2019 - Fourth Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I've decided to summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, the page count, and a grading scale (5 thumbs up - Highly Recommend, 4 thumbs up - Enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - Good, but not as satisfying as I'd hoped, 2 thumbs up - Meh, and 1 thumb down - Regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I might also document the mention of agents in the acknowledgement section - this is primarily for my own purposes, since it benefits a writer to know what agents represented similar works.

I read the following books during the fourth quarter of 2019 (for my full review, click on title):


The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile - A helpful Christian outline of the Enneagram personality paradigm. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍 - Revised to 👎 after learning how heretical these teachings are.

All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio - Waking with amnesia, Caroline must piece together her past, along with the history of an untouched room in her apartment on the Rue Cler. For fans of Sarah's Key. - 304 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon - Weaving information from Highclere Castle's archives, the current Countess presents the story of the fifth Countess of Carnarvon's life, loves, and nursing work. - 310 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni - Born with ocular albinism, Sam Hill endures bullying on the strength of his mother's assertion that his condition is "God's will." He, however, is unsure whether he believes his mother's convictions and doubts his life will be extraordinary. - 434 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester - Professor James Murray, editor of the renown OED, welcomes the help of Dr. William Chester Minor, unaware that he is an inmate in a criminal lunatic asylum. - 298 pages, LP edition, 👍👍👍👍

Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict - When Clara Kelly dissembles to gain employment as Mrs. Carnegie's maid, she never imagines the impact her relationship with Andrew Carnegie will bring.  - 288 pages (I listened in audio form,  CDs,  hours), 👍👍👍👍

The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships by Suzanne Stabile - Outlines Enneagram personality types and how to best approach relationships between the various personalities. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍 - Also revised because of heretical nature of this teaching 👎

Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay by Julie Zickefoose - A gorgeous tale, illustrated with photos and sketches, chronicling the rescue of an abandoned blue-jay. - 247 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan - Author Anthony Peardew finds and catalogs lost items with the hopes of one day reuniting them to their owners. When he dies, he leaves his house and collection to his assistant and she ferrets out their stories with the help of a Downs Syndrome neighbor and the handsome gardener. - 288 pages, 👍👍👍

Ellie and the Harpmaker by Hazel Prior - Ellie Jacobs stumbles upon Dan's Harp Barn and is overwhelmed when he gives her one of his custom-made harps. But following her dream of playing the harp might come at some cost and might stir up trouble for everyone. - 336 pages, 👍👍👍👍

My Name is Mahtob by Mahtob Mahmoody - The continuation of the story begun in the film Not Without My Daughter, told from the daughter's perspective and pointing to the faith and hope that preserved her through and after her abduction ordeal. - 352 pages, 👍👍👍👍

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher - In a distant future, after a severe thinning of the population, Griz knows only his home and his family until a man arrives, drugs them, and steals his dog. A coming-of-age story sure to take you by surprise. - 384 pages (I listened in audio form, 9 CDs, 11 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Firstlight by Sue Monk Kidd - A compilation of the early writings of Sue Monk Kidd (mostly from Guideposts) covering topics of parenting, spirituality, solitude, and compassion. - 240 pages (I listened in audio form, 5 CDs, 5 hours), 👍👍👍

Unlikely Converts: Improbable Stories of Faith and What They Teach Us About Evangelism by Randy Newman - Is there someone you think will never convert to Christianity no matter how often you share the gospel? Newman encourages you to never give up because God has a plan and can radically redeem those He chooses. 192 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Church of the Small Things: The Million Little Pieces That Make Up a Life by Melanie Shankle - A humorous look at how God uses the small moments of our lives for great impact. - 224 pages (I listened in audio form, 5 CDs, 5-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Word Catcher: An Odyssey Into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words by Phil Cousineau - A compilation of interesting words and their origins. - 291 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels - With an assumed name, Robin Dickinson attempts to flee her past, but an old friend reappears and is determined to bring it all up again. - 384 pages, 👍👍👍

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff - A heartbreaking memoir about a father dealing with his son's addiction to crystal meth. - 352 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Border Crossing by Pat Barker - A therapist jumps into a freezing river to save a young man who turns out to be a boy sent to prison on his own testimony. Intriguing idea, but no redemption. - 228 pages, (I listened in audio form, 6 CDs, 7 hours), 👎

Pleased to Meet Me by Bill Sullivan - The musings of a scientific materialist on how we are simply a mass of matter with no function or purpose. Even if I agreed with the author, I couldn't abide his constant inclusion of pop culture references. - 331 pages, 👎

Favorite Gifts of Christmas 2019

We had a lovely Christmas. It was such a blessing to have Bryce with us (he returned home to West Virginia late Christmas afternoon). Here were a few of my favorite gifts:

My husband bought me a copy of my blogging friend/author Maria Novajosky's book, An Ocean, an Airplane, and Two Countries Full of Kisses - a book to restart my failing reading mojo.

