This book is not labeled as such, but it is more like a spiritual direction guide for making big decisions. And while the author is a Christian, she is fairly open and it would work fine for folks open to a general spiritual perspective. It was helpful in prompting lots of questions, introspection, and self awareness. But it was a bit acronym/list heavy and the room metaphor got old fast. Some good nuggets but just okay.

Four year old Ruthie disappears during her family's yearly seasonal work as berry pickers in Maine. They spend the next 50 years wondering what happened to their beloved girl. Meanwhile, "Norma" grows up having dreams she can't quite explain with a family she often doesn't understand. The mystery unravels over the decades as the two families experience very different lives. It was good. A compelling family saga.

Abi Morgan‘s partner Jacob collapses at home, is hospitalized with a mysterious, life threatening illness, and spends months in a coma. Upon waking, Jacob is an entirely different person, and worse, he is certain that Abi is an imposter posing as his wife. Morgan shares the challenges and emotional turmoil she feels after Jacob‘s collapse. She is forthright and candid, and while she tells a harrowing story, she is definitely not looking for pity.

This is sort of a mystery wrapped up in a family drama. A father goes missing, and his nonverbal son Eugene is the only one with answers about his disappearance, but the boy is unable to communicate. The family rallies around Eugene to protect him while trying to find the Dad. There were so many issues around disability and communication and family dynamics that made this book especially fascinating.

Lucas Goodgame survived a mass shooting in his small hometown, but his wife was killed. We meet him soon after as he is wading through his grief. He finds purpose in befriending a young man who needs help, and together they help the town begin to heal. It‘s a strange and moving story, and while it is sad, it has beautiful moments of hope and redemption. The audiobook narrator was incredible and I found Lucas so compelling. A very affecting story.

An engrossing exploration of therapy - from the point of view of both therapist and patient. Gottlieb details the therapeutic process of several of her clients and also shares her own journey as a patient receiving care during a difficult season of her life. I was so invested in her clients‘ progress and wanted to cheer for their breakthroughs. So much fascinating info on how therapy works and how transformative effective therapy can be. Loved it.

A hijabi queer Muslim woman shares her experience of integrating her devout faith with her queerness as she comes of age in South Asia, then the Middle East, and finally settles in the United States. Her particular intersection of identities gives her a unique point of view. She also examines stories from the Quran in the book, drawing parallels with her own experience and offering fascinating insights into her life as a queer woman of faith.

This is a must read for folks that have experienced challenging and disruptive shifts in faith. This book is a breath of fresh air for spiritual wanderers. Bessey shares the healing and hopeful practices that helped her feel less alone during periods of spiritual upheaval. Her words are filled with compassion and kindness. A balm for a unsettled heart and a reminder that God is with you in your wandering.

Keegan‘s writing is deceptively simple. It‘s so bare, straightforward. And yet every story packs a punch. These short stories are so good. The last moments just linger.

It‘s about Morgan, a nonbinary teenager being raised by their Dad after their mother abandons the family when Morgan is a baby. Morgan is struggling to understand their own identity while navigating first love and learning how to connect with their autistic father. The sudden reappearance of Morgan‘s mother, who is fighting alcoholism and other issues, throws Morgan and their Dad into chaos. They all have to learn new ways to relate to each other.

Out of nowhere every person on the planet over the age of 22 receives a small box containing a string, the length of which will tell you just how long your life will be. Some choose to look, others do not. But the world quickly arrives at all kinds of opinions, public policies, and judgements about short-stringers and long-stringers. It‘s a fascinating and timely exploration of what constitutes the quality and measure of a life.

Sadly, I‘ve reached the end of the Murderbot Diaries. This was actually my least favorite, but I still just adored the series as a whole. This book got a bit too technical for me and didn‘t have the relationship-building opportunities that the other books had. I‘m not a regular sci-fi reader and I find that I lack the imagination necessary to keep track of all the unfamiliar planets/entities/aircraft/warring factions, etc. but what a great series!

I loved Austin‘s last book, and I had unreasonably high expectations for this one. It does pale a bit in comparison, and it takes a while to get off the ground, but then I was glad to have read it. It is the story of a woman struggling to understand herself and coming to terms with some unexplored personal experiences that get in the way of her forming relationships. I imagine other neurodivergent folks might find some comfort in her story.

