Forty Books I've Enjoyed: Part II

(Read Part I here).

Today I'll share the second half of my list of forty books I've enjoyed. I have to tell you, it was hard to only choose forty. There are a whole lotta books I've enjoyed that aren't included in these posts. I'm worried that the books have feelings, and that I've hurt some of them. Part of me thinks, "It's okay! I can make more lists!" but holy moly, I spent waaaaay too much time on these posts. The books consumed me! For now, I can't make anymore book lists. 

Without further ado, I give you books 21-40:

21. The Cay by Theodore Taylor

Read more about this book here. 

22. The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

When I did my practicum in 2017, I used this book for one of my resources (as well as a lot of peer reviewed research studies by the author). I liked her work so much that I tracked down her email address and sent her a thank you note. She responded, and I felt special.

Anyway, this book is a great overview of some of the findings in the study of subjective well-being (which is the sciency term for happiness). 

23. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

This is the first book I ever read by Kate Morton (shortly later I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and was a little surprised at the similarities. Thirteenth Tale was published first, interestingly). 

Kate Morton books usually have alternating timelines, some sort of significant house with a mystery to unravel, and some sort of book, fairy tale, or story within the story. My norm is that I don't like books within books, and Kate Morton novels are no exception (I always dread the chapters where I have to read from some made-up "book”), but darn it, I enjoy her books anyway, so she gets away with it!

(I'm probably not convincing you to read this). 

I have read this book once and listened to it once. 

(You may want to keep notes on the characters and their connections if you ever read a Kate Morton book). 

24. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Read more about this book here. 

25. The Spirit of Revelation by David A. Bednar

This is a religious book by one of the apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

This book is divided into two sections. The first section reviews and outlines ten principles of receiving, recognizing, and acting on personal revelation. The second section is composed of examples of how revelation has come into Elder Bednar's life. I found the first section to be the most pertinent and can think of examples of each principle in my own experiences (if you want to cheat... just read the first section. Then skim or skip the second. But you didn't get that advise from me!)

I study the topic of personal revelation a lot. It's something I think about a lot, and this book came to me at a time I really needed it. 

26. Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman

Confession: I remember hardly anything about this book, so it seems strange to put it on this list, BUT, I do remember really liking it and thinking, "This is my kind of book!" I also remember that it reminded me of a Kate Morton novel but a little shorter (can we all agree that Kate Morton, as much as we love her, can cut at least 100 pages out of all her books?)

(Aside: I have a goal to write something... anything... about every book I read when I enter it in to Goodreads just to help jog my memory when I look back at books, but I don't follow through with this goal very well. Then I'm mad at myself when I'm trying to remember a book, and I didn't write anything in the review box to help my future self! This book is one of those cases).

27. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

I read this book twice a really, really long time ago, so I almost hesitate to add it to my list because I feel like I need to get reacquainted with it now that my frontal lobe is fully developed. I recommended this book to a friend who read it and absolutely ripped it apart. She said the characters were "too good" and "too evil" and didn't float enough in the gray area. At the time, her comments infuriated me because I loved this book, but now I understand better what she meant, and I might feel the same way if I read it again.

Nevertheless, I'm including the book here because it's one of the first books I enjoyed as a young adult (and let me tell you something... I didn't like reading until I was in my mid-twenties). 

Anyway, this book is based on a (real) legend that a woman once disguised herself as a man and was elected and served as pope for two years during the middle ages. 

28. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

This is a fun middle-grade series. I always thought my kids would enjoy these books, and I had dreams of reading them together, but my kids are dream killers. I can’t get them to read anything nor let me read anything to them. I read about half of the first book to Nicky, and he suffered greatly. My kids are broken… sigh…

On another note, Jennifer A. Nielsen is a great author. She has written some wonderful YA historical fiction as well. 

29. My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve

This is another middle-grade book. This one is about a young girl named Frances (Franziska originally) who is taken out of Nazi territory and housed with a family in England not knowing if she'll ever see her real family again. 

30. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I read this back in 2014 when it first came out, and all I remembered was grumpy bookstore owner and a baby. I also remember that there is a quote in this book that I adored and copied down in a notebook... somewhere. I intend to find that quote, but not today. 

The movie came out on Hulu in 2022, and it had been long enough since I read the book that I was able to enjoy the movie. So there's always that option for the cheaters (I give you a pass, though. You can't read everything. It's okay to go straight to the movie sometimes. Just make sure you read something every now and then, mmmkay?)

31. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This memoir tells Paul Kalanithi's story of having stage IV lung cancer while doing his neuroscience residency. Paul shares fascinating insights about the brain as well as touching perspectives on life and death. 

This book was published a couple of years after his death with the epilogue written by his wife. 

32. How Lucky by Will Leitch

This book has lower ratings than most books I read (my go-to rule is to read 3.8 stars and above on Goodreads - it's rare that I read anything with a lower than 3.8 rating and like it. This book is 3.78).

I don't remember how I even heard of this book, but I really liked the main character. Daniel, who is limited by a physical disability, thinks he sees a kidnapping out his window. He then tries to help solve the mystery. 

33. Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox

Marty McFly was my first crush, and even though that crush has long passed, I've always had a special place in my heart for Michael J. Fox. I also have a tender place in my heart for Parkinson's disease. Both Scotty's and my grandpa had Parkinson's. 

This memoir by Michael J. Fox kept me occupied on a camping trip. I have always been interested in the psychology of fame and how it affects people, especially those who attain it at a young age. I found Michael's story fascinating - especially his road to sobriety and his onset of Parkinson's. 

If you don't want to read the book, check out his documentary, Still on Apple TV.

34. Fatal Throne by multiple authors

This is a book about the six wives of Henry VIII. Each wife is written by a different author (the audiobook also has six different narrators. Its written for a YA audience and fictionalized from the wives' points of view, but you learn a lot about the women. It's great prep work before you go see Six. 

35. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

This book takes place in 1918 Philadelphia where a family relocates in order to help an uncle as an undertaker with the plan to eventually take over his business. They are soon met with the difficulties of the Great War and the Spanish Flu pandemic. They face some challenges including a few ethical dilemmas - one involving parental rights to a child orphaned by the pandemic and one involving a man whose wife suffers irreparable mental illness.

This is a slow-to-unfold story, but that seems to be the way of historical fiction. This book was particularly interesting due to the COVID pandemic and the similarities and differences between that time period and ours. History truly does repeat itself, just with a few variations. 

(I read this book in the summer of 2021).

36. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

Husband: What's this book about?

Me: This lady whose grandpa dies, and then she goes back in time and becomes her grandpa's mom.

(And that's why I prefer to leave book summaries to the professionals). 

37. Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Civil Townsend works for a family planning clinic in post-segregation Alabama. One day she is assigned to administer birth control injections to two young girls, and she starts to consider the ethics of some of the things her clinic is taking part in. 

This book opened my eyes to a part of history I didn't know much about - including the Tuskagee syphilis study and the forced sterilization of minorities throughout the 20th century. 

The second half of the book dragged a little since it delved into a lengthy court battle, but it was a really good book on a hard topic.  

38. The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

This story alternates between 1942 Nazi-occupied Poland and modern-day. 

In modern-day, Alice is facing the end of her grandmother's (or babcia's) life, when her grandmother, with limited language, pleads with Alice to "find Tomasz." The problem is, Tomasz, Alice's grandfather, has passed away, and though Alice tries to explain that, Babcia is relentless in her plea for Alice to find Tomasz. Alice ends up taking a trip to Poland to discover her grandmother's past. 

This story is interesting because it deals with some of the realities of war in which records were destroyed and identities were changed. This is a unique part of family history in that sometimes, history is altered, and research has to sort out the truth. 

39. The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns

This book jumps back and forth between two time periods. In one, it is 1957, and Naoko has fallen in love with an American sailor and finds herself pregnant with his baby. She must navigate the expectations of her family and the traditions of her culture as she tries to maintain her love and keep her baby. In the present day, Tori finds out her father may have had a baby with a woman in Japan. After his death, she sets out to unearth the truth about her father and her possible sister. 

Tori's discoveries in her family history made me think of how many stories are out there still to be found and how easily those stories can become lost. As I read, I couldn't help but think, "This is why family history is so important!" 

40. Silent Sisters by Joanne Lee

This is one of those memoirs that, if it were a novel, you would think it's so far fetched and unbelievable that it's not actually a good story. 

This story is so trippy! 

Joanne Lee tells of her experiences growing up with a mentally unstable mother. This mother… wow. It breaks my heart knowing that children grow up in circumstances like Joanne’s, and yet, it’s a devastating story we hear time and time again. Joa’s story is particularly disturbing because her mother hid the bodies of four babies in her house (readers be cautioned - the details are gruesome. I found myself growing ever nauseous while listening to the audiobook).

So how can I say I "enjoyed" this book? Well, it's not that I wish for these things to happen, but I am intrigued by behavior and family theory, so stories like this fascinate me. 

(I probably should not have ended with this book). 

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I believe this is my final list of forty from my (kind of) 40th birthday celebration series. It’s time for me to shut up about my birthday and just be 40. 

Hitting publish on this post feels like a huge step - as if I'm sealing my commitment to these books. There are more! More books! More wonderful and enjoyable books! And I'm pretty happy that it's so hard to narrow it down to forty. 

Forty Books I've Enjoyed: Part I

One of these days I’m going to write a blog post that is not list-style. Today is not that day.

I’m going to split this list into two posts because I got a little wordier than I intended to. I can’t make “forty” lists without doing something about books, can I? So this list of 40 books that I’ve enjoyed. I had a hard time stopping at 40 and keep feeling bad about the ones I didn’t get to. 

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry 

I have loved this book since childhood, and often hail it as my all-time favorite. Now there are so many similar books in the dystopian genre that The Giver would be very underwhelming to the modern reader, but back when it was written, it was quite mind-blowing (to me, anyway). I also like the movie. 

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is another of my all-time favorite books. I've read (and listened) to The Book Thief many times. I think having Death as a narrator is so clever, and I really like the way Zusak portrays Death - not as a character full of malice but an empathetic being who carries a weight in his duties. I also like the theme of the power of words and the power of reading. 

Rosa Hubermann is one of my favorite characters ever!

3. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I had to read the unabridged version of Les Mis for AP English in high school over the summer. On the first day of school, had a test on the book, and if we didn't pass, we were OUTTA THERE! (I passed. Phew!) My English teacher's justification for this requirement was, "You can answer any essay question with Les Mis!" and she was absolutely right! 

I resented Les Mis for a long time because of school, but now that I'm a real life grown up, I love the story, love the themes, and love the characters. Jean Valjean and Javert are top of my list with Rosa Hubermann for all-time favorite literary characters. 

I also love the musical and love the BBC mini series (I've watched it twice - I didn't like it the first time but loved it the second time). The book is amazing, but find yourself an abridged version. Hugo knows how to take a political tangent and run with it... for hundreds of pages. Let someone sift it out for you! 

4. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

I don't know what made me read this book. The Netflix series came out, and I never intended to watch it (still haven't, but I'm more open to it now). I was annoyed by people posting YouTube videos of themselves doing dumb things blindfolded (this was pre-Tik Tok - it's hard to recall a time when Tik Tok didn't rule the world). Somehow I ended up reading the book, and I really like it. 

Like, really really liked it. 

Bird Box is such a psychological trip. The entire time, you don't know what to believe. Unfortunately, it's also gory and full of swears, so I can't recommend it with good conscience

It has a sequel, which I've also read, and I wish they would have just left the original story alone (although there is one very intriguing revelation in the sequel). 

5. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

To be honest, this book is boring, but I really liked the themes of religion and art. I've always been fascinated by Orthodox Judaism. In my copy, I have written all the definitions to the Jewish words, and I printed out a lot of the artwork mentioned and glued them in the pages. I didn't "read" Asher Lev, I studied it. And it was just out of personal interest - not for school. 

6. The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan

I listened to this book while on vacation in Lake Tahoe several years ago, and I enjoyed the narration and the story. This book spoke to me of the strength women can have when they come together and the healing power of music. 

7. Columbine by Dave Cullen

This is a fascinating non-fiction piece about the Columbine shooting. Not for everyone. 

8. The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal

When I did my internship for school, I was involved in the creation and beta testing of a workshop for which this book was a resource. I learned a lot from this book. I feel like it's a manual for how to deal with adversity. 

9. Have You Seen Luis Veldez by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I don't remember a lot of details from this book, but it's a sweet story about a young man who develops a meaningful friendship with an elderly woman. 

10. Anxious People by Frederik Backman 

This story is about a failed bank robber who accidentally takes several people hostage during a real estate open house. Most of the people are incredibly unlikable, but as the story moves forward, and you begin to learn their backstories, you grow to understand them. This book forces you to think about things you would "never" do - like rob a bank - and makes you realize you can never say never. Also, people are not always what we assume them to be. A life lesson I'm forever learning.

I didn't really like this book at first, but then when the entire story had unfolded, I retained it as my favorite book I read that year (2021).

11. Seekers Wanted by Anthony Sweat

You can read more about this book here. 

12. Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker-Bradley

This book deals with hard subjects and is written for a young audience. The content is important but should be approached with care. In the author's note, she explains that she was sexually abused as a child, and she wanted to write a story for children on this topic. I think she handled it with excellence - keeping the story very real while interweaving hope for healing. I am not sure what age I would recommend this for. It really depends on the maturity level and the life experience of each individual child. However, I highly recommend this for adults.

13. All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat 

You may recall the story from 2018 - when 12 young soccer players and their coach got stuck in a cave in Thailand. The week after the rescue took place, I was in Lake Tahoe (listening to The Chilbury Ladies Choir), and a documentary aired on the Discovery Channel about the event. I'd heard about the boys stuck in the cave, but I hadn't followed the story very closely, so I really didn't know much about it. I knew that they'd all been saved, and that was nice to hear, but I had no idea just how miraculous it was that every single one of them was able to come out safely, so I was captivated by the documentary. While the documentary was was mind-blowing, it barely tapped the surface the the story. 

This book goes into far more detail about the nature of the cave and what had to be done to save those boys. The story and the rescue efforts are just incredible. Even if you don't read this book word for word, it's worth checking out from the library just to skim a bit. As a bonus, it has pictures!

14. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

This is a very positive, healing memoir from a Holocaust survivor. I liked it, and it was of reasonable length. Sometimes memoirs can be just too darn long! This one was just right.

15. Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard

This is a book that I don't think most people would care for. You might say, "Meh, it was just okay." For some reason, I really liked this one. It's about a broken family, and the ways they hurt each other but then also the ways they find healing. It was so raw and real, and there was so much in the mother, Eleanor's, experience that I could relate to. This book made me feel stuff - joy and pain - and it was beautifully written. I stayed up really late in a hotel room to finish it because I couldn't put it down, and yet, I knew while reading it that this isn't a book for the masses. 

16. I Must Betray You by Rita Sepetys 

This book has been quite popular (among Rita's other works). She's good, you guys. She's good! 

This book dove into a part of history I knew nothing about that happened during my lifetime (1989). I love a book that puts morals and ethics into question. Who do you save and who do you betray when you're being blackmailed and when your safety or your family is at risk? 

17. The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour

Read more about this book here. 

18. Wait Til Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Read more about this book here. 

19. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I've read The Handmaid's Tale twice (I've also read the sequel, but I haven't watched the show). It's among the best of dystopians. What makes a good dystopian, in my opinion, is making it believable. Weave me a story that parallels our current society just enough that I can actually fear us turning one small corner and ending up there. 

20. The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty 

This is another book that I don't think the masses would like, but I do! I've read it twice. It's quirky, and kind of weird. I almost gave up on it the first time through because it seemed plotless - like it was going nowhere, and the timeline was a little confusing (I eventually figured out what the author was doing, and then it made more sense). This is another tale of a broken, somewhat dysfunctional family, and in the end, I really liked the characters' flaws and imperfections. 

To be continued…

2023 In the Books

At the end of every year, I have a lot of traditional posts I do - one being a list of the books I read. This year was a tough reading year for me. I didn't really love a lot of books. I gave up on more than I ever had before, and I had a really hard time finding anything that would hold my attention or keep me interested. But somehow, I still managed to do a lot of reading! 

Here are the books I read in 2023:

Five Stars

The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

Let’s Talk About Religion and Mental Health by Daniel K. Judd

Four Stars

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St, James

Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley

The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

Divine Quietness by Emily Robison Adams 

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay 

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 

Flight Patterns by Karen White

Go As a River by Shelley Read

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

The House of Eve by Sedeqa Johnson

How Lucky by Will Leitch

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Let’s Talk About Science & Religion by Jamie L. Jensen 

Living the Parables by Hank Smith

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki 

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay 

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

The Other Dr. Gilmer by Benjamin Gilmer

Our Day Star Rising by Jeffrey R. Holland

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

Weyward by Emilia Hart

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain 

Who Asked You? by Terry McMillan

Yellow Wife by Sedeqa Johnson

Three Stars

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia

The Choice by Edith Eger

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

The Couple Nextdoor by Shari Lapena 

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

The Forgotten Ones by Steena Holmes

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Hang the Moon by Jeanette Walls

