Ann A’s Comments (group member since Apr 18, 2010)

Ann A’s comments from the Challenge: 50 Books group.

16 - His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope 4*

17 - A Promised Land 5*

18 - The Inimitable Jeeves 3*

13 - Americanah
This made me think about non-American Blacks in a whole new way. Race relations in the U.S. are so complicated. 4*

14 - Piranesi (ToB) 4*

15 - Telephone (ToB) 4*

10 - Deacon King Kong (Tournament of Books)
I love McBride's writing, and Deacon is a great character. 4 1/2*

11 - The Cold Millions (Tournament of Books longlist)
After 'Beautiful Ruins', I am pre-disposed to like anything by Jess Walter. This took me awhile to get into, but I loved it by the end. 4*

12 - The Radetzky March (1001 books)
I was surprised by how much I liked this story of three generations of soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian empire. Good writing tends to draw one in. 3.75*

7 - Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life
It's good to be reminded of this stuff. Nothing ground-breaking. 3*

8 - Sharks in the Time of Saviors (Tournament of Books)
Beautiful novel - the first I've read about Hawaii. That's what I love about the Tournament of Books - so much uniqueness. 4*

9 - I Capture the Castle
I loved it! Should have pulled it off my shelf years ago. 5*

4 - Hamnet (Tournament of Books longlist)
Wonderful! I'm disappointed it didn't make the short list of the Tournamet of Books. 5*

5 - Deception on His Mind
Another impressive entry in the Lynly mysteries. It was long, though! 4*

6 - Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now
Very good - I just wish it was a little more in-depth. 4*

1 - Acid for the Children
I was fairly engrossed in Flea's story, even though all the drug use started to wear on me. But hey - that was his life (and he's lucky to still have one). 4*

2 - The Vanishing of Katharina Linden
Pia sure had a tough time of it. This was exciting enough, but (view spoiler)[ the whole end section was disturbing and not quite believable. And what was up with the exploding grandmother? (hide spoiler)] 3*

3 - The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
Of course, one can't help admire Toni Morrison. There was a lot of repetition here, though, and when she gets into the weeds of literary analysis I sometimes get lost. 3 1/2*

Ditto what Stefanie said! I hope we can all find comfort in some good books this year. Aren't we fortunate we all love to do something that meets the COVID guidelines for safety? Ha.

Quite the variety of reading you did in 2020. Congrats on your 39 books!

I'll stick with my goal of 100, but who knows what this year will bring?
Wishing everyone health, happiness, and lots of good books in 2021. Good riddance to 2020!

I ended up with 77 books in 2020 - not bad considering the terrible year it was.

I'm going to move this thread to the 2020 Finish Line, but continue to update it until I catch up. I like to look back at my mini-reviews!

ETA: I decided not to add all my 2020 books here - too much work! I'll try to do better at keeping up in 2021.

Great movie ideas!

Congrats on finishing your first book of the year! I figure reading is never a waste of time, even if I don't love the book.

Good luck to you and the doggies!

5 - Your House Will Pay (ToB)
I started to lose a little of the sense of authenticity towards the end, but overall well-done. I admire the author for tackling such a difficult subject. 4*

6 - The Water Dancer (ToB)
I liked the first half better than the second (thought it started to lose its way), but still 4*.

7 - Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
For a graphic novel, this really packed a wallop. 5*

2 - Golden State (Tournament of Books)
The ending was bizarre, but it gets 4* for its timely subject matter. (it will make you think hard about our current environment and the fluid definition of a "fact").

3 - Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future
Most of the Democratic presidential candidates have written books, but I read in The New Yorker that this was the best of the bunch. It WAS very good. 4 1/2*

4 - Normal People (ToB)
Rounded up from 3 1/2* because of the writing. I enjoyed listening to this on audio, but was ready to say goodbye to the characters by the end (hence, I doubt I'll be watching the upcoming miniseries). 4*

Hear, hear to wonderful books!

Good luck!

I should read LESS this year and get some other projects done, but I just love reading too much! I'm going for 100 again...

1 - A Natural Woman: A Memoir
I enjoyed this audiobook read by the author. She sang snippets of many of her songs throughout. She's had a pretty fascinating life. 4 1/2*

31 books is very respectable (and a lot more than most people read in a year). If you enjoyed your reading time, that's all that matters! Wishing you many happy reading hours in 2020 :)

Wow! Impressive results. Happy New Year and Happy Reading in 2020.