Catching up - What I read in January 2020

Let's try something a little different. I'm over a month behind in my reviewing, and in order to catch up, I'm going to post full reviews for the books I can't stop thinking about, and teeny-tiny reviews for the rest.

January sort of took a bite out of me. I wasn't feeling well for much of it, and my reading was still suffering from malaise. I hope things pick up soon. I don't like feeling like I don't know what to read.

Last month I finished 12 books, seven of them on audio. There were a few stellar books, and a lot of very average fare. I think this will improve, though, as I allow myself to chip away at that wonderous TBR I built over the first part of the winter.

My favorite books of January

I wish I would have written this review while The Dutch House was still fresh in my mind, because it deserves better than a review written after the magnificence of the book has faded and plot has become hazy. If you haven't read this one yet, one-click it or get on your library hold list (I can assure you there's still a hold list for this one) right now. It's hard to distill the plot of this book, because the plot isn't nearly as important as the characters you'll meet and the experience you'll have reading it. I found the book so beautifully and smartly written. A skinny plot summary: the Conroy family owns the grand and gaudy Dutch house, so named because the family that built the house, whose portraits still hang in it, were Dutch. Mrs. Conroy never had any good feelings toward the house, and she left it, her husband, and her children Maeve and Danny, while the children are quite young. Mr. Conroy remarries, and events end up so that Maeve and Danny find themselves, quite literally, on the outside looking in, for the next several decades. That plot doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But trust me, the novel really carries you along in such a satisfying way. Before this I'd looked into several of Ann Patchett's novels, but the plots never interested me enough to try. After reading The Dutch House, though, I plan to pick up another of her books to see if the writing is as wonderful as it is here. Don't miss this wonderful read. My rating: 5 stars.

For years I've circled Watership Down, wanting to read it but never actually picking it up. Anthropomorphized animal stories (and movies, especially) do me in. And if one of the animals dies? Oh heavens. But, I read James Mustich's wonderful summary of the book in his 1,000 Books to Read before You Die, and I knew I had to take the plunge, tears be darned. Mustich indicated that the audio book was exceptional, so that's the route I went, and I have to say he was 100% correct. Though I can't place the narrator, if you're an avid listener of audiobooks, I'm sure you'll recognize the voice, too. My two great concerns about this book were violence toward the rabbits and that it was a thinly guised treatise on manmade environmental peril. Mustich sort of hinted at the latter, but in the author's introduction, Richard Adams assured his readers that the book was not an allegory, and I was comforted. Sometimes you just want a story of rabbits to be a story about rabbits. If you're unfamiliar with this tale, the plot is this: Timid little Fiver feels in his bones that the warren he lives in is in peril. He tells his brother that they must leave. They take the premonition to the chief elder, but he dismisses it. Regardless, the brothers and a handful of others set out to found their own warren to escape what is surely coming. They have many harrowing adventures along the way, get into some bloody scrapes (ha, no pun!), and learn a lot about the world around them. I found this book equally charming and deep, and superbly well-written. It is a tale well told. The author started telling the story to his daughters on a long car trip, and he continued telling it after their return. One of his daughters encouraged him to put it on paper and publish it. It was rejected again and again in England. Editors thought it was too adult for the juvenile audience and too juvenile for the adult audience. He finally found a small publisher and had modest success. Then it was imported to America, where readers fell all over it, and it wasn't until its import back into the UK that it became a hit. You're welcome, Mr. Adams. Glad we Yanks could help. Seriously, if you've been circling this book for years like I have, please consider it. It's one of the best written books I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. I think you'll love it. My rating: 5 stars.

