For 2021, I picked monthly categories to read from, in an effort to feel less constrained by reading challenges that I’d participated in previously, while continuing to work through the massive collection of books that I already own or have borrowed from friends and family. Each month I’ll include the books that I finished within the month’s category reading, books finished outside of the category reading, books in progress, and books abandoned. And I’ll tell you where the book was sourced from. For January 2021, my reading list is from the category of Borrowed Books!

Borrowed Books Finished:

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd

Borrowed from brother-in-law Matt.

On Christmas Day every year, we watch A Christmas Story. I knew that the movie was based on this book and mentioned that I wanted to read it. My brother-in-law Matt had the book. Apparently Mike had bought it for him a few years before. The book is a novel consisting of a combination of childhood memories and conversations between a man and his bartender friend upon returning for a visit to his hometown. Although fictionalized, the stories are apparently inspired by the author’s life and hometown. I really enjoyed the novel, particularly seeing the portions that inspired A Christmas Story.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Borrowed from friend Sierra.

A dual-narrative told from the perspectives of a Nigerian asylum-seeker in Great Britain, and a British magazine editor and mother, this book is powerful. It makes you think about difficult issues, without pushing a particular agenda. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, as coming to the book without preconceived notions about it is better, I think. Cleave is an extremely talented author, and this book has to be among his best works.

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

Borrowed from friend Dennis.

This is the second book by James Herriot, following All Creatures Great and Small. I’m most definitely an animal lover, and a ‘people watcher’. This book feels perfect for anyone who would describe themselves the same way. Herriot has a way of describing his encounters with the other people around his village that makes the most ordinary seem fascinating. I just love these books, and will definitely read the third book, All Things Wise and Wonderful.

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

Borrowed from library using Libby.

This was our book club’s January pick. I’m a lover of all things Wizard of Oz, books and movies alike, and thought I would love everything about this one. I thought that it started out rather slow, but picked up momentum in the second half of the book. Our book club had a very robust discussion about many of the characters and plot points, so it was fantastic in that regard. But overall, I enjoyed the book but didn’t love it as one of my favorites of the year.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Borrowed from library using Libby.

I put this book on hold after hearing about it on the Well Read Podcast. I often add books to my wish lists on Libby and Amazon, which is how I track my TBR, but don’t often buy or check out or put the book on hold right away. With this book, though I immediately put it on my Libby hold list. But by the time my hold came up, I couldn’t remember what the book was supposed to be about. I just knew that it must have really intrigued me to have put it on hold upon hearing about it. I jumped right in without reading a description, and am glad for that. This book is best read without a lot of background. But a little bit of background to make you go out and read it. The main character is an Instagram influencer, and the book begins as what I’d describe as contemporary/women’s literature. But there’s a major twist to the story that totally changes the trajectory of the book. Just read this one. I don’t think you’ll be sorry that you did.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

Borrowed from library using Libby.

The author is a therapist who is in therapy, and this book is her story of that experience coupled with stories of some of her own clients in her therapy practice. I was totally sucked into the book, and just could not put it down. There were times when I laughed, and even times when I actually cried reading it. I really love this book and would encourage others to read it.

What Are You Hungry For? by Deepak Chopra

Borrowed from library using Libby.

I recently decided that after struggling with my weight for basically my whole life, I should maybe educate myself about nutrition and wellness, just like I educate myself about anything else. I searched on Libby and found a few books that seemed to fit the bill and checked them out. This was the second book that I tried (I didn’t finish the first and you can find it listed in my abandoned books category). I did not like this book. It read like a giant advertisement for a product, and I read the whole thing waiting for and expecting the author to finally describe what the solution was. Instead, it just continued like an advertisement for the entirety. It was not helpful, and I would not recommend it.

How Not to Diet by Michael Greger

Borrowed from library using Libby.

