2023 - First 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 first quarter of 2023 (links to full reviews can be found in the side-bar, or after 2023, found through the search bar at the right):

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber - Yet another simple, clean Christmas travel romance, this covering a vacation cruise down the Amazon. 272 pages (I listened in audio form, 5 CDs, 5-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍

Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova - I think this book's primary goal is to set minds at ease by differentiating between normal memory lapses and dementia-indicating memory lapses. 246 pages, 👍👍👍

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva - A fictional retelling of how Charles Dickens came to write A Christmas Carol. 271 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Down the Hatch by M. C. Beaton - Can Agatha Raisin identify the killer of a much-despised man who worked as a gardener at a bowling club? 240 pages (I listened in audio form, 6 CDs, 7 hours), 👍👍-1/2

Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 60: The Ultimate Guide to Lose Weight, Boost Metabolism, and Increase Energy by Lauren Grant - A quick guide (not "ultimate," though) to intermittent fasting and keto diet approach to weight loss and rejuvenation. Helpful resources available with purchase. 205 pages, 👍👍👍

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance - A book my book club read and I'm only getting to now. Rife with foul language, expected from hillbillies, but an articulate and insightful read. 288 pages (I listened in audio form, 6 CDs, 6-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Diana, William, and Harry: The Most Heartbreaking Story of Our Time - Diana's Life as a Princess and a Mother by James Patterson and Chris Mooney - Feels like fiction, but sadly tells the true story of Diana's triumphs and trials. 448 pages (I listened in audio form, 9 CDs, 10-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍 

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander - Delightful little tale of a woman who acquires a cottage with a defunct red telephone box that, as the books she places inside, opens up a whole new world to her. 318 pages, 👍👍👍👍

12 Weeks to a Sharper You: A Guided Program - Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Dr. Sanjay Gupta -  A weekly approach to establishing better habits for brain health. 208 pages (I listened in audio form, 4 CDs, 4-1/3 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Heaven Rules: Take Courage. Take Comfort. Our God is in Control by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth - Focusing on the book of Daniel, this author outlines how these two pithy words, "heaven rules," can address every temptation to worry that we face. - 256 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Never Forget You by Fiona Lucas - After a spontaneous, romantic day together, Lili and Ben agree to meet one year later. Five years after Lili fails to show, a woman stumbles into his village with amnesia, wearing a necklace he recognizes. 400 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Indiana Winter by Susan Neville - A collection of semi-true, semi-fictional essays about Indiana and its people. 249 pages, 👍👍👍

Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay - An Indiana University writing professor and poet addresses the way both sorrows and pleasures of life incite joy. Beautiful writing, even if I do not share many of his perspectives on life and politics. 245 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer by C. S. Lewis - In a series of letters to a friend, Lewis covers the topic of prayer with intellectual curiosity and conversational ruminations. 124 pages, 👍👍👍👍

My Jesus: From Heartache to Hope by Anne Wilson - A Christian recording artist shares her testimony of God's grace in the midst of grief. 194 pages, 👍👍👍