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2020 Reading List

I’ve read at least 100 books a year for the past six years, so it’s fair to say I’m an avid reader. As such, I love giving and receiving book recommendations.

This list is where I will track my monthly reading, posting my list for you. I know you also like reading recommendations, so this list should assist you with those.

Let me explain the method to my madness. An “A” book is a book that I consider excellent. It’s a game changer, something I would recommend to anyone. Visit my bookstore to view and purchase books I’ve given perfect grades within the past several years, as well as some of my all-time favorites. But please don’t ignore books I give “B” grades. These are really great books, but they just aren’t excellent, life-changing books.

As always, happy reading!

DECEMBER 2020 (8 books read)

1. The Lazy Genius Way – A

2. Badass Habits – A

3. Bad Memory – A

4. Layla – A

5. Goodnight Beautiful – A

6. The Ruin – D

7. Last Girl Gone – B

8. My Name is Anton – C

NOVEMBER 2020 (15 books read)

1. No-Fail Communication – B

2. Below the Bones – B

3. Anxious People – B

4. The New One Minute Manager – A

5. One by One – A

6. Confessions on the 7:45 – A

7. To Tell You the Truth – A

8. In the Deep – C

9. The Demon Next Door – C

10. Hold Your Breath – B

11. One Little Secret – C

12. Lies She Told – B

13. The Bullet – A

14. The Cases that Haunt Us – C

15. Dark Highway – A

OCTOBER 2020 (13 books read)

1. Rage – A

2. Three Perfect Liars – C

3. Little Disasters – A

4. No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work – B

5. Didn’t See that Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart – A

6. After the End – B

7. Welcome to the United States of Anxiety: Observations from a Reforming Neurotic – A

8. I Miss You When I Blink – B

9. The Path Made Clear – C

10. Don’t Make a Sound – C

11. Deadly Waters – C

12. What Unites Us: Reflections of Patriotism – C

13. In Pieces – B

SEPTEMBER 2020 (8 books read)

1. The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life – B

2. Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation – C

3. The Summer House – B

4. Is Rape a Crime? – A

5. The Cuckoo’s Cry – C

6. 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week – D

7. The Perfect Nanny – D

8. The Golden Cage – C

AUGUST 2020 (16 books read)

1. Untamed – C

2. The Secrets She Keeps – B

3. Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls – C

4. The End of Her – A

5. His & Hers – B

6. Fierce, Free and Full of Fire – B

7. Memorial Drive – B

8. Playing Nice – A

9. Grit – A

10. Too Much and Never Enough – B

11. Fearless: Diary of a Badass Reporter – B

12. The Wife Who Knew Too Much – B

13. A Warning – A

14. Verity – A

15. All Marketers are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World – B

16. Dan Rather: Stories of a Lifetime – A

JULY 2020 (12 books read)

1. A Cold Trail – A

2. How to Be Fine – A

3. The Last Time I Lied – B

4. Nothing Can Hurt You – D

5. The Half Sister – C

6. The One – A

7. The Guest List – A

8. The Girl from Widow Hills – A

9. No Bad Deed – B

10. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – B

11. Duct Tape Killer – D

12. The Roommate – B

JUNE 2020 (17 books read)

1. That Night – C

2. The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People – B

3. The Nowhere Child – A

4. Take Me Apart – B

5. Little Secrets – B

6. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires – A

7. Have You Seen Me? – C

8. Cold Turkey: How to Quit Drinking by Not Drinking – D

9. So You Want to Talk About Race – A

10. How to Be an Antiracist – C

11. White Fragility – B

12. The Getaway – B

13. You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass) – C

14. Safe – C

15. The New Jim Crow – B

16. The Choice – C

17. How We Fight for Our Lives – D

MAY 2020 (12 books read)

1. The Other Mrs. – B

2. The Holdout – A

3. What We Forgot to Bury – D

4. Finding Tess: A Mother’s Search for Answers in a Dopesick America – D

5. You Are Not Alone – A

6. The Lies We Told – A

7. Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life – A

8. In An Instant – A

9. Second Skin – D

10. Shamed – B

11. Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door: How to Protect Yourself Against a Ruthless Manipulator – C

12. A Good Marriage – A

APRIL 2020 (10 books read)

1. Reputation – B

2. Go Ask Alice – A

3. My Dark Vanessa – A

4. The Return – D

5. In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent’s Relentless Pursuit of the Nation’s Worst Predators – A

6. Darling Rose Gold – C

7. Valentine – A

8. One Million Followers – C

9. Speak – B

10. Chasing Cupcakes: How One Broke, Fat Girl Transformed Her Life – C

MARCH 2020 (15 books read)

1. Finding the News: Adventures of a Young Reporter – A

2. Sometimes I Lie – A

3. The Flight Attendant – D

4. Such a Fun Age – A

5. The Sun Down Motel – A

6. How to Walk Away – A

7. Marriageology: The Art and Science of Staying Together – B

8. Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing and Bring More Joy to Your Life – A

9. The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences have Extraordinary Impact – B

10. Tell Me Lies – A

11. Blood Territory: The Death of Jimmy O’Connell – D

12. Bad Feminist – C

13. Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic’s Guide to Growth and Fulfillment – C

14. Open Book – C

15. Gone at Midnight. The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam – C

FEBRUARY 2020 (11 books read)

1. F*ck No!: How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can’t, You Shouldn’t or You Just Don’t Want To – C

2. In the Waning Light – B

3. The Man in the Monster – C

4. There’s No Crying in Newsrooms – C

5. The Boy in the Photo – A

6. Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope – D

7. I Really Needed This Today: Word to Live By – C

8. Where the Crawdads Sing – A

9. The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy – A

10. The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changed the World – A

11. The Serial Killer Whisperer: How One Man’s Tragedy Helped Unlock the Deadliest Secrets of the World’s Most Terrifying Killers – B

JANUARY 2020 (13 books read)

1. Willpower Doesn’t Work: Discover the Hidden Keys to Success – A

2. I Have the Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope – C

3. The Whisper Man – A

4. The Wives – C

5. Broken – D

6. The Apartment – C

7. Dear Edward – A

8. Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis – A

9. One of Us: The Story of a Massacre in Norway—and its Aftermath – C

10. When I Was You – A

11. The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission that Changed Our Understanding of Madness – D

12. Next Girl to Die – C

13. Thief River Falls – A

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Prof KRG

Prof KRG aims to create an ongoing educational dialogue among media professionals, students and educators.

Please let me know what resources you need or topics you wish you better understood. If I don't know the information, I'm happy to seek out someone who does.

Contact me via email at kennagriffin@gmail.com.

Quotables

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

— Henry Ford

About Kenna Griffin

I am a mass communications professor, journalist and collegiate media adviser. I teach classes including those on writing, reporting, media law, media ethics, social media marketing, and public relations. I am married, have two children and live in Oklahoma. More about this site's purpose

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