2023 Reading List

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BOOKS & STORIES I FINISHED READING IN 2023

90) Miracle on the River Kwai

~ by Ernest Gordon

This is the final book I finished reading in 2023. The cover of my used paperback copy (purchased on Amazon) says, "Unquestionably one of the most wonderful stories of World War II." I haven't read all of the stories of WWII, but I am in full agreement with that statement. If you want to read a book about how to live out the Christian faith, this is a good one. I loved it.

89) Parker Pyne Investigates: A Short Story Collection

~ by Agatha Christie

Personal ad: "ARE YOU HAPPY? IF NOT, CONSULT MR. PARKER PYNE." I enjoyed these short stories about Parker Pyne and the unhappy people he helps. I believe I had only read one of them before in a different collection.

88) Keeping Christmas

~ by Dan Walsh

I figured out how this novel was going to end well before the final chapter, but it was still fun to read. A lovely story about families at Christmas time.

87) Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad's Life Raising a Son on the Spectrum

~ by Derek Volk with Dylan Volk

This family resides in my hometown. The book was published in 2015, and I remember when it came out. (I didn't get a copy to read until recently.) Dylan was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of eight. There are segments called "Dylan's Take" throughout the book as his father tells their story.

86) I Am In Here: A Novel of Suspense

~ by Creston Mapes

The main character, Hale, is a teenager who appears to be in a vegetative state after a severe accident, but he is cognitively aware. He just isn't physically able to say so. Each chapter is either from his point of view or from his father's point of view. The evil-stepmother motif is present in this story. Several Christian characters.

85) Skipping Christmas

~ by John Grisham

I had read this novel several years ago, but it was fun to read it again. I laughed out loud several times. Now I need to watch Christmas With the Cranks! 

84) The Flight of the Shadow

~ by George MacDonald

Great characters in this lovely story. There is some mystery!

83) To Be a Woman: The Confusion Over Female Identity and How Christians Can Respond

~ by Katie J. McCoy, PhD

This is an informative, well-researched book. And timely. Highly recommend.

82) The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity

~ by Nicholas Day, with art by Brett Helquist

I bought this children's chapter book for the grandkids. As usual, I read it first! I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. I learned a lot and did a lot of google searches along the way.

81) What Happened at the Cross: The Price of Victory

~ by Billy Graham

A wonderful and inspirational compilation of writings by Billy Graham. 

80) The Holy Bible

I've read several versions of the Bible in the past, so this year I read a version I hadn't yet read from cover to cover. I would describe the New Living Translation (NLT) as "reader-friendly." A great version for gifting and for devotional purposes. (My recommendation regarding the Bible in general: Read the Book! Don't wait for the movie. 😊)

70) Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple's Last Case

~ by Agatha Christie

I figured out who the murderer was!

69) My Year of Rest and Relaxation

~ by Ottessa Moshfegh

I wish I could remember the reason I purchased the Kindle version of this book. It was only a couple bucks at the time I bought it. It is definitely the most bizarre book I've read this year (maybe ever). The unnamed main character, who is the narrator, has decided to "hibernate" for a year. She finds a wacky doctor who prescribes all sorts of medication which she uses to help her sleep for long periods of time. The book is mainly the narrator's stream of consciousness. The book contains bad language, vulgar imagery, and depressing thoughts. But once I started it, I needed to finish it. I think I needed the closure. If you're thinking of reading this, well, DON'T!

68) The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life

~ by John Bevere

A women's group at a local church is using this book for a morning Bible study. I'm not attending the study, but I did want to read the book. The author cites Scripture throughout. There are a few chapters that I "question" but overall the book has me thinking more deeply about what it means to fear God.

67) Elephants Can Remember

~ by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver team up again to solve a murder-suicide that happened several years before. They sure did a lot of talking in this one! I figured out the gist of what happened before they did.

66) Finishing Our Course With Joy: Guidance from God for Engaging with Our Aging

~ by J. I. Packer

A short but important book at this point in my life. I need to step it up.

65) Nemesis

~ by Agatha Christie

Before she can solve a murder, Miss Marple must figure out which murder she is being asked to solve.

