In the Storm

FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2020

I like to finish off the year with a reading roundup of my favorites, what my reading life has been like this year and whether I meet my reading goals. The answers to these questions - and others can be found scattered here and there, below.

 

FAVORITE FICTION

I read 55 fiction titles and 12 of those were book club reads. The remainder could be applied, mostly. to my left-unfinished 2020 Reading Goal - read a book published every year since I was born. Leaving a goal unfinished, I thought I would be more - upset - at myself. But, after the unprecedented year of 2020, that I was able to read 83 books this year was a miracle in itself. The year did not make me run toward books. Rather, I went through many periods of dry spells and without focus, especially for books. Now, of those 55 fiction books I did read,  I was able to easily narrow that down to my favorite 12 fiction books in 2020. 

It wasn't as easy to narrow the 12 down to just one favorite but I'm happy to say I gave it a go and chose one favorite fiction from those 12 'favorites'. The winner of the favorite fiction award goes to...

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

 

FAVORITE NON-FICTION

(Non-Christian)

I'll be honest. This was a tough decision. Many of these books were really good books. However, none of them I loved from start to finish, although several of them were pretty darn close. I feel I must narrow the non-fiction category down to sub-genre in order to give justice to the entire non-fiction genre. I broke non-fiction down into:

Memoir(s): Becoming, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Life In Motion, A Moveable Feast, Walk, and Travels With Charlie. Except for a few minor irritations in Becoming I can easily give the memoir by Michelle Obama the number one spot in the genre. I will say, however, that A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway is a classic for a reason and stands the test of time, as does Travels With Charlie by John Steinbeck. I'm not sure how Becoming will hold up with time, as a classic memoir. While I'm not a fan of Obama, I do believe her writing and memoir is excellent, Becoming.

Literary Non-Fiction: The Perfect Storm, Killers of the Flower Moon, Into The Wild, and Into the Woods. Literary non-fiction is becoming a favorite genre of mine, a non-fiction facts-based story that reads like a literary fiction novel. In other years, books I've read, like, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing or Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson, would join this genre of literary non-fiction. While I enjoyed all four of these literary non-fiction books and Into the Woods is a close second, my pick for literary non-fiction is, The Perfect Storm.

Non-Fiction: Just Mercy, Be The Bridge, I'm Still Here, 24/6, and The Cloudspotter's Guide. This is a tough call. I read Just Mercy earlier in the year and it was an eye-opener to say the least. Even more frustrating that our justice system has come to what it is. In Killers of the Flower Moon a judge overseeing one of the trials in the Osage murders said something to the effect, "There has never been a country on this earth that has fallen except when that point was reached where the citizens would say, 'we cannot get justice in our courts." The bread crumb victories in our justice system make it clear that our country is and has been on its fall, spiraling quickly downward.  But, for the work being done now - I believe - and on a broader scale, and for the approach Latasha Morrison took in speaking about racial bridge building and how-to be a bridge, ever respectful to the white race (because I am white, yes, but also because I do not see how a bridge can be build without respect), I select Be The Bridge.

 

FAVORITE BOOK CLUB READ

I read 12 books for my book club. We were able to meet over Zoom during the pandemic, we didn't let the pandemic curb our reading for book club, nor let it interrupt our meeting. When we did return to my home our gathering was small and that continued for the remainder of the year. There is talk, recently, of several planning on returning in 2021. I hope so. Some of our best discussions have been when we've had more than six book club members.

Some of my favorite books of the year were actually book club reads. We read Gilead, Little Bee, The Dog Stars, Olive Kitteridge, What Alice Forgot, Little Bee, Code Name Helene, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Time Traveler's Wife, American Royals, The Vanishing Half, and Killers of the Flower Moon.

I adored several of the 12 books we read in book club, such as What Alice Forgot, The Vanishing Half, and Code Name Helene which was a close runner up. If I polled book club I wouldn't be surprised if many would pick What Alice Forgot as their favorite book. However, my favorite book club read hands down, a book I adored, goes to...   

