December 2020
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2020 Book of the Year. The Other Side of the Coin: the Queen, the dresser and the wardrobe by Angela Kelly
The Other Side of the Coin: the Queen, the dresser and the wardrobe by Angela Kelly. If asked which living person I’d most like to meet, without a doubt, it’s Queen Elizabeth II. She’s been in the public eye her entire life, on the throne for almost seventy years, and yet still maintains a sense… Continue reading
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2020 Non-fiction, runner-up. It’s All a Game: the history of board games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan by Tristan Donovan
It’s All a Game: the history of board games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan by Tristan Donovan. When I find myself reading a book and can think of multiple friends to whom I could recommend it, then I know it’s probably going to end up on my end of year list. I have read… Continue reading
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2020 Best Historical Mystery. Vanishing in the Haight by Max Tomlinson
Vanishing in the Haight by Max Tomlinson. Besides historical mysteries, I also enjoy those set in my birthplace of San Francisco. Tomlinson captures “The City” in the late 1970s with frequent references to neighborhoods, landmarks, street names, and the songs of the era. His protagonist, Colleen Hayes, is a character we have seen before: an… Continue reading
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2020 Best Biography. The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age by Janet Wallach
The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age by Janet Wallach. “It is the duty of every woman to take care of her own business affairs.” I am currently assisting two women who have taken Hetty Green’s advice to heart. They have shown great interest in managing their family accounts and have… Continue reading
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2020 Unofficial Honorable Mentions
In the past, I’ve had some Honorable Mention books. The ones described here would not fit that category but they are ones that I recommended for specific audiences during the year. Dr. Laura Huang’s “Edge: turning adversity into advantage” could be useful for students, especially as they prepare for college interviews. It focuses on taking… Continue reading
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2020 in review: another disappointing year for books
You would think that 2020 would be a year with lots of reading, which would lead to lots of great books to recommend. The former was certainly true as I have finished 135 books since last December, but just like in 2019, I found very few that were worthy of discussing in my 18th annual… Continue reading
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