My previous post listed all the books I read in 2020. It was interesting for me to see what themes and messages I was ingesting while the year progressed. Because the post is fairly long, I thought I'd create a shorter version of my reading list. If you want to read the original post, where I give a brief summary of each book, you can access it here.
The First Book Kind of Set the Tone for the Year!
A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia- Clara Benson
This was a quick read mystery. I enjoyed it, but the ending note I had about the book says, "Then the story turns dark and pretty gruesome."
I read this book early in the year. Dark and gruesome... Ummmm...Covid was on the way.
Grappling With Issues of Race and Politics
I already had a desire to learn more about loving those not like me, evident in the Muslim book I read early on. After George Floyd's death, I really wanted to build empathy for the black community. I appreciate the four books I picked for that purpose. The theme of learning how to work alongside those not like me was important this year when it came to politics, also. Justin Giboney's book and the Nation that Forgets God, were helpful in bringing balance about how to view the huge chasm between people surrounding the presidential election this year.
Has The World Really Come To This?
I believe we were set up for the extreme polarization that we saw among our legislators. Nancy Pearson's book, Total Truth certainly builds a case for how we as a culture let go of absolute truth and traded it for our own interpretations. How often did we hear about "fake" news? Lying became fashionable; our own president leading the way as one of the worst offenders. The term "alternate facts" was coined in this year. Is Fahrenheit 451 prophetic in how a society gradually devalues knowledge built on facts and holds no honor for the lessons learned in history? As we look at the future and wonder where a more progressive government will lead us, are we paving the way for left leaning policies because we've forgotten what it means to work together and not trust anyone outside our tribe? That fighting is the only way to get what we want because the other side is totally evil and not to be trusted? Will it matter that stories like the Oklahoma fathers, whose sons would have been considered enemies, can teach us how to offer forgiveness to one another?
What About Me?
Wish You Well-David Baldacci
The God of the Hive-Laurie King
Mildred Budge in Cloverdale-Daphne Simpson
The House of Closed Doors-Jane Stein
Beantown Girls-Jane Healey
The Unfinished Gift-Dan Welsh
Praise God for fiction books to lighten things up and bring a relief from heavy thinking and a brief reprieve from reality. I think my favorite in this genre was Mildred Budge. She made me laugh. I judged her as simple, until she was not, and she let me see how an ordinary life can make a difference.
I wonder what books I will discover in 2021?
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