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July 2021 Reading List: Whatever Strikes My Fancy

10.06.2021 by Tana Henry //

For 2021, I set monthly categories to read from, in an effort to feel less constrained by reading challenges that I’d participated in previously, while continuing to work through the massive collection of books that I already own or have borrowed from friends and family. Each month I’ll include the books that I finished within the month’s category reading, books finished outside of the category reading, books in progress, and books abandoned. And I’ll tell you where the book was sourced from. For July 2021, my reading list is from the category of whatever strikes my fancy!

Books Finished:

The Great Pretenders by Laural Kalpakian

New physical book.

Set in Hollywood in the 1950s, this book has glamour, the fight against McCarthyism, the fight for civil rights, all centered around a strong and interesting female protagonist. I enjoyed how the elements of the story were woven together, and how invested I was in the story.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby app.

Oh, Taylor Jenkins-Reid, you just never disappoint. I learned before reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo that Jenkins-Reid weaves characters from her books into the other books, meaning that they are all in the same universe. I love that! It makes it feel sort of like a victory when you find those little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout. This book is also set in glamorous Hollywood, with beautiful people and their secrets, as well as in the present day when a young writer is interviewing Evelyn Hugo about her life story.

The Quiet Girl by S.F. Kosa

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby app.

A thriller, this novel starts with a husband discovering that his wife is gone, and has left her wedding ring behind. But his wife had secrets. And the husband wants to uncover those secrets and find his wife, to try to understand what has happened. But, of course, things are not as they seem. This book was very good.

The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne

New Kindle e-book.

A novella in the Iron Druid Chronicles, this one features a story about Atticus’s involvement in the quest for the Holy Grail, and is not a typical grail story. Short and just as entertaining as all of the other entries in the chronicles.

The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

New physical book.

If you’ve never read Jenny Colgan, what are you waiting for? Her books are perfect for making you feel happy, as they tell a fun romantic coming of age type story that always ends up best for the people involved, even if not how you quite expect things to turn out. The Cafe by the Sea actually comes before The Endless Beach which I read earlier this year. It is set on a remote island far north in Scotland. The characters are quirky and delightful.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby app.

This is the newest book by Taylor Jenkins-Reid. The entire novel takes place within a 24-hour span, with flashbacks to explain why the events of that period are significant. The 24-hour span covers the annual Riva siblings’ beach party. But although the siblings are the son of a famous musician, their lives and problems are anything but what you might expect.

Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal

New physical book.

Also set entirely within a 24-hour span, this book also involves a teenage surfer. I didn’t even realize how much this book had in common with Malibu Rising until just now. But in this situation, there is a terrible accident, and the teenager ends up in the hospital. The story is told from various perspectives, the teens, the parents, the doctors, the nurses, and beautifully illustrates how much there is to each of us and how complex we all are. This book is heart wrenching, and thought provoking, and just fantastic. If you can find a copy, I would suggest this book. But it appears to be out of print and difficult to find.

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

Previously owned physical book.

C.S. Lewis is a master of taking difficult to understand concepts and breaking them down in ways that are easy to understand. In this book, he writes about pain–how we can have it in a world with a God, how good things can come out of painful circumstances, etc. It is excellent, particularly if you’re working through grief, like I am.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby app.

Guys. Brene Brown is brilliant. If you haven’t read anything by her yet, it’s time. Brene is a shame, fear, and resilience researcher. But she doesn’t write about the topics in a dry way that would be boring. Instead, she tells stories that make the concepts come alive and completely applicable to your life. In this book, she continues writing about vulnerability, and how/why it’s so necessary for us to be vulnerable if we want to live wholehearted lives (and yes, we ultimately do want to live wholeheartedly).

Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

New Kindle e-book.

I’m quoting from the book’s description because I just don’t know that I can say it any better: “Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.” This year has been incredibly hard for me. I’ve had struggles like no other time in my life, and more emotion than I’d honestly care to. This book has helped so, so much. One of the very best books I’ve read in a long, long time.

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown

New Kindle e-book.

And continuing my deep dive into everything written by Brene Brown, I read The Gifts of Imperfection, one of her earlier books. This book is about cultivating a sense of being enough, in spite of and even because of our imperfections. Such wonderful concepts.

Either Way, We’ll Be All Right: An Honest Exploration of God in Our Grief by Eric Tonjes

New physical book.

In this book, part memoir, part Christian lessons on grief, the author copes with the terminal illness and death of his wife, while exploring what the Bible and God have to teach us about navigating pain and grief. This book was so helpful to me in trying to navigate what biblical truths of death and loss really are.

Books in Progress:

Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study by Barb Ravelin (Already owned Kindle e-book.) My bible study is working through this book.

Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill (Already owned physical book.)

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin (New physical book.)

Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

Books Abandoned:

Sprinting Through No Man’s Land: Endurance, Tragedy, and Rebirth in the 1919 Tour de France by Adin Dobkin (New Kindle e-book through Kindle First.)

The Mixtape by Brittany Cherry (New Kindle e-book through Kindle First.)

August 2021 Reading List: Whatever Strikes My Fancy

10.01.2021 by Tana Henry //

For 2021, I set monthly categories to read from, in an effort to feel less constrained by reading challenges that I’d participated in previously, while continuing to work through the massive collection of books that I already own or have borrowed from friends and family. Each month I’ll include the books that I finished within the month’s category reading, books finished outside of the category reading, books in progress, and books abandoned. And I’ll tell you where the book was sourced from. For August 2021, my reading list is from the category of whatever strikes my fancy, with an emphasis on finishing some books that are in progress!