You know by now I love a good presidential memoir, and I especially love the Bush family, so shortly after President George H. W. Bush's passing, I committed to reading his book of letters and other writings, All the Best, George Bush. And then I kind of put it off, because it's a monster of a book, clock in at 700 pages (without back matter). But I was in the mood for something long and slow and life-affirming last month, and this one fit the bill. This is a collection of President Bush's correspondence, journal entries, and other notes penned over his 70-plus years serving his country. The first letters were written when we was a young (the youngest, I've read) Navy fighter pilot, and the letters take you through his distinguished career including his time in Congress, his U.N. ambassadorship, his work as envoy to China, his time as CIA director and Republican National Committee chair (while Watergate was exploding around him), and his three terms as vice president and president of the United States. Also covered are his years pre-Washington as a Texan oilman and his years post-presidency. I loved this reading experience. It was dry in a few places, but being letters, I never felt tied to one place or idea for long. I never knew what was coming next: a dry letter regarding international diplomacy might be followed by a heartfelt letter to one of his children or grandchildren, or a hilarious letter to the chairman of the Roach Bowl, in which roaches were entered on the president's behalf. Some of my favorite stories are included, like when he had Dana Carvey address his staff as the president on his way out of office, the emotional tug-of-war he felt when sons George won his Texas governorship and Jeb lost his on the same night, the story of his plane jumping as an elderly man, as well as the story of his plane being shot down in World War II, killing his crewmates, an experience that haunted him for the rest of his life. Also, I was glad to read again the letter he wrote to his mother about his home's need for a little girl to balance out the four rowdy boys he and Barbara had, written, of course, in reference to losing his three-year-old daughter to leukemia. (They did have a daughter, Doro, after those four boys.) The entries I found the best were the charming ones he penned after leaving office, about babysitting his grandchildren and the like. I just loved the experience of reading through a great man's life in his own words, but not with the intention of ever being read by anyone but the recipient. It gives a full picture of a wonderful man, kind, tough, traditional, emotional, heroic, and funny. I highly recommend it. My rating: 5 stars.

In January I also read:

The third in the Vanderbeekers series, The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue, was as good as the first two. In this installment, the five Vanderbeeker kids and their friends had to find a way to save their mother's baking business while also solving the mystery of who keeps dropping orphaned animals on their front stoop. My rating: 3 stars.

 

This book of poetry truly exhausted me. I picked up Arias with apprehension because Sharon Old's last book of poems was so nasty I wasn't sure I'd ever pick up another book by her. This one wasn't bad, but it really felt repetitive. So many of the poems were about her mother beating her with a hairbrush years ago. She's obviously trying to work through some things, but it was emotionally exhausting. My rating: 2 stars.

 

I finally got around to Eric Metaxas's Bonhoeffer this year. I listened to it on CD, and I'm glad I did. I would have abandoned it in print form. It is a very thorough biography of German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his death at the hands of the Nazis. It's obvious that Metaxas idolizes the man, but I just don't have a lot of time for theology. Theology is man studying God, and it always ends up being completely material, not spiritual. I didn't care much for the book, though it was well-written. My rating: 3 stars.

 

I picked up Richard Russo's memoir, Elsewhere, on audio in December and abandoned it. But when my January audio holds didn't come in, I was forced to finish it. This is Russo's (he wrote Empire Falls) memoir about growing up with his mother, who seems to have mental health issues. I didn't care for this book very much for the sole reason that it seemed Russo was capitalizing on his mother's mental problems for his gain. It felt exploitative and unloving. My rating: 3 stars.

 

Oh my goodness, would someone please stop me from buying any more Rachel Hollis books? Please? I read her Girl, Wash Your Face last year, and I didn't care much for it. (Can't explain why my rating was so high.) I even put it on my Stinkers list. But then I went right back out and bought her next book, Girl, Stop Apologizing. Hollis and I have nothing in common, and regardless of what she thinks, I do not want to be her. One thing pretty much sums up Hollis and her priorities: she has a tattoo of the word "mogul" on her person. While she has some good advice, I just cannot deal with her. My rating: 3 stars.

 

 

Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone, was a short, good read. I listened on audio, which was a fabulous performance. Someday I might like to read the book, though, because I feel that I missed something hearing it so fast. It's the story of three generations of black family and explores teenage pregnancy, motherhood, what it means to be a woman/man/family. I didn't care much for the lesbian plot plunked in; it seemed careless and out of place, pandering. This is a book I could see being discussed in literature classes. Woodson is very good at what she does. My rating: 4 stars.

