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Six Best Books of 2020

December 30, 2020

six best

In the same way 2020 turned life upside-down it had the same impact on people’s reading. For me, I read more nonfiction than ever before—from 11% up to 20%. Even more surprising, after reviewing my 2020 book ratings I saw how varied my favorite reading ended up being. Here are the six best new releases of 2020 covering six genres. Enjoy!   REALITY If I were to pick ... Read More...

7 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, dystopia, fantasy, inspiration, women

Five Best Debuts of 2020

December 28, 2020

five best

  Welcome to the last week of the longest year in history. I’m going to avoid any rehashing of what a nightmare it was for so many and stick to the easy stuff: my best books of 2020! Today I have five debut books that really stood out for me. Normally, I’d have more, but there was nothing normal in 2020. Like a lot of other readers, my taste and what worked for me was ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, debut, historical fiction, India, memoir, racism, social issues, women

2020 Underrated Gems

December 21, 2020

Well, it’s that time of year again…the extravaganza of lists about everything BEST in the world. I’ll be joining the fray, but my two lists (debuts and overall best) won’t be going up until after Christmas. For today, I wanted to give some love to four very different books I thought were gems, but that didn’t get much attention. Interestingly enough, none are light reading. I ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: contemporary life, literary, memoir, Middle East

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

December 18, 2020

midnight

Nora Seed is a very unhappy woman. At 35 she feels her life is mainly filled with regrets, that the future holds no hope, and that she contributes nothing to the world. When her beloved cat dies, it’s the last straw. She decides to kill herself with a drug overdose. What happens next is best explained by the book itself: “Between life and death there is a library”, she ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, fantasy

The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan

December 16, 2020

last castle

One of the main nonfiction backlist books I wanted to read this month is The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home by Denise Kiernan. I loved her book The Girls of Atomic City about the women in America who were part of the effort to win WWII. The Last Castle is about an almost mythical point in American history where money ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: 19th century, history, wealth

This is My America

December 14, 2020

america

Being 17 is difficult enough, but being that age, Black, in a small Texas town, and with a father on death row feels like a mountain too high. For most it would be, but for Tracy Beaumont in the YA novel This is My America, acceptance and resignation are not traits she possesses. Her mother might say she’s mostly “sass”, but Tracy doesn’t feel the need to keep her beliefs ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, racism, social issues, young adult

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