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano 

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Look What You Made Me Do by Elaine Murphy

The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell

The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagan 

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Two Stars

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult 

If Not for Her by Debbie Macomber

No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler

On Being Human by Jennifer Pastiloff

Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering

One Star

Prize Women by Caroline Lea

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson

Unrated

An Unseen Angel by Alissa Parker

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Far Above Rubies by Tammy Uzelac Hall

Prophets See Around Corners by Sheri Dew

Uncultured: A Memoir by Daniella Mestyanek Young

Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman

Series

The Hunger Games (1-3)****

The Inheritance Games (1-3)***

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1-18)****

Still in progress:

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

Thirteen by Steve Cavanaugh

What We Find by Robyn Carr

Ten Titles

Please forgive me while I post way too much about my 40x40 goals. As my 40th birthday approaches, I've been reviewing my goals and celebrating the ones I've accomplished and laughing about the ones that fell by the wayside. I used to have a 75% success rate with goal setting, but in the past few years, I've fallen to more of a 50% success rate. Better than nothing, right? But I feel like when I fail at a goal, I really fail at a goal. Which makes me wonder if I'm actually worse off from goal setting than if I just never tried.

Anyway, one of my goals was to read a religious or spiritual book every month (on average - if I read two in June and none in July, that's okay. I just wanted to finish twelve throughout the year). I didn't quite make it to twelve, but I did finish ten! (I have a couple more in process that I could possibly finish before the end of the year, and if I do, I'll add them to this post, but I'm giving myself a pass to read then at whatever pace I can rather than rush through them just to finish before my birthday). 

Here are the books I read (or listened to) with a little bit of commentary. 

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I started off by listening to this book, but then I decided I wanted a physical copy to mark, so I bought it and started over from the beginning. 

Last year my bishop asked me if I had any counsel for him on how he could help and support people with depression. I drew a blank because everyone's depression is so different. For me, there are times where I need to have responsibilities to pull me through. Sometimes when I'm experiencing depression, the best thing someone can do for me is to ask me to help with something - teach a lesson or make something. I need to feel needed. That was the case with assisting with the ward Christmas party last year. I needed to contribute, and that helped me out of a slump. Other times (and for many other people), being asked to take on a responsibility is completely overwhelming. Sometimes being relied upon is just what I need! Other times, the pressure of being "needed" is too much. There are so many variables that go into it. 

I had no answer for my bishop, so I asked him if I could take some time to think about it. I never got back to him. But when I read this book, I felt like there was so much in there that might be helpful to a bishop. 

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I had mixed feelings while reading this book. Some of it paralleled many things I have experienced myself, but there were parts of it that I didn't like, and I don't know why. Overall, I was grateful to have read it, and it gave me a lot to think about. 

It was also a little hard to read because I have a lot of friends and family who are experiencing "divine quietness" right now, and they are abandoning their relationship with God. I've been there myself (see this post - but also know that I've experienced it again and again since writing that post), and my heart aches for them.

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I enjoyed listening to this book, and I always get really excited when science and religion align. However, I'm not good at science, so there were parts where I checked out a bit because things got a little too "science-y." I have added this to my mental list of "research methods for Mormons" curriculum (which also included Seekers Wanted by Anthony Sweat and Real vs Rumor by Keith A. Erekson).

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This one is a compilation of teachings from Elder Holland from the New Testament. I listened to it (read by him) at the beginning of the year, and it was a good companion for Come Follow Me since we studied the New Testament this year. It felt a bit long, and it took me longer to get through than I wanted it to, but I got there eventually!

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This was a tough one because it's a memoir from the mother of one of the Sandy Hook victims. I really don't know what to say about it.

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I read this one right before General Conference, and it was great timing. I feel like it helped me prepare. 

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This was another book that fit really well with studying the New Testament this year. I listened to this book a few years ago, and this time I read a digital copy. I read it before we hit the parables in Come Follow Me, and I was ready for them!

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This may seem a strange option since it's not really a traditionally published book, but I read Teaching in the Savior's Way from cover to cover recently. Any time I am serving in a teaching position in the Church, I take that responsibility very seriously, and I strive to be the kind of teacher the Lord needs me to be, so I am always brushing up on my teaching skills and trying to improve. 

I also frequently review the learning model from BYU-I, and I still study Teaching No Greater Call.

Some of the goals I have when I teach are, first and foremost, to teach by the Spirit. But additionally, I like to bring variety, stimulate intellect, and help those in my audience to feel loved and capable. I have successes and failures, but those are some of my highest goals, so I try to always be improving. 

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This is another book that I read for the second time this year. To be honest, I don't remember it very well... even after reading it twice. But I do remember that I was struggling with something, and I felt like this book could help, and it did. 

So whatever it was... I guess it worked out. Thanks, Book. 

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Sometimes I listen to the podcast Sunday on Monday through Deseret Bookshelf. The author of this book is the host of the podcast, Tammy. The book looks at Proverbs 31 in depth and interprets some of the symbolism and translates some of the original Hebrew to better understand the scriptural passage. It reads very much in Tammy's voice.

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And thus you have my ten books from my "not quite accomplished" 40x40 goal. 

Renewal

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #14:

Renew

My mental and emotional health wasn’t very good over the summer, and even though I’m doing significantly better now, I’m still very much in recovery. Whenever I experience the return of depressive symptoms, I completely check out spiritually. As you know, I’m a religious person, but I confess, I spend a lot of time feeling completely numb in my faith. This scares me because I have seen the light go out of so many people, and I don’t want to lose mine! It’s hard to keep going when I’m mentally distressed, and society is hating on organized religion so heavily, and I’m constantly bombarded with messages of scrutiny toward my faith. I’m often tempted to look at my Church through a critical eye, but fortunately, despite the Church's flaws, I’m able to still see so much good in it.

