Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

Favorite Books of 2020

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I read a ton. And I want others to love reading too. So I’m sharing my favorite from those books that I read in 2020. I’m breaking them down by the month that I read them in, so that if you want to go back and look at my reviews of these books (and the others that weren’t my favorites), you can find them by clicking the links. Happy reading friends!

January

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

February

High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict’s Double Life by Tiffany Jenkins

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran

March

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney

One of Ours by Willa Cather

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

April

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

May

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

June

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Doctor by James Herriot

July

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang

August

Three Slices by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson, and Chuck Wendig

September

Unspoken by Luke Daniels

Ink & Sigil: From the World of the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

October

Tales from Misery Ridge: One Man’s Adventures in the Great Outdoors by Paul J. Fournier

Bless the Beasts & Children by Glendon Swarthout

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

November

The Man on the Mountaintop by Susan Trott

December

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling

August 2020 Reading List

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This year, I’m participating in the Unread Shelf Challenge 2020 with a goal to read 75 books that I already own. Each month, I’ll read one fiction, one nonfiction/memoir, one law/business/politics, and one devotional/spiritual book. Quarterly, I’ll be reading one book of classic literature. I’ll be listing where each book came from, whether from my existing collection, I borrowed the book, or purchased the book new this year. This is my August 2020 Reading List, which includes the books that I’ve finished, the books in progress and ongoing, and the books that I’ve abandoned.

Books Finished:

And the Good News Is…: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side by Dana Perino

Already owned physical book. October legal/business/politics pick from 2020 Reading List.

I needed something a little lighter and easier this month for my legal/business/politics book. Things are so gloomy politically, and I’ve been so busy with some really tough stuff at work. This book fit my needs perfectly. Dana Perino is a class act, and I think that we can all learn something from her about disagreeing respectfully, loyalty, and hard work. This book was so interesting to me. I learned a lot about her as a person, her life path to the White House, and her time working for George W. Bush.

The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life by Fred Siegel

Already owned physical book. July legal/business/politics pick from 2020 Reading List.

I finished this book this month. I’d started it in July, but it’s just not the type of book to rush through. It is a really in depth look at Giuliani’s predecessors in the New York City mayor’s office, his election, and then his term as mayor. The changes that he made to how the work of the city was done were also examined. I think Rudy Giuliani is a really interesting guy, so I enjoyed this book.

We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves by The Astronauts Themselves

Already owned physical book. August nonfiction/memoir pick from 2020 Reading List.

This book is a 1960s publication from Life, and contains information from the Mercury astronauts themselves. It was a bit of propoganda, but considering the Cold War going on at the time it was published, I’m not surprised. This book was a nice complement to some of the other books that I’ve read and movies/documentaries that I’ve seen about the space program. The pictures were my favorite part though.

A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Journeys Across America by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Purchased physical book this year.

This is the last of the books that I found out about while reading Prairie Fires, and I enjoyed it just as much. Wilder’s writings about her travels are just endlessly fascinating to me, as I’m familiar with many of the places that she travels through or to. Understanding how these places have changed over time helps me to have a better understanding of our little area of the world.

The White Album by Joan Didion

Purchased on Audible this year.

I really love Joan Didion’s essays. I think this is the third collection of them that I’ve read. There is something about how she writes, and the observations that she makes about the world, and about the time period when her essays are written (1960s-1970s) that makes them so thought-provoking and still relevant. If you’ve not given Didion a try, I recommend her.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

Already owned physical book. December fiction pick from 2020 Reading List.

The premise of this book is that a woman goes back to the island where she grew up after her mother has chopped her own finger off. The island houses a monastery, where  the patron saint is a former mermaid. The woman falls in love with a monk. It’s so preposterous, that I really didn’t know where the story would go. But I’ve read several books by Sue Monk Kidd before, and trust her storytelling. I ended up enjoying the book, but can’t put into words exactly what it was that I liked about it. The story was just strange and wonderful.

Three Slices by Chuck Wendig, Kevin Hearne, and Delilah S. Dawson

Purchased Audible this year.

