Read any 10 to 12 books in these categories and state what you think of each.

1.  Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince, Elaine Deprince, 1/6/2021, 4.5 stars  This is a story about a young woman from Sierra Leon whose life is shattered by war.  She dreams of becoming a ballet dancer.  When she does, she believes it's important to share her life with other black people whose dreams are of dance.

2.  Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day  by Stephan Talty, 1/22/2021, 5 stars.  I believe that this is the most incredibly researched book I ever read.  The author has pages and pages of notes and references.  And, to think that Pujol was a Spanish man who had his first introduction to war and its atrocities during the Spanish Civil War.  He was so like his father and despaired at the lost of human life, lifelong injuries, and loathed those who caused it.  His intense hate of Hitler grew as he developed his spy personna to cope with the Nazi regime.  Seeing images of concentration camps and large groups of people killed broke his heart.  This is an unusual book about an unusual man.

3.  Falling Leaves : The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah 3/20/2021, 4 stars/  This is an incredible story about the youngest member of a Chinese family whose mother dies at her birth.  Not only her father blames her but her stepmother hates her.  Consiquently, some of her siblings treat her badly as well.  Her only relative who gives love without reserve is her Aunt Baba.

4.  Women of the Vine: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste, and Enjoy Wine by Deborah Brenner. 5/13/2021, 4 stars. An interesting read about women whose lives focus on wine from growers, winemasters and writers, to teachers.  How they became involved with wine and others who love it.  Briefly discusses what wines go with selected dishes. No recipes but brief bios.  In addition, the author included photos of each woman.  Favorite parts were sections about women who struggled to establish wineries or a career in the industry.  Those who inherited their chances such as the Gallos not so much.  Don't miss the section about Dr. Ann Noble from the University of California, Davis, who invented the wine aroma wheel widely used in the industry.  She was a mentor to some of the women who studied with her.  And, Stephanie Browne loved wines and founded a group called Divas UnCorked to increase appreciation of wine among women.  That effort prompted the establishment of clubs across the country.  And, the delightful Andrea Immer Robinson, master sommelier, not only talks about wine but writes books and columns and does television shows.  She is amazing.

5.  J. K. Rowling: Completely Updated : The Wizard Behind Harry Potter by Marc Shapiro, 6/2/2021, 3.5 stars.  How does one choose a book to read?  This question ran through my mind as I  picked up this one.  I loved the Harry Potter series and to discover who the author was and how she came up with the character of Harry Potter was a delight. It was good to discover that Rowling is a wonderfuly sensitive person who loved the characters and stayed on task until she completed not only the series but fine tuned each novel until she was truly happy with it.  She wrote the series for the children, is passionate about encouraging reading and supports causes for single mothers and MS.  According to the author of this book about her, Rowling is a down-to-earth with her feet on the ground.  Enjoyablle, entertaining and a quick read.

6.  The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America's Most Renowned Horsemen by Buck Brannaman

7.  The Chord of Steel: Alexander Graham Bell and the Invention of the Telephone by Thomas B. Costain. 7/13/2021, 4 stars.  Wonderful read.  Sometimes when i pick an older book from my TBR I discover something so good that I wish more people would read it.  This was one of those books.  The author was born in the town where Alexander Graham Bell was taken by his parents to help his health.  Fortunately it did and this wonderful genuis gave us the communication we have today.  He was a humble man who loved to teach, help those with limited and no hearing and spend hours solving problems that intrigued him.  Even after the telephone was widely used he found many interests in which to put his fantastic mind  to learning.  I liked this book so much that I wished I had lived at time when I might have met this great man.

8.  Dear Abigail: The Intimate Lives and Revolutionary Ideas of Abigail Adams and Her Two Remarkable Sisters by Diane Jacobs 8/8/2021.  Wonderful, wonderful book.  I rate it five stars from start to finish.  The author spent ten years on ithis one.  I have long been a fan of this marvelous woman and her husband, John.  The author paints Abigail as a real person with fears, anger, compassion and enduring love for her husband.  She was an intelligent and remarkable individual who maintained that women should be treated intellectually like men but could not convince John even though he adored her and depended on her to help him politically.

9,  Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, 9/26/2021, 5 stars.  Incredible!  This is a stirring read by a man dedicated to change.  Head of EJI, Equal Justice Initiative, he is a champion for the poor, children, and all who are treated without the care that every human should receive from the disabled to the illiterate to people of color.  He and his collection of like minded supporters, lawyers and assistants work incredibly hard to free those imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit, represented by ncompetent lawyers, or framed by law enforcement officials who just want to solve a case quickly.   Mesmerizing and Memorable.

