2020 Reading List for Lamplight

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2020 Reading List for Lamplight

1lamplight
jan 5, 2020, 9:26 am

Here's to a new year of reading. I belong to two book clubs, and read a little every day. But I never read quickly, and I never read for long periods of time...so I never get to 50. But I do love it!

2Yuki_Onna
jan 5, 2020, 12:38 pm

Everything is perfect if it works for you and you love it!
(You seem to read bit like me, to be honest - I'm not a quick reader either and I don't have as much time for reading as I'd like to have...)

Happy reading in 2020!

3rocketjk
jan 6, 2020, 11:32 am

Looking forward to seeing what you do read in 2020. Cheers!

4lamplight
jan 8, 2020, 6:47 am

Thanks both of you. Imagine my surprise when I got comments! (A very pleasant surprise). I am currently reading Origin by Dan Brown. As popular as this author has been, this is the first book I've read by him, and I'm reading it for a book club...a church book club, so our discussion should be interesting. I'll comment more when I'm finished it.

5lamplight
Redigerat: jan 1, 2021, 9:39 am

My list for the year, with regular updates:
1. Origin by Dan Brown -- fiction
2. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
3. Hardcore by Janet Evanovich -- fiction
4. The Midwife. A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth. — nonfiction
5, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton -- mystery
6. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See -- fiction
7. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
8. Our Lady of the Lost and Found by Diane Schoemperlen -- Canadian fiction
9. My Invented Country by Isabel Allende -- nonfiction
10. Faithfully Yours. Letters for the Wondering edited by Alydia Smith -- Christian nonfiction
11. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny -- Canadian mystery
12. My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman -- fiction
13. Sensible Shoes. A Story About the Spiritual Journey by Sharon Garlough Brown -- Christian fiction
14. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery -- fiction
15. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
16. Here's to Us by Elin Hilderbrand -- fiction
17. Murder at Ford's Theatre by Margaret Truman -- mystery
18. Every Day in Tuscany. Seasons of an Italian Life -- by Frances Mayes -- nonfiction
19. Daughter of Cana by Angela Hunt -- Christian fiction
20. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
21. The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy -- fiction
22. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens -- fiction
23. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
24. From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle -- Canadian non-fiction
25. To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith == fiction
26, Glass Houses by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
27. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi -- nonfiction
28. Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell -- psychological thriller
29. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
30, Son of Man. Great Writing about Jesus Christ edited by Clint Willis -- Christian
31. Coconut Layer Cake Mystery by Joanna Fluke -- fiction
32. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes -- fiction
33. The Stranger in the Woods. The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel -- Nonfiction
34. Redemption by David Baldacci--suspense fiction
35. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
36. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt -fiction
37, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
38. These High, Green Hills' by Jan Karon -- Christian fiction
39. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman — fiction
40. Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles — Canadian fiction
41. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee -- fiction
42. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout -- fiction
43. A Christmas Memory: One Christmas, and The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote -- autobiographical
44, The Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis -- fiction???
45. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict -- nonfiction
Year-end totals: Fiction -- 35; Non-fiction -- 10; Canadian -- 10
Favourites:
The Midwife. A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth. — nonfiction
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See -- fiction
My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman -- fiction
Sensible Shoes. A Story About the Spiritual Journey by Sharon Garlough Brown -- Christian fiction
Daughter of Cana by Angela Hunt -- Christian fiction
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens -- fiction
From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle -- Canadian non-fiction
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes -- fiction
The Stranger in the Woods. The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel -- Nonfiction
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman — fiction
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout -- fiction
The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict -- nonfiction
and all of the Louise Penny books

6lamplight
jan 10, 2020, 9:11 am

I kind of enjoyed Origin by Dan Brown, although, at times, I felt it was all a little too much. It was as though the author was saying: I know a lot, I think a lot, and I'm going to get it all into this book! Maybe that is unfair. The science/technology/religion controversy is really nothing new, but he made an intriguing story out of it, especially with the Winston character. I also feel that Dan Brown doesn't really take a side: He provides all ideas to all people, and gives enough for each so that no one gets really mad at him. After all, he wants to sell books! But it did leave me wondering and thinking about things, and comparing this hopefulness to the futuristic vision of American War, (which seemed sadly more realistic).