 

 

I finished listening to The Night Diary for the same reason I finished Elsewhere, I didn't have any other audiobooks at home. This is a children's book about the years when India breaks from British rule and splits into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. Twelve-year-old Nisha is half-Muslim, half-Hindu, and the adults won't tell her why she must move to Pakistan. There seems to be a lot of danger, but I couldn't figure out why. Perhaps I missed something. The book is written as Nisha's letters to her deceased mother, and it's well written. It's the kind of book honor committees love (it won the 2019 Newbery Honor), but I'm not sure it would have a whole lot of appeal to most children. My rating: 3 stars.

 

I've always liked Nikki Haley. She came on the scene as the tough and sometimes outspoken governor of South Carolina and went on to become US ambassador to the United Nations for the Trump administration. Her book about those years in office, With All Due Respect, takes its title from a statement she made to FNC's Dana Perino when someone in the Trump administration threw her under the political bus calling her confused. She told Perino that all she had to say on that matter was: With all due respect, I don't get confused. I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping. She sounded too much like a politician when she talked about the issues she faced such as removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds. I did find the look at how the UN works (or doesn't work, as the case may be) fascinating. My rating: 3 stars.

 

If you've read Sally Bedell Smith's wonderful biography of the Queen, Elizabeth the Queen, there may be no need to read Kate William's Young Elizabeth, as there isn't much here that wasn't covered in detail in the Smith book, but I still have to recommend this one. It's a very enjoyable read. It might be a tough fawning, but I really didn't mind. It was just a good, readable biography that I enjoyed very much. My rating: 4 stars.

I didn't finish Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here. In fact, I jumped ship pretty quickly after starting it. This just isn't a book for me, too much drama, and way too much swearing covering up for lazy character development.

Whew! I did it. And I kind of liked this format. Who knows, maybe I'll continue with it. Less time reviewing means more time reading!

2020 goals

Most years I don't make a list of goals, but I always have a list in my head. This year, it seemed important to commit them to paper, so I guess I'll also commit them to the internet. These are simple, measurable goals that I think will enrich my life in some way, but they're all things that I've struggled with completing in the past. I hope they'll bring clarity to the days of 2020.




Pray for myself daily.
This is my most important goal of the year. All the other goals, all the reading goals, none of it matters like this one. There are a number of healings I have been working toward for years, and this year I plan to spend concentrated effort on these demonstrations.


Write to Tomoe.
My only college friend who keeps in touch with me, Tomoe, always writes to me at Christmas, though she hasn't heard from me for years. I feel tremendous guilt every time her wonderful card and letter comes from Japan. This year, I WILL WRITE BACK.


Visit Mom.
My mother has made not-so-subtle requests that my husband and I visit her more. She comes to our house several times per year to visit, but we only find our way to her house on holidays. We only live an hour away, so there's no reason not to make the effort. This year, we will.


Start a commonplace book.
I've started and abandoned more journals in my life than I can count. I am just not cut out for daily journaling. But I've long loved the idea of an inspiration journal or a place to collect random thoughts, quotes, questions I'm working my way through, and things I don't want to forget. Little did I know there's a term for such a journal: a commonplace book. I want to start one this year and add to it at whim instead of on a schedule.


Complete "Grandma's Room."
When we moved into our house in 2011, one of the spare bedrooms became my library/study. When my little grandson was helping us move in, we were directing him to the rooms by calling that room "Grandma's room" and the name stuck. This is where I keep all of my books, my antique photo collection, and all of my favorite paintings. It's a very, very full room, and because I'm not in there every day, it becomes a dumping ground for piles. This year it's getting cleaned up, re-organized, redecorated--whatever it takes to make it cozy, usable, and beautiful. I'd love to get a new rug and light fixture, but I don't know if we'll go that far. I'd be happy just to have all the clutter tamed.