I downloaded this, as an additiona Iron Druid novella that I hadn’t previously listened to. I love the Iron Druid Chronicles, and just can’t get enough of them. This story was short, and ended a little abruptly, but was still enjoyable. I listened to one of the other novellas in the collection, about a vampire in a circus. It was also an entertaining listen. But I couldn’t get into the third novella, and gave up on it.

The First Mrs. Rothschild by Sara Aharoni

Kindle First book, so new but free.

This book is set in Germany at the turn of the 18th century. It follow’s the main character, Gutle, from her teenage years up to her death, through her marriage and child-rearing years, and through the changing fortunes of her family, the Rothschilds. I have no idea if any of the story is true, but the book was a look at a time and place, and a group of people that I knew virtually nothing about. So from that perspective, I felt like I learned something, even though it is a fictional novel. I enjoyed the book.

The Topeka School by Ben Lerner

Borrowed from library using Libby app.

Ugh. I really, really disliked this book. It was our book club’s pick for this month, and our entire book club disliked this book. The only slightly redeeming thing for me was a tiny bit of nostalgia for my high school debate years, as that forms a backdrop for part of the story. But even that wore thin. I spent a considerable amount of time reading about why critics and others loved this book, and trying to understand what I was supposed to have gotten out of the book. Perhaps I’m just too stupid, although I do consider myself to be a fairly educated person. This was just not a book for me, and apparently not a book for many others either.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Purchased on Audible this year.

Narrated by Tom Hanks was the reason that I decided to listen to this book, rather than reading a physical or e-book version. I’ve heard about this book on blogs, podcasts, and Instagram, and was so curious to read it for myself. The Dutch House is a place that is almost a character in its own right in the story, as it truly is the reason for the characters acting as they do. This book was wonderfully written.

The Woman in the Moonlight by Patricia Morrisroe

Kindle First book, so new but free.

Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven himself, and the mysterious woman that the Sonata is dedicated to, form the inspiration for this novel. I enjoyed the story, although at points felt like it was a little bit long and meandering. But overall, I did like it. The novel is right in my wheelhouse of books though, being historical fiction that includes a musical element to it.

Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch by Max Lucado

Already owned physical book. August devotional/spiritual pick from 2020 Reading List.

Max Lucado has a way with words, and a way of explaining difficult spiritual concepts in a way that makes sense. Perhaps it’s that he uses so many stories to illustrate his points, or perhaps it’s just a God-given gift. Whatever it is, when I find Lucado’s books a book sales, I often pick them up. Come Thirsty looks at the concept of living water, the story of Jesus and the woman at well, and reminds us to surrender everything to God.

Walking with Christ (Design for Discipleship)

Purchased this year.

I picked this up through a virtual book sale as part of a package deal. I think it is meant to be a workbook for a discipleship series, so I didn’t find it up much value independently.

More Bad Girls of the Bible by Barbara J. Essex

Purchased this year.

This was part of the same package deal as the previous book, but was much more of what I was looking for. I really enjoy books that take several different stories from the bible and put them together to illustrate particular concepts. This looked at women of the bible who acted improperly, or against the norms of the time and place that they lived in. Several were of women that I didn’t remember from the bible, as they were lesser characters in bigger stories. Overall a good book, but I didn’t always see eye-to-eye with the author’s conclusions or come to the stories from the same political/theological background.

 

Books Ongoing through 2020:

Unshakeable: 365 Devotions for Finding Unwavering Strength in God’s Word by Christine Caine (Already owned physical book.) This is a daily devotional that I’ll be reading all year.

Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill (Already owned physical book.) This book has daily readings about classical music generally, various sub-genres of classical, and a daily piece of music to find and listen to. I’ll be working through it all year. I’m hopelessly behind at this point, but will just keep working on it into 2021 until I’ve completed it.

 

Books in Progress:

The St. Nicholas Anthology edited by Henry Steele Commager (Already owned physical book.)

Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study by Barb Ravelin (Purchased Kindle e-book this year.) My bible study is working through this book.

 

Books Abandoned:

On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon by Kaye Gibbons (Already owned physical book. August fiction pick from 2020 Reading List.)

July 2020 Reading List

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This year, I’m participating in the Unread Shelf Challenge 2020 with a goal to read 75 books that I already own. Each month, I’ll read one fiction, one nonfiction/memoir, one law/business/politics, and one devotional/spiritual book. Quarterly, I’ll be reading one book of classic literature. I’ll be listing where each book came from, whether from my existing collection, I borrowed the book, or purchased the book new this year. This is my July 2020 Reading List, which includes the books that I’ve finished, the books in progress and ongoing, and the books that I’ve abandoned.

Books Finished:

Frogmen: The True Story of My Journeys With Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the Crew of Calypso by Richard E. Hyman

Already owned physical book. July Nonfiction/Memoir Pick from 2020 Reading List.

I picked this book up a couple of years ago and was able to get around to reading it finally. It was essentially journals or a diary turned into a slightly more narrative version of the author’s time on Cousteau’s Calypso in his late teens/early twenties. Because of the subject matter, it was interesting, although not the best written book that I’ve read. But as I mentioned the topic was so interesting that I kept at it and finished it.

Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman

Already owned physical book. June Legal/Business/Politics pick from 2020 Reading Plan.

Thomas Friedman is one of my favorite authors. We see eye-to-eye on some issues, and are totally opposite on others. But he always strikes me as thoughtful about the subjects that he writes about. This book is about the ‘age of accelerations’ in which everything is speeding up exponentially, and how we need to pause and reflect from time to time, as well as engage in lifelong continuing learning to keep up with life. I agreed with many of the points in this book, while finding some of his conclusions baffling. But all in all, the book made me think, so it was right in line with the other books that I’ve read by Friedman.

Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor

Audible Original book, so new but free.

James Taylor is a really interesting guy. Like, did you know that James Taylor played the cello?! Fascinating stuff. This Audible Original was about his early years. I love music biographies, so I had to have this one. It was short and did not disappoint.

Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser

Borrowed from library using Libby app.

I am a huge fan of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a child, I never thought that much about what elements were true, what were based on a true story, and what were fiction. Prairie Fires talked a lot about Laura’s view on truth vs. fiction. It also delved into Laura and Almanzo’s relationship with their daughter Rose Wilder Lane, and Rose’s own strange life. From the descriptions of Rose, I have no doubt that she was mentally ill, probably with Bipolar Disorder. The book was very interesting, with one caveat. I felt like the author had a pretty clear liberal bias, and couldn’t understand why anyone would have more conservative or libertarian viewpoints, or why anyone would want to live on the prairie or more untouched lands.

On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane

Purchased physical book this year.

After reading Prairie Fires, I discovered that there were more Little House books that I’d never read. On the Way Home is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s journal kept on their journey from DeSmet, South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri in their own covered wagon. It was fascinating to me to read about what this journey was like for them, having traveled in the region in modern times. It is so different, and it just sparks the imagination to think about it.

West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915 by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and Roger Lea MacBride

Purchased physical book this year.

West from Home is a book comprised of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s letters to her husband Almanzo while visiting Rose Wilder Lane at her home in San Francisco. Laura visited Rose during the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition held in San Francisco. Laura and Rose visit it several times, as well as other area attractions. Her descriptions are intricate, and make you feel as if you’re seeing and experiencing the same things. This is one of the things that I loved so much about the Little House books as a child, in that the descriptions made me feel as if I was right there too.

The Indian Child Welfare Act Handbook by Kelly Gaines-Stoner, Mark C. Tilden, and Jack F. Trope

Already owned physical book.

If you are a caseworker or attorney working in juvenile cases, this is a book that you should probably read. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) applies to juvenile cases involving Indian children. There are a whole series of additional requirements that need to be met in these cases, and it is important to have a handle on them before one of these cases starts. I’d read both of the previous versions of this book, but wanted to refresh my memory and update my understanding, after some recent cases came out, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) adopted regulations in place of the guidelines that had been in effect for decades before.

