering American history in the view of Americans visiting and living in Paris. It made me want to visit Paris and study more art.
4. Unnatural by Angela Armstrong* - I really liked this one. I thought some of the downsides of the post-apocalyptic world were a bit heavy-handed, but I'm eager to find out where this series is going.
5. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel* - The idea of being a hermit living in the woods is romanticized a bit, but this man's story is so interesting.
February
6. The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan by Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller - Such an interesting story of a refugee family trying to reunite after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Her wealthy family was different than so many refugees in that they had savings and personal friends and other connections to help them. Still, the difficulties and trials were real. (This was an Amazon FirstReads book.)
7. What It Is Like To Go To War by Karl Marlantes* - I first became interested in this book after seeing Ken Burns's documentary about the Vietnam War. The author of this book was interviewed extensively in the series. The end of the series included a list of authors and books, so I added this to my list. This book was hard to listen to, but I think it makes so many good points about what war should be, and what we need to do for our soldiers before, during, and after combat.
8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling* - Listened with the boys, and it was so fun to watch their reactions. Also, the Priori Incantatem chapter gets me every time.
March
9. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow* - This is a great history book, but I prefer David McCullough. It was good for me to get the facts on Alexander Hamilton because the musical rearranges some key events.
10. Supernova by Marissa Meyer* - A very fun conclusion to this series. Again, I am impressed that this series has so much depth considering it's kind of a silly topic (superhero wars). When we read the first one for book group, most hadn't read it because it's kind of long and hard to get a hold of. When I updated my status on GoodReads for this one, I saw that a few of my book group friends have also finished the trilogy, and now I want to talk to them about it!
11. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella - I read my first Sophie Kinsella book about a year ago and described it as a perfect beach read. This one I actually managed to start reading on a beach (and finished reading in a bath). It was entertaining, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I've Got Your Number. I definitely needed something lighthearted and distracting for this last week (quarantine, home school, earthquake, moody weather).
12. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy - It took me a bit to get into this one, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.
April
13. A Warning by anonymous* - As one who despises President Trump, I don't think there was anything new or shocking here. There is a bit at the end about how important it is to have Trump ousted via election rather than congressional removal, and I thought that should have been at the beginning. I was tempted to bail in the book much earlier because it was just preaching to the choir for me.
14. Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary* - I am just perpetually sad Beverly Cleary wasn't a part of my childhood, but I'm happy to share her with my children. We listened to this one on audio while doing a puzzle and while driving.
15. Lovely War by Julie Berry - Loved this book in so many ways. Delightful writing, great story. The end (the VERY end) surprised me. It was lovely.
16. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist* - It's a series of essays, and it reads like one. A bit repetitive, but there was some beautiful stuff here.
17. An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage* - This book is like an anthropological look at food. It was so interesting.
May
18. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson* - Loved it the first time. Loved listening to it this time with Eric. It is hilarious. We listened to this while doing puzzles and going on evening walks together during quarantine.
19. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing* - Started on Kindle, then it expired, and I finished it on audio. It really is an amazing story. I probably could have used some visuals to better understand the ship, the layout of the land and the ice, etc.
20. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris* - Beautiful story. Even though the cover says it's based on a true story, I did not realize it until the notes at the end. I loved it and raced through the audio in a couple of days.
21. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill - This one was for book group, and I loved it! It was a bit tricky to follow sometimes, but I spent most of the book not knowing where it was going. I loved the idea of hope conquering sorrow.
22. Try and Make Me by Ray Levi and Bill O'Hanlon - I started this over two years ago. It's got some good stuff in it, but like a lot of parenting books it's a bit of a slog.
23. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls* - Listened to this one with the boys because Eric's parents wanted to show them the movie, but I thought they should read it first. I get why it's so popular. I'd love to read a text copy sometime.
24. The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience by Kirstin Downey* - Francis Perkins was such an incredible lady! I did get a bit bogged down in the political machinations in this book, but she is a pretty cool woman you've probably never heard of.
25. Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo* - Another sweet read by this great author.
June
26. Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary* - Listened this one mostly with all the kids, but then I finished it off with Trixie. The boys were bummed that they didn't get to hear the end of it.
27. The Endurance Handbook: How to Achieve Athletic Potential, Stay Healthy, and Get the Most Out of Your Body by Philip Maffetone - Way too long for the advice it gave. A mix of good, practical advice, and some kookier stuff that probably needs more evidence to support his claims.
28. The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson* - I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Bill Bryson is the best. Plus, this one resulted in me joking with Eric about castration a few times. Double win.
29. The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin* - Such an interesting story. The author had a bit of an anti-religion agenda, but overall I thought she did a good job of sorting fact from fiction in the various records about this interesting woman and her time living with the Mojaves.
30. Never Look Back by Alison Gaylin* - I don't normally listen to suspense or mysteries, but I wanted something a little more lively than my typical history audiobooks to listen to during a really long run. I found myself being pulled into well after my run was done and will probably go on a suspense-genre spree now.
31. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - This one really dragged for me until about the last third. Then I loved it. I'm glad I hung in there.
July
32. His Perfect Wife by Natasha Bell* - Meh. I'd hardly classify it as a suspense or thriller. It was rather dull for that category. It has interesting themes, but it was pretty dark.
42. Echo by Pam Munoz-Ryan* - Such a good audiobook. I listened with my boys, and they liked it. This was for my book group, and I'm hopeful my people like it as much as I did.
*Denotes audiobooks.