Excellent Robert Langdon story again. Maybe not as strong as the first 4 books, but totally worth reading if you haven’t yet. If you have read or seen any of the books, such as the Da Vinci Code, you already know what to expect from this book. This is a great book and lots of fun to read.
It was nice to take a break from all the non-fiction I read. This is one of only 4 fiction books I read the entire year. So, that right there should tell you something. “I don’t read fiction much, but when I do they are good picks.” LOL.
Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home. by Joshua Becker
Pages
Rating
Genre
199
4 / 5
Non-fiction, minimalism
Clear and concise advice from Joshua as usual. Joshua is an easy to follow resource for those interested in decluttering or the lighter side of minimalism. A great resource.
I’ve posted about Joshua here before. This is the second book of his that I read in 2020. I love his stuff, it makes so much sense to me. Implementing is always the hardest part especially with kids. I recommend this book to those with kids that want to pull this off.
There is more joy to be found in owning less than can ever be found in organizing more.
Joshua Becker
Clutter is a) too much stuff in too small a place; b) anything you no longer use or love; or c) anything that leads to a feeling of disorganization.
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
by Michael Greger
Pages
Rating
Genre
576
5 / 5
Non-fiction, health
Absolutely excellent. I read this on Kindle and highlighted it everywhere. I don’t like to buy books because they take up a lot of room. My preference is to own a few physical books. This one is worth buying in hardback and keeping. Very clear easy to follow advice on what to eat and how much of it. Also, like how Dr. Greger included information on exercise and how much. Everything is backed up with studies and not those paid my big dairy, or others with agendas. Great to keep for reference and re-read often to remind me about what I should be incorporating into my diet more.
People who once ate vegetarian diets but then started to eat meat at least once a week experienced a 146 percent increase in odds of heart disease, 152 percent increase in stroke a 166 percent increase in diabetes, and a 231 percent increase in odds for weight gain.
Dr. Michael Greger
Dr. Greger speaks on the lack of nutrition found in many of the items that we have been taught are good for us. Lean meat, eggs, dairy, etc.
I think everyone should read this book! It may just be my favorite book of 2020.
An interesting and entertaining history of the Los Angeles library and its various characters. Recommend for library lovers.
I’m a book lover, duh, right? So, I love meta books, books about books. I thought this might be fiction when I first saw it. I didn’t know it was going to be a historical or that it would be so focused on one suspect. If you are into books about books and also like history you will will love this book.
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret
by Jedidiah Jenkins
Excellent finding yourself story. Extra star because of BIKES! I do love a good bicycling adventure story.
I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed the reader who I believe was the author. I originally added this to my list because it was a find yourself story and discovering what you are capable of. However, I was surprised to find out that this was also a cycle touring adventure as well.
I learned that I have a lot left to learn. That is the best I can do to try to describe what I got out of this book. It is well-written and to the point. What I wanted to do with this is learn a little bit from a side of the discussion that I don’t often hear from. I don’t know a lot of people of color. I’m not sure exactly why this is, but I’m learning more with books like this.
Our country has improved, but in no way is it near where we can be, where we should be. For me, getting there starts by learning more about why we are here and what that is like for those I don’t discuss these issues with. I hope to learn more about race in 2021 and I plan to continue reading books that challenge me like this.
Better than the first one I read as this one seemed to move a little faster. I have read other adventure novels that move faster than this and that is my preference. Lots of explanations and descriptions here. I think it slows the story a little too much.
Ian Fleming may be the brilliant person who came up with James Bond, but from what I’ve read in the first two James Bond novels the movies are far more exciting that the novels. I’m not sure if I will continue to read his work as they just move to slow for me.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
A non-fiction adventure. Better than some fiction that I’ve read. I wonderful telling of Shackleton and his crew’s unforgettable adventure! This is a great adventure story and I’m sure you will enjoy it. I listened to this book and really enjoyed checking in with the adventure as I listened to it over a week or so.
Copenhagenize: The Definitive Guide to Global Bicycle Urbanism
by Mikael Colville-Andersen
This book offers an interesting and new (to US residents) look at bicycle infrastructure. The author suggest a build it and they will come philosophy to bicycle infrastructure. I whole-heartedly agree with this and 90% of what he offers in the book. My one major complaint is his stance on bikes. I feel they have a place and get more people on bikes. Anything that does that is a plus in my book.
The US has different challenges that the rest of the world, getting butts in saddles is one of the things we need to change. While the COVID-19 pandemic definitely sold bikes, it did not increase the amount of people doing everyday activities, like running errands and grocery shopping on bicycles. At least not from what I see daily. Commuting is also down, so commuting via bicycle at least for those already working from home didn’t change.
What we may have increased with the pandemic is recreational riders and not those who ride because it is the easiest way to get around which is what Mikal talks about in his book. For this to change in the US it means that we need to drastically change our infrastructure. Mikal talks about a lot of different ways to do this. If you want to see what needs to change in the US and places like it to make them more bicycle friendly, then this is a great book.
I loved this book and it only loses a star because of his stance on ebikes.
