This book was written by a neighbor of mine and I really enjoyed reading about her life and the lessons she's learned along the way.
MAY 2022
"A Woman is No Man" by Etaf Rum (HF)
This story is heavy, emotional, and often hard to read, but it was also eye-opening and perspective changing. It's the story of a few generations of Arab women and the terrible challenges they face.
"Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of an American President" by Candice Millard (for the 3rd time) (NF)
Yes, you read that right. This was the 3rd time I've read this book and I enjoyed it just as much this time around as the other two times. As I mentioned in the review of "River of Doubt" above, this book was one of the first nonfiction books I read and really truly enjoyed. I consider this book to be what got me hooked on reading nonfiction books in the first place and I definitely recommend it. It's the story of James Garfield with some Alexander Graham Bell, Joseph Lister, and Charles Guiteau mixed in. I hadn't known much about James Garfield before reading this book and I firmly feel that our modern world could use a lot more politicians like him in the mix!
“The Murmur of Bees” by Sofia Segovia (F)
I couldn't decided what genre to give this book. It's partially historical fiction and you'll learn a lot about Mexico in the early 1900's when you read it, but it's also got an element of magical realism that imparted a sense of fantasy to the story. In the end, I chose straight fiction, but it really is a delightful mix of genres. Translated into English from Spanish, I found the characters in this book lovable and the story well-written and engaging. I highly recommend.
JUNE 2022
"Cured: The Life-Changing Science of Spontaneous Healing" by Jeffrey Rediger (NF)
I read this book right when my Dad was moved in to hospice care and I was feeling helpless and sad. The author is a doctor who is on the staff at Harvard Medical School and who's devoted much of his career to studying the phenomenon of "spontaneous healing" from illnesses where being cured is not expected or considered viable. What I learned is that there is no "magic bullet" for healing (something I already knew), but over his years of research he has discovered that in all those cases of spontaneous healing, there was something broken in the person's life that was addressed in consistent and life-changing ways. In some cases it was radical changes to the way they ate, in other cases it was removing themselves from a toxic situation and finding a place of peace, sometimes it was addressing holistically the inflammation that was at the root of so many of their issues, often it was finding forgiveness for a wrong that had been committed against them, and in still other cases it was healing broken relationships. The common thread was a deep desire to be healed and the fortitude to make big changes in how they approached life and to stick with those changes. I appreciated that the author doesn't try to dissuade people from seeking medical treatment, but offers that, for best results, we can do other things to help our bodies to heal. It was definitely interesting and, I felt like a good guidebook for better physical and mental health (even without a serious illness).
“City of Tranquil Light” by Bo Caldwell (HF)
This was one of those books that I was totally convinced was a true story right until the very end, when I started to realize a couple things didn't fit. Because of that, it disappointed me. It's the story of young Christian Americans who go to China to become missionaries for their church, end up getting married, and staying for many years. Because I thought it was real, I was more forgiving of some of the imperfections of the book, then was disappointed to realize that it was a work of fiction. Having said that though, my book group really enjoyed this book and I feel like I perhaps had my experience jaded by my misunderstanding about the veracity of it (my fault, not theirs).
“Tending Roses” by Lisa Wingate (F)
Meh, I didn't love this one. The story was too predictable and simple for me, however the message was sound, so it could be worth a read if you're looking for something easy to digest. Once again, members of my book group really enjoyed it and I have a diet of mostly heavy historical and nonfiction, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!
JULY 2022
"The Book of Longings: A Novel" by Sue Monk Kidd (HF)
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book and I frankly was a little worried when I realized that the protagonist in the book was the wife of Jesus lost to history. I am open-minded enough to consider that it's not outside the realm of possibility that Jesus could have had a wife, so it was an interesting premise to me, but, as a Christian, I worried about it feeling blasphemous. I decided to read it with an open mind and found that it was well-written and that most of my fears were misplaced. I was instantly drawn into the story and overall ended up enjoying reading a feminine perspective of those familiar biblical stories. I did feel like in the author's efforts to humanize Jesus, that she stripped him of his divinity and I finished the book with a sense of disappointment that she missed the most important part of the story.
“Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger (HF)
This book was a powerful look at love and loss in a young boy's life in the 1960's. It turned out to be a murder mystery (definitely not my usual genre of book), but it was well-written and I found myself sucked into the story.