Read family history binders.
My lovely Aunt Carol has spent the last several years compiling family history binders for each of her siblings and for me. These are amazing works of love, and I'm way behind in reading and enjoying them.


Turn off the news when it devolves into something other than news.
This will be especially helpful later this year when the presidential election heats up. I detest political bickering. And in our house we make conscious effort to shut out prophesying. We're gonna wear out that mute button this year.


Make a conscious effort to discern what's not working for me and change or eliminate it.
This is so important, and I think I was too busy reading last year to do much of it. But I can think of a couple of examples. I finally admitted I liked gardening as long as I didn't have to do it. I dug up all of my flowers and gave the plants to work friends. Now there are no guilty projects waiting for me outside other than trimming bushes every spring which I don't really mind. It's very freeing. I also reorganized my unmentionables drawer to get everything in one place, and it has made me very happy. I want to tackle more of these projects this year. Maybe I'll begin with my linens drawer or decluttering my kitchen countertop. These have been driving me nuts.

What I read over Christmas break

I took almost three weeks off in December, giving myself lots of time to read, wrap presents, work jigsaw puzzles, and watch it snow. Unfortunately, once I finally had the time to read as much as I wanted to, I had a hard time settling into a book--like, a HARD time. I never have this problem. But I did find a couple of things that kept me going.

The Giver of Stars is a book I picked up off our library's new book shelf. I've never read a Jojo Moyes book, and I'm not sure if this book is representative of her work, but I was impressed by it. While a little fluffy and a little overly dramatic, it was much better written than I expected. This is the story of a small group of American women who set up a mobile library, delivering books on horseback to folks who live in the mountains. The characters are interesting and easy to root for, and there is good resolution, which I sort of demand in a story. There was also a strong sense of setting, which I enjoy. All in all, I liked this one quite a bit, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little lighter (actually, the story isn't light, but the reading is). My rating: 4.5 stars.

Okay, can I just admit something? I was never a fan of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. The man creeped me out as a child, and frankly, still does as an adult. And those puppets, especially, creeped me out. But there's been a huge resurgence of Mr. Rogers; tons of books for adult and children have been published in the last couple of years, and of course the new movie with Tom Hanks, so I decided to give The Good Neighbor a listen while I worked on jigsaw puzzles. Read by LaVar Burton, I enjoyed this on audio. The book itself was a bit fawning, but not badly, and my only real disappointment was that Fred Rogers' faith and religious training was somewhat glossed over, or at least, I would have preferred more discussion of that. While my feelings for Rogers haven't really changed, this book did make me examine why I felt that way as a little kid, and why I feel that way still. I was a shy, sensitive child, and his ultra-gentle manner should have been reassuring and a respite from a loud, demanding world. But it wasn't. Perhaps it was that Mr. Rogers was so unlike every adult male in my life, so my little mind decided he was too different for comfort. At any rate, I enjoyed this biography, especially the audio version. My rating: 4 stars.

I just love a Pioneer Woman cookbook, and I'm so glad they come out every other year. I keep fearing Ree will run out of recipes and have to go weird, but I hasn't happened yet. In her newest cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier, she does include several low-carb recipes as well as numerous instant pot recipes. I found several things I'd like to try, though I can't really remember any right now other than the overnight peaches and cream oatmeal. The book, too, has a fresher look than her previous books, and I have to admit I kind of miss the visual overload of riotous color and collage art of the older books. It was still a pretty book, but it's much more average. Her picture-for-each-step technique and her funny introductions to each recipe haven't gone anywhere, though, and I'm glad of that. This book was every bit as good as her other books. My rating: 4.5 stars.

