Reading Challenge Summary for 2023 (with Review Links)
I read (or will finish) 65 books this year, which is very close to average for me.
Book Reviews
Midnight Library (Book Review)
This is a thoughtful, very well written novel with a feel good ending.
Ladder to the Light (Book Review with Quotes)
We liked this book by a indigenous elder, who also has served as an Episcopal bishop. He writes incredibly well and has a productive point of view.
Mercury Pictures Presents (Book Review & New Vocabulary)
Read it if you are interested in the movie business in the 30’s or in a completely different take on WWII which feels relevant to the issues of today.
The Cartographers (Book Review)
This book brought out a lively discussion in my book group last night; some loved it and some hated it. Me, I was somewhere in between.
East of Eden (Book Review)
This book is touted as a family saga that is “sprawling and often brutal,” which describes it pretty well.
Grit (Book Review)
I do not think progress has to be a process of struggling to overcome obstacles by wielding a prevailing fortitude over resistance.
Eat That Frog (Book Review)
I have heard about Eat that Frog for years, and have finally now read this classic. It focuses on practical steps for prioritizing your goals and getting you to execute them swiftly and thoroughly. It is filled great advice that is immediately actionable. Here are a few quotes: “No matter what the level of your … Read more
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Book Review)
This novel blends the history of the blue people from the Kentucky hills with the history of the pack horse librarians, for a strong, touching story of racism, kindness, and the power of the written word.
Harlem Shuffle (Book Review)
Harlem Shuffle is an accurate depiction of Harlem in the 60’s, with riots over a white cop killing a black boy, and almost everyone on the take.
Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (Book Review with Quotes)
Here are some quotes about beauty from this meditation on the topic.
The Naked Don’t Fear the Water (Book Review)
A reporter on the war in Afghanistan goes undercover in 2016 to accompany his Afghan friend and interpreter on his journey out as a refugee.