126. Capture the Moment by Suzanne Woods Fisher—This is a great book, on so many levels! Budding wildlife photographer Kate Cunningham escapes to Grand Teton National Park to try to capture the photo that could change the trajectory of her career. Maisie Mitchell is thrilled to be at the park with her grandfather Tim Rivers, but also follows Kate around like a shadow. Grant Cooper (“Coop”) is working as a seasonal Jenny Lake Park ranger, but also trying to heal from a broken heart. And then there’s Frankie, the NPS Director’s son, Coop’s intern, who is working through his own stuff. A delightful cast of characters, a story arc with a twist that honestly surprised me, and descriptions of beautiful scenery made this book truly a gem. I highly recommend capturing time to read this story!
127. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rimes [Audiobook]—Writer of hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, Shonda Rimes had it all—only she didn’t. When her older sister said the six words, “You never say yes to anything” to her on Thanksgiving, Rimes realized that her sister was right. Terrified, Rimes decided on her birthday to say, “Yes” to everything for one year, or until she had a true breakdown. First up, a commencement speech at Dartmouth, then, “Yes” to Jimmy Kimmel, and photo shoots, and her children, and more. She learned to play and to stand up for herself. She even learned to say, “No.” She shed pounds and relationships. She learned to stand in her own beauty. While not my favorite book, I am glad I said, “Yes” to listening to this. I enjoyed the inserted recording of speeches Rimes actually gave. It was helpful to think about identity and how, saying, “Yes,” and “No” play into it. While I don’t stand with Rimes in all of her values and I wouldn’t say things the way she does, I do admire and respect her vulnerability in sharing her story. She is a unique, one-of-a-kind person, and she uses this book not only to celebrate her life, but to encourage others to do the same.
128. Embrace Your Life: How to Find Joy When the Life You Have is Not the Life You Hoped For by Elizabeth Woodson—This book was a helpful read. To me, it was less about joy and more about all the ways we turn from God: distraction, idolatry numbing etc. It is not bad to long for the life we hope for, but it is unhelpful when it clouds our ability to see God and his work in, for, and around us “Rather than seeing longing as blocking our joy,” Woodson writes, “we should see joy as a counterweight to our longing…..Joy is an emotional state of being that is both a gift from God and a mindset we choose to embody.” I am thankful to have read this book and definitely think it helped me gain some needed perspective.
129. Fire Dancer by Colleen Coble—Tess Masterson became a smokejumper after losing her parents in a tragic house fire on their ranch at the Mogollon Rim. What she didn't know was that fire was going to continue to stalk her family. When she returns home to help her sister Stevie and family, along with her foster brother Chase Huston, Tess gets caught up in the reopened investigation into that original fire, and begins to uncover secrets that have long lay buried. This book was definitely not my typical read. It was suspenseful, dramatic, and sad. There was romance, but let's just say, not the typical type. I thought I had the villain pinned, only for it to be someone else. This book had a lot to say about pain, abuse, grief, loss, and forgiveness. I enjoyed the Arizona references and learned a lot, but let's just say I won't be dancing with this type of book too often in my reading logs. Like fire, it's too intense to be near to for too long.
130. The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD [Audiobook]—This is a really approachable book, encapsulating a lot of Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson’s more detailed work in the area of neurobiology and neuroscience. The book focuses on how to help children grow their, “yes” brains through balance, resilience, insight, and empathy. The focus is less on extrinsic results and more on the internal state of the child. With accessible brain science and practical tips, this book could help many parents. I vote, “Yes” to having this book on the shelf as a resource.
131. The Rock That is Higher: Story as Truth by Madeleine L’Engle—This is not a book about theology. It is not a book about literature. It is not a book about writing. It is not a science textbook. It is not a memoir. It is a little bit about all of these, but mostly about God, “the rock that is higher,” and L'Engle's relationship to Him. In this book, L'Engle shares her views about various theological issues (and I must say, I don't agree with where she stands, but she acknowledges her divergence from standard theology in the book). She quotes not only her own works, but those of other writers. She discusses her interest in physics. She shared details of her recovery from a near fatal car accident at age 72. She encourages love and care for self and others. This was not a terrible book, and it definitely had some quotes worth requoting. I found it kind of dull and monotonous to read, however, and for that reason, along with her questionable theology, other Christian living books would definitely be higher on my recommendation list.
132. Even After This by Deborah Clack—Texas widow Meredith Harper takes a trip to Colorado to get away from her grief. What she does not expect to find is the will to live again. This is a multi-layered story, from Meredith’s complex grief, to the codependency of her sister Molly, to the wrestling with legacy that actor Harlan Harlowe endures. While not overtly Christian, themes of love, redemption, and trust run deeply through the story. Meredith has to decide if she will allow others to love her, if she will love herself. She has to ask if she will dare to dream again, even after so many of her dreams turned to ash. This book is an emotional one, but in the most meaningful ways. While this book is a piece of fiction, it is also a work of art. Be forewarned, reading it will probably result in some real-life soul searching, however.