64) Roads of Destiny

~ by O. Henry

Another collection of short stories that end with an ironic twist. One can tell these were written during a different time in our country. Some of the vocabulary is no longer acceptable, but the stories are still worth reading.

63) Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life

~ by Timothy P. O'Malley

I read this book because the people I work with are reading it. I am not of the Catholic faith, but we are in agreement on many things and have similar experiences. For example, I laughed out loud when I read this sentence on page 63: "My parish is not full of strangers but is made up of those with whom I share the most intimate communion in Jesus Christ (whether, by the way, I like them or not)." 😁

62) The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions

~ by Jonathan Rosen

The author's best friend from childhood, Michael Laudor, committed murder while "in the grip of an unshakable paranoid fantasy" (as phrased on the book's dust jacket). Michael had been a poster boy of sorts; despite being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he had received a bachelor's degree as well as a law degree from Yale. A movie about him was even in the works; the movie didn't happen after the murder. The author drew on his own experiences as well as a great deal of source material in order to put together this fascinating account. It is troubling that the treatment of mental illness is so deficient. We still have a lot to learn and understand.

61) A Prayer for the Past: A Pine Grove Mystery

~ by PJH Braman

The author is an amazing woman who went to the same college I did. (She was a year ahead of me.) This is the first murder mystery she has published. Once I started reading it I couldn't stop until I had finished it! An entertaining story, complete with Christian wisdom throughout. Highly recommend it!

60) Passenger to Frankfurt

~ by Agatha Christie

I found this novel to be somewhat different... not like her normal murder mysteries. It kept my interest, but it won't rank as one of my favorites. None of her regular sleuths in this one.

59) Spies: The most thrilling spy stories from around the world…

~ by David Long; illustrated by Terri Po

A book about spies written for youth, but this old lady (that is I) loved it! The book gives brief, interesting histories about 27 spies, mostly from World War Two. I bought this book to give to Eli and Adam, and — although I contemplated keeping it — I will still give it to them.

58) Far Above Rubies

~ by George MacDonald

A sweet love story. This was shorter than some of the other author's works that I've read. It went fast.

57) Hallowe'en Party

~ by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot gets called in to help solve a murder. Who calls him in? Why, Ariadne Oliver, of course! Apples are mentioned often in this mystery novel.

56) Quest 52: A Fifteen-Minute-a-Day Yearlong Pursuit of Jesus

~ by Mark E. Moore

A local church used this book as a sermon series over the past year, and I wanted to keep up with what they have been teaching. I believe they are finishing the series on September 10th.

55) Endless Night

~ by Agatha Christie

I read somewhere that this is one of Agatha Christie's favorites. It doesn't contain her regular sleuths. Now that I know how this book ends, I actually want to read it again to see how/if it makes sense!

54) Moon Tiger

~ by Penelope Lively

I think a "moon tiger" is a coil that is burned to ward off mosquitoes. (That's what the novelist described anyway!) This story was told using current day action, flashbacks, different people sharing their perspective of the same event, etc. The different pieces were all run together, so it was a bit bizarre. I was able to follow it okay, though. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't put it on a recommended reading list.

53) Third Girl

~ by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot. Ariadne Oliver. Additional interesting characters. A good mystery!

52) I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! - and Other Things That Strike Me as Funny

~ by Bob Newhart

Lew and I finished watching The Bob Newhart Show on Amazon Video, and now we are watching Newhart. So when I saw this book, I wanted to read it. It was fun! It was interesting to learn more about his life.

51) Summer at Tiffany

~ by Marjorie Hart

Published in 2009, this memoir tells of the author's summer working for Tiffany in 1945. Lots of historical references. A fun read.

50) A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century

~ by Jeffrey T. Richelson

A very interesting and intense book. Copyright 1995, so it doesn't quite complete the entire 20th century. I learned a lot, but please don't quiz me on it! (LOL!) The last two sentences of the book: "Intelligence in the hands of those who prefer to avoid war or have a legitimate need to defend themselves can help prevent wars or at least increase the probability that aggressors are defeated. In the hands of those interested in coercion and conquest it is another effective weapon of war."

