I read 42 books last year, counting audiobooks and paper books together. The 2019 list is
here.
My goal last year was to remember to update the list once a month, so I wouldn't have to work from memory at the end of the year. I did pretty well until June, then forgot about it. (Whoops!) So this year, I'll set the same goal -- update once a month -- and try to remember!
I'll
start off this year's list with my newest book, a Christmas gift that I'm almost finished reading on New Year's Day:
1.
Nurse and Spy in the Union Army by S. Emma Edmonds
(This is a facsimile reprint of the original memoir, so the print is a bit hard to read, but the content is fascinating.)
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Edit: Update January 7, 2021
Well, I obviously neglected keeping this list updated this past year. What can I say? After all, it was 2020 - excuse enough for forgetting.
Fortunately, my public library records will enable me to at least reconstruct the part of the list that consists of borrowed library books.
(Though my library has been closed to the public since March, books can still be checked out by internet or phone for a curbside pick-up.)
Books Read from my Public Library:
2.
When the Sky Fell by Michael Deibert
(About Hurricane Maria and how it fits into the entire history of the US presence in Puerto Rico.)
3.
The Otterbury Incident by Cecil Day-Lewis
(An old childhood favorite that came up in conversation and led to a wish to re-read it again after many years.)
4.
To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
(The latest Precious Ramotswe mystery novel.)
5.
Exactly As You Are by Shea Tuttle
(A look at the work of TV's "Mr. Rogers" seen as a ministry of his Christian faith.)
6.
Breach of Faith by Jed Horne
(The book's subtitle "Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City" pretty well describes it.)
7.
The Second Founding by Eric Foner
(A study of the three Reconstruction amendments to the US Constitution, and of the ways they were twisted and undermined in the century that followed.)
8.
Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920 by June Granatier Alexander
(Looks at the "second wave" of European immigrants to the US, exploring where they lived and worked, and what daily life was like.)
9.
Bold Spirit by Linda Hunt
(How a Norwegian immigrant woman and her adult daughter walked across the US in the 1890's in hopes of prize money to save their farm.)
10.
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
(Explains in detail how racially segregated housing patterns got that way by intentional governmental action, from federal housing subsidies to local zoning laws.)
11.
A Place for Everything by Judith Flanders
(Subtitled "The Curious History of Alphabetical Order", a fascinating topic I'd never really thought about, but simply taken for granted.)
12.
Conditional Citizens by Laila Lailami
(The author usually writes fiction, but here she gives us a nonfiction exploration of the exclusion and mistrust she has faced as a newly naturalized US citizen who came from Morocco.)
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So much for library books. Figuring out what books I read from my own bookshelf is not so easy, since there's no handy records to consult.
Fortunately, I don't always put my books back on the shelves, but leave them lying about in random stacks.
From such sloppy shelving habits, I can trace a few of the books I read this year!
My Own Books Read:
13.
The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes
(Another old childhood favorite that came to mind and led to a re-reading.)
14.
1066 by David Howarth
(A lively popular history of the Norman invasion of England.)
15.
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
16.
The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters
17.
An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters
(During a stessfully busy summer, I escaped into three mystery novels in the Brother Cadfael series, set in a medieval English monastery.)
18.
History of Seneca Park Zoo by Maureen Whalen
(Of personal interest, because this is the local zoo where I work, and the book is written by my local branch librarian.)
19.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
(My grandmother's favorite novel, which we often used to read aloud together, it still reminds me of her.)
20.
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
(My dad always read this aloud to me on Christmas. This year I read it aloud on the phone to a friend in the hospital.)
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And then there was LibriVox! During the lockdown in the spring, I did more LV recording than usual.
Then I went back to work in July, and did almost no LV work until November.
Now I'm back, and recording again.
Here are the LV projects of this past year. Two solos, and the rest group projects. (I listened to all of the group projects when they were complete.)
LibriVox Books Read in 2020:
21.
Tin Horns and Calico by Henry Christman
(Solo recorded during the early days of the lockdown, about the New York State Anti-Rent War in the 1830's-1840's.)
22.
The Curtiss Aviation Book by Glenn Curtiss and Augustus Post
(Solo completed just before going back to work, about the early experiments of aviation pioneer Curtiss.)
23.
Whom We Shall Welcome: Report of the President's Commission on Immigration and Naturalization
(Group project, a report written in 1952 recommending an overhaul of the restrictive US immigration quotas then in effect.)
24.
Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission Report)
(Group project, the 1965 report by the Kerner Commission which concluded that "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white - separate and unequal".)
25.
Report on Securing and Growing the Digital Economy by President's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity
(Group project, a 2016 report on the threats to the nation's cybersecurity and how to strengthen protections against them.)
26.
Seeking a Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of a Great Nation
(Group project, a 2009 report on the issues surrounding plans to return humans to space flight.)
27.
LibriVox 15th Anniversary Collection
(Group project, to which I contributed a story about cattle theft and a newspaper commentary on the 15th amendment.)
28.
Christmas Short Works Collection 2020
(Group project, the annual LV holiday collection, to which I contributed two short stories.)
29.
Christmas Carol Collection 2020
(Group project, the annual LV musical holiday collection. I was BC and sang two carols.)
30.
Peter Piper's Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation
(Group challenge project! We celebrated the record-breaking total number of LV projects cataloged this year by recording tongue-twisters, a nice little fun conclusion to the year 2020!)
So it looks like I read about 30 books this year. There were probably just a few more than that, but the things I read last spring have mostly slipped my mind now, so I'll have to leave the list as it is, and say "good enough."
Off to start my 2021 list -- which I hope to update more faithfully as the year goes along!