7lamplight
jan 16, 2020, 2:22 pm

Once again I have fallen in love with characters created by Louise Penny, this time in the book A Trick of the Light. There were a lot of emotional scenes in this murder of a critic/artist/AA member, which included tensions between various people, addictions (both hidden and acknowledged), and memories and suspicions. Lots. But it was the sponsorship story of a skinhead and a chief justice that brought tears to my eyes. Brian asked for forgiveness, and then quietly demonstrated the change in himself as he began to save someone else. It was beautiful.

8lamplight
Redigerat: jan 28, 2020, 9:41 pm

Det här meddelandet har tagits bort av dess författare.

9lamplight
jan 28, 2020, 9:43 pm

I used to enjoy reading books by Janet Evanovich, but that has changed. I didn't enjoy Hardcore Twenty-four at all. I only got it because it was available from the library to read on my I-pad, and it was an author I recognized. Many of the books that are available are not recognizable. This book was long and drawn out. Stephanie still eats terribly, is somehow attractive to multiple men, and can't remain faithful to anyone, is perpetually broke, and abuses her rodent pet by not feeding it properly (does she ever clean the cage?) Even Grandma is getting a little stale in her looniness. I think this series should have been over at 5 and now the author is just trying to make a buck or two or more...This book was about zombies. Cashing in on a craze.

10lamplight
jan 29, 2020, 1:11 pm

The Midwife by Jennifer Worth is a very good book. It made me laugh and cry over the world of East London and its colourful people.

11lamplight
feb 12, 2020, 1:09 pm

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton -- is a time travel book that creates a hell on earth that serves as a prison that rehabilitates. But...I wasn't smart enough to keep the details of the thread in mind throughout the book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The ending was especially brilliant. But Evelyn didn't die 7 or 7 1/2 times (as one version of the title had it), which I find endlessly confusing. Good wins out over evil. Some of the rules kept changing...I kept thinking 'dungeon master', so maybe the rules were just slow in being revealed.

12Yuki_Onna
feb 12, 2020, 3:54 pm

> 11: Would you recommend The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle? I've been interested in that book since it was released, but I've heard so many mixed reviews... What's your opinion apart from it being confusing?
Is it a good confusing or a bad confusing? :)

13lamplight
feb 26, 2020, 7:34 am

Yuki_Onna...I stuck with the book, even though I read only bits at a time, and sometimes had trouble following the timeline of events. I read a review that said the reviewer was concerned about not following everything, but then just relaxed and enjoyed the book without overthinking. That is what I did. In the end, I was glad that I had read it. I would recommend it for those who what to challenge themselves to a different reading experience. In the end, there is a hopefulness to it that I like. I don't like books that hint that people and humanity are beyond help. There are some pretty graphic and gruesome parts to this book though...nightmare worthy, in my opinion.

14haydninvienna
feb 26, 2020, 10:52 am

>12 Yuki_Onna: >13 lamplight: Good confusing. I liked it and didn't find the gory parts too unsettling, although I'm a wimp when it comes to violence or gore.

15lamplight
mar 6, 2020, 9:58 pm

"No coincidence, no story" is what makes this book so wonderful: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. The story of a woman born in an ethnic minority in China and how she becomes a wealthy Chinese American, twines around learning about ancient teas (pu'er), adoption from mother (birth and adoptive) and daughter's perspectives, different approaches to science and medicine, love, ancient beliefs and practices, changing times. A chapter in which a counsellor speaks with young adoptees from China rings so true that I want my sister to read it some day...She has two daughters adopted from China, and some of the truths in this chapter are her painful reality. I gave it 5 stars...something I rarely do.

16lamplight
mar 19, 2020, 3:08 pm

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny -- The ending, in particular, was moving, because of the separation between Gaumache and Beauvoir. The plainchant info and the look into a monastery were fascinating. A typically good addition to the series.

17lamplight
mar 31, 2020, 3:52 pm

Our Lady of the Lost and Found by Diane Schoemperlen -- According to my list of books on this site, I read this book 10 years ago! Oh well...I enjoyed it again. I hope it sticks this time. I learned a lot about marian miracles, and I have to say....I believe. Which is the premise on which the author wrote the book. Cool.

18lamplight
apr 3, 2020, 6:57 am

I have always enjoyed Isabel Allende's work. My Invented Country is an interesting sideways look into her life, thoughts, country. But she doesn't pretend that she is telling the truth. Perception and bias are coloured with a heavy dose of emotion. But I found it interesting to read about Chile through her eyes.

