Books I Read in 2021
from ggprints on Etsy
I feel like I am slowly getting back into a normal frame of mind, although Covidtide is still not over. I am more able to handle reading new books again.
* = Stars (rating)
#1 - In the Woods - 4*
Tana French
I thought I’d try Tana French’s mysteries. She’s from Ireland and writes very well. This first book in her series is about Rob, a detective, who has a mysterious memory in his life. When he was 12, he and 2 friends disappeared and only Rob was found, with marks on him and blood (not his) in his shoe. I thought this was quite good so I went on to the next one.
#2 - The Likeness - 3*
Tana French
I did not like this next book from Tana French half as much as the first. Rob’s partner from the first book, Cassie, is the main character in this one. I liked Cassie so I thought I’d like this book. But to me it seemed farfetched and weird, even kind of creepy.
#3 - Perestroika in Paris - 3*
Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley is one of my favorite authors. This was a book club pick and I figured I’d like it. Not a whole lot. It was good enough, well-written, easy to read, and I did read the whole thing. It’s about a racehorse who wanders out of her stall and is able to stay hidden in Paris. She befriends some other animals and a little boy. When I finished it I kind of thought it kind of felt pointless. It’s not that I feel I can answer the question, “Why was this book written?” for every book I read. In fact, probably not for most. But I at least feel satisfied and enriched in some way when I’m done with a good book. Glad I read it. This time it was more like meh.
#4 - The Whistler - 5*
John Grisham
I never met a Grisham book I didn’t like (to misquote Will Rogers) and this was no exception. He keeps cranking them out and he knows what he’s doing. I know they’re not great literature but I think they’re great stories. Well written, good character development, interesting settings. This one is set in Florida. The main character, Lacy Stoltz, is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is investigating a corrupt judge and, as is always true, is in danger herself as she does her job.
#5 - A Time for Mercy - 5*
John Grisham
Another good story. This time you get to revisit Clanton, Mississippi, Jake Brigance and the others from A Time to Kill, which is my favorite (plus it’s a good movie!). I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it if you’re a Grisham fan.
#6 - Liturgy of the Ordinary | Sacred Practices in Everyday Life - 5*
Tish Harrison Warren
I hadn’t read Tish Harrison Warren’s work before and I discovered I like it very much. In this book she has a chapter on each part of a normal day -- waking, making the bed, brushing teeth, losing keys, and so on. She equates each activity with liturgical elements. It reminds me of Brother (Saint) Lawrence and washing dishes. I think the whole idea of everything we do being holy is beautiful. Warren’s writing is what I might call breezy. It feels like she’s talking to you. Somehow she makes a book about the ordinary...extraordinary.
#7 - Prayer in the Night | For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep - 5*
Tish Harrison Warren
This is Warren’s second book and I liked it just as much as her first. “Faith, I’ve come to believe, is more craft than feeling. And prayer is our chief practice in the craft.” Warren uses the Compline, the last prayer office of the day, as the framework for her story in this book, each chapter a phrase from the prayer. It made me want to read more prayers of this kind. I like the idea of sometimes using others’ words to express my prayers. Often books or poetry say things in words I never would have thought myself, but better than I ever could have. The same can be true with prayers. The story in this book felt tender and true. It touched my heart. (More in a blog post.)
#8 - The Madness of Crowds - 5*
Louise Penny
Another Armand Gamache mystery, another good book. Set again in the Quebec village where Gamache lives, Three Pines, Gamache is assigned to provide security for an event. It seems like it should be an easy job but madness strikes the crowd and, of course, there’s a death. It’s snowing in Three Pines which provides a kind of coziness to the story.
#9 - Reading While Black
Esau McCaulley
I didn’t give this one a star rating because I’ve only read half. If I go back and finish it, I’ll rate it. What I have read so far I like quite well. It is written in an engaging style, not all scholarly or textbook-y, which I appreciate. It’s really interesting to read about how the perspective of being a black man in America colors your understanding of the Scripture. Esau McCaulley is an Episcopal priest, a strong believer. I like the way he considers the whole Bible, not just particular verses, when he proposes what God is saying about various topics. But he also brings up the specific verses that are and have been used by people to justify slavery and other injustice against Blacks. He tackles “Black Ecclesial Interpretation,” “a Theology of Policing,” “the Political Witness of the Church,” “the Pursuit of Justice,” “Black Identity,” and “Black Anger.” No easy task! I thought the one on policing was particularly interesting. I recommend this book.
#10 - Wholehearted Faith - 5*
Rachel Held Evans with Jeff Chu
After Rachel Held Evans died, her husband asked Jeff Chu to complete the book she had started writing. I loved Rachel Held Evans and miss her. It was good to hear her voice one more time. It’s a book of essays about many things Evans has written and spoken about before—faith, ourselves, the world, grace, what the Church is, doubt, and more. One quote she included especially struck me. It’s from Rabbi Ariel Burger: “There’s nothing as whole as a broken heart…You cultivate a broken heart,…very different from depression or sadness. It’s the kind of vulnerability, openness, and acute sensitivity to your own suffering and the suffering of others that becomes an opportunity for connection.” I hope to write a full entry about that and other nuggets in this book.
