Everything I Read in November

Is it me? Or is it my life? When I first sat down to compile my reading list for this month, I was not happy with my list. I was frustrated with myself and my continued inattentiveness and lack of reading. Then I added a bunch of books to my list here at the end of the month, as I had time off work and a little out of town adventure. That makes me wonder if maybe I'm less inattentive than I thought, and reading just doesn't fit in well with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Nonetheless, I fit in reading where I can. Here is the result of that this month:

108) The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck—Okay, I actually liked this one. Dr. Maggie Macguire is having a pity party after being dumped by her fiancée. Her friends Katharine and Haley take her on a singles cruise as a keynote speaker on happiness. That is Maggie’s research area, after all. The only problem is that Maggie isn’t sure she believes in happiness anymore. The story follows her as makes her way back to happiness, through love and healing. This is a sweet story with just a little bit of mystery. Happily every after may be a farce, but maybe, just maybe there is some purpose to find in the pursuit of it.

109) Don’t Call It A Comeback: What Happened When I Stopped Chasing PRs, and Started Chasing Happiness by Keira D’Amato with Evelyn Spence—This was a good book, and a hard book, and a sad book. I would also say that it is a real, honest, genuine, and vulnerable book. That is who Keira D’Amato is: a gritty competitor with a snarky sense of humor, but also a mom who lives everyday life. D’Amato lays it all out in this book, her first go-round with track that ended due to a surgery for a congenital deformity that she couldn’t afford, to her most recent bid for a spot on the 2025 Olympic team. D’Amato writes honestly and vulnerably about her struggles as a young military wife and now, the guilt of leaving her kids to compete. She writes about what it took to get to where she is, and about why she stepped off the roads in the 2024 Olympic Trials. There is some language and crude humor in this book, but also a lot of quotes worth requoting. I guess what makes me most sad about this book is how passionate D’Amato is about her sport, but about a sport that will not last. Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy running. I also want to run as long as I can. I appreciate D’Amato’s story and find it inspiring, especially the parts of going for big goals. Her is also a little bit empty, though. What will happen when D’Amato can’t comeback from a failure, when the happiness of this life fails? I hope and need to pray that she finds salvation in Jesus, because one day He will come back for his own, and I believe that only by living for and in Him will humans find ultimate joy.

110) Heart of the Country by Rene Gutteridge and John Ward—Faith and Luke fall in love, abandon their families, and elope. They have it all: the posh New York life, romance, and bliss, until they don’t. Luke walks out on his father and his father’s business and falls into crime. Faith walks out on Luke. Though she returns home to North Carolina, Faith’s life isn’t there. Her father becomes ill. She waits for divorce. Yes, the plot line had some pretty apparent prodigal son parallels, but it also had some nuances, some unexpected twists and turns, and a fun writing style (with first person perspectives from all of the characters). I guess this book is also a movie, but I did not know that until I read it. Having read the interview at the back of the book between the author and the filmmaker, I think the book version is probably the better portrayal of the story. And don't worry, it does have a happy ending!

111) Violette Between by Allison Strobel—This was an interesting book, about artist Violette Corterm and psychologist Christian Roch. Both are widowers trying to rebuild after their losses, but then tragedy strikes again. Violette falls from a ladder while painting a mural and falls into a coma. From there, the story alternates between her looking back on her life from a bird's eye view and Christian sitting my her side waiting for her to wake up. This is a moving portrayal of grief, love, and life after a first love. I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but overall, I enjoyed reading this book for something different.

112) Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood by Lisa D’Amour—Dr. Lisa D’Amour is a psychologist, and one with a specialist in teen girls. In this book, she unravels seven strands of teen development, normalizing teen behavior and telling parents when they should worry. Written in a matter-of-fact style, with both professional sketches and personal anecdotes from herself and her own family, D’Amour provides practical and accessible advise and expertise. She is also fairly values-neutral when it comes to morality. Instead of imposing a worldview, she presents research about what behaviors are risky to teen girls, and how parents can address them, in the midst of, and sometimes in spite of their own values. I think this is a very helpful book, one that might help set a lot of parent minds at ease as they navigate the ensnarling world of adolescence with their daughters.

113) Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner—This book was underwhelming. Tagged as Christian fiction, it mentioned Jesus a few times, but was otherwise devoid of spiritual content. About frenemy cooks Hadley Becket and Max Cavanaugh, it felt a little bit too good to be true. (Max overcomes his alcohol addiction just through one treatment stint? And Hadley overcomes her family issues just overnight?) The denouement also seemed to come a little too suddenly. Overall, this book just felt empty. Despite the decent writing quality, I don’t think I’ll be looking for a next book from this author.

114) Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way & Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe with Patty Civalleri—This was an interesting book! Coulombe says he wrote it for other business people like himself, but as a lay person I still found it engaging to read about the way he built his business. From starting out with dying Pronto Markets, to several iterations of what is now Trader Joe's, Coulombe crafted a store built on foundations of paying employees well and finding creative ways to keep costs low. Although Coulombe writes that he does regret selling out to the owners of Aldi (due to things that transpired afterward), he went on to help other struggling companies and sit on corporate boards. (He writes that he purposely did not leave his business to his children, because he wanted them to be able to live their own lives, and according to him, they have—successfully!) Although I am not sure where Joe Coulombe stood faith wise, I think it can be reliably said that he left a legacy behind him.

115) Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones—Save time to read this really good book! Unlike with some of the other books I have read lately, the story line of Saving Grace Girl's home founder Lucy Wiltshire and Congress candidate Alex Sinclair pulled me right in. Lucy has been hurt and is hurting. Alex tries to cover up his hurt with good deeds. Lucy and Alex drive an uncanny bargain to act engaged, for both their sakes, but then fall into something deeper. I read this book pretty much straight through and could not have asked for a better integration of mystery, love, and spiritual truth. It probably helps that I am familiar with the real Saving Grace organization, and that I needed the truths about love and forgiveness and grace and truth and self-worth. I cannot remember the last date I stayed up late to finish a book, but I did for this one, and it was a joy to do it!

116) The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff—This is not my normal type of book, but when Hungry Runner Girl mentioned it on her blog, I was intrigued. Written by a social worker, it is the story of Ryan and Lillian Bright, two broken people trying to overcome their pasts. Trigger warnings abound for all the things: addiction, abuse, death, eating disorders, miscarriage, sex, suicidal ideation, etc. This is not a book to feel good, but it is a real book, a true book, looking at addiction from the perspectives of wife, daughter, and addict. Parts of this book startled me. Most of it saddened me. There were a few bright spots, and when I read this statement in the acknowledgements, I was really glad I read: “Thank you to the One who created this world with its sun and shadows, and who offered redemption to those of us who seek.” There is hope. There is brightness: not always where and how we look for it, but always through Jesus.

117) A Sugar Creek Christmas by Jenny B. Jones—This was another book set in an environment I know: Northwest Arkansas. It’s about news anchor Emma Sutton who goes home on sabbatical, a sabbatical that could make or break her career. There she meets her ex-fiance Noah Kincaid. They rekindle their relationship, but they are both going to have to face the past and forgive. They are also going to have to make some sacrifices to make their relationship work. This was a fun Hallmark-ish story, but a little too heavy on steamy romance scenes, which detracted from the heart of the story. While I enjoy reading romance, what matters to me more is the heart behind the story.

118) Wild Heart Summer by Jenny B. Jones—This is a short novella set in Sugar Creek, Arkansas. It’s about loss and love and long-held secrets that must come to light. Truthfully, this story about culinary student Avery Crawford, ranch hand Owen Jackson, and ranch owner Mitchell Crawford packs a lot in—and does it well. Yes, the plot moves at a wildly fast pace, but it has to for a novella. While not my favorite book by this author, and not without some innuendo I could have done without, it was worth an hour or so of my time.

119) 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days—and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance by Dean Karnazes with Matt Fitzgerald—Dean Karnazes may not be the most socially correct runner, but he may be one of the fittest. In this book, he details how he ran 50 marathons across 50 states in 59 consecutive days. One would think this is impossible, but Karnazes is an ultramarathoner, and he did it. There is a little bit of blood, guts, gore, and inappropriateness, but mostly, there is testimony to the power of setting one’s mind on a big goal, and drawing support from others to do it. This is an inspiring book, and one that includes lots of running facts and lessons along the way. I wouldn’t recommend copying Karnazes’ feat, but for readers who want inspiration for running in general, this is a good book!

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And on that odd number, that's a wrap for reading in November. Have you read any good books lately? If so, please share in the comments section!