                  A Gentleman in Moscow 

 

FAVORITE CLASSIC CLUB BOOK

In August I joined The Classic's Club and began reading 51 Classics in 51 Months (my personal goal). I read the following classic's beginning in August:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (a Modern Classic)
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Multiple genre classics from a modern classic, The Kite Runner to a Christian non-fiction, The Pursuit of God. A couple memoirs: A Moveable Feast and Travels with Charley, and a Christian fiction classic by CS Lewis. My favorite Classic book I read (once I began the Classic's Club) is: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis

 

 

FAVORITE BOOK READ ALOUD

These are books that Jeff and I read aloud this year. These are the spiritual formation books we have been reading early in the morning, along with reading the Bible from cover to cover - together. I read aloud and he listens - intently. We have stacked the shelf of finished Christian non-fiction books. This year we read from a couple giants in the faith, The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer and Life Without Lack by Dallas Williard, a couple easy-to-read but just as hard hitting, How Happiness Happens and Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado, Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, and Letters to the Church by Francis Chan, and a couple more-difficult-to-follow books, Louder than Words by Andy Stanley and Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller.

Picking a favorite was tough! Almost impossible, because spiritual formation is imperative to growing in Christ and each book offered - something for spiritual growing. I could give you my least favorite: Louder than Words by Andy Stanley. I liked the book but didn't love it. It was choppy, and not as engaging as I would expect from Stanley. Although I did walk away having learned something. Of the 8 books we read it was still my least favorite. Here's what's hard in picking a favorite in the spiritual formation category? We read some heavy hitting books by some giant theologians and Christians in the faith. Francis Chan's Letters to the Church was a re-read for me but even better the second time through read out loud with Jeff. It is a heavy contender for favorite or, at least, in a top 3 spot. But, come on, A.W. Tozer! How do I choose?

Even for all the great reads the most memorable to me, the happiest little book, typical Max Lucado style - yet, insightful, engaging, and thought-provoking, I'm just going to say it, go with it...

How Happiness Happens

 

FAVORITE BOOK IN A SERIES

I only read a couple books this year that also happen to be a part of a series. Louise Penny's latest Chief Inspector Gamache series came out in September and I had All The Devils Are Here read in less than 24 hours. J.D. Robb's latest two in her In Death series arrived in February, Golden in Death (Book 50), and Shadows in Death (Book 51). The Memory Man series by David Baldacci delivered Walk the Wire and I began a new series, A Veronica Speedwell Mystery, reading the first two, A Curious Beginning and A Perilous Undertaking.

The Veronica Speedwell mysteries were a delight and I'm really looking forward to reading more in the series in 2021. I am such a fan of The Memory Man series. However, Walk the Wire wasn't a favorite. Louise Penny can rarely do wrong and I have devoured and own each of the, I think, 16 books in the series. These books are re-read worthy and I may just do that in 2021. Lastly, J.D. Robb's In Death series. Have I mentioned this is my favorite series? Yeah, pretty much is. Fifty-one books into the series and I still haven't tired of the characters or the story lines. They are a guilty pleasure. They're not a literary read but I am engrossed from word one and love every minute of them (minus a couple that have been a bit of a shallow read). That said, Shadows in Death was absolutely fantastic. Loved every minute of it! It also earns the top spot, favorite book in a series:  Shadows in Death by JD Robb.

 

FAVORITE BOOK OF 2020

Finally, I come to the ultimate. The favorite. The year's best - of the best. The top notch. The magnum opus - or at least my magnum opus. My favorite book of 2020.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Runner's Up: A Gentleman in Moscow, Shadows in Death, Code Name: Helene

 

And, that wraps up my 2020 reading year. I am looking forward to sharing my 2021 Reading Goals.

 

 

 

what I've been reading | november 2020 edition

Today I am sharing what I've been reading in November 2020. I did I big review of my 2020 Reading Goals (check out my mid-year check up here) recently and found gross shortfalls. I decided I needed to buckle down in November and December or I would not be able to reach all of my goals. So, I made a plan. I still need to read 24 books by the end of the year, almost all within the category of read a book published every year since I was born. I have two books yet to read for my book club, and two books yet to read for Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.