A few weeks ago, our stake president (who works for the Church’s welfare department) told us about how he was able to get supplies from the Church on a military plane heading to Morocco after the earthquake at the drop a hat. He had about three hours notice. The things that happened to make that possible are miraculous, and I felt so honored to be a part of a Church that can do that (here is a brief overview of some of our Church's humanitarian programs). Stories like this keep me going. 

I confess, I’m struggling with prayer right now. I don’t do it as often or as fervently as I should. That’s one thing I really have a hard time with when I am in the depths of depression. It’s beyond an unwillingness to pray; I just can’t pray (read more about that here). The best I can usually do is say, “Heavenly Father, please accept this brief moment of no words as my prayer,” because my mind can’t do it. I’m just starting to be able to kind of pray again. It takes so much effort. There have been a few experiences I've had lately that have made me realize that I want my faith to be solid, so in my piddly prayers, I've been asking God to help me find a corner to grasp. I need to renew my testimony and get back on track spiritually.

The answer I feel I received was to study the words of our current prophet, Russell M. Nelson, and take note of what he (and only he) has been encouraging us to do. I felt strongly that I needed to shut out all other voices for a time (even the voices of other Church leaders), and just focus on the one who holds all the keys. For that course of study, I narrowed in on the prophet's addresses from the past three years. Here are four significant and repeated teachings I found (there are many more, but I was most drawn to these):

1. Hear Him - meaning Jesus Christ

"When we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son" (source).

This includes:

-"fill[ing] our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths."

-figuring out how the Spirit communicates with us as individuals

-doing "whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation."

2. Be temporally prepared, but more so, spiritually and emotionally prepared

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30).

"...preparation is our key to embracing this dispensation and our future with faith... I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared. But I am even more concerned about your spiritual and emotional preparation" (source).

The prophet taught three principles to help us with this preparation:

1. Create places of security - meaning making our homes, wards, and other places physically and spiritually "safe." "A place of security is anywhere you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and he guided by Him... and you can ponder sincere questions about the gospel in an environment of revelation."

2. Prepare your mind to be faithful to God

This includes:

- seeking "learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118)

- increasing faith by exercising faith 

- studying the Book of Mormon

- yoking ourselves (i.e. maintaining a partnership) with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ 

3. Never stop preparing 

 3. Treat everyone as Children of God - lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice

"Each of us has a divine potential because each is a Child of God... I plead with you to promote respect for all of God's children" (source).

The prophet reiterated that:

- each person is equal in God's eyes

- God does not love one race more than another

- any kind of abuse is an abomination to the Lord (source). 

4. Let go of conflict, and be a peacemaker

"We call upon people everywhere to pray for those in need, to do what they can to help the distressed, and to seek the Lord's help in ending any major conflicts... His gospel is a gospel of peace" (source). 

"End conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home, and your life. Bury any and all inclinations to hurt others... I plead with you to do all you can to end personal conflicts that are currently raging in your hearts and in your lives" (source).

"I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always" (source).

President Nelson has encouraged us to:

- abandon faultfinding and evil speaking of others

- treat others with compassion

- replace contention with peace 

I fully admit that I don't "know" if there is a God, but I believe that there is. There are a lot of parts of my religion that don't make sense to me; however, I don't believe it all has to. I believe that if there is a God, there are going to be things about Him that I won't fully understand during my life on earth. I'm okay with that. So as I explore the teachings of my Church's prophet, I ask Does this man speak for God? Well, let me tell you something, even if he doesn’t, if everyone on this earth abided by the four teachings from our prophet that I mentioned above  - meaning we all sought to understand and live by the teachings of Jesus Christ (making us forgiving, loving, humble, and charitable - whether Christ is real or not), took care of ourselves temporally and spiritually and provided safe places for others to do the same, treated everyone as children of God (whether God is real or not), and abandoned conflict - most of this world's problems would be solved, and to me, that means something. If I live that way and in the end, my belief system was all a farce, my life will not have been wasted (and if there is no God, I'll never have to know because I will cease to exist when I die, and ignorance is bliss). 

That may be an unorthodox way of thinking, but it works for me.

For the last several years, I have kept a note on my phone where I jot down evidences I see of the reality of God. When I start to feel distanced from Him or to question his existence, I look at the things I have written, and I remember that I’ve experienced too many things to chalk it all up to coincidence. 

About ten years ago, I had a dream that I was sitting on the stand in the Conference Center (where our Church's semi-annual General Conference takes place) when someone walked into the venue and gave a signal and announced that people would be walking out in opposition of one of the teachings of the Church. I was immediately overcome with fear as I watched people I know and love stand up and walk out of the meeting in a mass exodus. I was shocked to see who was leaving, and I couldn't understand why they were making that choice. I felt like I needed to go with them - not because I agreed with them, but because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't. Then I looked over and saw the prophet, who at the time, was Thomas S. Monson, seated in his chair, and I was overcome with peace, and I stayed.

That dream was far ahead of its time, but it's something I have come to remember and cling to. I will never have satisfactory answers to all of the questions I have in this life, and I will always wrestle in some way. But I'm still pretty darn sure that God is real, and right now, the prophet is my corner to grasp on to.

In addition to everything I have already discussed, I had another experience this week that felt guided by God. My friend, Julie, mentioned that she was listening to the book Prophets See Around Corners by Sheri Dew.

I had a fast and strong impression that I also needed to listen to this book, and that I needed to do it that day. I went home and downloaded it immediately, and I was pleased to find that it was relatively short, so at 1.75x speed, I listened to it and finished it before my kids got out of school. I won't go into a detailed description of the book (though I wish I could, but that is one of the downsides to audio - I don't have a highlighted copy ready to write an essay on), but I will say that this book helped me in my efforts to renew my testimony. It was also a great preparatory resource for General Conference, which happens to be this weekend.  

