Fall 2020 Book List

We’re moving into the time of the year where we hunker down with a really good book, glass of wine or cup of coffee/tea, so I thought I’d throw a few recommendations your way.

Some of these books I am currently enjoying, others are high on my list to be read.

Now, a little on how I make a final decision to read a book I’m interested in. It all comes down to Goodreads. The reader reviews along with their 5-star rating system will make or break my next read.

The other aspect I love about Goodreads, are the customized virtual bookshelves. You can create a Want To Read shelf, a Book Club shelf, an Already Read shelf. You can do whatever your heart desires to help you organize, rate, and review your own book list.

If you don’t have an account yet, I highly recommend creating one. It’s free! And there is an app as well for when you’re on the go or in conversation and don’t want to forget a book to look into.

For the list below, I have included the Goodreads star ratings for each book based on user reviews.

I hope one or some of the books I have suggested strike your fancy. With the hygge season right around the corner, it’s not a bad idea to create your own bookshelf of Books To Read.

Let’s dive in!

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Battle of Brothers by Robert Lacey

3.44

Royal family junkies, this book is for you. It dives deep into the history of how this situation got to where it is along with the history of Prince Charles and Princess Diana…and Camilla. So much drama.

I am following up Finding Freedom (also a good, juicy read) with all the details of the deterioration of the princes’ relationship. Yes, it sounds depressing, but we’re in the middle of a pandemic and I write this as we wait for a new president to be elected. I’ll read anything to keep my mind busy.

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The Green Witch by Arin Murphy Hiscock

3.93

Attention nature-loving humans…you may in fact be a green witch. And that’s not a bad thing. If you love gardening, grounding down while outdoors, manifesting, meditating, listening to your inner intuition, and creating recipes and skincare based on natural ingredients…oh, well then you definitely are a green witch.

I received this as a birthday present and am finding it difficult to put down. It’s a very calming read filled with a lot of positivity and love for the planet.

Side note: The book itself is beautiful. There is something so charming about the design of the cover and the texture of both the cover and the pages.

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The Practice is the Path by Tias Little

Yoga practitioners, teachers, and folks who are toying with the idea of trying yoga, please consider reading this book. I have been swept away in Tias Little’s explanations of why we do what we do in yoga and then how it helps us in life off of the mat.

This book also reminds me of the tools I have picked up along the way in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Sitting in the discomfort of not knowing and uncertainties, eventually becoming more at ease, is one of my favorite lessons both CBT and yoga help with.

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The Once and Future Witches by Alex E. Harrow

4.25

I received this book from my father for my birthday and it couldn’t be more timely. Just read this:

In the 1800s three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history in Alix E Harrow’s powerful novel of magic and the suffragette movement.

It has a little bit of that Harry Potter vibe mixed with a healthy dose of feminism. So far I am thoroughly enjoying it. Thanks, Dad!

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The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

4.01

Here is some seasonal Nordic Noir to get you in the holiday mood. This story follows inspector Henry Hole as he tries to solve the disappearance of a young boy’s mother uncovering what very well may be a series of murders by the same killer.

Packed with suspense and excellent characters, this book will have you turning pages.

Go here for an entire book list of Scandinavian Noir.

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Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

3.69

In Three Women, author Lisa Taddeo follows the sex lives of you guessed it, three women, over the course of almost a decade.

Each woman’s story of love and sex portrays that every human experiences life and love on a vast scale of circumstances and situations. No one relationship, experience, or person is exactly like another.

I have heard rave reviews about this book, the stories told within in, and the words written by Taddeo. Three Women is very high on my Goodreads list.

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Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

4.40

One of the highest ratings from Goodreads on this list, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, comes just as highly recommended by one of my best friends who reads A LOT of books. This is her favorite.

Based on a true story, this story follows a young Italian man during WWII as he tries to avoid the horrors of the war, but soon begins to help Jews escape in an underground railroad, then enlists as a German soldier to try to avoid combat, eventually becoming hired to be the personal driver to the third Nazi in command.

All of this along with falling in love, spying for the allies, and proving to himself how truly courageous he is – this story sounds like it can’t be real, but it very much so is very real.

 

I cannot wait to read this one.

 

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Alive – The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read

4.11

Oddly, this is one of my favorite movies, I watch it every winter.

It’s the incredible story of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes leaving them to fend and survive the unimaginable elements of the mountains.

There is something so powerful about human survival stories and the great lengths they will go to in order to get home to their loved ones.

I believe this is a story that is not to be forgotten – how these young men spent ten weeks in freezing temperatures creating a plan for rescue is one of the most remarkable stories I have ever heard.

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What are you reading? What should I be adding to my own list?  Send any recommendations my way!