| Pages | Rating | Genre |
| 36 | 4 / 5 | Fiction, short story, classic |
Emily is a member of a family in the antebellum Southern aristocracy; after the Civil War, the family has fallen on hard times.
A very short story that you can read online here. A bit of history and a somewhat sad story. Very well-written and an enjoyable read. Only 4 stars as I wish it was longer. Looks like the whole movie is available on youtube:
| Pages | Rating | Genre |
| 304 | 3 / 5 | Non-fiction, Economics, Travel |
Rose George writes a very extensive (verbose) description of the shipping industry as it is today. In order to accomplish this she actually gets on a ship and sails with the crew of a cargo ship through their normal route, including pirate infested waters. I read the book more for the economics of shipping. I wanted to understand how we got to this place where it is insanely cheap to ship via cargo ships and cargo containers. She covers this and so much more.
The extra is where she loses me. At times she dives into the history of shipping, then she passes to the legality of it, then the a short biography of the current captain of the ship she is on, then the shipping company Maersk, then it reads as a travel book, then she covers a short history of harbor towns. You can see what I am getting at here. It’s just too much. She managed to pack in 3 or 4 book subjects into one book. While the title speaks to me, the economy of shipping, there is so much more in this book. For this reason, it gets only 3 stars.
| Pages | Rating | Genre |
| 336 | 4 / 5 | Non-fiction, autobiography, politics |
Good biography from Harris. Obviously focusing on her professional career the most. People who want to know her stance on things may benefit from reading this. Boiled down to fairness for all and climate change is important. Not bad, but you have to wonder how much of this was her telling us exactly what we want to hear.
I’m really glad that I read this before she became America’s first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president-elect. That’s a lot of first and she has a lot to be proud of already. I’m looking forward to seeing what she and Biden can do.
We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
| Pages | Rating | Genre |
| 456 | 4 / 5 | Fiction, Thriller, Mystery |
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.
| 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.
Joshua Becker
| Pages | Rating | Genre |
| 146 | 2 / 5 | Non-Fiction, Digital Minimalism |
I listened to this, but didn’t get much from it. I preferred Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. It was much more detailed less cursing too 🙂
Pretty disappointed in this work. Just read Cal’s it’s much better!
| 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.
| Pages | Rating | Genre |
| 317 | 4 / 5 | Non-fiction, books about books, history |
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.
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.
| Rating | Pages | Genre |
| 5 / 5 | 248 | Non-Fiction, Race |
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.