I have only one more book to read in the Flavia de Luce series before I'm caught up, and I don't like that one bit. With the most recent book, the tenth in the series, Alan Bradley said he was going to evaluate whether Flavia was done giving him stories. I sure hope she sets him straight that she has LOTS more to tell and many more mysteries to solve. In the ninth book of the series, The Grave's a Fine and Private Place, Flavia, her sisters, and Dogger go on a little boat ride to shake the gloom after the death that happened at the end of the eighth book, and as Flavia trails her fingers in the water, she hooks them into a dead man's mouth. And we're off and running. This wasn't one of my favorite plots of the series, but the murder and mystery as always less important to me than Flavia's wit and brilliance anyway. And Flavia was every bit herself in this one. My rating: 4 stars.

Nicole Chung's All You Can Ever Know has been on my TBR for ages. I love books about Asian culture, and I have a soft spot for adoption stories, so I was interested in this one from the beginning. Every time I tried to read it, however, I could not get into it. I finally decided to try it on audio, but in the end I decided it's not the format, it's the book that I don't like. I don't really know how to say what I want to about this one, and I don't want to disparage anyone's adoption journey or feelings of being caught between cultures. And yet, this book annoyed and troubled me. There was a constant feeling that Chung was trying to drive her story after it happened, trying to make it bigger than it really was. Frankly, her feelings of being different and feeling alienated were no different from most kids' childhood experiences. I think her feelings had less to do with race differences than they do with personal differences. I kept feeling like she was looking back and injecting what she feels about her race as an adult into her childhood . It did not ring true for me at all. It felt fake and contrived and manufactured. I smelled it a mile away, and I really should have stopped listening. Had she taken a gentler approach and tried less to ram race (and her hatred of her birth mother) down her readers' throats, had she trusted her readers (even if some of them are white!) to understand how hard it must be to be the only Asian American girl at school (because we were all the "only" something in school), it could have been a transforming experience for her and her readers. As it was, she bludgeoned her story and her readers, and I just felt bad about all of the negativity in the book after it ended. I'll continue my search for a more nuanced story of intercultural adoption. My rating: 2.5 stars.

There, now that I'm finally done with my December 2019 reviews, I can catch up on my January reviews. I feel so far behind, but it will feel good to be caught up...eventually.

 

2019 Wrap-up and 2020 Reading Goals

It's time for a 2019 wrap-up and a look at 2020!


Last year was a banner year for me as far as reading numbers--and it wasn't that shabby for reading quality, either, but more on that later. I finished a total of 200 books, broken down as follows:


73 fiction
108 nonfiction
19 poetry


Of these, 32 were children's books (not including picture books) and 32 were re-reads. I also read 152 picture books.


My high numbers were due in part to Cybils children's book judging--I finished 139 books for first round judging, which includes picture books and middle-grade books--and in part to my push to reach 200.


The months I read the most were October (23 books) and November (20 books), due largely to Cybils books. My lowest month (not just this year, but for years) was December when I only read nine books.


I finished the year with a bad case of readerly unrest, and I couldn't settle into a book for love or money, which was especially unfortunate because I was off for nearly three weeks around Christmas, and I hoped to read, read, read. I was especially looking forward to reading adult books again after all that children's nonfiction. This condition persists in the new year.


For the most part, I was happy with everything about my reading year except for the pace. There were days I "had" to read instead of "wanted" to read. Still, I'm proud of myself for accomplishing this goal, though I don't think 200 is a goal I'll ever set again.

This year, my goal is to read less, to open up more time for spiritual study, prayer, and daydreaming, things I had trouble fitting in last year. My theme is CLARITY (2020, 20/20 vision, clarity...), and I've made my reading goals accordingly. I've put much less emphasis on numbers and much more on higher ideals. I'd intended not to create reading goals for this year after my break-neck reading of 2019, but they kind of made themselves. What can I say, some folks are just goal and rule people.


My 2020 Reading Goals


1. Read less.
I plan to read only 12-13 books per month, for a total of 150 books for the year. Still a lot, but a much more comfortable goal that won't require a lot of angst and will still leave time for readerly exploration. Fast experience has shown me that this is a rather natural pace for me.