49) The Gentle Grafter

~ by O. Henry

A delightful collection of short stories about some amusing scam artists. Probably my favorite collection of O. Henry stories so far!

48) A Caribbean Mystery

~ by Agatha Christie

On holiday in the West Indies, Miss Marple has to solve a murder without the help of her usual law enforcement buddies.

47) The Elect Lady

~ by George MacDonald

A story in which greed and conceit meets humble and genuine faith. This author could create memorable characters.

46) Never Let Me Go

~ by Kazuo Ishiguro

I find dystopian novels to be strange, and this one is no exception. The plot reminded me of the movie "The Island" (in a way). There is also a movie based on this novel. The story did hold my interest, but the word that keeps coming to mind is "bizarre!" (I read this because a friend mentioned she was reading it. I happened to already have it on my Kindle!)

45) The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

~ by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple assists Chief Inspector Craddock in solving the murder... make that, murders. I really enjoyed this story. I think I shall refer to it as one of my favorites by Christie.

44) Why I Trust the Bible: Answers to Real Questions and Doubts People Have About the Bible

~ by William D. Mounce

Excellent book, written in a way that the lay person can understand. Highly recommend!

43) Fun With Fred: Life With OCD and Hoarding: A Humorous Memoir

~ by Leslie Robinson

I read about this book in my college alumni magazine; the author was in my graduating class, although I don't think we knew each other. I do have some OCD tendencies although I have never been diagnosed with it. After reading Leslie's memoir, I certainly can say my case is very, very, very mild compared to hers. (Regarding "Fred" in the title: She was urged to give her OCD a name in order to define it as distinct from herself. Since that is my father's name, it took me a while to get used to reading it that way!)

42) 2000 Years of Christ's Power, Volume 1: The Age of the Early Church Fathers

~ by Nick Needham

Volume 1 covers the first six centuries of the church. The author has written this series for the general reader, so I was able to follow most of it. (But, as I've said about other books of this type, I certainly am glad I don't have to take a quiz on it!) Since Volume 1 was very good, I imagine the entire series is of the same caliber.

41) The Pale Horse

~ by Agatha Christie

No Poirot or Miss Marple in this one. Inspector Lejeune and Mark Easterbrook work together to solve a mysterious string of deaths.... Were they murders? 

40) Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage

~ by Gavin Ortlund

Great book. The author suggests four categories of doctrines, based on their importance to the gospel and health of the church. A vital point: When all is said and done, humility is the pathway to church unity. I repeat: Great book. Highly recommend!

39) Cat Among the Pigeons

~ by Agatha Christie

Inspector Kelsey is attempting to solve a murder (or two... or three...) at a private school for girls. Who should swoop in to help but Hercule Poirot!

38) The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World's Imagination

~ by Jens Andersen

I enjoyed reading this book about the history of LEGO and the family behind the company.

37) Sherlock Holmes and the Ciphered List

~ by Simon Trelawney

Although the characters of Sherlock and Dr. Watson seemed a little "off" in this attempt, I still enjoyed the story! It held my interest.

36) Never Cast Out: How the Gospel Puts an End to the Story of Shame

~ by Jasmine L. Holmes

I bought this book for a friend, but I read it first. So glad I did! It was really good. The author's writing style was easy to follow, and she quoted lots of Scripture. I think my friend will like it. 😊

35) Pride: Identity and the Worship of Self

~ by Matthew P.W. Roberts

A timely book, which I highly recommend. A quote from the final chapter: "In worshipping the living God we return to, and discover, our true identity."

34) The Portable MFA in Creative Writing: Improve your craft with the core essentials taught to MFA students

~ by The New York Writers Workshop

Contains chapters on five different types of writing: Fiction, Personal Essay and Memoir, Magazine Writing, Poetry, and Playwriting. Some helpful information. The overarching suggestions: 1) Read a lot. 2) Write a lot.

33) The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me

~ by Paul Joseph Fronczak and Alex Tresniowski

A baby named Paul Fronczak was kidnapped in the mid-1960s. This is a fascinating story. I didn't take too many breaks while reading this book!