19lamplight
apr 8, 2020, 9:06 am

Faithfully Yours. Letters For the Wondering edited by Alydia Smith is a Lenten study book published by the United Church of Canada. I participated in an on-line study of this book, but, in hind-sight, feel that an in-person study, using the guide at the back of the book, may have been a richer experience. I got to 'meet' some of the authors on-line though...so that was kind of neat. Although written long before this current pandemic, many of the letters, the Biblical verses and situations, and the feelings and concerns addressed by the letter writers, pertain to feelings of worry and unsettledness today.

20lamplight
apr 9, 2020, 7:31 am

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny was exactly what the doctor ordered during this time of social isolation. It gave me a host of friends whom I admire (the crew from Three Pines, plus Gamache and friends), some villains who get their just desserts, one friend/villain who gets saved, and lots and lots of action. In this book, we discover the horrific planned event that has hovered in the background of her other books to this point. We slip into the minds of truly evil men: Francouer and the premier, and all the men who do their bidding. Good and evil are starkly juxtaposed, with some evil masquerading as good. But there is the evil that is just a wounded good person: Beauvoir. The end of the book sounds like the end of the series, but it isn't....Eager to see what happens next.

21lamplight
apr 17, 2020, 5:12 pm

I think this is my new favourite book: My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman. I found some of the fantasy elements at the beginning a little difficult...not my genre. But then, when I figured out the purpose, it became totally my genre. Such a lovely, loving book, dealing with real issues and feelings in a most humane way. We meet damaged people, and a bullied child, and we readers are propelled by a crazy dead granny's great love for all. Such a wonderful book.

22lamplight
apr 28, 2020, 12:31 pm

I have read some Christian fiction books before that didn't seem particularly Christian. An add-on prayer or mention of God seemed to be inserted in hopes of including a particular audience, along with others. Sensible Shoes by Sharon Garlough Brown is the real deal. Reading it made me feel like I was on a retreat with the four main characters, led lovingly by the leader, Katherine. The pain and joy involved in their personal stories, as well as their spiritual struggles, rang very true, but were also instructive and hopeful. I will try to read the other books in this series.

23lamplight
apr 29, 2020, 8:03 pm

Wow. I finally read this classic little book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery. What a lovely little gem...one that I think I will re-read. I hope I don't become the type of adult in the book that didn't get what is really important in life. I like the idea of taming something: waste time on it, and you tame it and it becomes dear to you.

24haydninvienna
apr 30, 2020, 2:08 am

>23 lamplight: Enthusiastically seconded. After a recent contact with yet another new method of learning a language (details here, if you're interested), I've been reading it in French, a bit each day. Going OK so far.

25lamplight
maj 7, 2020, 11:31 am

My fourth Louise Penny book this year: The Long Way Home. Peter Morrow figures in this book, mostly by his absence, his own seeking, his reformation and finally his brave death. There are 4 who travel together, meeting Chartrand, gallery-owner, on the way: Clara, Myrna, Gaumache (now retired) and Beauvoir. There are a few funny lines in this book that didn't quite ring true for me...not sure why. As I was reading, I would do a sort of double take and feel that the character wouldn't have said that. Weird, huh?

26lamplight
maj 14, 2020, 7:45 pm

Here's to Us by Elin Hilderbrand takes place mostly in Nantucket. Three wives gather at the hugely mortgaged cottage to scatter the ashes of their husband or ex to two of them. They also have to say good-bye to the cottage, which is especially hard for the three grown kids (one for each wife). The husband was Deacon Thorpe, a celebrated chef, but actually a broken man who turned to drugs and booze to fix the breaks, but they didn't work. It was an okay story...a little like a soap opera. But with a happy ending.

27lamplight
Redigerat: maj 20, 2020, 6:17 pm

Just a quick little mystery...a used book I had lying around: Murder at Ford's Theatre by Margaret Truman. It's entrenched in Washington politics and amoral connections. Not super well written, but a couple of characters kept my attention so I enjoyed reading it. Facts about Abraham Lincoln were woven throughout the story, which was kind of neat.

