Fiction/Biography books (10 of 12 finished)

✅The Invention of Wings. By Sue Monk Kidd (audible) -February
✅The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver (library overdrive) – April
✅Water for Elephants. By Sara Gruen (library overdrive audio) – May
✅Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis – (Library Overdrive) May
✅The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (Kindle-Library) May
✅Dear Mr. Knightley: A Novel. By Katherine Reay (audible) – June
✅American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. By Chris Kyle, Scott McEwan, Jim DeFelice (audible) – July
✅The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – (kindle) – August
✅Catching Heat by Janice Cantore (paperback) – September
✅Redeeming Love (audible) by Francine Rivers – December

Entrepreneur/Finance  (New Category)

I have found such value in reading about writing; I decided I wanted to read 10 books on business and money.

✅Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money: 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them by Kevin O’Leary – (library) June
✅The One Thing. By Gary Keller (audible) July *Want to read again next year
✅The Miracle Morning. By Hal Elrod – (library) July
✅The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker – (audible) July
✅Do the Work by Steven Pressfield – November

 

Reviews of the Books I’ve Finished

On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft.  By Steven King. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ I can’t find the article I read a few months back by Steven King. It was helpful, and at some point, I must have requested his book at the library because it became available two weeks ago.

I started his book and was immediately drawn in. His writing style was refreshing, and his advice left me feeling like I was drinking from a cup of cold fresh water.  I am not much into horror and have only read one of his books “11/22/63,” which I loved.  I read half of “The Stand” but got too scared.  I want to finish it…kind of.

He answered a lot of questions I had about writing and a lot of what he said made sense to me.  Given his success as a writer, he is someone I would want to sit down and chat with. Since that’s not likely to happen, I am thankful he took the time to write down his journey as an author.  I’m not going to outline to book.  Many other people have already done that.  Here’s one example.

My only hesitation in recommending the book is that he curses.  I can look past it for the content of the book.  I will tell you it was the hardest non-fiction book I’ve ever read to put down! I know it sounds silly, but I kept reading just one more page!

When Life Hurts: Finding Hope and Healing from the Pain You Carry. By Jimmy Evans. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Our small group did a video series last summer with Jimmy Evans. When I saw this book on Amazon for a dollar, I snagged it, and I’m glad I did. The biggest take-away from this book was seeing how wounds from our childhood can affect our thinking and choices today. He is vulnerable and humble as he shares his stories and encourages the readers to find hope and healing.

 

 

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up. ☆ ☆ ☆ By Marie Kondo. I got on a waiting list at our library months before this book came out. I was super excited to read it as her first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing changed my life. Her fresh perspectives on decluttering showed me what was weighing me down. In the process of three months and countless trips to the Goodwill, our home transformed.  

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same love for Spark Joy. Honestly, I had a hard time staying engaged. Maybe it would have been helpful if I had read it before I started the tidying process.  Much of what she said just delve deeper into the “how to” process – which I’d already figured out and tweaked on my own. I did find a few helpful hints on tidying the kitchen. Her culture and religion are different from mine, and there was a lot of why behind the how. She recommends talking to and thanking your objects. She also talks a lot about energy and what feeling you get from different objects/rooms.  I rate it a three star.

The Invention of Wings. By Sue Monk Kidd ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Stunningly fascinating biography set in the early 1830’s.  Two sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, rebelled against society in Charleston, South Carolina as advocates against slavery.  The author weaves a fictional character Hedy “Handful” throughout the story bringing me to laughter, tears, horror, and pride.  This book will stick with me for a long time to come.  I highly recommend it.

 

 

The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing.  By Roy Peter Clark. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ It took weeks from when I ordered this at the library for it to come in.  When it arrived, for some reason I had it in my head that it was a book to teach speed reading.  It took me a few minutes to figure out what it was.  Roy Peter Clark takes apart 25 books and shows you details that you would most likely miss if you weren’t looking.  I love the concept, and I think the techniques he taught are already helping me read with my eye a little more wide open.

Many of the books I have not read, but that didn’t stop the book from being useful to me. He does an excellent job of summarizing the book and including short sections for his examples.  I gave it a four start – but this is probably a case of it’s me, not you.  This would be a good book to reread after I’ve read some of the books he discusses.

You are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)  By Jeff Goins.

☆ ☆ ☆ This is a quick read that is intended to motivate you to write.  Jeff Goins challenges you that to be a writer you have to believe in yourself and you have to write.  He gives tips on how to network, build a platform, brand yourself and get published in magazines.  When I was listening to the book, I felt annoyed at his cheerleader style of writing. However, over the last couple of weeks, some of the things he talked about in the book have come back to my mind.  So, now I think he may influence my writing more than I initially gave him credit.  For example, I’ve realized that if I want to write, I have to make it a priority – cut other things out of my life and write.  If you need encouragement or want an overview of writing, this may be a good pick for you.  I rated it three stars.