#11 - Letters to a Young Poet - 5*
Rainer Maria Rilke
Krista Tippett and others quote Rilke’s poetry and these letters so much I thought I better try to read some. For a while, when I first heard of Rilke I thought he was a woman (Maria, you know. And Rainer could easily be a female name). I still first picture a woman when someone quotes Rilke, then remember. He was a great German poet in the 1800’s and these are letters he wrote to a young man just starting to try to be a poet. They’re very good and have so much depth that I like to read a letter (usually only 1 or 2 pages) and then wait a while before continuing. I’m sure I’ll be rereading them forever.
#12 - The Color of Law | A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America - 3#
Richard Rothstein
This is a good book with lots of facts and evidence of the way that our country systemically prevented Black people from purchasing homes. It’s horrible that this happened but, unfortunately, not surprising. The evil in people’s heart is just so deep and far-reaching. I gave it only 3 stars because I can’t say I actually enjoyed reading it. It’s kind of textbook-y but not too bad. It does feel like the author is talking to you. Plus there are pictures. :) I didn’t read this one word-for-word. I skimmed it. So take what I say with a grain of salt. A good book to learn and understand the history of segregation in the US.
#13 - The Second Worst Restaurant in France - 5*
Alexander McCall Smith
On the weekend by the ocean that Randy and I went on a few weeks ago, I looked up local bookstores (of course). We went to a nice, little one that is combined with a coffee shop. Bookworks in Pacific Grove. I wanted a nice, easy novel to relax and enjoy and this one fit the bill. Alexander McCall Smith wrote The Ladies Detective Agency series, as you probably know, a delight to read, too.
#14 - Jack - 5*
Marilynne Robinson
I wondered if I would like this book because Jack Broughton didn’t strike me as likable. But I did like it, a lot. Jack is the son of John Ames’ friend Robert Broughton. He’s been a ne'er-do-well since he was a child. In this book he is living in St. Louis, pretty much a bum. He meets a black high school teacher Della and the book is the story of their courtship and “marriage”—in quotes because mixed-race marriages were illegal at that time. The characters, story, and writing are great. I wrote more about it in a blog entry. Highly recommend.
#15 - The Book of Delights - 5*
Ross Gay
Can’t resist: The Book of Delights is a delight to read. It really is. It’s a small book—literally, just a little bigger than the size of a hand—with 102 short essays. Ross Gay, an award-winning poet, decided to write “a daily essay about something delightful.” He’s such a good writer and so funny that I looked forward to reading each entry. He notices small, sometimes weird things and writes about them lyrically, as the book flap says. You’ll enjoy it.
#16 - The Wet Engine | Exploring the Mad Wild Miracle of the Heart - 5*
Brian Doyle
One of my big faves - Brian Doyle. I love Doyle’s essays. His novels are good, too. This is a non-fiction book about the human heart. He wrote it because his son Liam, one of twins, was born with a heart that was missing a chamber. As a nurse writes in the Foreword, “The Wet Engine is about all matters of the heart, and it is about one particular boy’s heart—Liam, Brian’s son.” You gain all kinds of scientific knowledge of “heartchitecture” along with Doyle’s lyrical thoughts and reflections. Another quick read, a thin book, fully of joy and wonder.
#17 - No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) - 5*
Kate Bowler
Kate Bowler is amazing. I heard her story back when she wrote the first book of hers I read, Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved), which is terrific. She is a professor at Duke University, married to her high school sweetheart, finally had a baby boy, and suddenly she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. That was in 2015. Now 7 years later, after chemotherapy, surgery, clinical trials, and more this book was published. I’ve heard Kate speak at the Faith & Writing Festival and I love her podcast. In No Cure for Being Human Bowler writes again about the cancer and all that comes with it. This time, rather than writing about the unhelpful things others say, she writes of her own thought progression as she wonders about how to make sure her life is somehow enough. She’s a superb writer, funny, and wise.
#18 - The Lincoln Highway - 5*
Amor Towles
Epic, funny, touching, smart story about two brothers who decide to take the Lincoln Highway to San Francisco and start a new life. The brothers are super fun to get to know. The other characters, too, are great to meet. Each chapter is from a different character’s perspective so you really learn all about them—what they think, how they reason, what has happened to them in the past, and so on. There’s never a dull moment. Don’t be intimidated by the size; when I finished I wanted more. I wrote more about it in a blog entry.
#19 - Crossroads - 3*
Jonathan Franzen
It’s a book worth reading. I think it would generate good discussion with a book club or others who had read it. The writing is good and the story keeps you engaged. It’s not, however, the kind of book I think I will want to re-read someday. More in a blog entry.
#20 - Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law - 5*
Mary Roach
If you’ve never heard of or read Mary Roach, I encourage you to check her out! She writes super interesting books and they are funny. This book is about the many times nature interferes with humans and what they want to do, where they want to live, and so on. More in a blog post.
#21 - Death at La Fenice - 4*
Donna Leon
A new mystery series! This one is set in Venice, Italy. I’ve only read this first book so far and I liked it. I wasn’t sure at first because it seemed like there wasn’t a lot of character building of the main character, Commissario Guido Brunetti, but slowly more and more developed. The writing is good and it’s interesting to read about Vienna and some of its history as that is relevant to the story. I’m curious to see how things go in future books.