REK- so any non-fiction will go here along with biographies & memoirs? 

Shayla:  Yes, any nonfiction.  Of course, that includes biographies and memoirs.

Okay thanks I'm in :)

I read lots of nonfiction. I started a book recently... um... what was it called... maybe this will motivate me to finish!

ETA... Here it is: Pretty in Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies
Author: Jonathan Bernstein

Nonfiction books read:

1. Journey to the Center of the Faith: An Explorer's Guide to Christian Living Author: James A. Harnish 4.5 stars
2. A New Kind of Country Author: Dorothy Gilman
3. Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table Author: Ruth Reichl
4. Chocolate: The Consuming Passion Author: Sandra Boynton
5. One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season  Author: Chris Ballard  
6. You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation Author: Susannah Gora
7. The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back Author: Hannah Salwen, Kevin Salwen
8. Jesus Swagger: Break Free from Poser Christianity Author: Jarrid Wilson
9. Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God Author: Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, Matthew Linn
10. Dragonholder Author: Todd J. Mccaffrey
11. Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern Author: Todd McCaffrey (Editor), Leah Wilson (Editor)
12. Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life Author: Marie Kondo, Scott Sonenshein

Found it!   I will give it a go.

1) I finished one for here...Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. I give it 3 stars. I liked it & learned a lot about him. He definitely loves his family well. I would say he goes a bit far with the type of dreams he has...if you read it you'll know what I'm referring to. 

2) Be Resolute (Daniel) by Warren Wiersbe 4 stars

3) Becoming Your Spouse's Better Half: Why Differences Make a Marriage Great by Rick Johnson 3 stars

4) Kid Start Up by Mark Cuban 4 stars

5) Eat Mor Chikin Inspire More People by S. Truett Cathy 4 stars

6) Lead Small by Reggie Joiner 4 stars

7) Gazelles, Baby Steps & 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt by Jon Acuff 2 stars

8) Reading People by Anne Bogel 4 stars

9) Be Loyal (book of Matthew) by Warren Wiersbe 4 stars

10) Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz 2 stars 

11) The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson 2 stars

12) All the Best, George Bush by George H. W. Bush 3 stars

13) First: What It Takes to Win by Rich Froning 4 stars

14) 52 Bible Verses You Should Have In Your Heart by B & H Publishing 3 stars

15) Start by Jon Acuff 4 stars

16) Redefining Anxiety by John Delony 3 stars

I finished a non fiction book today...Be Resolute by Warren Wiersbe. It's a commentary on the book of Daniel in the Bible that I read along with the book of Daniel during my morning quiet time. I gave it 4 stars, I like his 'Be' series. 

I finished a non fiction book...Becoming Your Spouse's Better Half: Why Differences Make a Marriage Great by Rick Johnson. I gave it 3 stars. It talked about the different ways men & women see things/function/act & how differences are good. It gives good insight to understanding one's spouse.

I finished a quick, little, non fiction book today. It's called Kid Start Up by Mark Cuban. It's a book to inspire teens to become entrepreneurs. It gives a lot of great insight, ideas, & encouragement. It really breaks it down in a step by step process. I read this bc I have a son who has expressed interest in entrepreneurship & wanted to see if it would be something he should read. He does not like to read but I think he might enjoy this one. I put it on my WL here but just might decide to order it online. 

I still haven't finished the one I mentioned above, but today I finished this one for the January - This Book has been on my Shelf Long Enough and since it is nonfiction, I'm going to put it here, too.

This book is (was) the 2nd oldest on my TBR and I read it on and off all month and finished it today. This is not the kind of book you read in one sitting, but I loved it.

Journey to the Center of the Faith: An Explorer's Guide to Christian Living Author: James A. Harnish 4.5 stars

This book is arranged in 12 chapters, and each chapter is about an essential belief of Christianity. The author is attempting to identify the core beliefs that all Christians hold in common, regardless of denomination. Each chapter has multiple Scripture references and classical Christian quotes to support the points the author makes, but many of the ideas are left to the reader to decide how to apply them in their life. There are questions at the end of each chapter to support more exploration of the ideas. The author used personal anecdotes and those made this book come alive. I think they would have done so even without the fact that they were set in places I am very familiar with (Lexington, KY and Tampa, FL) but that additional familiarity was a plus for me. I wish I had not waited so long to read this book!