28lamplight
jun 3, 2020, 2:49 pm

Every Day in Tuscany. Seasons of an Italian Life by Frances Mayes is a little too stream-of-consciousness for my liking. Also, a tad pretentious. But in it, I 'met' some lovely people who I am no wondering about, since Covid decimated Italy so greviously. I looked on Mayes facebook page, but nary a word. Mmmm.

29lamplight
jun 25, 2020, 10:56 am

Daughter of Cana by Angela Hunt is an excellent book, that puts you right into Nazareth and Cana and Jerusalem during Jesus' time. Angela Hunt is a gifted storyteller, that helps make sense of Jesus' life. Sometimes the incredulity of Jesus' life makes it hard to be a Christian. This books seems to address it through the eyes of Jude, Jesus' brother, and Tasmin, Thomas's twin.

30lamplight
jul 4, 2020, 10:54 am

I am continuing the series. I just finished The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. I had started it a few weeks ago and then put it aside. There is a murder that I have a hard time reading about -- involves a child. I needed to be in a strong frame of mind before I could pick the book up again and read on. But it was its usual good book, and it taught me about a piece of history that is not well know...involves a big gun, and that's all I will say about that.

31lamplight
jul 16, 2020, 7:13 am

The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy is a pleasant, gossipy read...filled with people and connections, perfect for this covid isolation time. I needed a few friends!

32lamplight
jul 22, 2020, 7:20 am

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is the kind of "I can't stop reading it" book I was in the mood for. The main character, Kya, defies all odds when it comes to survival, and the ultimate act shouldn't really surprise us. Abandoned as a young girl, she relied on her own smarts and a little generosity from others to live a life she loved, and share it in books. Tate, Jumpin, Chase, Jodie -- other interesting characters whom we meet. Her Dad and Mom also fit in that category, although we only 'meet' mom as she is walking away -- an image that remains throughout the book. Marsh Girl becomes a survivor, no matter what it takes.

33lamplight
Redigerat: aug 29, 2020, 8:51 am

Paul Kalanithi was a promising, thoughtful and innovative and young neurologist when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. When Breath Becomes Air is his story. But, he points out, it is not just his story, but a love story with his wife, his baby daughter, and his family. I'm glad he was able to fulfil this dream of writing a book before he died.

34lamplight
sep 3, 2020, 6:43 am

Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell is the psychology of a pathetic young man who idolizes a serial killer, and becomes a killer. His landlady is also nutty, and pathetic. Actually, there are no characters to really like in this book, which -- for me -- made it hard to come back to each day. Both Gwendolyn and Mix have fantasy love lives, both have few friends, both were scarred by their youth, both have sharp tongues. Somehow the older female becomes less dangerous to others than the younger male. Mix is so ineffectual that his second murder if Gwendolyn...and she was already dead! Not a book I would re-read, but good for keeping me aware of different genres.

35lamplight
sep 12, 2020, 6:53 am

Another Louise Penny book: Kingdom of the Blind. Enjoyable as always. (Don't read this if you plan to read the book....a few spoilers). A house falls down, an investment manager becomes a crook; his brother is on to it but gets murdered; a baroness dies and her will sets a whole lot in motion; Clara's painting of Ruth as the Virgin Mary has a central role; a young man saves Gaumache's life; Isabelle Lacoste is recovering; a new agent is being brought into the fold; and Amelia helps find the powerful Russian drug about to be released on the streets but nearly dies in the process. And Gaumache kept the secret of their complicity. And a little girl is found in the middle of the drug-infested streets. A lot happened.

36lamplight
sep 18, 2020, 9:00 pm

Some of the writing in Son of Man. Great Writing about Jesus Christ edited by Clint Willis was hopeful and helpful. Some was either disgusting or depressing. And some I couldn't figure out at all. It wasn't a 'I'll help your faith along' kind of book. The story by D.H. Lawrence near the end of the book was quite disturbing; the one by Rudyard Kipling was puzzling. I think I'm too old to invest a lot of energy into looking for hidden meanings. Not sure what I will do with this book now....

37lamplight
Redigerat: sep 25, 2020, 1:22 pm

Pure fluff, and I solved it from the beginning. But, I only read fluff on my I-pad...The real stuff I read with a book in hand: Coconut Layer Cake Mystery by Joanna Fluke.