I wrote down the missing years I still needed to read for a book published every year since I was born, most are from the 70's - 90's, then I searched for books published in those years, visiting mostly Good Reads because they have a plethora of book lists by years published. If I own one of those books I simply decided that is the book I'm going to read. 

With a week long birthday trip this month to north Georgia with Jeff, and waterfall hunting, what looked like going in to that week, was going to be a jam-packed month of reading fell quickly along the wayside and I pretty much dashed all hopes of meeting ALL of my 2020 Reading Goals. That being said, for some reason unexplained, I am not dissatisfied or upset that I didn't complete all my reading goals. It was simply a tough year all around.

If you've missed what I've been reading this year you can find them here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October.

And here is what I've been reading in November:

 

 

What I've Been Reading Lately | October Edition

 

 

 

Today I am sharing what I've been reading in October. A few so so books and several fantastic reads. Maya Angelou's And Still I Rise is definitely a favorite of this month as was Max Lucado's, How Happiness Happens and A.W. Tozer's, The Pursuit of God; the last two of which Jeff and I read together and we're still pondering and reflecting and their words are still coming up in conversation as to how to live our lives in Christ. 

I gave the classic The Invisible Man, which I read for The Classics Club, 4 Stars because of the writing and the story, however I wasn't really a fan of The Invisible Man himself. I do think it would be a highly discussable book for book club. I also read Ballet Shoes for The Classics Club and I was not a fan. Disappointed, actually. Beach Read was blah and American Royals, which I read for my book club, was cute and I liked it enough and intrigued enough I would like to read the sequel, although it wasn't very discussable, but I think it could have been if the author had went a bit more in-depth into the historical impact if the United States had a monarchy and not a presidency.

 

 

What I've Been Reading Lately | September Edition

I read two highly anticipated new releases that did not disappoint, both receiving 5 Stars, each for their own reasons. My husband and I continue to read aloud together every weekday morning from the spiritual formation genre, almost finishing up one this month that carried over from August - and one of my favorite reads thus far that we've read together by A.W. Tozer, a book chosen by Jeff. I read a Classic's Club, Travels with Charley which I adored. My book club read The Time Traveler's Wife. I am probably in the minority when I say I hated it. Hate is such a strong word, though. I highly disliked it. I could have easily pitched it across the room as garbage if it wasn't for book club.

 

30 Pages in 30 Days | 4

For my 30 Pages in 30 Days - #4 I am simply documenting joining the Classics Club and adding to my 2020 Reading Goals - and beyond - reading 51 Classics in 51 Months. These pages will go into my ongoing 4 x 8 READ album. Simple 2-page, 4 x 8 digital page using a photo of the classics on my Classics TBR list that I own, using One Little Word, In a Creative Bubble, and Ali Edwards digital designs.

What I've Been Reading | August 2020

While I didn't read very many books this month, unusual for me, I did, however, read quality books; fabulous books; memorable books. Take, for instance, A Gentleman in Moscow, my book club read for August. I will recommend this book to everyone. It was breathtaking, absorbing, - amazing! 5 Stars! Surprisingly, my entire book club loved the book, too! This. Rarely. Hppens. 

I recently did a mid-year review of my 2020 Reading Goals and realized I am behind in the heftiest category, read a book published in every year since I was born. However, this month did not help that category much at all, adding only 3 titles to my goals.

This is what I've been reading in August 2020:

2020 Reading Goals Mid-Year Check-in

I have been wanting to run a thorough mid-year check-in on my 2020 Reading Goals for over a month now. Since I actually added to my already lofty reading goals when I began the Classics Club reading challenge to read 51 Classics in 51 Months, I also figured, instead of a brush over of my goals, I needed to take a hard look at where I stand with my goals, how far I've come and what I might need to do to accomplish those goals, or even change things - mid-year. Although I am not typically a 'change my goals in the middle of year' kind of gal, I listened to this podcast recently on the value of a mid-year check up of ones reading life. "It's not necessarily looking back. It's what do I want to change moving forward."