133. The Fourth Quarter of Your Life: Embracing What Matters Most by Allen Hunt and Matthew Kelley—Somehow when I read the title of this book, I missed the word “quarter,” and thought this book was about the forth decade of life, and since I am almost there, I thought it would be appropriate to read. Well, misread title or not the book was apt for me in this season of life. It encouraged assessment of life, living with intentionality, and leaving a legacy. While I might not be towards the end of my predicted lifespan, these are all things that I need to do. I want to live a life that matters, and I have a long way to get there, and less time than I think until I reach my actual forth quarter.
134. Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth [Audiobook] by Amy Duggar King—“Crazy cousin Amy,” as she was known on the hit show 19 and Counting, might actually be one of the clearest seeing ones of the bunch. In this book, she recounts her years of growing up in a household of domestic violence, her attraction to the “perfect” looking family of her Uncle Jim-Bob Duggar, and how she separated from the Duggars after realizing how un-shiny their lives actually were. She names her own flaws and faults. She talks about the generational curses she is trying to break in her family. She calls out her uncle and family for not getting Josh Duggar or her cousins help when the first of his immoral actions came out. She writes about overcoming trauma, and clinging to Jesus, her perfect Prince of Peace in the storm. This book may be hard to read (or listen to, as in my case), but it is a true testimony. I commend King for her bravery in writing and sharing it.
135. Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham—This might be a rom-com, but it's got some depth! Travel writer Katie Campbell goes to Mull, Scotland for an “Edwardian experience" at Craigshill House. Attacked by a parrot, she falls, getting caught by Scot Graeme MacKerrow, a grumpy tradesman whose family also happens to own the house. Grumpy though he may be, this is not the only time Graeme rescues Katie from her misadventures. While doing so (and serving as the house butler), he discovers that Katie is kind, caring, and anything by unattractive and unloveable, as she seems to believe. Katie, meanwhile, begins to fall in love with Mull, it's people, and Graeme's family. She starts to face some of the dysfunctions of her own family back “home” and think about what it might look like to have a true home of her own. This is a book about grief and identity and love. It's silly and sweet and apt to produce both chuckles and happy/sad tears from its readers. Some don't like rom-cons, and those some sometimes include me, but count me out on not liking this one. I liked it a lot!
136. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans—This novel is truly a work of art! Written in epistolary style, it tells the life story of retired law clerk Sybil Stone van Antwerp and her many acquaintances and relationships via letters. There are her children Bruce and Fiona, her young pen pal Harry, her neighbor Theodore, her best friend Rosalie and more. Each of her letters to them are different—in tone and in style, but also fully engrossing. The letters see Sybil mourning the too early death of her son Gilbert, the loss of her sight, her discovery of unknown letters, and more. There is a little bit of language and politics some might like, but otherwise this is a soothing, honest, and real look at life—at the things that really matter, as well as the things that don’t. It’s about seeing clearly, even as eyesight fails. This book deserved a mention in The Skimm (where it first came to my attention), and I think it’s definitely worth bringing to the attention of other readers, especially those like me, who like Sybil, have begun asking the existential questions about life and what really matters.
137. This is Not About Running: A Memoir by Mary Cain [Audiobook]—Wow, this was a rough one! After reading Kara Goucher’s book, I already did not like Nike. This made me more upset with the company as a whole, but really, this book brings light to the whole dark side of not only running, but amateur sports. Cain writes in the introduction that this book is not about running, but about how sports normalizes the abuse of young athletes. To that end, Cain does not shy away from calling out big names in the running world, from her now banned coach Alberto Salazar to teammates like Galen RuppJordan Hasay, Matt Centrowitz, Shannon Rowbury and more. (She refuses to list the names of minor athletes.) She also calls out athletes like Shalene Flanagan for unkindness towards her. Basically, Cain was a phenom as a youth runners and was bullied. Alberto Salazar started coaching her, but he emotionally and mentally abused her (and perhaps sexually, too). Cain became severely depressed, to the point of suicidal thoughts. After a litany of injuries and literally not being able to use her leg anymore, Cain left running. In 2019, she got diagnosed with what is now know as REDS (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), further adding to her struggles. After Alberto Salazar got yet another ban, Cain wrote an op ed piece she thought would go nowhere, but that essay exploded. And then she wrote this book. As Cain shares, she maybe started sharing her story too early into her healing journey, and as such, this book is raw and vulnerable. In the audiobook, listeners literally hear her emotion. Cain states that she believes no one has a right to victim’s stories, but that she is telling hers in hopes of saving at least one youth for experiencing the horrors that she did. While this is not the way that I would tell such as story, the point is that this is Cain’s story, and this is the not about running story she wants to share.
138. You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships by Deborah Tannen—This was more qualitative research than anything—stories about friendship and its effects, but relayed in a very academic manner. I guess I expected a little more “how-to” or “what-to-do” about friendships from this book. Oh well. It did normalize, and put words to, some of the dynamics of women’s friendships, and for that I am grateful.
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Has anyone one read any of these books? Please share in the comments below if so!
