Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Books I Read (Or Tried To Read) During Spring and Summer 2020: A List


Books I Read (Or Tried To Read) During Spring and Summer 2020: A List

The spring and summer of 2020 unfolded in ways none of us could have foreseen. The virus that plagued the world changed our daily life forcing many of us to stay home for all but the most essential errands. As a home-based eBay seller, I was able to work again after the initial lockdown was over. However, with family, friends and all of my other interests and activities unavailable there was definitely more time for reading.

This page is a look back at the books that I read. Hopefully, it will steer you toward or away from a new book.

WHAT DID I DO?


I met several generations of a powerful and influential family. I survived industrialized 19th century Britain. I settled on the harsh Canadian prairies. I visited but failed to enjoy St. John’s, Newfoundland. I raised sourdough bread. I solved a murder mystery and finally, I visited short stories.

WHAT DID I READ?


JEFFREY ARCHER'S CLIFTON CHRONICLES


JEFFREY ARCHER'S CLIFTON CHRONICLES     


The best book that I read was actually a seven-volume saga about the adventures and misadventures of a powerful and influential family by Jeffrey Archer known as the Clifton Chronicles. It was so good that I struggled to put each book aside in order to make time to read the latest book for my book club. This series is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by not only myself but also my husband and my sister-in-law and my friend Alanna and her husband. There is a lot of well-crafted reading here with threads that cross generations. You will find the seven-book boxed set here on Amazon.


CATHERINE COOKSON'S RILEY


CATHERINE COOKSON'S RILEY


I was reunited after a long absence with author Catherine Cookson via her book Riley. I wrote more about the book, which is set in industrialized 19th century Britain, and talked about the prolific writer here. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and if you have yet to 'meet' Catherine Cookson and you like historical fiction, you should give her a try. You will find it here on Amazon.


SHANDI MITCHELL'S UNDER THIS UNBROKEN SKY


SHANDI MITCHELL'S UNDER THIS UNBROKEN SKY


Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell is a Canadian novel set in Alberta in 1938. It was good book, a close look at the extremely tough job of settling the prairies. However, it was dark with tragedy upon tragedy heaped upon the Ukrainian settlers. It is RECOMMENDED by me for those interested in the history of the prairies and immigrants to Canada but NOT RECOMMENDED if you need something a bit more positive, which was something I felt that I needed during this difficult time. You will find it here on Amazon.


MEGAN GAIL COLES' SMALL GAME HUNTING AT THE LOCAL COWARD GUN CLUB


MEGAN GAIL COLES' SMALL GAME HUNTING AT THE LOCAL COWARD GUN CLUB


The next book that I read was Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles. It is a Scotiabank Giller Prize nominated book set in St. John’s, Newfoundland. A very dark, dreary modern-day story and I only read half of it. Six or so of the members of my book club made it through but not happily and four did not. One determined reader intends to keep trying.

A review on Google Books says that Small Game Hunting "is a difficult book to read because of its brutality -- people are mistreated and not valued because they are women, non-white, or gay. But it's worth it." Quill and Quire says, this book "forces the reader...to be made uncomfortable and prompted to think rather than be simply entertained." These might be reasons for you to consider reading this book. However, it is NOT RECOMMENDED by me unless you are looking to challenge yourself about difficult subjects. If you really want to, you can find it here on Amazon.


ROBIN SLOAN'S SOURDOUGH


ROBIN SLOAN'S SOURDOUGH


The next book was Sourdough, a brilliantly funny fictional story about sourdough bread, about the computer world and even about San Francisco. Very funny, it is truly a book you should read if you want a add a bit of levity to your reading and your life. My full review of Sourdough can be read here if you want to know more about this book during this time when people ‘knead’ to stay home more and make bread. Sourdough the book and the bread is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me. You will find it here on Amazon.