I also wanted to take a moment to celebrate my successes, however small they may be. Learn from, maybe, where I have taken a wrong turn away from, instead of towards, my reading goals. And, to set my mind and heart into re-focusing on the end goal.

Here is a look-see at where I stand today?

I began with updating my spreadsheet I had created, a simple 2-columned word document with every year since I was born in one column and as I read a book published in each year included the title of the book in another column for a total of 57 books. Plus, I am charting the additional goals in the same way.

Read a book published in each year since I was born. To put it bluntly, I have read 28 of 57 books for this category of my reading goals. At more than half way through the year I am not even half way done with this goal. The difficulty, I am aware, is that 1) I am not simply reading for this goal. I am reading for my book club that I host once a month and I am also reading for enjoyment which, I cannot lie, often supersedes my goals. And 2) it is more difficult to acquire a book for a specific published year than I thought, in a timely manner. It also hasn't helped that for a couple months our local library was closed due to COVID-19 quarantine procedures. But, it has also been trying deciding on a book for a specific published year. While I don't necessarily want to read the most popular, some of the most popular books I've already read, or I have zero interest in reading. I have found over the course of these months that the 70's were a difficult publishing decade for really good books, or books that I might find of interest and it is the decade I have the least read in.

The 1980's books I have read are mostly back-listed books of other authors, such as The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover and The Housekeeping by Marilynn Robinson, the author of Gilead (a favorite of mine from earlier this year) I have read before and enjoyed, or books that have made a comeback, or revival such as Kindred by Octavia Butler.

One positive of the books I have read in this category is the books that I have read that I would never have read without this goal (or self-challenge), such as A Wizard of Earthsea, published in 1968, a young adult fantasy novel which is so far out of my reading genre, yet, I loved it! Or A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. Honestly, I had little interest in Hemingway, although as I have become the best part of a reader, I am sure I would at some point pick up the classic.

Right now, the question is can I make a comeback and actually finish this portion of the goal? How would I modify the goal, even, if I decided to scale it back? Without being able to answer those questions, and while I have less months to read the second half of this goal is a lofty endeavor, I still think I can make it to the finish line.

Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge. The categories I have completed are in read. As you can see below I am almost finished with this challenge. I am positive I can complete this challenge and this part of my reading goals for the year.

    a book published the decade you were born: Where Eagles Dare

    a debut novel: Little Bee

    a book recommended by a source you trust: The Poisonwood Bible (my book club recommended this; they actually could not believe I had not already read it)

    a book by a local author: Flannery O'Conner's, The Complete Stories

    a book outside your (genre) comfort zone: A Wizard of Earthsea (a young adult fantasy)

    a book in translation: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

    a book nominated for an award in 2020: TBA

    a re-read: Gilead

    a classic you didn't read in high school: Slaughterhouse Five

    three books by the same author: possibly Barbara Kingslover (already read 2 books), Deanna Raybourn (read 2 books), or Marilynn Robinson (read 2 books)

Read a-loud books with Jeff. My goal this year of reading a-loud with Jeff is 8 books. We have read a-loud together, Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado, Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard, and Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller. We are currently reading and are more than half way through, Louder than Words by Andy Stanley. I'm sure we'll finish this book by the end of August, easily. Which leaves 4 months to read the remaining 3 books needed to complete this goal. I am fairly comfortable, barring an unforeseeable surprises, that we'll continue our morning reading time together and finish strong, reading at least, the 8 books.

Between the Covers Book Club reads. This, at the beginning of 2020 would have been a no-brainer, but post-COVID-19 had me concerned. Thankfully, we have Zoom and while we did not discuss our March Book Club book (I hadn't figured Zoom out and we were all in shock mode), I read our book club read each month. We began meeting again in person in June, even though it was a small turnout. I've already scheduled our books for discussion for August, September, and October and I am beginning to gather potential book club books for November and December.

