No.768: What I Read in September 2023

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#65. BLACKOUT by Marc Elsberg // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “Piero Manzano hit the brakes as hard as he could and braced himself against the steering wheel with both arms as his Alfa hurtled toward the light-green car ahead.”

I started off the month with a “techno-thriller” about a European electrical grid collapse.  Hackers have infiltrated the grid’s technology, putting most of Europe in the dark.  It doesn’t take long for chaos to ensue and one man must try to solve the problem before it’s too late.  Definitely a scary thought experiment!  3.5 stars.

#66. PIONEER PRIESTS AND MAKESHIFT ALTARS: A HISTORY OF CATHOLICISM IN THE THIRTEEN COLONIES by Fr. Charles Connor // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “In the mid-nineteenth century, Blessed John Henry Newman gave a series of conferences to his fellow Birmingham Oratorians.”

My Mother Culture focus this year is on American History and this book was a nice tie-in to the time period I’m currently reading about.  Very eye-opening to learn about the way freedom of religion was encouraged within the colonies, just not for Catholics.

#67. SUN DAMAGE by Sabine Durrant // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “It was the English voice that caught our attention – the sub schoolgirl French, grappling with an order for a demi-carafe.”

This book is “a compulsive psychological thriller…involving gorgeous grifters on the loose in the south of France who prey on a group of unsuspecting vacationers . . . and each other.”  I was so intrigued by the conman/woman angle and couldn’t wait to dive in.  The pacing is uneven and you have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit, but still a fun ride.  3.5 stars.  (And thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.  Sun Damage was released on August 1, 2023!)

#68. THE COLLAPSE OF PARENTING: HOW WE HURT OUR KIDS WHEN WE TREAT THEM LIKE GROWN-UPS by Leonard Sax, MD PhD // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “I knew what I wanted to say.”

Parenting books always tend to be hyper-polarizing, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.  (Obviously.)  The main thesis of Sax’s book is this: “Over the past three decades, there has been a massive transfer of authority from parents to kids.  Along with that transfer of authority has come a change in the valuation of kids’ opinions and preferences.  In many families, what kids think and what kids like and what kids want now matters as much, or more, than what their parents think and like and want.” (p.7)  His big issue is with disrespect and since respect is a huge part of my parenting philosophy, I was nodding my head with a lot of this book.  Not perfect by any stretch and some parts may be a bit too simplistic in the “this is the problem with today’s society” argument, but definitely a lot to chew on.  I’ve been feeling some “parenting teenagers fatigue” lately and this book was very encouraging for me to stay the course.

#69. THE SECRET DIARY OF ELISABETH LESEUR: THE WOMAN WHOSE GOODNESS CHANGED HER HUSBAND FROM ATHEIST TO PRIEST by Elisabeth Leseur // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “For a year I have been thinking and praying a great deal; I have tried unceasingly to enlighten myself, and in this perpetual labor my mind has matured, my convictions have become more profound, and my love of souls has increased, too.”

This was a good example of reading the right book at the right time.  I had picked this up months ago, but set it down a few days later for no good reason.  I started again in August and whew!  I was copying passages left and right!  While our stories are not the same, her thoughts and resolutions toward suffering were so helpful to me.

#70. A MURDER AT ROSAMUND’S GATE by Susanna Calkins // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “A great pounding at the door startled the chambermaid bending to light the morning hearth.”

There was a readathon this month called “Series September” and I wanted to participate in a small way.  This book is the beginning of a new series about a young chambermaid who is a bit like Nancy Drew: she discovers clues regarding a serial killer who is attacking young women around London.  While I did feel like the overly-comfortable relationship between “the upstairs and the downstairs” was unrealistic for 1600’s Restoration England, I still enjoyed the story and want to check out Book #2 sometime in the future.  3.5 stars, rounded up.

#71. TRICKSTER’S POINT by William Kent Krueger // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “The dying don’t easily become the dead.”

Another addition to the “Series September” readathon with book #12 in the Cork O’Connor series!  This one was heavy on flashbacks from Cork’s past and while not my favorite, WKK still knows how to write an interesting story.

#72. THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK by Carolyn Keene // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Nancy Drew, an attractive girl of eighteen, was driving home along a country road in her new, dark-blue convertible.”

My daughter has just discovered Nancy Drew and has been devouring the books.  It’s been ages since I read one myself, so I decided to go back to the beginning with Book #1.  Action-packed in every chapter!

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MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in September: 8
Finished Books Donated/Sold in September: 0
Books Added: +12
Unread Books Remaining: 202