2022 - Fourth Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I 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, 2 thumbs up - meh, and 1 thumb down - regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the fourth quarter of 2022 (links to full reviews can be found in the side-bar, or after 2022, found through the search bar at the right):

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - A mother and daughter survive the Alaskan frontier and their abusive husband and father. 449 pages (I listened in audio form, 12 CDs, 15 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Birdcage by Eve Chase - Three half-sisters return to the family estate twenty years after a mysterious occurrence during an eclipse fragmented their relationships. Atmospheric and dark. 369 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Just Show Up: The Dance of Walking Through Suffering Together by Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn - When a friend or family member is facing a struggle, presence will always be more important and useful than platitudes. 194 pages, 👍👍👍👍

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson - The summer of 1927 comes alive with humor and flair, thanks to Bryson's sharp eye and ready wit. 637 pages (I listened in audio form, 14 CDs, 17 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova - Concert pianist, Richard Evans, faces down his ALS diagnosis and accepts the begrudging assistance of his ex-wife, causing all past mistakes to surface again. Like a musical piece, full of emotional swells and moving passages. 298 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel - A recounting of the decade focused on space exploration: sordid lives and grand ambitions, tragedy and triumph. 320 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8 hours), 👍👍👍

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore - This great non-fiction book focuses on revealing the true story behind the set of women injured by their occupational exposure to radium. Fascinating! Infuriating! 504 pages (I listened in audio form, 13 CDs, 16 hours), 👍👍👍👍

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - Two children run away from home, hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and discover a mystery about a statue in the museum. 168 pages (I listened in audio form, 3 CDs, 3-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍

What You Wish For by Katherine Center - From a new-to-me author I cannot wait to read again comes a book about seeking love, being real, facing challenges, and embracing joy. 306 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

💖The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - A Louisiana woman unearths the fascinating story of slaves searching for lost loved ones. This one made me cry. A dreadful history but full of redemption. 417 pages (I listened in audio form, 12 CDs, 15 hours), 👍👍👍👍👍

The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery by Ross Douthat - The author's lengthy battle with Lyme disease challenges his view of the medical establishment and our entitlement mentality toward health. 197 pages, 👍👍👍

The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani - When loss drives Jaya to visit her mother's homeland in India, she learns the tragic story of her mother and grandmother and finds strength to face her dreams. 390 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace by Debra Moerke with Cindy Lambert - Riveting true story of a foster mother who faces an unexpected request that demonstrates God's grace and redemption. 317 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - My favorite book, when a teen, has gone down a tick in re-reading it as an adult. Still a well-written and exciting novel, but not top-billed status. 384 pages (I listened in audio form, 14 CDs, 15.75 hours), 👍👍👍👍

💖God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul by Mark Buchanan - A thorough and delightful exploration of walking as spiritual practice. This book is chock full of book and movie recommendations. 226 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

💖More Than Grit by Gretchen A. Carlson - Twelve-year-old Sissy Grumme hatches a plan to help her family come up with the $5 deposit necessary to get electricity extended to their Kansas farm. Sometimes facing obstacles brings maturity and teaches us to rely on more than our own personal grit. 220 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all my 580 Facebook friends a handwritten letter by Amy Weinland Daughters - I was hooked from the start. This memoir highlights a lost art I'd love to reinstitute myself (were it not for my scraggly handwriting and weak wrists) and gives me ideas for 2023 (not a duplication, but a similar strategy). 304 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber - Simple, clean, Christmas romance. Perfect light-hearted holiday read. 243 pages (I listened in audio form, 4 CDs, 5 hours), 👍👍👍

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber - Another simple, clean, Christmas romance, this time set in Alaska. 243 pages (I listened in audio form, 4 CDs, 5 hours), 👍👍👍