Reading Year in Review

This is where I tell you what I read this year and tell you what I loved reading.

Total Books Read  - 13

Best Book I Read

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Books I Learned a Lot From

The Challenger

Listening to the Law

The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel by Douglas Brunt

*** there is an Expedition Files on this case

Books I Read

Remarkably Bright Creatures - 4.5/5 stars

Between 2 Kingdoms  by Suleika Jaouad- 4/5 stars

The Summer I Turned Pretty- 3/5 stars

Listening to the Law by Amy Coney Barrett - 3/5 stars

Go As a River - 4/5 stars

The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel by Douglas Burnt - 3.5/5 stars

Madness by Antonio Hylton- 4/5 stars

The Berry Pickers - 4/5 stars

Everything is Tuberculosis  by John Green -5/5 stars

The Paris Library - 3.5/5 stars

This Wheel of Rocks -3/5 stars

The Challenger- by Adam Higginbotham 3.5 /5 stars

Vanderbilt -3/5 stars

Be Ready When the Luck Happens -4/5 stars

What I Read in December

I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit.  Check out what everyone else is reading. I am rounding out my reading year with a fiction book.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

The setting is Sowell Bay in Washington State.  This is a unique book. This talks about a relationship between Tova, elderly widow and an octopus, There is a mystery. I thought this was great book and highly recommended. I guess there is going to be a Netflix Adaptation.

Growing Older with Remarkably Bright Creatures (Bill Gates)

What I Read November

I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy and her Quick Lit.  Check out what everyone else is reading.

Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

I had tried/attempted to read this 2 times before. This is our book club book.  I am happy to report I completed the book.  I think I had trouble because the beginning of this book discusses Suleika and her battle with Leukemia just shy of her 23rd birthday.  It is heavy. It is a lot since she had lots of Chemo, bone marrow transplant, and a clinical trial. The actual road trip of this book I liked. Suleika visited various people who wrote to her while she was sick.

What I Read October

I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone is reading. My reading this month was about balance between dry and light reading.

 The Summer I Turned Pretty By Jenny Han

I watched the Prime Video series and decided to try the books.  This book is the first in the series. It was a good easy read. I look forward to reading the other 2 books in the series. I enjoy YA books

Listening to the Law by Amy Coney Barrett

This was my book club book.  First, I have no allegiance to or against Amy Coney Barrett. I think I read this with a pretty open mind.  We all have some thoughts, and I pretty much tabbed this book out. Where the book is more a memoir, I enjoy it better.  It has some dry chapters. I did learn something about the inner workings of the supreme court.  I think we as Americans we have a poor understanding of the role of the Supreme Court and the limitations of the court. 

Our book club got a chance to have a Zoom. with Amy Coney Barrett. This is probably as close as I will ever get to a Supreme Court Justice. It was a neat opportunity.  This was Sharon McMahon's Governerds book club.

What I Read September

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit.  Check out what everyone else is reading.

Go as a River by Shelley Read

This is one of Jen Hatmaker's selections for her book club. I am not a member, but it sounded interesting as it was set on the western slope of Colorado.  This is a coming-of-age story, Victoria/Tori has a chance encounter with a stranger, Wilson Moon that alters her life. The story is set on a peach farm in 1948 and is also inspired by the true event of the destruction of the town of Iola. It took me a minute to get into this book, but I was unable to put this down.

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Douglas Brunt

Raise your hand if you didn't know the Diesel Engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel.  I had to check this book out 3 times.  This one was a slow burn for me.  Rudolf Diesel supposedly committed suicide by jumping off a ship crossing the English Channel.  His engine would shape WW1 as it was used in submarines and German U-boats.  Rudolf Diesel didn't plan on his engine being used for war. As it came closer to World War 1. Everyone wanted Rudolph Diesels invention and more than that the expertise that Diesel brought to the table. This included Churchill to the Kaiser.  Douglas Brunt did a great job of researching Rudolf Diesel. Douglas Brunt puts forth his proof and theory what really happened to Rudolf.  I think his theory is possible.

What I Read August

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy and Quick Lit.  Check out what everyone else is reading.

Madness by Antonia Hylton. 

 

This was a book club selection. Crownsville State Hospital was built by the inmates of the asylum. Early on since the beginning the patients supported the hospital by growing food and being hired out to local farms as labor. There was really no treatment other than work for those who were mentally ill especially those of color.  Often those with minor petty crimes who were not ill were sent to Crownsville.  It was the boogey man story that colored people told their children - "If you don't behave, Crownsville will come get you." Even as metal health improved Crownsville was under funded and often acted as a place of incarnation rather than a place to help. There are truths that still hold true today. One that mental health care is stigmatized it doesn't matter your race and secondly how mental health care is administered for people of color is not of the same standard of care. How we threat those with mental health issues has not evolved far enough. 