To Siberia by Per Petterson

Already owned physical book. July Fiction Pick from 2020 Reading List.

I purchased this book at a wonderful used bookstore in Washington, D.C. called Capitol Hill Books. It was packed absolutely to the gills with books, and I spent a delightful couple of hours browsing the stacks to see what was there. I picked this one up, and thought it would fit right into my love of historical fiction, as it was described as taking placed during World War II in Scandinavia. The book largely took place before and after World War II, skipping over the characters’ experiences during the war, which was disappointing. The characters were not very likable, and the sexually tense relationship between the siblings was troubling. The writing was bleak, and although I finished the book, I didn’t really like it. Unfortunately, the book-buying experience was much more enjoyable than the book that I ended up purchasing.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

Purchased on Audible this year.

Mike listened to this book before I did, and was raving about how good and unique it was. I listened to it and found it to have a really slow start. It felt like the story took a really long time to set up before any action started. But once the action got going, it was fast paced and I didn’t want to stop listening to it. Some people really didn’t like Judy Greer’s narration, but I loved it and felt like it fit the main character perfectly.

Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang

Kindle First book, so new but free.

This book was wonderful. It was a new look at the story of Dracula, a series of murders, a strong female protagonist with a drug problem, and other characters with mixed motives. It was really good and also different from other books I’ve read recently. Refreshing.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Borrowed from the library using Libby app.

I heard about this book from a friend first, and then later on the What Should I Read Next podcast. It was available on Libby, and I was between audiobooks, so I borrowed it right away. The characters are all, well, characters. They are funny and unique, and relatable. The story is fun and sucked me right in from the outset. In the middle of the book, I almost stopped listening, as the husbands are awful and sexist, and treat their wives terribly…while the wives just allow it! I was so mad, and seriously almost gave up. But my friend assured me that the story got better (even though the husbands’ behavior didn’t), so I stuck it out. I’m so glad that I did, because she was absolutely right. The wives show their strength later on, and the book struck me as almost a commentary on dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships in addition to the vampire slaying. This was great, and I’ll be looking out for more from the same author.

You Can Trust God to Write Your Story: Embracing the Mysteries of Providence by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Robert Wolgemuth

Already owned Kindle e-book.

I have been dealing with a pretty tough and sad situation this month, and was really glad that I’d downloaded and started reading this book. It is so good to remember that God is in control even during tough times, and can bring good out of bad times.

Does God Control Everything? by R.C. Sproul

Purchased Kindle e-book this year.

I also read this book due to the really hard situation I’ve been working through this month. I wanted some books that could give me reassurance of God’s love for us and that he indeed has a plan that overarches feelings of sadness and things being out of control. Sproul is wonderful at reinforcing this message.

 

Books Ongoing through 2020:

Unshakeable: 365 Devotions for Finding Unwavering Strength in God’s Word by Christine Caine (Already owned physical book.) This is a daily devotional that I’ll be reading all year.

Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill (Already owned physical book.) This book has daily readings about classical music generally, various sub-genres of classical, and a daily piece of music to find and listen to. I’ll be working through it all year.

 

Books in Progress:

The St. Nicholas Anthology edited by Henry Steele Commager (Already owned physical book.)

Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study by Barb Ravelin (Purchased Kindle e-book this year.) My bible study is working through this book.

The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life by Fred Siegel (Already owned physical book. July Legal/Business/Politics Pick from 2020 Reading List.)

Three Slices by Chuck Wendig, Kevin Hearne, and Delilah S. Dawson (Purchased Audible this year.)

The First Mrs. Rothschild by Sara Aharoni (Purchased Kindle e-book this year.)

 

Books Abandoned:

All This I Will Give to You by Delores Redondo (New but free Kindle e-book.)

Taming the Tongue: The Power of Spoken Words by Alex Uwajeh (Already owned Kindle e-book. July Devotional/Spiritual Pick from 2020 Reading List.)

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