38lamplight
Redigerat: sep 29, 2020, 9:09 pm

I'm a liar. I read a book about a quadriplegic, assisted suicide, economic woes, and a girl's awakening...not fluff at all. I read this on my I-pad and enjoyed it tremendously: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. I kept thinking I knew how it would end, but as I got closer and closer, I realized what Will's fate would be. And it was the ending that had to happen, but not the ending I wanted to happen. Such a tender love story, with laugh-out-loud moments. Louisa and Will are both characters that I came to like.

39lamplight
okt 6, 2020, 10:02 pm

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel was recommended by my sister-in-law about a year ago, and I just got around to reading it now. Very interesting howl someone could live totally alone (and dependent on stealing) for 27 years. Interesting that the reason for his becoming a hermit does not fit into any neat little categories. I believe the author did a good job trying to stay true to Chris Knight's view of himself. I have since watched a couple of you-tube stories of this fellow. Quite fascinating.

40lamplight
nov 5, 2020, 8:47 pm

I really enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Some of the reviews predisposed me to not likeing it. I thought it might be too fantastical for me, but instead, it was a great read, with lots of twists and turns and surprises, and enough love and heartbreak to mirror reality. Great book.

41lamplight
nov 12, 2020, 7:44 pm

Now just how did The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt manage to win the Pulitzer Prize? What a disorganized, self-centred piece of yuk. I didn’t like the characters, didn’t like the clumsy attempt to say something profound after drugs, crime, suicide attempts, dishonesty, naivety. Not the book to preach about either life of beauty.

42lamplight
nov 18, 2020, 3:31 pm

I haven't read an Anne Tyler book in many many years. But I borrowed A Spool of Blue Thread on Overdrive. And then I read some reviews where people said how disappointed they were with the book. I was not. This is Anne Tyler at her best, zeroing in on the thoughts and secrets and real feelings of ordinary people. I loved her characters, and was sad to finish the book.

43lamplight
nov 24, 2020, 7:15 am

I really enjoy the characters in books by Jan Karon. I was given a big bag of her books and this was my first: These High, Green Hills. Dooley is growing up; Timothy learns lessons from being lost in a cave, and the love story with Cynthia continues beautifully. There is laughter and tears (Miss Sadie, Lace). There are glimpses of hardness, but more glaring examples of grace.

44lamplight
dec 9, 2020, 9:59 pm

Second time reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Loved it even more this time around. So many tough issues but so much humanity, grace, humour, and love. Truly a good book.

45lamplight
dec 14, 2020, 8:59 pm

Woohoo....I’ve hit 40 books so will probably get 41 or 42 by year end. Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles is not a fun Christmas read. It is a very tough book that lays a variety of toxic relationships achingly bare. Different perspectives make it less than black and white, love and hate, right and wrong. Most of the victims seem to deserve much better than life has dished out. It was a depressing read, but I am glad that I persisted. It was worthwhile in showing me a part of our world that I don’t often want to look at. But my turning away is what helps it to exist.

46lamplight
Redigerat: dec 21, 2020, 11:14 am

I just finished listening to Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. I don't think I am alone in my disappointment. Both Scout and her father are stuck in their mindsets, which provides a great deal of insight into their world at their time. But in our world, and our time, both mindsets are tiresome and dangerous. Scout is a little too full of herself, and her father, aunt, uncle and Henry only add to that. It's like the cute little girl who knows how cute she is and plays it for all it is worth. Her agony is real though, as ours is, when we discover Atticus is more human than we wanted him to be.

47lamplight
dec 21, 2020, 4:53 pm

I've been bemoaning my aging process lately, and there I see it in Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout. This was a good book though, with lots of little stories scattered throughout. Great character development that doesn't tell you everything...leaves some to the imagination. I love the last line of the book, but I won't spoil it here.

48lamplight
dec 23, 2020, 4:47 pm

A Christmas Memory: One Christmas, and The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote is a real find for me. The first story, "A Christmas Memory" is exquisite....I might never read A Christmas Carol ever again.

49lamplight
dec 26, 2020, 9:54 am

I just finished listening to The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Admittedly, listening to this meant that I missed a lot, because it was chalk full of double entendre meanings and interpreted warnings. But I still got enough to wonder if anything I do or think or am means that I am Screwtape's enemy, or his next meal. But it was kind of neat, and makes me view my world and faith a little differently, I wonder what Lewis would say about our modern times? I don't think he foresaw the spiritual nosedive we are taking.