Over 2000 patients died at Crownsville their stories deserved to be told. This is certainly not an uplifting read. Antonia did a wonderful job of discussing the intersection of race and mental health. Ther is more work that needs to be done, and part of the work is raising awareness. Lastly, this book hits close to home as there are people in my life who struggle with mental illness. The struggle to get quality care is real.

What I Read July

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone is reading this summer.

I chose something different for my summer read.  Do you ever try to change up your summer reading?

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

This book got a lot of buzz last summer. I really enjoyed the book. It is about a Native American girl from Nova Scotia who is 4 years old that goes missing from picking blue berries in Maine.  It also about Norma from an affluent family Maine. Norma feels different in her family and thinks her parents are holding a secret about her.  The book has all elements - family secret, love, trauma.

What I Read June

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy.  I am enjoying my summer reading. Yes, summer reading is for adults! Check out what everyone else is reading.

The books I read this time I feel like I share a very personal connection with.

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

This was a book I read for book club. I had no idea that this would be so interesting. I thought this fascinating. I don't think most people realize that TB is the world's most deadly disease. It is also a curable disease. The book follows Henry in Sierra Leone and his journey with having TB. You can't help to fall in love with Henry.  Another interesting aside and related "Everything is Tuberculosis" that the New Mexico basically became a state so people could seek the cure.  I visited Fort Stanton that was many things but also served as a TB hospital for Merchant Marines. 

I have a personal connection to TB. My dad was treated for latent TB.  This was written before USAID was cut.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

I thought this was a good book but took me a few chapters to get into it. This is based on a true story about the American Library in Paris.

"In the Paris Library, inspired by the true story of librarians at he the American Library in Paris during World War II, two women come of age under very different circumstance - one in occupied Paris and one in rural Montana some forty years later."

My personal connection is that my husband's grandmother, Nanna, was in Paris during WWII and she was also a war bride. I kept thinking I wonder if she was a subscriber(patron) of the American Library. She worked at the Department of Education in Paris. Nanna was multilingual. 

What I Read in May and Summer Reading

 There is no link up with Modern Mrs Darcy this month.  She is releasing her summer reading guide.

My reading is starting to pick up.

This Wheel of Rocks - An Unexpected Spiritual Journey

by Sister Marya Grathwohl

I seem to be interested in all things Catholic. I am not Catholic.  This is about Sister Marya and her journey with the Crow Indians. This is a book that explores how science and protecting the earth fit in with God and spirituality. This is a good read and made me explore my own thoughts on this subject. It was an engaging fast read for me even when some things went over my head. Sister Marya does a great job of exploring this subject.

Do I have any summer reading plans?

I do. I have 2 book club books to read

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Madness by Antonia Hylton

Some Summer Reading Lists

Everyday Reading makes sure you sign up for the extended guide. This one is free

The Book Girls Summer Reading Challenge

What I Read April

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy. Check out what everyone else is reading. I have accepted that I am in a season of slow reading.  Does that happen to anyone else?

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham

I read this as the astronauts were finally being brought back to earth.  I just kept thinking about how it was amazing NASA has been able to have any successful missions.  I think the quote below sums up the Challenger disaster and this book.

This is a very detailed book.  I probably wouldn't have picked this one on my own, but I read this as part of a book club. I learned a lot about the Challenger and NASA's space program. It was eye opening and how could this be allowed to happen.  I also learned some new words.

The ethos of there is more to this story and Adam delivers - the slow creep of acceptable risk, over confidence in technology, the politics.

Modern Mrs Darcy Review in March Quick Lit

Booking it March

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's quick lit. Check out what everyone else has been reading.

 I have been working on a challenging read for me for book club, so I have been reading something completely different than that to balance out.  That book has been Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe

I thought it was well written, and I enjoyed the overview of all the famous Vanderbilts. I have read other books about them, but this one stands out. I especially liked reading about Alva Vanderbilt as it has tied into other things I have been reading. All the excess of the gilded age is discussed and the rise of the Vanderbilt's in society and the downfall of having too much money. Who better to tell these tales than Anderson Cooper who is related to the Vanderbilt's.

In the past I have Read - American Duchess about Consuelo Vanderbilt and her autobiography The Glitter and the Gold

What I Read February

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone else is reading.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens - Ina Garten

This was our Book Club book. I am looking forward to our Author meet. I was not very familiar with Ina before reading her memoir. Ina is a risk taker. She went from writing policy papers on Nuclear Energy to owning the Barefoot Contessa which launched her culinary career. This book is more about her career than a deep dive into her personal life.  Many people in our book club said it was a love letter to her husband, Jeffery. I hope that everyone has a Jeffrey in their lives. Someone who will support your dreams whatever they are.  

I haven't tried any of her recipes but hope to bake something for our author meet to eat while we watch our meeting.