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What I Read in the Second Half of 2020

Wow!  Today is the last day of January!  Sometime during January, I wanted to do this post to catch up my reading log for 2020.  Staying true to the procrastinating side of my personality, here I am doing it on the very last day of the month.  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  In 2020 I only did two of my quarterly book talk posts.  After that I finished reading 16 more books.  So for the sake of brevity, I will post the titles and covers without much commentary.  If you’re interested in knowing more, you can click on the title, and it will take you to the Amazon page where you can read their description of the book.

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

by Molly Wizenberg

 

This is a memoir/cookbook.  Tried and loved one recipe!  There are a few others I want to try.  And I got teary-eyed in a couple of the stories.

 

The Day the World Came to Town

by Jim DeFede

 

This one is non-fiction.  I definitely recommend it, especially if you’re unfamiliar with this part of the 9/11 story like I was.  Big Eagle liked it, too!

 

The Eighty-dollar Champion

by Elizabeth Letts

 

Great biography, especially if you like to root for the underdog!

 

Barefoot

by Elin Hilderbrand

 

Pretty good chick lit.

 

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive

by Stephanie Land

 

A memoir.  Not my favorite.

 

Sisters of Heart and Snow

by Margaret Dilloway

 

Fiction

 

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

by Michael Finkel

 

Super interesting biography!

 

Paul is Dead: When the Beatles Lost McCartney

by Paolo Baron & Ernesto Carbonetti

 

This one is described as speculative fiction graphic and historical fiction.  As my brother Jack, who gave it to me, said, “Just sugar.  Nothing serious.”  Kind of a refreshing change, as I never read graphic novels.  Neat to see how the artwork came together, too. (They show you at the back of the book.)

 

The Silent Wife

by A.S.A. Harrison

 

Fiction

 

The Pilot’s Wife

by Anita Shreve

 

Fiction

 

Nineteen Minutes

by Jodi Picoult

 

Fiction

 

Chasing Vines: Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life

by Beth Moore

 

Loved this Bible study!

 

40 Days Through the Bible: The Answers to Your Deepest Longings

by Lysa TerKeurst and the Proverbs 31 Ministry Team

 

I liked this one, too, but have no illusions…it doesn’t really take you all the way through the Bible.  It did have some good nuggets in it, though.  I couldn’t find this one on Amazon, so the link goes to Good Reads.

 

The Circle Maker

by Mark Batterson

 

Spiritual growth.  Prayer growth.

 

The Book of Essie

by Meghan MacLean Weir

 

Fiction

 

Disciplines 2012

by Upper Room Books

 

I almost didn’t list this one, because it is so old.  It is a daily devotional that I used during 2020.  I got it and another year’s publication from my sister Judy when I visited her in 2019.  It was in a stack of books she was ready to give away.  I’m under the impression that a lot people get these through their churches to use for their daily devotional, and it’s best to be using the current one.  But I did go ahead and list it, because I DID read it, and a few of the devotionals included were pretty relevant to me.

 

WHEW!   So now I’m caught up!  Going forward, since one of my resolutions this year was to read more, I plan to change the frequency of my book talks.  Where I WAS doing them quarterly, I think I will start doing them bimonthly (meaning once every two months).  That said, look for the next book talk at the end of February or shortly thereafter!  And since it will be much fewer books than what was in this post, I will elaborate more about my thoughts on each book.

What about you?  Thinking back over the books you read in 2020, is there one that stands out that you would recommend?  I’m always interested in what others are reading!  January went much faster than I thought it would.  Now to welcome February!  I hope it has LOTS of good things in store for all of us!

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