My goal this month was to get to 100 books. That would require reading 10 books this month. Did I do it? Just barely (And then I squeezed in the completion of one more audiobook). Although my book list this month is a lot shorter than last month's, I enjoyed the reading and even found a new favorite author in the process!
90. Outlaw Sheriff by Kathleen Y’Barbo—Caleb Wilson hopes and prays he is going to get a new start when he settles in Dime Box, Arizona. Soon, enough though, Mayor Ed Thompson is hauling him over to the jail and he wonders what the charge is this time. Meanwhile, Lydia Bertrand comes west as an unwilling mail-order bride. Caleb is surprised when, instead of imprisoning him, the mayor makes him sheriff, and Lydia’s servant says that Lydia is his mail-order bride. Caleb quickly realizes he’s not the man everyone thinks he is, and he decides to come clean. What comes next is surprising and sweet. I flew through this book like a whirlwind, and thoroughly enjoyed it!
91. A Gamble on Love by Tamela Hancock Murray—The Wilson brother saga ends as youngest brother Benjamin decides to leave the saloon where his brothers left him,and he grew up to become a cheating card dealer. He wouldn’t have left except that Pearl, his co-card shark and the woman he loves, is going home to care for her ailing mother. Benjamin plans to continue his card-dealing ways, but because of Pearl, becomes instead an honest, working man instead. He also meets Jesus, which changes everything for him. This story contains some sweet references to biblical stories like the woman with the alabaster jar of perfume, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, and more. Hancock really did a great job of summing up the series here. I wish this Texas brides novella collection was just the Wilson brother stories, because they really were the best ones!
92. The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney—I hoped this book would help me to have more understanding and empathy for Tiger Woods. It did, and it didn’t. Honestly, a lot of it made me like Woods less. According to the accounting of Hank Haney, Wood’s coach of six years, Woods was notoriously self-centered. Woods did not share much with anyone. He pulled “pranks” like putting on adult TV when he shared a room with devout Christian Zach Johnson. He tipped poorly. It was hard to coach him. Haney says Woods’ self-centeredness helped him win, but winning isn’t forever. Woods went through a string of injuries, and then scandals, and missed a lot in some major tournaments. Then Haney resigned as his coach. As Haney writes in the end, Woods’ psychological issues and character are Woods’ biggest misses. At publishing in 2012, Haney believed Woods might overcome his missed and bounce back to big successes, but 14 years later, I am not so sure. I finished the book sad for Tiger Woods, for the game that overcame him, and for the life that seems to have left him.
93. My Mess is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety by Georgia Pritchett [Audiobook]—This book appealed to me because of its title, the content, not so much. In this short collection of essays and stories, screenwriter Georgia Pritchett chronicles her struggles with anxiety, starting as a young child, moving through young adulthood, and then into motherhood. Pritchett writes with a cynical, dark, dry, sardonic tone, and rarely a speck of good news. She uses the F word often (as is more common in the United Kingdom), has values that conflict with mine, and there are depictions of sexual abuse that could be triggering for some. While I empathize with having a mess of a life, and I really do hope that writing this book helped Pritchett get on with her life, I unfortunately, cannot recommend reading (or listening).
94. Sick Girl by Amy Silverstein—I started reading this book, eager to understand more about heart transplant. Then the dark parts started, and just kept coming. Silverstein became the “sick girl” when she encountered cardiac myopathy that led to ventral fibrillation, and then flatlining at age 24. At age 25, she got her first heart transplant. (She states that she had two transplants, but only writes about one in this book.) It might seem like that was the start of health, but it really wasn't. It was the start of a new life of being sick due to immunosuppressant drugs, medicines that patients need, but that doctors really do not know how to dose. This book exposes so many hard parts of being sick, plus the inadequacies of the medical system. There might be a lot that can't be fixed, but what can be addressed is the need for empathy and presence. Sick or not, everybody needs somebody.
95. My Glory Was I Had Such Friends: A Memoir by Amy Silverstein [Audiobook]—I really liked this book. It was explicit, and sad, but also beautiful. A counter to Silverstein's first book, Sick Girl, this memoir chronicles how Silverstein’s friends came through in offering her the kinds of support she craved in her first book. Relocated to California due to the need for a second heart transplant, Silverstein quickly found herself hospitalized due to the rapid decline in her health. Literally, through the worst of times, her friends were there for her: hanging pictures, keeping nurses away so Silverstein could sleep, holding vomit bowls while she threw up, staging coups to escape the hospital, etc. Silverstein had a very rough time, especially when required to get a pacemaker to keep her failing first heart beating. Each day and night were a fight for life, and Silverstein was ready to give up, until a heart transplant came to her six days before her 1A transplant status expired. The end of the book finds Silverstein feeling as healthy as ever, revealing in nature, grateful for the friends that go her through to this new stage of living. While Silverstein did pass away in 2023, she lived a good eight or nine years with her new heart, and this book lives on as a testimony to the people who helped her get there. What glory that she had such friends!
