Aliceson's Top 3 Books from the last half of 2020

Well here we are. The end of the year, which means lots of "Best of" lists. So I figure I better join in the fun, huh? I mean, since we're trying to do this whole FARM BUSINESS and website thing. I'm blogging so I better start writing about something someone out there is interested in.

And now the question is why do you care what I have to think about anything?

Well I hope my blogs spark a conversation between all of us. I really want to know your thoughts on what I write. I want to know what you're reading. What you're loving, and just as importantly, what you're hating (and especially what you're not finishing). I welcome your comments below the blog and I hope to get lots of recommendations from you!

My goal for each month is to read 2 books - one fiction and one non-fiction. I try to read from different categories, from biographies and memoirs to books on leadership and then lighter books. In 2019 I read 48 books and so far this year I've read 61 books (for some crazy reason I've had more time at home in 2020!). I wrote a blog in July listing my 12 favorite books from the 12 previous months in case you are just dying to know my thoughts and want to see even more! But here are my top picks from the last half of this year:

The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth about Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker

This book has changed my mind on a lot of things - how I look at food. How I buy food. Even how I think about advertisements. How I look at business leaders.

It cemented that we are doing the right thing with our animals and the produce we raise here on the farm. If you are at all interested in where your food comes from or the science behind any or all of it, pick this up. I highly recommend it! It's a little "sciencey" in some parts but it's quite eye-opening and even alarming.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

I love an epic tale! I love a story of a life from beginning to end. I loved The Son by Philipp Meyer and y'all know I listed Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I also adored The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. So this was no exception. This novel follows a young woman from a small town to New York City in the early 1940s and then throughout her long life. I laughed, I cried and mostly I cheered her on for her courage and joie de vivre. I highly recommend it if you like books with a strong female lead and good friendships, strong family bonds and New York City in all it's glory.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

I know everybody's into the Royal Family right now - watching The Crown. And here in America the closest we've come to that, in my opinion, has been the Kennedy family. So if you're into Royals and all their drama, this is the book for you! (It even has the Royals in it - Joe Kennedy was the Ambassador to England pre-WWII. There's a huge debacle with Mama Rose presenting herself and her daughters to the Royals. Scandalous!!!!!!!!)

But this book is terrifying and enlightening and educational and terrifically heartbreaking for a sweet and funny girl who was misunderstood, misdiagnosed, mistreated, locked away and seemingly forgotten by her parents and most of her siblings. It made me sad, mad - ANGRY - for how Rosemary was treated. And not just Rosemary but generations of people who were abused by the "psychiatric" field of the day (and so thankful that psychiatric care has come so far in the last century). It's incredibly readable. Unput-downable! (Which isn't always the case for nonfiction, I know.)

So that's my list! There were so many books I wanted to write about but I kept it to three here. What's on your "Best of" list? What books did you read this year that you LOVE??? Please, comment below and give me suggestions for what to read next! I love finding new reads and new authors (and new-to-me authors).

Thanks! Have a happy last month of 2020 and let's get 2021 started off on the right foot!

Happy reading,

Aliceson