Didn‘t see where it was headed. Very clever how it all panned out. Really enjoyed this on audio.

This installment finds Murderbot working with a Preservation Station security team. It mostly involves a new cast of characters, instead of Mensa and the regular crew. It‘s like a Murderbot Holmes standalone mystery - a dead body is discovered and it helps solve the crime. Less interpersonal relationship development and more of seeing Murderbot win over folks who are wary of SecUnits. Really good. Every single book in this series is so solid.

1. Ragtime - musical
2. Proof - play
3. Doubt - play

@dabbe

I listened to the audiobook. Not sure what the actual book is like, because I‘m pretty sure Leslie just took the topic of each chapter and then just told stories for a few hours, and then moved onto the next chapter. And even though she‘s all over the place, I was thoroughly entertained. She‘s had a lot of challenges and there were several surprisingly moving spots. Coming into fame later in life makes her story unique and interesting. Enjoyed it.

An old friend needs some help, and Murderbot is determined to come through while also protecting the humans under its care. This is a full length novel and Wells takes advantage of the space to build on the relational complexity she‘s been developing in earlier books. LOVE THIS SERIES.

Hard to describe this beautifully crafted, creative novel that tells the stories of the many people who have lived in the same house deep in the Massachusetts woods. The book spans centuries and yet the author finds clever ways to link the lives of the inhabitants together. The land surrounding the house also become a sort of character itself, with stunning descriptions of the woods through the seasons and through the passing decades. Loved it.

I have done enough reading on the subject that I knew most of this history, but it was a helpful overview to put it all in perspective in chronological order. It reminded me that racism hasn‘t gone away, it has just morphed into new forms. An excellent primer for anyone confronting the intersection of race and faith. It challenges me to remember that intentional action is needed to address both personal and systemic racism.

Wonderful short story from Ayda‘s point of view as she battles the resulting emotional trauma from her near-death experience. It also lets us see how she is struggling to figure out what her relationship is to SecUnit. This brief story is sort of brilliant as it circles all the varied concepts this series confronts—slavery, freedom, self determination, capitalism, identity, etc.

Enjoyed this on audio. It was a decent little thriller. A debut novel from the host of the Crime Junkie podcast. The ending was pretty frustrating though and left some things hanging that I thought ought to have been tied up.

A fascinating and troubling look at the widening division within the American evangelical church. Journalist Tim Alberta, coming from a conservative Christian upbringing himself, shares the history of some key evangelical players. He also visits churches, conferences, and pastors around the country to investigate the distressing trend towards Christian nationalism, increasing scandal, and political power grabbing in the church. Pretty alarming.

This series just keeps getting better. I love seeing Murderbot‘s growing understanding of humans and watching it navigate all these new environments and relationships. I think this my favorite so far.

4 people who were part of their high school speech team in the mid 80s reunite 25 years later as they discover they all had some distressing incidents with their speech coach. Since I graduated high school in the mid 80s, nostalgia was certainly part of the appeal. It considers how our perspectives change as we get older. What is socially acceptable has changed over time, making us reevaluate the things that we experienced in a new light.

Another action packed installment! Onward Murderbot!

I love Murderbot! This series has me hooked. Such quick, entertaining, clever books. Looking forward to the next one!

I simply adored Verghese‘s Cutting for Stone, and this one was equally fantastic. They both share the author‘s gorgeous prose, fascinating medical plot elements, and evocative descriptions that create an almost tangible sense of place. Covenant of Water spans three generations of unforgettable characters, multiple locations around the globe, and is just impossible to put down. I inhaled it in three days, despite it‘s chunkster status. Loved it.

An introduction to trans theology, written by an Episcopal priest and mother of a trans son. It focuses on the ways that God is beyond gender and how reaching past traditional assumptions of gender roles and identities can help us understand and fully embrace our transgender fellow image bearers of God. The author brings both her personal experience and her work as a theologian to the book and is a great launching point for study and discussion.

I have mixed feelings. The story is imaginative and compelling. There are two storylines, one following Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein, and a parallel thread set in the future. I loved the part about Mary Shelley, and wish the entire book had been written about her. The other thread was less successful. I found the treatment of a transgender character and female characters in that storyline were problematic.

