Books of 2016 - and a Giveaway

Books for Business and Life

Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant To Do - I enjoyed reading an advanced copy of Chris Guillebeau's latest book, and I'm ready to read it again. You don't have to be a full-time entrepreneur to enjoy it; tips and stories include "side hustles" and improving your current job. (Read my review here.)


Would you like to win a free copy of Born For This? Simply leave a comment on this blog post by Friday night, Feb. 3. Be sure to include a way to contact you if you win (e-mail or instagram handle).*

I read part of and skimmed The Courage to Be Rich, but it's terribly outdated. These sound principles for personal finance were written prior to 9-11 (2001), before ideas like skipping that "daily" restaurant coffee became so cliche.

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity – Part thriller and part mind-blowing religious perspective. Aside from a few spots in the middle where the same idea was repeated over and over, this was one of those unique books that leaves you thinking after the final page.

Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep YoursAlive – I highly recommend this book, especially for small church groups.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing – I'm still recovering. Or, well... my loveseat is still recovering (where I stacked things). I read the whole book but only attempted the first phase of cleaning out, which resulted in me donating eight bags of clothes – eight bags! For people who want to declutter, I think we need a combination of this KonMari big-event method and FlyLady's 15-minutes-a-day method. The author, Marie Kondo, seems OCD and "born organized." One good idea I took away is that things are a function of time: it's easier to let go when something has already served its purpose. But Marla Cilley, known as the FlyLady, understands those of us who are not constantly cleaning but have 100 things on our minds.

Blog Post Ideas: 21 Proven Ways to Create Compelling Content and Kiss Writer’s Block Goodbye – a quick read with lots of practical ideas.

Books for Genealogy and Writing

Forensic Genealogy – The author is another engineer turned genealogist! I read the entire text and enjoyed it, but would only recommend it to people who like spreadsheets and want to learn more about DNA.
You Can Write Your Family History (2003 version) – I started this book about a decade ago, but thought it dry and too heavy on nonfiction emphasis (I was drafting a novel of my 17th-century ancestors with few facts available). I read the entire book in 2016 and it seems spot on, now that I'm writing nonfiction about my 19th-century family (with enough facts for a story). I recommend it, based on where you are in your family history writing. 

I read most of The 26^th Regiment of N.C. Troops, plowing through the battles, as research for the book I'm writing about my great-great-grandfather.

Petersburg: National Military Park, Virginia – more research.

Books for Fun

My recreational reading was all science fiction, from the Victorian era to 5,000 years in the future. Now that I think about it, all the stories occurred no farther than Earth and Mars.

Seven Eves – At 867 pages, this book is huge! But amazing. I had to read it in spurts, because every time I picked it up I stayed up too late. 

Babylon 20/20 – A fast read about what life in the near future could be like if things went horribly wrong. (Disclaimer: my sister wrote it! Proud sister, here!)

John Carter of Mars (A Princess of Mars) – I've wanted to read this classic since the movie came out. It was entertaining, but flowery. 

The 100 – I'd watched the TV show, but the books are very different. I mean, the cover has a picture of Finn, and he's not even in the book!

Day 21 (The 100, book #2)

I'm still Reading:

Homecoming (The 100, book #3) – OK, the show and the books have diverged so much that I kinda got stuck. 

Dirt and the Good Life – Essays by a couple of professionals who took a sabbatical to run a farm. One of those low-stress books with separate stories that you can pick up any time. 

And I started, but put aside: 

Making a Literary Life

I Am Spock

Here are the books of 2015, 2014, and 2012.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the giveaway. If you enjoy pictures and stories about books, follow me on Instagram.

*Be sure to leave your contact information (e-mail, instagram, or twitter handle; Facebook won't work for non-"friends") along with your comment to enter the book giveaway. The Friday night deadline includes most time zones, but generally ends around midnight EST. If you win, I'll send you a message to keep your address private. Entrants from outside the continental U.S.A. agree to pay shipping.

This blog contains affiliate links – if you use them, thanks! I received free copies of Born For This (and bought my own extra copy) and Blog Post Ideas.