Yay! I finally got around to posting my reads for 2020. I had a Goodreads goal of ten books but only read seven. I’m happy about that, considering all the crazy that happened in 2020 with Covid and schools closing. Having to juggle homeschool with 3 kids was not easy but I did my best to get close to my reading goal. Sadly, I wasn’t too thrilled about any of the books I read. None of them really stuck out to be amazing reads that I would say are must reads. Some I really struggled to get through but forced myself to finish because I am stubborn like that. I know some bookworms don’t waste their time on finishing books that don’t spark them but I feel like in order to really give a genuine review I need to finish the book. I don’t think I have ever had a DNF (Did Not Finish) list of books and perhaps that was my mistake this past year. It took me long to get through even some of the easier reads because I just wasn’t that interested. This year, 2021, I will definitely choose my reads a little better. 

My Year in Books

7 out of 10 books 

Know Me From Smoke by Matt Phillips

rating- 4 out of 5 stars

193 pages

read- December to February

I picked up this read while visiting a local book store in San Diego. The book was fun to read and had a good mix of shocking twists and some more foreseeable. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first. The beginning felt a bit predictable but it ended quite well. I was very pleased with the ending and in fact very shocked. I wasn’t expecting Stella’s reaction. Her love for Royal seemed to have been something that she’s been yearning for since her husbands death. The author does a great job and making you gasp at some of the scenes, kept me wanting to read more. I definitely would recommend this book, it was easy and fun.

Loving a Leaping Butterfly: A True Story of a Daughter with Turner Syndrome by Debbie Browne

rating- 4 out of 5 stars

256 pages

read-February to April

My one year old daughter was recently diagnosed with Turner Syndrome. My dear friend gifted this book to me and I was pretty excited to read it since it was written in the mother’s point of view. I am still learning about Turner Syndrome and dealing with a lot of emotions with our new diagnosis so I thought I might enjoy this read and learn a thing or two on how to cope with everything. I enjoyed a lot of the book but was definitely disappointed in the ending. I guess I didn’t realize the outcome wasn’t a positive one and it’s definitely not something I should have read just yet. I wasn’t ready for the ending, not as a newly diagnosed mom who is learning about TS. The book is a true story so I absolutely sympathize with the entire book and the tribute to Kellie’s life but I do wish there was more talk about TS within the book. A lot of it felt like it was more about Debbie’s personal life than Kellie’s battle with TS. The book flowed well and kept me wanting to read to find out more. Sometimes I needed to put the book down and compose my emotions but I felt I needed to finish the book in order to get the whole story. It is a good read but not the right time for me.

Terror in Tucson: The Levine Project by Dan Baldwin

rating- 1 out of 5 stars

110 pages

read- April to July

I picked this book in efforts to support local in my city but struggled to get through this book. I was highly interested in reading it at the beginning because it is a true story that happened in my town. Even though I do sympathize with the victims, this book was poorly written. As I read, I kept finding misspelled words and grammatical errors page after page. It did however raise my awareness to be cautious when hiring any company for home improvements. Which is probably the reason why this book was published to begin with.

Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chodron

rating- 3 out of 5 stars

176 pages

read- July to September

This book was gifted to me by my sister as en e-book. E-books are not quite my favorite but I gave it a go anyway. Throughout the book there were a lot of comforting messages and useful information to leave you with positive vibes. I enjoy reading self help books and thought this would be similar. Some books impact me better than others. This book had a lot of Buddhists terminology that were very confusing to me and therefore felt more like I was reading a school textbook. I learned a lot of things about Buddhism but not many that will stick. This book would be great for someone who is interested in learning more about Buddhism, just not what I was looking for.

It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine

rating- 2 out of 5 stars

280 pages

read- September/November

One of my dear amigas was reading this book in hopes to cope with the recent passing of her father. I decided to tag along and read with her. I actually had high hopes in this book because of the title. Having personally experienced the tragic loss of my brother almost 11 years ago I felt like there were many things that I could relate to in this book. Loss is a difficult thing to discuss because everyone copes differently. However, one thing the author stated early on in this read was that if this book doesn’t feel right then maybe the timing isn’t right for you. There are so many grieving stages and it is very appropriate that she mentions that within the first few pages. The book gives plenty of “do’s and don’ts” recommendations, which are ok but I believe a lot of it differs from person to person. The author does a great job at making that clear. I also loved the emphasis she puts on grieving not being a problem that needs fixing. The book could have been a little shorter but I understand that in order for it to have a large audience it needed to touch base on a lot of different subjects. There are a lot of things that I didn’t agree with but I did my best to be patient while I read, knowing that it might not impact me directly but may impact someone else. I think this book would be a great read for someone to read before they actually need it or even for someone who wishes to help a friend or family member cope with loss.

In the Light of the Garden by Heather Burch

rating- 3 out of 5 stars

332 pages

read – November/December

I read this book as part of Once Upon A Book Club. It’s normally not something I would read but I enjoy the book club so I went for it. The story takes a while to get interesting and had very little excitement for me. There were a lot of things that happened in the story that felt a bit exaggerated and bizarre. Some too cheesy and predictable.  The most interesting parts for me was knowing the secret between uncle Harold and Charity’s grandmother. It’s probably the only thing that kept me reading. It was also predictable that Charity and Dalton would fall in love and I expected the cheesy ending. I was hoping that there was something more relatable in the story about loss and forgiveness, since I have experienced those struggles in my personal life, but nothing really hit home. It’s definitely targeted for younger readers, so it might be more suitable for anyone interested in Young Adult books.

Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

rating- 4 out of 5 stars

96 pages

read – December

I read this book almost 10 years ago as part of training purposes at a bank I was working at. I just re-read it and thought it would be a good book to read to my kids. I read to my kids, ages 6,5 and 2, almost every night. Just recently they have shown an interest in chapter books so I think this would be a great book for them. For me, however, the book didn’t introduce anything new to me. I am 35 years old and have read plenty of self help books. I can recommend better books for personal development. This is an easy read, it can be read in a matter of 2 hours. This book is something perhaps a young adult would appreciate reading or even someone who is new to personal development/self help books.

2021 Reading Challenge – 10 books