DONNA LEON'S QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP


DONNA LEON'S QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP


I have a few series that I am working my way through including Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries. This volume, Quietly in Their Sleep, delivers for an armchair traveler who wants to travel to Venice, Italy from the comfort of home, which of course is the kind of travel that we can do right now. It suits someone who would like to visit as well as someone who has been there who will recognize landmarks in and issues of the city as the story progresses. It is not the first in the series but I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book or any that came before it.  You will find it here on Amazon.


ROALD DAHL'S THE GREAT AUTOMATIC GRAMMATIZATOR AND OTHER STORIES



ROALD DAHL'S THE GREAT AUTOMATIC GRAMMATIZATOR AND OTHER STORIES


The latest book that I pulled from our collection of books that has been hanging around our house unread for too long was Roald Dahl's The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories or The Umbrella Man and Other Stories, as it is called in the United States. It's a book of short stories chosen from Dahl's adult stories picked with the intention of suitability for teenagers. I haven't read all of the stories yet because I prefer to enjoy short stories one by one and truth be told, I don't usually care for them at all. However, I am thoroughly enjoying these stories thus far and am comfortable HIGHLY RECOMMENDING this book of stories to you and you will find it here on Amazon

Well, once again, I hope to have given you inspiration for your book list. I apologize to any books that I forgot to include on this list.

See you
at the bookstore!
Brenda

Books I Read (Or Tried To Read) During Spring and Summer 2020: A List





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


12 comments:

  1. Always enjoy your 'book lists', Brenda, and your recommendations for... and even against. I read primarily murder mysteries/suspense stories and have a large collection by a number of favorite authors (which I have been RE-reading this summer since my library has been closed. But always like hearing about other genres and recommended stories.

    I agree with you about short stories. I seldom read them, as I prefer full-length novels, but have read a few in the past. Many years ago I collected the Readers Digest Condensed Books as you could get 3 or 4 (sometimes 5) books in each volume for a reasonable price (a good way to buy books when your book budget was limited), but eventually, as with short stories, I found I preferred reading the full-length versions and ended up donating my large collection of RD books to local nursing homes.

    As you have probably noticed, I am a voracious reader (read 2-3 books per week), so consistently enjoy your book reviews. Thanks for this compilation of the latest books you have read/are reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! You are voracious, Pat and you have me wondering who your favorite murder mystery author is.

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  2. I appreciate your very honest reviews of these books, Brenda! I definitely want uplifting right now. Humorous is even better! Thank you

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  3. Thanks for some excellent recommendations. I am adding several to my list of to-reads.

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  4. Brenda, thanks very much for sharing your thoughts on this varied selection of good reads! I'm particularly interested in learning more about the Clifton Chronicles saga, the Donna Leon series, Sourdough, and the Roald Dahl book (both his writing and illustrations are always wonderful).

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  5. You've picked well, Margaret. I think the Clifton Chronicles saga should be a movie! It was fabulous and so much reading in one series. Loved it. For a chuckle, there's Sourdough and I am not talking about my efforts in the kitchen!

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  6. Thank you for the reviews! I will definitely put the Archer series on my list! That reminded it has been quite awhile since I have read Archer ... and how much I enjoyed the author :)

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  7. Oh my, now my reading list grows again. I have had several books lately that are "misses" in my books, but I trudge through them anyways because I just can't give up when I've put in the time to get half way through. Sometimes though I just want to throw a book in the corner. Sounds like I'll add your highly recommended ones to my list, I seem to find the "not recommended" all on my own. Thanks for the list Brenda!

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  8. Thanks so much for all these recommendations - My mom is such an avid reader, I'm sure she'd enjoy some of them. I'll save this review to check back for when I want to give her another book. Thank you.

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  9. I love the way you reviewed these. I have a clear idea of which of these I would enjoy, and you have inspired me to get back to reviewing some of the many books I've been reading. I am tempted to add some of these to my already overloaded Kindles (yes, I have two of them.)

    ReplyDelete

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