No.761: What I Read in August 2023

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#59. A DUTY TO THE DEAD by Charles Todd // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “At sea…This morning the sun is lovely and warm.”

This one was a historical mystery set during WWI.  The main character is a nurse who promised a dying soldier that she would pass along an important message: “Tell my brother Jonathan that I lied.  I did it for Mother’s sake.  But it has to be set right.”  I thought that the beginning of the book was good (3-3.5 stars) but the twist halfway through definitely bumped it up to four.  Looking forward to the next book in the series.

#60. HUMILITY OF HEART by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “In paradise there are many Saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them.”

This little book is a punch to the spiritual gut.  I could only read a page or two in one sitting and it took me months to finish.

#61. THE HAPPY LIFE OF ISADORA BENTLEY by Courtney Walsh // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “Isadora Bentley is shopping for her final meal.”

This is a romantic comedy about an introvert and her journey to happiness.  One lonely evening in the grocery store, she stumbles across a magazine article discussing 30 things a person can do to be happy.  Ever the cynic, she decides to use her research scientist background to disprove the article.  I’m sure you can guess that she doesn’t find the answer she originally seeks!  This book was outside of my normal genre comfort zone and quite quirky, but I’m sure romance readers will enjoy it even more than I did.  (And thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.  The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley was released on June 13, 2023!)

#62. FATHERLESS by Brian J. Gail // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Father John Sweeney raised the Host and slowed his pace.”

This chunky book was a recommendation from my sister-in-law.  It’s a really heavy, fictionalized account of the Catholic Church since the mid-20th century.  A little overkill on the “telling, not showing” of the medical and marketing worlds, but since it was an important part of the story, I can overlook it.  Really, really thought-provoking.  I plan to read the next book in the series soon.

#63. THE BAREFOOT BANDIT: THE TRUE TALE OF COLTON HARRIS-MOORE, NEW AMERICAN OUTLAW by Bob Friel // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // better world books)

First line: “Around 8:30 a.m. everything went to hell.”

Man oh man, this kid’s story is crazy.  My only complaint is that the book is about 150 pages too long.

#64. PSYCHODIETETICS: FOOD AS THE KEY TO EMOTIONAL HEALTH by E. Cheraskin MD DMD and W.M. Ringsdorf Jr. DMD MS // ★★★★☆
(amazon // better world books)

First line: “Any important ‘new idea’ has to go through three stages: first ridicule, then discussion, and finally, general acceptance.”

According to Goodreads, I am the only person to have read this book!  It’s a shame, though, because I found the premise encouraging and fascinating.  Could many of our mental health issues be improved simply with changes in our metabolic health?  This was a great jumping off point for me and I am looking for more recent books/studies to dive deeper into this subject.

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MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in August: 6
Finished Books Donated/Sold in August: 1
Books Added: +3
Unread Books Remaining: 196