32) A Double Story

~ by George MacDonald

A wise woman shows some tough love to a miserable little princess and a conceited little shepherd girl. I'm enjoying reading the works of George MacDonald! 

31) 4:50 from Paddington

~ by Agatha Christie

This was also published as What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! as well as Murder She Said. I'm not sure how Miss Marple solved this one; I was totally surprised at "whodunit!"

30) Mental Health and Your Church: A Handbook for Biblical Care

~ by Helen Thorne and Dr. Steve Midgley

This is a great and much-needed book. I read it on my Kindle, but I've already ordered two hard copies: one for me to keep and one to give to the leadership at my church. I am definitely re-reading at some point, with highlighter in hand.

29) A Thousand Reasons for Living

~ by Dom Helder Camara

This small book is a selection of the Archbishop's meditations written between 1947 and 1978. Lovely words throughout. Easily read in one sitting.

28) The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million

~ by O. Henry

This is another collection of short stories set in New York City. My favorite story was, "While the Auto Waits." I'm enjoying reading the works of O. Henry!

27) The Murders in the Rue Morgue

~ by Edgar Allen Poe

This short story was published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. Per the blurb on Amazon.com, "It has been recognized as the first modern detective story." I had to read it!

26) The Master Plan of Evangelism

~ by Robert E. Coleman

This book is as old as I am... although I did read the abridged 2nd edition on my Kindle! Jesus Christ himself is the perfect example of Evangelism. Dr. Coleman outlines eight guiding principles for Christ's master plan: Selection, Association, Consecration, Impartation, Demonstration, Delegation, Supervision, and Reproduction. Good stuff.

25) True Crime Trivia: 350 Fascinating Questions & Answers to Quiz Yourself and Challenge Your Friends

~ by Michelle Tooker

I read this in one sitting shortly after finishing The Devil in the White City (#24 below). Now I'm going to read some books that are more lighthearted....

24) The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

~ by Erik Larson

This was a fascinating read about the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, as well as a madman who went by the name of H. H. Holmes. I learned lots of interesting things while reading this book. Example: The Ferris Wheel was designed for this world's fair!

23) Hidden in the Gospel: Truths You Forget to Tell Yourself Every Day

~ by William P. Farley

We need to preach the good news of the Gospel to ourselves. The author walks through this good news using the following arc: Election, Incarnation, Active Obedience, Penal Substitutionary Death, Resurrection, Ascension, Return & Final Judgment, and New Creation.

22) A Deadly Affair: Unexpected Love Stories from the Queen of Mystery

~ by Agatha Christie

As the title suggests, this short stories in this collection feature romance as well as mystery. I had read some of them before in other collections, but some of them were new to me. Enjoyable, as always!

21) Spiritual Torrents

~ by Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon

This book was referred to in A Short Method of Prayer (#20 below), so I had to read it, too! A good message that we need to be fully abandoned to God.

20) A Short Method of Prayer

~ by Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon

It's nice to read an old book once in a while. This one was written in the late 1600s. Very brief and very good!  (There is a free Kindle version available.)

19) The Red House Mystery

~ by A. A. Milne

Yes, A.A. Milne as in Winnie the Pooh fame. From what I've read online, this was the only mystery novel he wrote. I wish he'd written more of them! The two amateur sleuths were delightful characters.

18) Dead Man's Folly

~ by Agatha Christie

Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, the mystery novelist, has planned a "Murder Hunt" game, but something feels wrong leading up to it. So she summons Hercule Poirot to help her... and the game's afoot! (I actually suspected the culprit, but for an incorrect reason, ha ha!)

17) Donal Grant

~ by George MacDonald

I almost gave up on this lengthy novel because some of the dialogue was written in the regional dialect, so I had a hard time understanding it. I persevered, however, and I'm glad I did. This story had so many aspects... mystery, romance, an old castle, a family feud, and a God-honoring main character in Donal Grant. I will continue to read through George MacDonald's writings.