2. Read according to my values.
I'm done with reading things because I should. I'm done with pushing myself to read things I disagree with. Unless there is something I feel I need clarity on, I'm putting this kind of reading behind me. I naturally read all kinds of things by all kinds of writers, and I don't need some book lister to tell me what will expand my vision of the world. I do that organically, and I need to trust myself. Books that promote identity politics, us vs. them attitudes, and hateful rhetoric are gone. I don't have time for them. Also out are thrillers and any book that manipulates to get its message across. I've read enough by those who disagree with my spiritual, religious, political, and moral values. This year I plan to seek out authors whom I agree with and books that edify my values.


3. Read well-reviewed books.
The number one reason I read is to read good writing, and I want to better learn to trust my instincts with books that everyone is rating highly but just don't seem like something I'd enjoy.


4. Buy books with intention.
It's too easy for me to enter a used bookstore and leave with a bag of books that I genuinely want to read, but I won't be reading soon, just because they're available. I want to be more honest about books that I likely won't need to own or re-read after I read them once.


5. Read lots of nonfiction, especially children's.
Even though I read a lot of nonfiction last year, I still ended up feeling like I missed it. Good nonfiction can be hard to find, and it's often long and takes me longer to read, but I still want to tackle more of it. Also, last year I found that I adore children's nonfiction, and I want more, more, more of it in 2020.


6. Read books published in 2019 and 2020.
I've made this goal for the last several years, and I've really enjoyed it. It's easy, for one, but it also keeps me reading books while they're current.


7. Do some re-reading.
I loved all the re-reading I did last year, and I want to continue with it this year.


8. Re-read Persuasion.
Each year I re-read a Jane Austen book, and this year I'm so excited for Persuasion.


9. Read (or re-read) a classic or (super) large book.
I've been meaning to re-read Wuthering Heights for a couple of years now. And I've also wanted to read George H. W. Bush's letters (he wrote no memoir), and I hope to get to both of these this year. Also, for years I've been kicking around the idea of reading Lonesome Dove, Team of Rivals, and Truman. Will this be the year for any of them?


10. Finish 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die.
At the end of 2019 when I couldn't seem to settle into any book, I picked up 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, and I was quickly hooked. This 900-page monster is arranged alphabetically by author, and I've just finished the Ds.


11. Read a book by or about Mary Baker Eddy.
I plan to have only one poetry book and one nightly read going each month, to open up time to read 1,000 Books... and a biography of Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science.


12. No half-star reviews. Give more 1- and 2-star reviews.
If I had my druthers, I'd probably change the way I rate books on my blog to a 3-star scale instead of the current 5-star, but it's too late now. The least I can do is get rid of 3 1/2- and 4 1/2-star reviews. Also, I generally don't give anything lower than a 3-star review, which is ridiculous if you're using a 5-point scale. I never want to hurt anyone's feelings, but some books just deserve less than average scores, and I need to deal with that.


Some books I'm excited to read this year:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Ten (Percent) of 2019

Once again, I read much too much this year to be able to narrow my favorites to 10, so I've decided to post my top ten percent--20 of my favorite books from 2019. I believe eleven of these were published in 2019, but the other nine are a bit older.




See also:
See this post for my favorite poetry books of the year.
See this post for my favorite children's books of the year.
And see this post for this year's stinkers.


Overall this was a great year for reading, but it wasn't difficult to choose my favorite 20 books out of the 200 I read. The cream just rose to the top this year.

My Top Ten (Percent) of 2019



Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, Kevin Kwan

Perhaps I should have chosen just one of these, but I decided that they both deserved a spot in the top ten. Of all the books I read this year, this series (I'm saving the third one for the new year) surprised me most. Funny, outrageous, and well-written, I just loved these. I listened to the first and read the second. The audio was very good.

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, Alan Bradley

My love for Flavia knows no bounds, but she seldom ends up on my top ten. I can't explain that. I made myself choose just one of the three books from the series I read this year, and I chose this one because it takes Flavia out of her element and plunks her down at an all-girls school in Canada. The strong sense of place made it especially memorable.