Books Finished:

Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green

New physical book.

I picked this book up on our trip to Michigan last month. Set at the tail end of World War II, the book is epistolary in its format, which I found enchanting. Right off the bat, you find out that the protagonist is accused of treason. And from there, you journey back in time to read about how she ended up in that position.This book was wonderful.

Summer Island by Kristin Hannah

New physical book.

A mother leaves her husband and daughters, all of whom break in their own unique ways. Years later, the mother’s successful career as an advice columnist and radio show host implodes when illicit photos of her surface. And one of her daughters, whose own life and career as a comedian is in shambles, gets offered a small fortune to write an expose on her mother, as well as the opportunity to dig up dirt on her. This book was good, but not quite as poignant as some of Kristin Hannah’s other books (although perhaps it just wasn’t the right time to read this after my own mother’s passing earlier this year).

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library on Libby.

I love Emily Henry’s novels. They are the perfect mix of beach read, romance, modern-day mystery, all within an interesting structure. This book fits that profile, while being very different from Beach Read. It was a wonderful read to figure out how these two friends ended up at this point in their lives and relationship, and how they would move forward.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

New physical book.

This is my book club pick for September. Set in the 1950s, it is about a Brahmin woman in India who is a henna artist. She works for wealthy and important people in India, but is considered less than these women. Her sister comes to Jaipur, and everything seems to spiral out of control at just the moment when they should be falling into place.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby.

My library hold on The Lost Apothecary came up right while I was reading The Henna Artist. It made for a fun pairing, because both books deal with women who heal and serve other women, albeit in very different times and places. This novel is set both in the present day, as well as in the 1790s in London. The modern day female character is lost in life and ends up working to solve a mystery about a couple of female characters, an apothecary and a child. The plot is interesting and kept me reading. At times it was difficult for me to tell apart the apothecary and child’s story lines, as they were written really similarly. But overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library on Libby.

Honestly, this was probably my least favorite of Jenny Colgan’s books, which is to stay that it’s still enjoyable. I just liked the characters less in this book than her others. The protagonist bothered me in her willingness to settle for a man who was, quite frankly, awful and super wrong for her. And it also bothered me that at the end he ended up with another woman who was willing to mother him and let him act like a petulant child, rather than him having learned any lesson at all. Finally, there’s a scene where they sell their home and sell the proceeds, and the main character is grateful that her ex split the proceeds from the house with her, rather than just giving her back her initial investment. Why she should be grateful for this is truly baffling to me. Of course she’d be entitled to that. But those complaints aside, it is still an enjoyable book set in a quirky town with fun characters.

The Ludwig Conspiracy by Oliver Potzsch

New Audible audiobook.

This book is a mystery about the last days of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (the fairy tale king) that starts in a bookstore and then is puzzled out with lots of excitement and intrigue all over Germany. It was enjoyable, although felt a little slow in the middle. The ending surprised me though, which is what I love in mysteries.

Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice by Brene Brown

Borrowed audiobook from library on Libby.

This audiobook is actually a recording of a presentation that Brene Brown gave. It looks at the principles from Rising Strong from a new angle. It was fantastic to have refreshers on the information that I’d already learned, while having it applied in a new manner. I recommend this.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown

Borrowed Kindle e-book from library on Libby.

When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure that it was going to be particularly applicable to me. Boy, was I wrong. Shortly after starting the book, I was asked to give a talk about my own experience with COVID, and my mother’s months of fighting and ultimately passing from COVID, and the need for vaccination. The book helped me to find the why for standing (what felt like completely) alone and talking about such an emotional and divisive issue. This book is very good. Some criticisms of the book point to it being political. I disagree with them, and believe the book merely points out some situations where politicians and political parties across the spectrum got it wrong and were unwilling to take the courageous and curious path.

The Opposite of Certainty: Fear, Faith, and Life in Between by Janine Urbaniak Reid

New physical book.

Oh. My. Gosh. I really loved this book. It is a memoir that’s just so full of the wisdom that I needed, and that I think others probably need too. It doesn’t have easy answers, but I think that makes it all the more true. Here are a couple of the quotes that were memorable to me from it: “But something keeps nudging me into the here and now where people who love me wait for me to let my guard down. It’s such a familiar posture, I’ve confused it with my bone structure. As a child, I created that shield, the layer of protection between me and the world. The illusion that this keeps me safe, but all it does is hold in the hurt. I’m becoming willing to set the shield at the door with my muddy sneakers.” And: “I remember learning that ‘I am afraid’ translates to ‘J’ai peur’ in French–‘I have fear.’ I wonder what it would be like to just hold fear in my hands and not become it?” Such good stuff.

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden

New Audible audiobook, previously owned physical book.

I’m a fan of military memoirs, and picked up the audiobook on a sale on Audible. This book was hard, and intentionally so. It demonstrated flaws in our military strategy, while highlighting courage and flaws from the very real men in the combat situation. At times, the story felt like huge losses for American forces, while in reality those losses paled in comparison to the losses suffered by the Somali combatants amassed against those American forces. The book really made me think about how I view combat and war and bravery. It was very good, but definitely was not an easy book to read due to the subject matter.