16) The Dolls' House

~ by Rumer Godden; illustrated by Tasha Tudor

This lovely children's book is mentioned in The Book Woman's Daughter (see #9 below). Chapter 1 of the book starts out with, "This is a novel written about dolls in a dolls' house. The chief person in it is Tottie Plantaganet, a small Dutch doll." When I asked my mother today (March 16th) if she had ever read The Dolls' House, she shook her head "no." But when I mentioned Tottie's name, Mom perked up and started nodding. The book was first published in 1948, so I'm guessing Mom probably did read this book! According to the front matter, the book was first published with the illustrations in 1962.

15) Works of Mercy: a novel

~ by Sally Thomas

This is a touching story about an "aging housekeeper" by the name of Kirsty Sain. Among other things, she attends Mass at a rural parish, cleans the rectory, adopts an eyeless kitten, and provides moral support for a parish family. I would love to read a sequel should the author decide to write one.

14) Hickory Dickory Dock

~ by Agatha Christie

This was also published as Hickory Dickory Death. Hercule Poirot teams up with Inspector Sharpe to solve some murders at a hostel. Lots of characters to keep track of in this one, but it was an enjoyable read.

13) Keeping title and author private

I have a friend who is getting some counseling from the author of the 13th book I finished this year. For privacy purposes, I'm not sharing the name of the book nor the author.  But I wanted to give myself "credit" for reading the book!

12) Undine

~ by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué

I learned of this fairytale while reading George MacDonald's A Dish of Orts (which was entry #93 in my 2022 Reading List). I found a free Kindle version, and it took only an hour or so to read. A good tale!

11) Destination Unknown

~ by Agatha Christie

This was also published as So Many Steps to Death. The sleuths in this one are Mr. Jessop and Captain Leblanc. It was an interesting storyline. One element of the plot reminded me of the book Atlas Shrugged.

10) Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey

~ by David Horowitz

The author wrote this auto-biography over 25 years ago. The cover of the Kindle version has this comment by P.J. O'Rourke: "One of the best political memoirs I have every read." In my opinion, this is well-deserved praise.

9) The Book Woman's Daughter

~ by Kim Michele Richardson

This novel is the wonderful sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which I read last year. (See 2022 Reading List, entry #12.)  Set in Kentucky, 1953, this story is about Cussy's adopted daughter, Honey. I highly recommend both of the Book Woman novels!

8) Heart of the West

~ by O. Henry

A collection of 19 short stories set in the Southwest, all with the clever twists that O. Henry is known for. Very entertaining!

7) A Pocket Full of Rye

~ by Agatha Christie

Sometimes I can figure out the culprit, but I didn't in this one. Good thing that Miss Marple is so clever!

6) The Seat Filler: A Novel

~ by Sariah Wilson

I don't read many romance novels, but it's fun to every now and then. I got the Kindle version of this book for free, and I found it entertaining. It was like a fairy tale. The romance parts weren't steamy, so I didn't need to blush while reading it, ha ha!

5) The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning

~ by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn

This is a very helpful (and fun!) book by two brothers — a book which I gave to two other brothers (Eli and Adam) for their home-schooling efforts. I learned a lot myself!

4) One Little Lie

~ by Christopher Greyson

When I read a novel by this author I usually end up staying up too late at night in order to finish it. Yep... way, way, way too late for this one, too!

3) Deadly Account

~ by Jere G. Michelson

My sister Debbie and her husband said "Hello" to a local guy when we were out to breakfast with them a few weeks ago. I learned that the guy is the author of this book. So, of course, I had to read it! It is actually the first book in a planned trilogy. Some of the language and steamy scenes weren't my cup of tea, but I did enjoy the overall story.

2) Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour

~ by Kam Knight

Reading this book seemed like a good idea to start the new year. 😊 I didn't do the chapter-end exercises, so I'm probably not going to master speed reading anytime soon. But I appreciate the tips and interesting ideas the author presents. Good book.

1) A Christmas Carol

~ by Charles Dickens

After watching the Muppet version for the first time in December 2022, I wanted to read the book myself. (I imagine this was a re-read for me, but I'm not sure.) The Muppets were pretty faithful to Dickens' story!