The Satapur Moonstone, Sujata Massey

While I didn't love it as much as the first book in the series (read my review here), I am so loyal to the series, though we're only two books in, that I could not not include it. This one was perhaps more unbelievable and involved more thrill than the first, but I loved the adventure just the same.

20 Years in the Secret Service, Rufus W. Youngblood

God bless the men and women who guard the president and his family. What a difficult and thankless job. This is the memoir of a young secret service agent who served Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. It was originally published in 1973, but was re-released in 2018. A wonderful, intimate book.

At Home: Sarah Style, Sarah Richardson

Sarah Richardson is my spirit animal. Or something like that. I love her work and I loved this book. It's Sarah at her best and shows some of the rooms from her wonderful show, Sarah's House, which I have wanted to see again for years.

Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor, Jenkins Reid

This one surprised me so much I had to give it a place on my top ten. Written in documentary style, it shows the unraveling of an "it" band in the 1970s. I found it very real to life and enjoyed it so, so much.

Dreyer's English, Benjamin Dreyer

This could very well be my favorite book of the year. This comprehensive guide to grammar, punctuation, and the rest, is written in an engaging and approachable way. I loved, loved, loved it. It could be used as a reference guide, but you'll miss so much of the charm if you don't read it cover to cover.

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier

I think I like this one even more the further I get from my reading of it. I liked the quiet tone of it so much. The movie captures that quiet very well, too. I'm glad I finally got around to this one.

In the Unlikely Event, Judy Blume

One of the most readable books of the year for me. Its plotting was swift, and I never wanted to put it down. Although her Summer Sisters disappointed me, this one was so, so good.

Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson

A stunning book about justice and mercy written by a man who has spent his life trying to right the wrongs done to mostly poor black Southern men and women who were abused by the justice system. Written with such empathy and an almost utter lack of bitterness.

Maybe Your Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb

This one is every bit as good as all the reviewers say it is. It's a smart book, and there is much to take forward into your introspection of your own life.

Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield

One of the first books I finished this year, and I found it lovely and generous and wonderful. There's a touch of magical realism (at least I think there is), and I loved every page of it.

Outer Order, Inner Calm, Gretchen Rubin

I didn't expect much from this little book, but I ended up finding it very helpful. Knowing different people approach decluttering in different ways, it's full of wonderful and varied tips to help you. One of the more helpful books of its ilk--and I've read most of the ilk.

Saints for All Occasions, J. Courtney Sullivan

I loved this book about two sisters who become estranged after a lifechanging event. One becomes a wife and mother, the other a cloistered nun. Very well written and engaging.

Sea Stories, Admiral William H. McRaven

I so wish my father were still around to receive this book for Christmas. I loved it. McRaven tells about his years in the Navy and Special Ops with a series of wonderful, honest, wry, heartwarming stories.

The Library Book, Susan Orlean

One of the best straight nonfiction books I've read in ages. This is the story of the 1986 arson fire that consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more in the Los Angeles Public Library. It's wonderful, especially if you happen to work in a library.

The Lost Man, Jane Harper

Jane Harper is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of her best. Her writing conjures up such a strong sense of place, one of my very favorite things in a book. This takes place in the vast, desolate Australian Outback. Perhaps my favorite of her three books.

The Matriarch, Susan Page

I enjoyed this book perhaps more than Barbara Bush's own memoir. It's not comprehensive, but it covers everything, and it was written with Mrs. Bush's cooperation. It was an honest look at one of the more outspoken first ladies in recent memory. I adored the book.

The Sun Does Shine, Anthony Ray Hinton

This is the true story of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on Alabama's Death Row. It was riveting, and his outlook was astounding. A must read.

And a bonus:

The Giver of Stars, Jojo Moyes

I finished this late in the year, and I probably would have replaced Girl with a Pearl Earring with it, but I'm sort of beyond thinking about last year's reading at this point. I liked this one very much, and it was just the right book for my end-of-year restless monkey brain. It had much more substance than I expected, and it almost read itself.