This was the third book that I tried in my quest to educate myself about nutrition and wellness, and finally found one that fit the bill. The author begins by noting that it is not a diet book, and that he’s not making money from the sale of the book. He then goes on to examine nutrition and weight-loss studies done by others and explain what works or doesn’t, and why. While I was reading the book, and even after finishing it, I can’t help but think back to it often. My only complaint is that the book is really long,  and at times repetitive. I felt like a bit more editing could have helped to streamline it, but that wasn’t a deal-breaker for me since I found the information so useful, and in many cases novel.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Borrowed from library using Libby.

This audiobook has been on my TBR for a long time, and I checked it out this month on a whim after noticing that it didn’t have a hold list. Everyone knows what a habit is, or thinks that they do. But our understanding of how a habit is formed, and how to change our habits is not within most of our basic knowledge. I really liked this book, as it was easy to understand, and gave strategies that seem pretty easy to implement when trying to change habits or make new habits.

American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton

Borrowed from library using Libby.

Oh boy, I really loved this book! It is the true story of the man who created a dark web site known as the ‘Amazon’ of drugs, how and why he created the site, and also of the law enforcement officers who tracked him. The book is so fast-paced and interesting. I just had to know what was going to happen next. So good, even for those who aren’t the biggest fans of true crime.

Other Books Finished:

The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson, Casey Sherman, and Dave Wedge

Already owned Kindle e-book.

Honestly, I first found out about this book from an ad on my Kindle Paperwhite, but as a rock biography junkie, I knew that I had to read it. The book follows the stories of John Lennon and the Beatles through their rise and career, and Mark David Chapman who ultimately murdered Lennon. The authors clearly did a good job researching the Beatles and the murder; and I learned many things that I hadn’t known about the Beatles, and about Chapman.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Already owned audiobook.

I was a huge fan of the first audiobook! It was so different from anything else that I just sunk into the world that Cline had built and loved every minute of it. This is the much anticipated follow-up and begins pretty much right after the events of the first book. I really, really liked this book as well and felt like it was worth the read/listen. My only complaint was that the challenge in this book felt just a little bit more tedious in the middle elements, as if each of the challenges were designed around or for a particular character. But that minor complaint aside, I still really loved the story and the world that this is set in.

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis

Already owned audibook.

Like everyone else, we watched the Netflix series of the same name. Does anyone else feel like with the pandemic and staying home more, we’re all just watching their newest releases all at the same time, i.e. as soon as a new one comes out?! Anyway, I really loved the story, and knowing that it had been based on a book, I wanted to read it. I downloaded the audiobook and got around to listening to it this month. The show follows the plot of the book very closely, and even nails the characters, in my opinion. I really loved the audiobook and how I felt like I really got to know what was going on in Elizabeth’s head. So good!

You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love by Allie Beth Stuckey

Already owned physical book.

I received this book as a Christmas gift. It’s very short, so was a pretty quick read, although I made sure to only read a chapter per day, so that I could digest and consider the book’s message. And think about, I have. On one hand, I feel like the author’s message of being less self-absorbed and thinking that we are all perfect and “enough” was a good one. But on the other hand, there are a lot of us who spend moments (or more) of our lives really disliking ourselves (or worse), and the things that we tell ourselves are really harmful. None of us is truly enough in the sense that we need Jesus. But I think that self-acceptance and striving to become better people are good goals too. I’m glad that I read this book, even though I can’t decide if I agree with the author completely or not.

How Can I Develop a Christian Conscience? by R.C. Sproul

Already owned Kindle e-book.

In this short study, the author looks at the issue of conscience, and whether it always guides us in the right direction. He talks about how to use the Bible to better calibrate our consciences, and what can lead us off track. A valuable subject.

Books in Progress:

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

Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill (Already owned physical book.)

Giants in the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie by O.E. Rolvaag (Borrowed from father-in-law Fuzz.)

Books Abandoned:

Eat for Life by Joel Fuhrman (Borrowed from library on Libby.)