96. A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel—Okay, this book is a keeper! Not one for historical fiction, I read this book because of a trip planned to Ireland. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but then the story of Moira Doherty’s journey to Donegal, Ireland to become the new schoolteacher danced away with me. This book is not short on real life, bringing with it many emotions including joy, grief, love, anger, and fear. Woven throughout the multi-layered, book are many spiritual truths. Through it all, the theme of God’s presence and ability to redeem all things shines forth. This is a beautiful book, and you’d better believe that I am going to read more from this author!
97. Now Go Out There (and Get Curious) by Mary Karr [Audiobook]—I don’t know if I should really count this short commencement address as a book, but it was in the Libby app as an audiobook, so I am adding it to my list! In this short address, Syracuse professor Mary Karr chronicles her journey from a tough childhood in rough and tumble Texas, to a stay in a mental hospital, to a poetry residency. She states that “Getting what you want often scares you more than not getting it,” and that “the opposite of love is fear.” She encourages people to get curious about what scares them, and replace revulsion with curiosity. Facing fear can be the start of something great, and provide opportunities for empathy. “Go out there and buy somebody broker than you lunch,” she ends her speech, and in that is not only an admonition, but an invitation to know self and others better. At only 21 minutes, this address is worth going out there and listening to.
98. Cooking Well: Osteoporosis by Marie-Annick Courtier—Thankfully I don’t have osteoporosis (yet). I am trying to increase bone healing nutrients in my diet after my running injury, though. This book was not helpful in that process. It is old, dated, photo less (I like photos in cookbooks) and very focused on restrictive dieting (low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb). (The author even says to refuse food if in doubt about how it was prepared. Sorry, I’d rather be fed!) I think the author might also be British, as some of the terms in the book seem British rather than American. (That’s not a problem, just something to note.) All in all, this book was a dud. Thankfully it didn’t take me long to skim through it.
99. Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges by Mona Delahooke, PhD, read by Coleen Marlo [Audiobook]—Mona Delahooke is a clinical and consulting pediatric psychologist, but she is not into diagnosing kids. She is into helping them become their best selves. With lots of understanding and compassion, Delahooke encourages caregivers and professionals to look underneath behaviors before trying to change them. She focuses on the power of attuned relationships, and how those can literally change children's trajectories. While her book is clinical, it is also accessible and practical, containing both composite stories of clients, as well as worksheets to use with one's own children or clients. I think this is a great resource for parents and professionals alike!
100. The Lady of Galway Manor by Jennifer Deibel—I have definitely found a new favorite author! And it turns out she lives in Arizona, too. In this book, Lady Annabeth DeLacy starts up an apprenticeship at Jenning’s jeweler’s shop after her father becomes landlord of Galway Parish in Ireland. Tensions between their British family and the local Irish people are high, but that does not dissuade Annabeth. Rather, she seeks to learn about, and comes to love the local people. Her situation is complex, though, as without a son, she as eldest daughter is expected to save the family. Then there is the matter of Stephen Jennings, hurt so badly by the exodus of his first love, and the murder of his brother that he dares not connect with others. This story has so many layers of complexity, and its portrayal of sacrificial love nearly brought me to tears. This book is definitely worth reading!
101. This is Me: Living the Person You Are Today by Chrissy Metz [Audiobook]—I have never watched This is Us, the show that made Chrissy Metz famous, but the title of her book caught my eye. As I listened to her story, I winced with pain over the abuse she endured. I chuckled over some of the experiences she shared in a such a wry, dry, way. I celebrated her work to be herself, to forgive, and to treat others with respect. Some people say that Chrissy is a Christian. This book points to spirituality, but does not really document faith. (She also does some non-traditional Christian things like swearing and consulting a shaman.) This book might trigger some, but others might find it inspiring. All in all, it was a worthwhile lesson for me as I continue to explore my own identity and owning all God made me to be.
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Has anybody else read 100 books already this year? Or am I just overly voracious?
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