I finished my 5th book of the year for here.

Eat More Chikin Inspire More People by S. Truett Cathy 4 stars

I received this book years ago at a conference & it has sat on my shelf ever since. This book is part autobiography & part business inspiration. The author is the founder of Chick-fil-A. It's a short book but over the course of it he tells a little bit about his childhood, his entrepreneurial start & journey, and a lot about Chick-fil-A. I received some take aways from this book that I will use with my 9 employees at our 2 offices. It has been sitting here a long time, but the timing was just right to read it now. 

I finished another non-fiction today. It's called Lead Small by Reggie Joiner. It was about how to be a good, effective small group leader. I am a small group leader for 7th grade girls at my church so this was very applicable for me. At our church when you sign on to be a small group leader you sign on for a 7 year commitment...6th grade through 12th grade. I will be keeping this book on my keeper shelf & will probably return to it each year as my girls age. 4 stars

I finished another non fiction last night...Gazelles, Baby Steps & 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt by Jon Acuff. Eh 2 stars, it was okay at best. I like Acuff, but this was one of his first books & let's just say he's gotten better over the years. This book is basically a way to look at Dave Ramsey's money philosophies through silly glasses. 

I finished Reading People by Anne Bogel. It is about ALL THINGS when it comes to personality. I liked it (4 stars) & liked learning more about me & others around me. I found all that quite interesting, but I will say a lot of info gets thrown at the reader & it would be helpful to know your Enneagram, Myers Briggs, etc types beforehand. I did not so I will probably revisit this book sometime again in the future. 

This one was quite short, but then again, it isn't really meant to be read in one sitting. I really enjoyed it. I love this author, so it was interesting to know more about her life. 

A New Kind of Country Author: Dorothy Gilman

This book talks about the changes she found in her life and in herself as she adapted to life in Nova Scotia.

This one is also a memoir:

Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table Author: Ruth Reichl

I was reading it for a swap and I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it! I'm really not into food, and certainly don't approve of the multiple affairs, but it was very well written and hooked me in so I finished it.

I finished my 9th non fiction. Be Loyal by Warren Wiersbe is a commentary on the book of Matthew that I used in my quiet time. I really like Wiersbe's "Be" series. This was another 4 stars for me, like his other ones have been. 

I finished another nonfiction book...Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz ...2 stars. This book was just okay. It's quite bogged down in the science, but it is ALL about how dogs use their senses & how they learn. If you love dogs, science & nonfiction then you might enjoy it.

I loved this one; so funny!

Chocolate: The Consuming Passion
Author: Sandra Boynton

The details of the pictures and the captions made me LOL!

I finished another nonfiction 

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science Cities and the Modern World by Stephen Johnson 

2 stars...I chose this in order to fulfill my local independent bookstore's April challenge: a book about an area of science you know nothing about. 

One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season  Author: Chris Ballard  

I loved this book. Such a feel good story! Here a small town baseball team succeeds against the odds. I really enjoyed the way the coach, an English teacher, used unconventional methods both in his classroom and as a coach.

I just finished All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters & Other Writings by George H. W. Bush 3 stars

I read this for a contest inside Alice's Vacation "game" thread. Here's what I wrote there...

So when Jasmine's contest was announced I thought I probably wouldn't participate in that one b/c I don't read much about politics...fiction or nonfiction. But then I thought maybe I should stretch myself & find something. I decided I'd choose an audio book so if I didn't like it I could speed it up & listen to it faster that way getting through it faster. I chose to listen to a book about a president I didn't know much about since I was only 12 when he took office. I chose to listen to All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings by George H. W. Bush. This book was a series of letters written to his mom & diary entries he made over the years. I think the letter aspect made it more enjoyable for me. It follows Bush's life from when he's about 18 entering the military until he's retired & about 75, if I remember correctly. Being this was the audio version I heard each letter read by either George himself, or a family member. The location could be a number of places since it covers the majority of his life & he's been all over, but I chose Washington D.C. for the location since he spent quite a few years there in different occupational roles. 

I just finished listening to Rich Froning's First: What It Takes to Win. 4 stars

You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation Author: Susannah Gora

I really enjoyed this book. I relived some of my memories of watching these movies. In fact, I recently rewatched Sixteen Candles. I thought the author did a great job of making it readable and she included many interviews.