It's been weird few months, but I feel like I'm headed in a good direction spiritually. I have a lot of progress to make, but I know I can do it (I've done it over and over again). I'm engaging in a much needed spiritual renewal, and it feels good.

Teens and Things

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #24:

Communication

When I was in college, I took a lifespan development class and an adolescent development class. It makes me mad that I don't have perfect recall (my superhero trait of choice), and that I can't remember and summon every detail of everything I've learned. Now that I have teenagers in my house, I really wish I could remember more of what I learned in adolescent development. I have a lot of the materials still and could definitely go back and review, but I’m too busy squeezing lemons and chasing crickets through my house.

I recently got the e-book The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour, Ph.D. from the library. 

I found it to be a great review of adolescent development and a great reminder of what is going on in the minds and emotions of teenagers. I highly recommend this book to anyone currently raising teens or pre-teens (your ten and eleven-year-olds are already starting the hormone changes for puberty, so giddy up!)

But if you don't want to read it, here's a short cut for you. I'll share some of the things that I highlighted, most of which has to do with communication and emotions. 

Be curious and trusting with your teens

“When we show that we are curious about our adolescents’ feelings – especially around the topics they bring up – we invite them to treat their emotions as informative and trustworthy. Teenagers almost always rise to meet us when we treat them as the deeply insightful souls that they are” (page 9).

Emotions are a normal part of the human experience and are rarely harmful. The goal of a parent should be to teach children emotion regulation - not to keep them from experiencing emotions. 

“Remaining calm when teenagers become undone communicates the critical point that we are not frightened by their acute discomfort, and so they don’t need to be frightened by it either… Further, reminding ourselves that going through difficult experiences almost always helps our teens grow can make it easier for us to bear their distress. Finally, we should remember that, while emotions are sometimes painful, they are rarely harmful” (page 20).

There is a purpose for our teens unloading their hurt on us: they are externalizing, and it's healthy!

“Unloading painful feelings onto their parents is one of the many ways that teens manage their intense emotions. When they do this, our worries can really get going. But teens are usually sturdier than they seem” (page 26).

“If there’s one defense that teenagers specialize in, it’s what psychologists refer to as externalization. This defense is managing an unpleasant emotion by getting someone else (often a loving parent) to feel it instead… Think of externalization as handing off emotional trash. A teenager who no longer wants to carry around an unwanted feeling sometimes finds a way to dump it on a caring, but perhaps unsuspecting, adult… So, is externalization a healthy defense? Yes insofar as it buffers an adolescent’s distress without warping reality. When teens use externalization as a defense, they don’t deny the problem at hand or blame it on anyone else. They simply communicate about it in a way that leaves their parents feeling lousy. This may work well enough for the teenager, but there’s no question that it’s really not much fun to be the adult on the receiving end….” ( page 29-30).

“Externalizing a problem often helps a teen solve it” (page 30).

This is something I experience a lot with Daisy. It's a relief to recognize it in her and realize I don't have to carry those heavy emotions for her.  

It's okay to talk to your teens about suicide.

“Research shows that asking nonsuicidal teens about suicide does not leave them feeling worse, but for teens who are feeling suicidal, it relieves distress” (page 33).

She's moody because she knows she's safe. 

“Though your daughter’s stormy moods might unsettle your otherwise peaceful household, take comfort in the knowledge that she feels safe expressing her annoyance at home” (page 53).

“Adolescents can signal indifference to our advice and still take in what we’ve said. As the mother of two teenagers, I find that it works best for all involved if I receive their shrugs or eye rolls as a nonverbal way of saying ‘I heard you!’” (page 63).

Attention menfolk...

“Adult men need to make a point of asking boys about what’s going on inside and engaging in meaningful conversations about emotions. Instead of offering solutions to boys’ problems, they should treat the act of sharing painful experiences with a trustworthy person as a solution unto itself. Which it is. By normalizing the act of talking about feelings, men help boys view themselves as nuanced and multifaceted and send the message that discussing emotions is just part of what boys and men should do” (page 58).

Learn how to disagree productively.

“Research shows that learning to have healthy disagreements at home contributes to a teenager’s overall well-being and improves how they manage their relationships with others” (page 89).

One thing I do remember from my schooling is that successful marriages aren't about communication so much as how you handle repair attempts and recover from a fight or disagreement.  

When we worry about peer pressure and other alarming situations:

“Teens, by their nature, can sometimes find themselves in unexpectedly dangerous situations. Our teenagers are aware of this, and we’re more likely to keep the lines of communication open if we make it clear that we are aware of it too. ‘My hope is that you won’t drink,’ you might say, ‘but I am realistic about the fact that mistakes get made. Nothing matters more to me than your safety. The easiest way to stay safe is to stay sober. But if that doesn’t happen, I’m your safety plan… If you’re in a dicey situation, the last thing I want you to worry about is whether you could get caught. The main thing I want you to worry about is whether you could get hurt.’ From there, be clear that you will never, under any conditions, make your teen regret asking for your help” (page 93).

I remember when I was a young child, my step-sister came to my step-mom and told her that she had tried smoking. I thought, "Why would you ever confess that to a parent?" and then I observed as my step-mom had a long chat with my sister behind closed doors, and everyone came out later happy and mended. It was the most bizarre thing I'd ever witnessed in my life, but I knew right then that I wished for my future kids to have that much trust in me. 

 

Factors that help teens prepare for healthy romantic relationships:

“The healthiest relationships are the ones that layer amorous intimacy over genuine friendship” (page 100).

“As one insightful study found, it’s what’s happening in teens’ nonromantic relationships, not their adolescent dating experiences, that lays the groundwork for a happy adult romantic life” (page 105).

Putting feelings into words:

“Putting feelings into words brings emotional relief… we can only gain insight, and thus relief, when we move emotions from the realm of abstract experience to the realm of language and thought” (page 114).

