Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m doing things just a little bit differently than in the past. Since I decided to participate in the 2016 PopSugar Reading Challenge, I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is What I Read in August 2016, my brief book reviews and recommendations, and there were some great books.

Books Finished:

A History of the Popes: Volume II: Middle Ages to the Protestant Reform by Wyatt North

I previously read the first volume of A History of the Popes. This is more of the same, in that it simply goes through the popes (and antipopes) in order and tells some of the more interesting details about each of them. I find the history of the Christian Church extremely interesting, and a nice overview of some of the issues that the papacy and Church have dealt with over time.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell

I downloaded this book from Audible, as I’ve been listening to Gladwell’s podcast Revisionist History each week and loving it. It is narrated by Gladwell himself, so it feels like listening to a long version of his podcasts. And I’m no stranger to his books, as I previously read Outliers, The Tipping Point, and Blink, and loved all of them. This one is about how we greatly misunderstand the Bible story of David and Goliath, because we often don’t recognize the power of being an underdog, or that weaknesses often are actually strengths and vice versa. This very well may be my favorite of everything authored by Malcolm Gladwell to date.

The Shelf Life of Happiness by David Machado

This book is incredibly depressing throughout most of the story, but sweetly redemptive towards the end. It’s told from the perspective of Daniel after he has lost his job in Portugal’s financial crisis, as Daniel is writing to his incarcerated friend. Life gets very bad for Daniel before things ultimately turn around. I really liked it quite a lot, even though I didn’t expect to once I was about halfway through it. And even though it’s depressing, it’s quite engaging, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book with a protagonist who has your occupation

Fulfilling this particular challenge wasn’t difficult, as I’m a lawyer and there are plenty of books about lawyers. I’m a fan of Grisham, and have read virtually everything that he’s published. This book came out fairly recently, so the challenge gave me an excuse to read it. It starts out very gritty and dark, with a criminal defense attorney who takes on extremely difficult cases that no one else will touch. It later turns a bit, as the character becomes more likeable and human. Ultimately, this wasn’t my favorite Grisham novel, as some of the critiques of prosecutors felt over the top (I work with a lot of prosecutors who are reasonable and good people), but as a defense attorney I could also relate to some of what he dealt with. So overall, a good book like his others, but not my favorite of everything he’s written.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

My other Audible trial book, I enjoyed the experience of the first so much that I dove right into this one as well. This entry reminded me very much of the podcast, as it is a series of the works authored by Gladwell for the New Yorker. I enjoyed it, and recommend it just like all of Gladwell’s other works.

 

Books Abandoned:

None.