2020 - Third Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, the page count, and a grading scale (5 thumbs up - Highly Recommend, 4 thumbs up - Enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - Good, but not as satisfying as I'd hoped, 2 thumbs up - Meh, and 1 thumb down - Regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the third quarter of 2020 (for my full review, click on title):

Walking Home: A Poet's Journey by Simon Armitage - A British poet hikes 256 miles of the Pennine Way, offering nightly poetry readings. Not enough take-away. - 304 pages, 👍👍-1/2

The Wicked Boy: An Infamous Murder in Victorian London by Kate Summerscale - A tale of true crime and redemption torn from the pages of Victorian British history. - 400 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Prodigals and Those Who Love Them: Words of Encouragement for Those Who Wait by Ruth Bell Graham - After outlining five biographies of famous prodigals, Graham offers poems, hymns, and quotations of encouragement. - 156 pages, 👍👍👍👍

My Reading Life by Pat Conroy - Influential individuals and books that shaped the writer. A love song to the power of books. - 352 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson by Martha Ackmann - A biography that focuses on key events that triggered changes and development in the poet Emily Dickinson. - 235 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens - A re-telling of Jesus Christ's birth, ministry, and death, written expressly for his children and never intended for publication. - 65 pages, 👍👍👍

The XX Brain: The Ground-Breaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease by Lisa Mosconi, PhD - I expected more emphasis on methods of avoiding cognitive decline and less feminist ranting about how women have been ignored and misdiagnosed (not that this isn't true, but just that it felt like the primary focus). - 368 pages, 👍👍-1/2

Things Pondered: From the Heart of a Lesser Woman and Further Still: A Collection of Poetry and Vignettes by Beth Moore - Two books of poetry and prose about the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, about motherhood and faith. - 160 pages each , 👍👍👍-1/2

Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do by Jordan Raynor - Don't be a dabbler; master your one thing! Excellent inspirational life stories of coach Tony Dungy, architect Antoni Gaudi, entertainer Mister Rogers, and teacher C.S. Lewis. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk - A twelve-year-old girl, blamed for an accident that left her father in a coma, does everything she can to nurture her gift for healing and bring him back from the brink. - 356 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers - When the lives of two wounded souls intersect, can God redeem their pain and give them something beautiful in His time? - 512 pages (I listened in audio form, 13 CDs, 15.75 hours), 👍👍👍👍

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me: A Memoir by Jason Rosenthal - A memoir by the husband of a woman who wrote a popular essay touting the reasons other women might wish to marry her husband after her death. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life: A Memoir by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - A delightful encyclopedic outline of a life, full of nostalgia (since I was born in the same year and experienced many similar situations and perspectives). - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson - Winston Churchill led his country to fearlessness in the face of tremendous political and emotional upheaval during the Blitz. - 546 pages (I listened in audio form, 14 CDs, 18 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker - The Galvin family was notable, not only for having a dozen children, but for the rare fact that half of the dozen had schizophrenia or a similar diagnosis. This fascinating book traces their path of development and the chaos they endured. - 400 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Footprints of a Pilgrim: The Life and Loves of Ruth Bell Graham by Ruth Bell Graham - The story of Ruth's life in poetry and prose. - 174 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Katie Up and Down the Hall: The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors into a Family by Glenn Plaskin - It is delightful how the love of a dog brings people together in spite of obstacles and life-shattering events. - 272 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 7-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb - "Giving the reader a behind-the-scenes peek from both sides of the couch, it's a witty, relatable, moving homage to therapy--and just being human." (Amazon.com review quote) - 432 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe-it-or-Not!" Ripley by Neal Thompson - An entertaining biography of the life of a truly curious character. - 448 pages (I listened in audio form, 10 CDs, 12 hours), 👍👍👍

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Sideshow and Other Carnival Curiosities compiled by Ripley's Believe It or Not! - A coffee-table compilation of the true stories behind many oddities featured in sideshows and carnivals over the years. - 192 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring Stories from Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt - Numerous stories from individuals like Elizabeth Smart, who have forgiven offenders for things like kidnapping, murder, rape, suicide, etc. to release themselves from the bondage of resentment and pain. - 210 pages, 👍👍👍

The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin - An innovative look at what it means to be the new kid and how to determine where you truly fit. So many life lessons gleaned. - 353 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2