Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
Rating: 7/10
Review: This is the story of an orphan girl who is a chess genius, but also struggles with addiction. The book takes you on a journey through her life. Highs and lows. Wins and losses. Sobriety and addiction. Friendship and loneliness.
This is one of those RARE occasions that the SHOW was better than the book. Because I do not play chess, it was hard for me to imagine the games as they were described in the book. It was much more enjoyable to watch the games and observe the people and their surroundings. The show was excellent, and if you have Netflix, I recommend that you skip the book and watch the show!
The Boy on the Wooden Box
Rating: 10/10
Review: I couldn’t put this book down. It was SO good! It’s the phenomenal story of a boy who survived the Holocaust because he was on ‘Schinder’s list!’ Many holocaust stories are incredibly hard to read, but this one had a string of redemption and hope running through it. I loved this book and think you will too! Easy to read and an excellent book for kids ages 12 and up!
Creativity by Ed Catmull
Rating: 8/10
Review: This was written by the co-founder of Pixar. (The company that created so many of those movies we LOVE!) The early parts of the book are a little slow as he introduces himself and the formative parts of his life. I really enjoyed the parts of the book that gave ‘behind the scenes’ stories into several Pixar movies. I also loved his stories about Steve Jobs – the author describes him in a positive light. The book gave insight into how and why Pixar is such a successful organization.
She Persisted: Harriet Tubman by Andrea Pinkney
Rating: 9/10
Review: Great book to read with kids! A simple chapter book that gives a brief overview of Harriet Tubman’s life. My kids and I enjoyed it.
The Book of Waking Up by Seth Haines
By Seth Haines
Rating: 9/10
Review: I really enjoyed Seth Haines first book, Coming Clean and was excited to read his second one. This book started so slow that I almost stopped reading, but I’m SOOO glad I didn’t give up on the book. The last few chapters were amazing! The author is a lawyer and I realized he was using the first section of the book to develop his ‘case’ on how to “wake up” to true life. He shares how he began to drink heavily to cover deep pain that he was going through. He shares how many of us use food, social media, alcohol, drugs or shopping to distract us from the pain, keep us from dealing with it and allowing God to heal it.
Seth gives incredibly practical and beautiful steps to truly healing from the pain and living life WIDE AWAKE!
Here are my favorite books of 2020!
What are you reading?