Photo by DeleteAcc from FreeImages

Halfway there! I’m really enjoying strolling through the memories of last year’s books, and feeling grateful for the opportunity to get so many read. Here are the next five!

I had heard this recommended many times by many parents, and about the time I read it I was at my wit’s end with my two-year-old, so I decided to pick up my husband’s copy for a read.

It was very good, and really a good reminder of the big picture of our job as parents, so I loved it for that. The only reason it’s four stars instead of five is that I wished it had been a bit more practical when it came to advice. It was a bit more theoretical, which is also good and needed! I just really appreciate some good, practical wisdom in these matters.

The second book in my husband’s favorite series — I enjoyed it more than the first and felt that it was a little less all-over-the-place, while still an interesting mystery and overall well-written.

I did still feel it was too preachy for my taste, but I think that’s just Alcorn’s style. It’s also very interesting that I happened to be reading it in 2020 — the book deals heavily with racial issues, and even though it was written 20 years ago, I felt like it could have been written now. I do think Alcorn did a really good job coming at a delicate topic in a balanced way.

I read the first four books in this series years ago, but despite watching the Netflix series when it came out, I never got around to reading the rest. I decided to finish them last year, and since they are short they really helped boost my book count!

I don’t have much to say about this one in particular — basically I really love this entire series. It’s hilarious and strangely endearing, and while they did a good job on the show, it can’t capture the absolute best thing about the book — the sarcastic and darkly funny narration.

This was my favorite book club book last year, and the only one I rated five stars. It was a beautiful book and felt like a classic, even though it was only written in 2019.

It takes place over decades, capturing the life of a Russian aristocrat banished to house arrest in a prestigious hotel in the Bolshevik revolution. The man, Alexander Rostov, is witty, honorable, and a gentleman in every sense of the word. The characters are endearing (or despicable, as the case may be) and the prose is beautiful. I wholeheartedly recommend this one!

Moving on to the next Series of Unfortunate Events book, again, I don’t have much to say about it in particular other than that it is a delightful and strange and hilarious read, just like the rest. Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler) is a brilliant fellow!

I’ll be back later this week with five more! In the meantime, let me know if you’ve read any of these and if so what you think of them!