“When we are actually faced with teens telling us just how very uneasy they are, we need to remember that their descriptions of their emotional pain - which may be vivid and dire-sounding – don’t add to their emotional distress but usually reduce it. It’s critical to remember that by the time teens are telling us that they feel anxious or angry or sad or any emotion that they choose to put into words, they’re already using an effective strategy for helping themselves cope with it” (page 116).

I've always joked that I find it healing to complain to the point of embarrassment because afterward, I can pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back to work. Turns out I'm just living science. 

They aren't usually looking for advice or solutions. They just need to get the feelings out. 

“Simply talking about feelings reduces their intensity, so let your teenager talk… see what happens if you just listen” (page 117).

“If you get little or nothing back, don’t despair. Teens, in my experience, do want to share what’s on their mind with their parents. But they usually want to engage on their terms, not ours” (page 127).

This is something I've learned over and over from so many sources. Teens (and people in general) just want to be heard. They're not looking for advice or solutions. If they want that, they'll ask. If they don't ask, just listen. If you struggle to listen, you can always ask, "Do you need any advice, or do you just want to talk?" Easier said than done! Especially when you know everything like I do (wink, wink). 

I haven't had a lot of time to implement what I learned from this book, but I have something to look forward to now! I can't wait for the next time my kids get emotional, and I'm a deer in the headlights trying to recall the book things. 

I have a lot to say about audiobooks

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #34:

Listening

I didn't used to listen to audiobooks, but as I've gotten older, I've become more a fan of them. In my younger years, I considered it "cheating," but now I have a different perspective. In my opinion, it takes more skills to listen to a book than to read a book. It requires a level of focus and attention that is not my forte. Therefore, it is most definitely not cheating! 

I hear comments from people all the time about how they can't listen to audiobooks because they get too distracted. Guess what! Me, too! I can't even tell you how many audiobooks I've finished and only understood 50% of what happened. I also can't tell you how many I've quit half-way through because the narrator suddenly mentions a character, and I go, "Who dat?"

So I get it.

But at the same time, I've also gotten absorbed into some wonderful audiobooks. I've had some pleasant surprises and some really great adventures. So despite having issues with focus and sometimes checking out mentally and losing my grip on what's going on, I still listen to audiobooks, and that's what I'm going to write about today. I'll tell you how I choose audiobooks, what sources I use to listen to them, some of my favorite audiobooks, and more. 

How I choose audiobooks

I don't have a set criteria for the audiobooks I listen to, but I have some preferences. I like to listen to books with a compelling storyline that holds my attention. Of course, I can't always predict whether a book will do that or not. I also like simpler listening (again, not always something I can predict). I steer away from science fiction, classic literature, and complex fantasy books because I'm not very likely to comprehend them via audio. 

A lot of my audiobook choosing is guess work. If I'm familiar with an author's work, I usually have an idea of whether I can listen to the book or not. The same can be said of the narrator. There are some excellent audiobook narrators out there. So the author and the narrator are a couple of factors I consider when choosing audiobooks. 

I get a lot of recommendations for audiobooks on Pinterest and through Goodreads. Sometimes I get recommendations from friends. Sometimes I just choose randomly and hope for a good turn out. It's definitely a "hit and miss" process, but I tend to have more hits than misses. 

(Read more about how I get book recommendations here).

Sources for audiobooks

I have a few different ways I listen to audiobooks. My main resource for audiobooks is the Libby app which I access through my library account. When signing into Libby for the first time, if your library works with Libby, you just select your library and enter your library card number and info. Using Libby is the electronic version of checking books out from the library. I can access audiobooks and e-books through Libby, and I utilize both (I used to be anti-e-book, too, but I have since changed my mind. It’s okay to change your mind about things). Through Libby, I can have 10 items on hold at a time, and I keep my holds stacked to the max. As soon as a book comes in, I download it (the equivalent of "checking it out") and put another book on hold.  

I utilize Audible off an on. Audible does a monthly membership allowing you one download per month. I sign up for Audible when they have a promotion - so across several years, I have gotten quite a few books for free, and I have had many opportunities to have a discounted membership (sometimes they offer things like four months at half price). The advantage of Audible is that you can get the book right away rather than waiting for it through the library. Once you've used your credits for the book, you own it. You can listen to it right away, or you can listen to it in five years. Even if you unsubscribe from your membership, you still own the audiobook and can listen to it through Audible. I got all of the Harry Potter audiobooks this way. Another nice thing about Audible is that you can return a book and get a new one if you don’t like it... unless you're me... because I returned too many, and then they flagged me and won't let me do it anymore. I returned so many that even I was wondering why they were still letting me swap books! Then I eventually got the notice that I was forbidden from hence forth!

Another app I use is Deseret Bookshelf +. I pay a monthly membership fee for this one, which allows me unlimited listening. There are also e-books available through this app. This is my resource for religious books. I try to listen to (or read) at least one faith-based book per month. 

There are a lot of sources out there that I haven't tried, but with these three options, I feel like I have plenty to listen to. 

Things I do while listening to audiobooks

One thing I really like about audiobooks is that I can listen to them while doing other things, whereas, with a paperback, I have to just read (that has its time and place, but it's nice to be able to "read" guilt free while I do my household tasks and such). 

Some things I do while listening to audiobooks are:

• Clean (dishes and laundry especially)
• Yard work
• Drive 
• Cook or bake (only if it’s something I’m really familiar with)
• Exercise (sometimes. Other times I need loud music)
• Eat lunch
• Play Wingspan (it took me a while to get to the point where I could do this)

I don't listen to books while I'm shopping or out in public. I've never felt good about having my hearing impaired while I'm in stores. Plus the store is too stimulating for me - I'd never be able to focus on an audiobook when there are meat markdowns to sift through, ice cream flavors to contemplate, and unit prices to calculate. 

I also don't listen to audiobooks around my kids very often because they won't have any of that nonsense! Every now and then I check out in the car while we are on a long drive, but on the daily, I only listen to audiobooks when they're not around. 