"The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild" by Lawrence Anthony (NF)
Ever since reading, "Elephant Company" a few years ago and then visiting
Masai Mara and seeing elephants in the wild, I have been intrigued by these intelligent, deep-feeling creatures, so when my friend recommended this one to me, I put it at the top of my list to read. The true story of a man who works on a wildlife preserve in Southern Africa and gets handed a herd of "problem" elephants that are set to be put-down because of all the issues they're causing at another preserve. Apparently elephants do not live in that part of Africa natively, so the author/wildlife preserve owner had never worked with elephants before and had a steep learning curve to figure out how to create a safe environment for them. It takes time, but eventually he is able to help the elephants get over their damaged relationship with humans and develops a rapport with them. I learned a lot about these amazing creatures and it made me want to go on another safari someday!
AUGUST 2022
"Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys (for the 2nd time) (HF)
First off, let me put a HUGE disclaimer here that this book has nothing to do with the scandalous book with a similar sounding name. This is a WWII novel written for young adults and is devoid of sex and whatever other smut the other book contains. The main character from this story is a young girl from Lithuania who is exiled to Siberia during WWII. It's a work of fiction, but it's dramatic and heart wrenching to read of what so many people at the time and place did go through.
"The Fountains of Silence" by Ruta Sepetys (HF)
This historical fiction book takes place in Spain in the 1950's and gives a pretty shocking glimpse of that time and place. Having visited Spain a couple of times and been delighted with what we saw there, I was stunned to learn that it was still ruled by a fascist dictator in the late 1950's. The author is a talented storyteller and I was very much drawn into the story of Daniel (a visiting American) and Ana (the native Spaniard that is forced into silence and compliance by the cultures of being under the rule of a dictator) and enjoyed what I learned about that time in history. As with most Ruta Sepetys books, I felt like the story wrapped up a little too neat and pretty, but I definitely recommend it for someone interested in a good historical fiction written about a little known period of time in Spain.
I
"The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party" by Daniel James Brown (NF)
Written by the same author as "The Boys in a Boat", I wasn't surprised that it was a well-written and well-documented look into the story of the Donner Party stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846. I enjoyed the author's ability to tell the story of this horrific event in a riveting way, while also interweaving scientific information about the weather during that period of time, the body's reaction to cold and starvation, and giving an accurate timeline of how things happened. At times the descriptions of what they endured was a bit much for my 2023 sensibilities, but they lived it and I was amazed that anyone survived what they did.
SEPTEMBER 2022
"A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles (for the 2nd time) (HF)
I read this book several years ago and recommend it frequently for someone who's looking for a good historical fiction. I don't reread books super often just for the fun of it. but it was on the list for our book group for September and I thought it would be easier to have a more engaging discussion if I reread it and refreshed my memory about the plot and characters. Anyway...second time around and I love the character development in this book even more! Each character has depth and I love the author's metaphors and descriptions of food. If you get a chance, listen to the audiobook! The reader is phenomenal and helps the story come to life.
"Gravel Roads: One Man's Quest Around the World to Heal, and to Live a Life with No Regrets" by Ryan Crain (NF)
This book was written by my cousin and, sadly, I did not have high expectations when I picked it up, but I ended up pleasantly surprised by it. He's enough younger than me that I didn't really know him all that well growing up, but again and again I felt a kinship to him as I read through his journey of overcoming grief, depression, and finding healing, in part, by traveling around the world. He's led a very different life than mine and some of his content was a bit edgy for me, but I think his message was good and I related to this book on many levels. I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
“Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson (NF)
The sinking of the Lusitania was a story I'd heard of before, but didn't know that much about. In it, you'll learn about some of the people on board, the historical context, and even about the Germans that sunk it. The author does a good job of making the story engaging and informative. I got to impress the tour guide at the Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace National Historical Site in NYC with a piece of information I'd learned while reading the book. He said that I was the only person he'd ever given the tour to that know that, so I guess reading this book made me a little smarter and helped me understand a little piece of history better!
OCTOBER 2022
"Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys (HF)
I didn't realize when I picked up this historical fiction book that it was another shipwreck book, but it was and it was a terrible story I'd never even heard of before. In Ruta Sepetys style, this book is written in very short chapters, alternating between different characters' perspectives. Because of the changing perspectives, it takes a while to get a feel for the characters, but ultimately you definitely start to care about them and what they're doing. The Wilhelm Gustloff was a German ship designed to carry fewer than 2000 people, but when it was sunk by a Russian submarine near the end of WWII, it was stuffed with over 10,000 German citizens fleeing from Prussia. Some lifeboats were frozen in place and others were destroyed in the sinking and over 9000 passengers ended up perishing. The number of passengers killed far surpasses the number in the Titanic and the Lusitania COMBINED and yet it's a story that most of us have never heard!