I finished 2023 at 92 books. 32 audiobooks, 23 on paper, and 37 on kindle. Demon Copperhead was my favorite book this year. Here‘s my Top 15:

Demon Copperhead
We All Want Impossible Things
Priestdaddy
Dinosaurs
How Far the Light Reaches
Purple Hibiscus
Tom Lake
Between Two Kingdoms
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Congratulations, the Best is Over
Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge
Gunfight
The Last Devil to Die
Wellness
Above Ground

Fun, quick book about a murderbot who‘s not much of a murderer. He‘d rather be avoiding his work and watching Netflix. But the humans on his current mission have found him helpful and now he has to interact with them, which he finds super awkward. This is book one in a series, and even though I‘m not a big fan of sci-fi or a multiple-book series, I will definitely keep going.

Keegan has a way of conveying so much feeling with so few words. The narrative is spare, but leaves such an impact. Just beautiful.

A quick Christmas Murder novella to finish in one cozy sitting. A perfect mini whodunnit.

A satisfyingly creepy psychological thriller. Once I got going I couldn‘t put it down. Is Blythe too damaged by her own childhood to be a good mother? Is her daughter Violet like other children? A twisted story of parent and child, and a reflection on how much emotional baggage a person brings into parenthood.

I enjoy a complex family drama and this one sucked me right in. I also loved that it was about sisters since I am so close to mine.

Accomplished writer and storyteller Ivan Coyote has spent most of the last two decades on the road at speaking engagements, sharing about their experience as a nonbinary person. When the world shut down in 2020, all that went away. So they decided to spend some time answering some of the many letters that have come their way. This book is a compilation of some of that correspondence. The exchanges are so vulnerable and kind. Just a lovely book.

Based on a true account of a group of Mennonite women who were repeatedly drugged and assaulted by men in their community. The entire book consists of the women discussing whether to leave the colony or stay and fight back. Thought provoking.

A lovely, quiet book that follows a 6-year-old girl and her grandmother through one summer on an isolated island in Finland. Beautiful descriptions of island life and the relationship between these two strong minded, clever individuals.

A brief, beautiful book about the life-changing impact we can have on others. And a reminder of the value of caring for the people around us, family and strangers alike.

I understand this lesbian coming-of-age story was really groundbreaking for its time. I‘m glad to have read this classic of LGBTQ literature. It‘s very earnest and exploding with the vibrancy and strong opinions of youth.

A book about an older woman facing changes in herself and her family while sequestered in lockdown during Covid with her ex-husband. I do enjoy Strout‘s writing and the rich interior life of her characters.

Gay‘s joy, gratitude, and hope are infectious. He lists many opportunities for joy to be found in some surprising places. There are several stories laced with happiness and fun. But the ones that really stuck with me are the way that joy finds its way even in occasions of grief and shared suffering.

A lovely, contemplative book of prayer.

McCaulley shares his story as a black man growing up poor in the south, with a fractured relationship with his often-gone father. When he is called upon to deliver his father‘s eulogy, he looks back over his family‘s history and examines his father‘s life in all its nuanced complexity. It is a generous, open hearted memoir, and beautifully written.

Foo grew up abused and neglected, eventually abandoned by her parents as a teen. She recounts her struggles in her 20s, culminating with a diagnosis of Complex PTSD. She tells how she explored her diagnosis and delved into both personal and generational trauma in her family. Foo is candid about her feelings as she learns to better manage her emotional, psychological, and physical needs while living with C-PTSD. Helpful, and in the end, hopeful.

Just loved this. In this collection of poems, Smith reflects on the sweetness and depth of joy in parenthood and family. He also considers the potential dangers of the world that likely await as his children grow into adulthood.

I had watched the documentary Shiny Happy People and was interested to follow up with Jill Duggar‘s memoir. Pretty fascinating. So glad she‘s been able to shed the toxic religious beliefs that surrounded her childhood and is forging a new healthier path.

Jack and Elizabeth are college sweethearts that have found themselves 20 years later questioning how they came to be the conventional couple they always planned NOT to be. In a society that tells us we should be better, happier, healthier, the pair feels disconnected and discontented. It is a book that considers how we form our sense of identity. How the stories we tell ourselves, and the stories told about us by others, shape who we are.

This is a sort of meandering exploration of darkness and how a series of experiences helped the author embrace the wisdom to be found there. She challenges the binary notion that light = good and dark = bad, sharing the ways in which our faith can grow in times of darkness.