My dream is to be an audiobook listening family. I would love to experience some books together whilst driving across the nation to our various vacation destinations. Alas, my kids don't join me in my love of reading. We've had a few successes with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but even that has come with a cost since someone always has to whine and cry and make everyone else miserable any time we try to have a positive family experience. I’m quite bitter about it.

Audiobooks I’ve enjoyed

I can’t write about audiobooks without giving a few recommendations, can I? 

But first, here’s what you should know about my book preferences: I don’t really do “light and fluffy.” I’m not a Hallmark romance kind of girl. I like to be disturbed. So keep that in mind any time I write about books. 

For audiobooks, I always recommend the Harry Potter books as a great starting place. These were some of the first audiobooks that held my interest. Jim Dale gives a fantastic performance and does a unique voice for every character. These books are so fun!

Other suggestions: The Hunger Games 

Even as an adult, I enjoy the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. They are the only audiobooks my whole family will listen to (though some of them won’t admit it). They’re also really short - about two hours - so they aren’t a huge commitment. They are hilarious and have some great gems for parents (oh, how I can relate to Greg’s mom!) The narrator is perfect for Greg, and you can listen to them in any order. 

Other suggestions: Al Capone Does My Shirts, The Wednesday Wars

Non-fiction can make for good listening when you’re a little distracted. Since there’s not really a plot to follow (other than in memoirs), you can check out mentally for a while and then come back and not feel like you have to rewind. My problem with listening to non-fiction is that I like to highlight a lot of information, and I can’t do that if I listen, so that’s my main downside. 

For true crime enthusiasts, I have enjoyed some of John Glatt’s books. The Doomsday Mother (about Lori Vallow) and The Lost Girls (about the abduction and captivity of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus) were very interesting; however, I will throw out a content warning because these stories depict some of the worst in human beings, and some of the details will make you absolutely sick. 

A couple of memoirs I have enjoyed are When Breath Becomes Air and Unorthodox. 

A brief warning about Unorthodox - it does have some descriptive content regarding a sexual disorder and the difficulties the author experienced as she became sexually active. 

For historical fiction, one of my favorite audiobook experiences was listening to The Chilbury Ladies Choir. 

I’m a little self-conscious about this book because I have recommended it to so many people, and not one person has ever come back and said they read it and loved it. So I often wonder, is it as good as I thought it was, or did I just have a really abnormal listening experience?

I listened to this book while on vacation in Lake Tahoe, and I stayed up after everyone else fell asleep so I could listen. The audiobook has a full cast, meaning there is a different narrator for every character, and there is also some music incorporated throughout. It’s been eight years since I listened to it, so maybe I’m due to listen again, but I hesitate because I don’t want to taint my first experience by having a subpar second experience. 

Other recommendations: The Things We Cannot Say by Kristin Harmel and (almost) anything by Ruta Sepetys. I also recommend The Book Thief with the disclaimer that you need to read a physical copy first. The Book Thief has some formatting and illustrations that you need to experience, and then later you can listen to it and enjoy Allan Corduner’s slow, deep voice and British and German accents. And for those who don’t know, The Book Thief is a story told from the perspective of Death, a surprisingly deep and sympathetic character, which I have always thought is genius.  

This recommendation list has the potential to get very long, so I’m going to just throw out a few ideas and the call it good. I personally enjoy most of Jodi Picoult’s books. She has a way of making me squirmy with ethical questions and hard topics, and I like it! Kate Morton’s books are usually enjoyable and read by Caroline Lee, whom I like listening to, but they tend to be very long (Caroline Lee reads for several other authors as well. I enjoyed her reading of Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman). I usually find thrillers to be great companions for household chores. They aren’t the most high quality literature, but they get me through a long cleaning session. Sometimes I listen to books from my childhood. One of my favorite books from elementary school was The Cay by Theodore Taylor. I remember reading along with the book on tape in my third grade class. I recently listened to it again along with the sequel, Timothy of the Cay. 

Even though I really like audiobooks, I’ve been in a bit of a listening rut lately. It happens. Sometimes my mind is too muddled to listen, and other times, I go through a spell of mediocre books. Right now, I’m experiencing both. But that’s okay, because I know at some point, the right book will cross my path. I can’t wait to find another good audiobook to be overly enthusiastic about!

Seriously with the Eddies

As you’ve probably noticed, I really enjoy reading. It’s not unheard of for me to read about three books a week, but since my kids have been out of school, I haven’t read a single book! Time is not the issue, though.* It’s focus. My kids turn my mind to mush! 

Prior to summer break, however, I was keeping a log of common things I was finding in the books I read. You see, there are always things that carry over from one book to the next, and I’ve always thought it was a pretty funny phenomenon. I remember once I read three books in a row (unintentionally, of course) that had characters named Nina. I never would have thought a character named Nina would be a reason for me to not finish a book, but by the third one, I just couldn’t read another Nina book, so I quit and put it back on my “to read” list for another time.

Here are the last 8 books I’ve finished and some of the connections from book to book:

The Choice by Eva Eger: Auschwitz survivor, danced for Mengele

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jakur: Auschwitz survivor, mentions Mengele, author goes by Eddie in English

Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen: character named Tommy

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls: character named Tom, character named Eddie, character named Sallie, character named Nell

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh: character named Eddie, character named Tommy

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center: girl working with a bunch of men hasn’t hugged anyone in a long time, character with last name Callahan

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes: girl working with a bunch of men hasn’t hugged anyone in a long time

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kegan: character named Sally, character named Nell, character named Eddie, and character with last name Callahan

Interesting, isn’t it? And what’s with the Eddies? Never in my life have I been exposed to so many Eddies in such a short amount of time. Eddie has far surpassed Nina! 

Does this happen to anyone else?

*Here’s a post I wrote about how I fit in reading time.