I read ELEVEN books this month, so safe to say, a great start to 2020, and 11% through my Goodreads challenge of 100 books.

There were some good ones this month, a lot of audiobooks, and a few books I wouldn’t normally read but was in a random “fun book” mood, so I went for it.

Married to a Bedouin

One of my favorite reads this month, this was #YMERC2020’s book of the month. You can read my review here.

Talking to Strangers

This isn’t one I’d normally read, but I saw it on audible.com and figured I’d try it. It ended up being a decent listen, and Malcolm Gladwell, the author, did the narration. I think it was a good choice listening to the book, rather than reading it, because there were interview snippets that made the chapters come alive, that I wouldn’t have gotten from reading it.

Startup

A quick, “fun”, chick-lit read, and also one I listened to on audible.com. It was an easy listen, and very cliche, but for some reason, I didn’t mind. I did think it went on as expected, and there were no surprises, but if you’re looking for something fun and flirty with a tech feel to it, try it out!

Fitness Junkie

Again I wanted a quick, fun read, and this served it up for me. I normally don’t read “funny” books, but this one had me laughing a few times, which I didn’t expect, and appreciated. Read my review here.

The Christmas Pact

This one was also a fun, flirty book (not sure what was wrong with me this month), but it was too sexy for me. A typical hot, chick-lit romance book, this one was decent for end-of-holiday book feels. Not my favorite, and I listened to it at 1.5 speed on audible.com, just to get through it.

Interview with the Robot

Definitely a middle grade book, it did have a slight twist that you could see coming, but which was still engaging enough. Not my favorite, because of the young voice, but it was something a little different than my normal reads, and I listened to it, which made it more enjoyable than if I’d read it.

House of Teeth

One of the audible originals I listened to this month, this was also a more middle grade book. It was actually decent, and more than I expected. It had a good ghost story in the bayou feel, and was more original than I thought it would be.

Britt Marie was Here

Another audible book this month, this one was a curmudgeon book that I enjoyed. You can read my review here.

Art of Intelligence

I also listened to this one, and thought it started off dry and a bit haughty. I continued with it, and it ended up being interesting enough that I finished it. Not my favorite, but it was outside of my typical reads.

Spy the Lie

I loved the appendices and the examples they gave throughout the book, including the do-it-yourself ones where they give you a chance to test your skills and then explain their reasoning. However, I don’t think any of the skills they were teaching were CIA trade secrets (unsurprisingly). Or rather, I’m sure the CIA has used this information to train its interrogators, but the skills aren’t anything too in depth, which I was disappointed by.

Agent of Influence

A good book on, not so much spy or CIA skills but more, people and social skills applied in a business setting. Though, the skills go beyond business and can relate to any arena you work in, but I think they are especially useful in sales, marketing, and business in general. It’s clear that CIA intelligence officers need to be socially and emotionally intelligent, and need to know when to “make the kill.”