"A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win WWII" by Sonia Purnell (for the 2nd time) (NF)
Totally not the best written book out there, but still a fascinating glimpse at a very brave woman who became a spy during WWII. Even with a significant disability, she leads a fearless life that seems like it could have been the storyline of a movie. So many unbelievable events and characters (sometimes written about in an overly dramatic way) and yet the whole thing is true. If you like a good WWII book, I definitely recommend it.
"The Woman They Could Not Silence: The Shocking Story of a Woman Who Dared to Fight Back" by Kate Moore (NF)
This is a true story of a woman from the 1860's that will offend your sensibilities and make you very angry. Basically, Elizabeth Packard is an outspoken woman who has her own ideas about religion and the world and her husband doesn't like those ideas. So he does what's perfectly legal for husbands to do their wives in the 1800's and has her committed to an insane asylum. Never mind that she is well-spoken, intelligent, and has never shown any true sign of mental illness...she has ideas and expresses them, therefore she must be insane by the misogynist standards of the day. By sheer will, she is eventually able to be released from the asylum, divorce her husband, and spend the rest of her days changing laws about the treatment of women around the country.
NOVEMBER 2022
"Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of WWII " by Robert Kurson (NF)
This nonfiction book was a little outside of my normal realm, but it was interesting nonetheless. This book is the story of how a group of fearless deep sea divers discovers a German U-Boat just off the coast of New Jersey in the 1990's and seeks to discover its identity. The depth and location of the wreckage makes it particularly dangerous to dive and several divers end up dying in the process, but after several dives over the course of a few years, they eventually find evidence to know its name. It was previously thought to have sunk off the coast of Africa, so finding it so close to the US was unexpected. If you like a good true adventure tale, it's definitely interesting.
"Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty" by Patrick Radden Keefe (NF)
For some inexplicable reason I decided I needed to read this book before I had my surgery. I'd read a lot about the opioid crisis in the news and knew a little of the Sacklers, but I wanted to understand it better and this book was recommended to me by a friend. Though I was far from clueless about it all, I found the details of it were shocking all around. I was surprised to learn that early Sacklers were instrumental in changing the way the pharmaceutical industry marketed and sold drugs in the early 1900's. They are the reason why you see commercials on television for new drugs. Some of that marketing reform was good, because it increased the incentive for drug developers to be creative and find novel treatments for disease, but it also created a cutthroat industry that is driven by profit. The first generation of Sacklers could be described as intense, shrewd business people. They weren't afraid to step on some toes to get what they wanted, but it wasn't really until the second generation when things went downhill fast. Richard Sackler was obsessed with building his wealth--no matter the lies he had to tell, the facts he had to ignore, and the damage he was doing to millions of people. It is a shocking story on its own and even more shocking that these people, despite mounds and mounds of damning evidence, are still walking free. Sure, their name is mud and has been ripped off most of the universities and museums they donated to, but they still have their money and, because of the power and influence that money gives them, they will likely never serve time for the lives they have ruined.
"Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah (F)
I've really enjoyed other books written by Kristin Hannah, but this one was a huge disappointment and did not do anything for me. I found every single one of the characters to be unrelatable and unlikable and I really struggled to get over that hurdle to get to the meat of the story. In the end, it was interesting enough to read about the siege of Leningrad, but the ending wrapped up so unrealistically happy (especially given how broken all the characters were) that I would not recommend this book to anyone. 0 out of 5 stars for me.
DECEMBER 2022
"In Search of a Kingdom: Frances Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire" by Laurence Bergreen (NF)
This is a weighty story about world exploration, piracy, and how the British Empire came to be. I wouldn't call it my most engaging read of 2022, but I did find myself drawn into the story of Frances Drake. I definitely knew his name, but didn't realize that he was actually the first person to circumnavigate the globe without dying (as Magellan had done). More at home on the sea than on land, he was definitely driven by greed and glory as his travels mostly involved robbing from unprotected Spanish vessels around the world. I know Frances Drake is a controversial figure in history that at least dabbled in slave trading (though according to this book eventually opposed it) and made his life on essentially being a pirate, but he was also portrayed as a complicated man who helped the British overcome the Spanish as a world power. If you like a good historical tale, then this is a good one for increasing your knowledge of the world.
"Even the Dog Knows" by Jason Wright (F)
This book is a long ways off from my normal genre, but I needed a good light-hearted read for after my surgery, so I picked this up from the bookmobile. The author lived in our stake in Virginia for a number of years, so that was at least part of the reason I chose it, but I also picked it up because it had a dog in it. To be totally frank, the story is quite cheesy and wraps up in a nice little happy ending that suspends belief, but it also had some charming qualities that made me smile. I thought the chapters given from the dog's perspective were humorous and I found myself thoughtful about the relationships between the main characters. If you're looking for something light, this is a good one.
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)