About a month ago, I was at a local flea market and spotted a game that I knew I would love. I snapped a photo and sent it to my husband convinced he would put it off until December and the thing would already be gone. No, bless him, he snagged it for me - Bookopoly: A Novel Property Trading Game Celebrating the Classics!

It looks delightful.  Instead of properties, you land on classic books. It says interesting facts about the books and the authors are printed on the back of each property deed. You secure $200 every time you pass READ. Instead of going to jail, you are stuck watching tv - ha! When you land on Explore or Knowledge, you receive cards like "Can't find your library card - Go directly to WATCHING TV. Do not pass READ. Do not collect $200." or "You only read the Cliff Notes. Move backward to the next book." My only complaint about the game is that they neglected to include a book by Dickens. My complaint about my family - the only one willing to share in the game is Sean.

Perhaps I will bring it to a Free Write night (an offshoot of my writer's group) and convince them to ditch their writing prompts (so intimidating) and join me in a game.

Finally, I was thrilled with Bryce's gifts: a set of gel pens, dark chocolate truffles, and a Double-Sided Full Body Massage Mat. This thing is wonderful - heat and vibration.

Christmas Greetings for 2019!

When you have bigs, Christmas morning is laid back. Daylight comes and they're still sleeping.

I couldn't bring myself to write an annual Christmas letter this year. Instead, I simply sent out a small photo of our dog, Toby (captured so well by a photographer at J.C. Penney who claimed it was her first pet photo shoot ever):

I probably wouldn't have even bothered, except that I wanted to remind the few I send and receive cards from, of our address change (no, we didn't move; the city extended the street name down to our country road, requiring the pointless hassle of an address change). The futility of the gesture is monumental. We received 16 Christmas cards this year - a third from extended family. Tempted to feel aphilophrenia (see my Word Catcher review), but will optimistically attribute it to the fact that the Christmas card is going the way of the dodo bird! At least I know I'm not alone in this sadness. A friend posted her card dilemma on Facebook (she sends far more than I do and this year her card was going to cost $3.84 each to send, so she sent it disassembled with the challenge to assemble it - ha!) - she tries to fill one door with cards from family and friends, but this year resorted to adding a Santa decoration to take up space due to the scarcity of cards:

Here are our recent photos of Trevor (freshman) and Sean (7th grade):

The only news I would have added to a Christmas letter (had I sent one) would be that our oldest, Bryce, received his next job assignment and is thrilled to be moving to Houston, Texas (where his girlfriend already lives and works for Exxon). We are grateful for his presence here for Christmas, but will grieve the loss of more frequent visits. Here is a summer shot of Bryce and Elizabeth from their travels together in Europe:

May you and yours enjoy a blessed Christmas and new year!

Book Review: Pleased to Meet Me

I had great expectations for Pleased to Meet Me because it promised to explore "our behavior through the lens of genetics, microbiology, psychology, neurology, and family history, revealing the hidden forces that drive our individual natures." Two of my favorite topics are genetics and neurology. I should have realized from the outset that the author is a materialist (believing nothing exists except matter). His biased perspectives were sometimes downright unscientific. In his chapter on what shapes our political perspectives he cited a study that observed preschoolers, noting behavioral characteristics, then followed up on these individuals, documenting their political leanings. Their conclusion: the "resourceful, initializing, autonomous, confident ... and self-involving" boys ended up as liberals and the "visibly defiant, ... easily offended, anxious when confronted by uncertainties, distrustful of others, ruminative, and rigidifying when under stress" boys ended up as conservatives. What a skewed load of crock!

His terminology follows his philosophical leanings. He asserts "nature invented sex" and "science is the elixir that allows us to rise above our demons." Why speak of demons if you don't even countenance a spiritual realm? If anyone displays a confirmation bias, it is this author. To me, it seems far more of a stretch to believe that our mental capacities, the physical intricacies of the body and the world, the deep desire for meaning, somehow all stem from a big bang that simply set all of this in motion without a prime mover or intelligent designer and with no more purpose than a cocktail of chemicals and matter.

What was most annoying, though, were the almost constant references to pop culture (several per page). It was as if the author felt he must dumb down his discussion to make his lofty thought accessible to the ignorant masses. Indeed, he talks down to anyone who does not share his perspective on scientific materialism. It is ironic. In the grand scheme of things, he may truly be the one blind to the truths of both the material and spiritual realms. Poor man! Trapped in a construct that allows for nothing further than a bunch of atoms randomly dancing around in the universe. What a sterile, pointless existence! Somehow, when the time comes, I don't think he'll be pleased to meet his maker.

Book Review: Border Crossing

I'm always trying to find new audio selections to accompany my treadmill workouts. Indeed, I cast aside a famous Christian memoir because the author spent the first half of the initial CD regaling how many books she has written. She waxed on about how the book will appeal to all women of every age bracket and background experience. Plenty of people have recommended her books, but I will probably steer clear from now on, given my brief foray into her self-aggrandizement.

Thus, I was back to square one and on a limited time budget for browsing. I will acknowledge that I haven't been disposed to reading lately, but Border Crossing by Pat Barker is an audio book I wish I hadn't consumed. I was too far in before happening upon the raunchier bits. Plus, while it was intriguing to consider a therapist and his relationship with a juvenile murderer, it accomplished no redemption or resolution. I ended the book wondering why I had bothered. It provided a character study of a psychologist who is grieving the end of his marriage while reconnecting with a boy he helped send to prison. What a disturbing youth! I felt sure it would lead somewhere, but alas, it never did. The man remained unchanged. The boy remained unchanged. I ached for a sense of redemption that never materialized.

Book Review: Beautiful Boy

A few years back my book club read a book called The Story of Beautiful Girl. While looking the book up, I noticed a book called Beautiful Boy. Intrigued, I thought I would check it out but didn't. I recently encountered the book again. What a hard, heartbreaking book to read! My husband's family has lived through a similar journey because my husband's younger brother was an alcoholic and ended up taking his life.

David Sheff tells the riveting story of his son Nic's addiction to crystal meth (and other drugs). He opens his heart to readers, pouring out his own feelings of guilt and the intense questions that arise when someone you love succumbs to the disease of addiction. Did his divorce create the inner demons that drove his son to drugs? Did his own experimentation with drugs predispose Nic to a genetic game of Russian roulette? He opens a vein and invites readers into his pain and the perplexing problem of seeking rehab when the addict doesn't desire it personally.

My heart ached for the author and his entrapped son. It reminded me of a video I watched called The Secret Life of the Brain. In it, the section on the adolescent brain discusses how addiction rewires the brain and tells the individual that the drug equals survival. It destroys the dopamine balance and drives the addict to seek further rushes. It truly is a Pandora's box. Once opened, they cannot return the contents. I also encountered an idea I have heard twice in recent days. He wrote that a parent at one support group expressed, "Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

I wish Anne Lamott's endorsement on the cover could be true. She writes: "This book will save a lot of lives and heal a lot of hearts." The problem with addiction is that it deludes the addict into thinking salvation comes from the drug not from avoiding the drug. Yes, the book is eye opening and allows you to come alongside their story. But, is the story capable of saving lives or healing hearts? The author shared his approach, but addiction is probably not a one solution game. Indeed, countless others have taken a similar course and ended up with a different conclusion. However, having said that, there is much to gain in walking through life in another person's shoes. He has wisdom to share about what he learned as a parent, and that wisdom is valuable for anyone who picks up this memoir.

Even if you don't read the book, you could hear their story in this brief interview. Or, the 2018 movie is available to watch on Prime Video, trailer here.

Book Review: The Words Between Us

If you love books, bookstores, and poetry, you might enjoy Erin Bartels' novel The Words Between Us. Listen to the introduction: "Most people only die once. But my father is not most people. He is a monster." Thus begins a weaving story about a teenager who escapes into a false identity to distance herself from the notorious crimes for which her parents are both spending time in prison. Although she resents their absence and has a hard time trusting others, she desperately wants to find her place in the world.

The story is told in dueling time lines, alternating between her past teen years and her current life as an owner of a bookstore in River City, Michigan. She hides from life in the pages of her beloved books until an old friend begins to send her the books they shared in high school. Why is he finally making contact now? Does he forgive her for her disappearance from his life? Can you redeem a broken past?

I enjoyed the book. It still was a stretch for me to concentrate, but I stuck with it. Although it wasn't so riveting I couldn't put it down, it successfully roped me in and kept me. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a book that name-drops famous books? Fun.

Book Review: Word Catcher

I suffer from logophilia! Indeed, I love words. They are delicious and learning new ones is a delight. This book solved a current dilemma. One of my sons has been tankmanning and it has left me flakhappy. Focusing on anything is a challenge and I tend to fribble the hours away (I suppose I'm not fribbling, since I'm praying for parental wisdom). I should really thole it better, but alas I don't. I'm not as resilient as I once was. Perhaps I am too much of a handschuhschneeballwerfer (don't you love that word for coward, roughly translated from German as one who wears gloves to throw snowballs). But, let me apologize. I'm being a wordmonger.

What a delightful book, easily consumed in small sittings with a limited attention span. Phil Cousineau provides a plethora of fascinating words and their origins in this book, Word Catcher: An Odyssey Into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words. I enjoyed learning about various fears and psychological states: aphilophrenia, the haunting feeling that one is unloved; arachibutyrophobia, the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth; hippomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, the fear of long words; kakorrhapphiophobia, the fear of failure; and callomania, the delusion that one is beautiful. I have often suffered from esprit de l'escalier: a brilliant comeback that comes to mind too late. Such delectable terms!

If you delight in dissecting phrases and expressions, you will love this book. It is a privilege to be a wordcatcher, playing a game of catch with Phil Cousineau. He has compiled a veritable treasure in this volume. Pick it up! You won't be discontented and your vocabulary will surely expand. I was thrilled to discover a similar book he has written called The Painted Word. Onward to more words!