2019 - Second 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 second quarter of 2019 (for my full review, click on title):


The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight by Satchin Panda, PhD - A leading researcher in circadian rhythm science encourages readers to schedule their eating, exercising, and sleeping in alignment with their circadian rhythm to work with the body instead of against the body in fighting weight gain, digestive conditions, and chronic ailments. - 238 pages, 👍👍👍👍

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel - Modern Mrs. Darcy blogger outlines the joys and frustrations of being a bibliophile. - 145 pages, 👍👍👍👍

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - Elsa's grandmother sends her on a scavenger hunt to locate and deliver several letters to her closest neighbors, friends, and relatives, conveying her sympathies and apologies. In fulfilling this task, Elsa not only gets to know those around her, but comes to understand the purpose and meaning of her own life. - 370 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives by Hoda Kotb - Biographies of six individuals who overcame extreme adversity to meet their goals and triumph over tragedy. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald - Abi Knight not only discovers her teenage daughter is brain-dead and pregnant, but also learns how damaging deception and infidelity can be. - 339 pages, 👍👍

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - Catherine Morland is thrilled with her invitation to spend time with the Tilney family at Northanger Abbey but must deal with the quirks of society manners and expectations. - (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8-1/4 hours), 👍👍

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke - Hannah Swensen finds the body of department store owner, Wayne Bergstom, in the snow and follows the clues to find the murderer, while offering up a dozen recipes. - 148 pages, 👍👍

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig - Tom Hazard, who ages slowly, must avoid staying in one place too long and falling in love or else scientists might get ahold of him and use him as a lab rat to determine how to increase longevity. A historical, philosophical story meant to encourage the reader to live in the moment. - 325 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Letters Never Sent by Ruth E. Van Reken - Ruth's life, as a missionary kid, evoked feelings of loneliness, anger, insecurity, and guilt and she processes those feelings fully in a this series of letters. - 165 pages, 👍👍👍

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro - When the author's DNA test confirms that her father is not her biological father, she goes on a quest to discover her origins. In the process, she struggles with the ethics of infertility treatments using donor sperm, the fallout of her family's secret, and the meaning it all has for her self-perception. - 249 pages, 👍👍👍👍

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - A poignant coming-of-age story full of racial tension and social commentary, treating ideas of equality, justice, and kindness. - 384 pages (I listened in audio form, 11 CDs, 12-1/4 hours), 👍👍👍👍👍

An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives by Matt Richtel - Weaving scientific discoveries with real-life patient stories, Richtel covers a tremendous amount of ground in explaining the immune system and how it both functions and, sometimes, malfunctions. - 409 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Listen to the Marriage by John Jay Osborn - An inside look into a couple's marriage as the counselor encourages the couple, Steve and Gretchen, to listen to their marriage as a third party in the equation. - 246 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke - Book 11 in the Hannah Swensen murder mystery series - Hannah is on a diet, yet still manages to whip up a dozen new cookie recipes and solve the murder of the town's chief flirt and man-stealer. - 304 pages, (I listened in audio form, 8 CDs, 9-3/4 hours), 👍👍

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray - Three sisters, rocked by the wounds of the past, navigate healing and forgiveness as one sister is incarcerated, one cares for the incarcerated sister's teenaged daughters, and the final sister battles an eating disorder. - 291 pages, 👍👍👍

Elevation by Stephen King - When a man begins steadily losing weight without changing in appearance, he knows that something is up, but doesn't wish to be poked and prodded. Combined with a small story about a widower who takes on a new puppy. - 160 pages, (I listened in audio form, 3 CDs, 3-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍

Educated by Tara Westover - Deprived of a standard education while growing up with a fearful father, the author left her rural roots to pursue an education and, in gaining one, found herself anew. - 329 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

Point of View: A Fresh Look at Work, Faith, and Freedom by Elizabeth Hasselbeck - A book about a talk show host's journey to making God's point of view her own point of view and getting along with others whose viewpoints differ. - 244 pages (I listened in audio form, 5 CDs, 5 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman - Funny observations about parenthood and life, rather rambling but full of wit and wisdom. - 193 pages, 👍👍👍

The Broken Road by Richard Paul Evans -  Charles James grew up dumpster diving for subsistence, but found passion and wealth in his twenties, so why is he now walking Route 66 and fleeing this coveted lifestyle? - 304 pages (I listened in audio form, 5 CDs, 6 hours), 👍👍-1/2

Ten Years in the Tub: A Decade Soaking in Great Books by Nick Hornby - A compilation of Hornby's monthly column, "Stuff I've Been Reading," for Believer magazine, outlining books bought and read, with extensive commentary on books, reading, and writing. - 464 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See - Raised in a remote Chinese village with a myriad of superstitious beliefs, Li-yan flees her home to save her illegitimate newborn from certain death. As the decades unfold, the daughter (abandoned at an orphanage and adopted by an American couple) and mother seek each other through information about the Pu'er tea trade (the only identifying marker the daughter has). - 364 pages, 👍👍👍👍