NEWLY ADDED: Joined the Classics Club. Because I am a voracious reader these days and eager to read everything and challenge myself and broaden my reading horizons, I have added another challenge, or goal, to the year. However, this goal is long term and will surpass this year and even the year after. I joined the Classics Club. The requirement was to read at least 50 classics in less than 5 years. I set my Classics club goal at 51 Classics in 51 Months. You can go back and read all about my goal and the books I hope to read here.

Classics Club | A Moveable Feast

Classics Club: Read 51 Classics in 51 Months

Classic: A Moveable Feast

Book: 2 of 51

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Classics Club | The Kite Runner

Classics Club: Read 51 Classics in 51 Months

Classic: The Kite Runner

Book: 1 of 51

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

While some may not consider The Kite Runner a true classic I have found numerous definitions of what is and isn't a classic. The Classics Club even stipulates that it is up to the reader whether a book is considered a classic to them. While The Kite Runner was only published in 2003, over 17 years ago, it was quickly deemed an instant classic. Plus, I see it on 'classic' lists, often. Therefore, I included it in my classics list of TBR and I'm comfortable including it. 

I decided to give my Classics Club books their own posts, but I will include them in my 'what I've been reading' monthly roundup as well. Mostly, because it will be an easier way to track my classic books that I've read - giving them their own posts (and category on the blog).

Of course, any classic that I read that can fulfill other reading goals (ie. The Kite Runner also fills the 2003 slot for read a book published in every years since I was born, goal), I will mark as read.

Classics Club | 51 Classics in 51 Months

Today I am embarking on a new reading challenge. A long term challenge, not too taxing.

I had never heard of the Classics Club until I read that Elena at Beautiful Hope, a blog I read faithfully for her book reviews, mentioned she had recently joined the club and she is embarking on a 5-year journey into the classics. After doing some research, and because there really isn't a too short of a time limit, I decided to join the club.

The basics of the Classics Club is:

A club created to inspire people to read, and blog, about classic books. The requirement to join is to read 50(+) classic books in at most five years.

I will:

Choose 50(+) classics and list them on my blog. I have listed them below.

Choose a reading completion date. Yep! Did that. Check.

Review each title on my blog. I haven't decided how I will review the classic titles - yet.

This Classics Club reading goal will naturally be included in my annual reading goals. I have decided my Classics Club challenge will be to read:

 

 

The following is my Classics Club proposed reading list (51 Classics in 51 Months). I say proposed because without a doubt, I'm sure, I will abandoned at least one or two or three of the titles and I will need to replace the titles with another classic. In other words I am expecting the list to change (this doesn't bother me; I don't need to be held to an exacting list). Many of these titles I have on other lists as books to read and I even have several of the titles on my bookshelves, unread. I have included a few more modern classics and a couple young readers classics because, while they may be for young readers, most adults will find them enjoyable, too. I know this because I have read quite a few young- and middle-readers that were fantastic.

1. A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett 

2. Middlemarch by George Elliot

3. The Cost of Discipleship by Deitrich Bonhoffner

4. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

5. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

6. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

7. Emma by Jane Austin

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

10. I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

11. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

12. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

13. 1984 by George Orwell

14. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

15. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

16. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

17. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

18. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

19. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

20. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

21. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

22. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

23. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin

24. In the Heat of The Night by John Dudley Ball

25. The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

26. Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

27. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy

28. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

29. Mrs. Miniver by Jane Struther

30. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers

31. Humility by Andrew Murray

32. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

33. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

34. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

35. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

36. The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

37. Casino Royale by Ian Flemming

38. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

39. The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

40. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

41. Beloved by Toni Morrison

42. The Complete Stories of Flannery O' Conner by Flanery O'Conner

43. The Three Muskateers by Alexandre Dumas

44. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

45. Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson

46. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

47. Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin

48. Schindler's Ark (List) by Thomas Keneally

49. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsey

50. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

51. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame