February Reads & Listens

It’s been a rough month – it only being the second month since my father’s death; he was our sole surviving parent. My mother passed away less than two years ago. Everything is still hard to give my complete focus and attention. Grief smacked me upside the head as I stared down at a knife the other day while unloading the dishwasher. Tears sprung from my eyes as my mind taking me to my parent’s kitchen and their utensils and knives. My parents have had the same knife that caused this floodgate to open –if no one in the family takes it, the knife will be donated along with the rest of the cutlery and everyday plates. No wait, I grabbed the dishes. My feet sink into what feels like sand, hoping to find firm ground.

One of the rocks I’ve been able to cling to during these stormy times has been my books. My pace has slowed, along with everything else. I surprised myself as I completed reading six books, also reading a few short stories as I continue working through The Art of the Short Story. I am reviewing the individual stories but will do so in a separate post. Writing is more difficult these days.

I followed many different themes this month, helping to guide me in making my literary selections. Sometimes I find that to be one of the greatest challenges – what do read next. February celebrated Black History, and I looked to my TBR List to see what fit the bill. Octavia Butler’s Kindred had been sitting on the list for too long, and I was excited by the time-traveling aspect of the story. I love a good time-traveling tale.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love historical fiction, and I love time travel stories. So, I was excited to read Octavia Butler’s Kindred finally. The story focuses on two interracial relationships, with the protagonist, Dana, at the center of both. When the story begins its 1976, Dana, a 26-year-old African American writer, is living in Los Angeles with her white male husband, Kevin, who is 12 years her senior. Although Dana is thrust back to antebellum Maryland in 1815, quite a shock for a 20th-century woman. The story follows the developing relationship of Dana with her ancestor, Rufus, the son of a plantation and slave owner, Tom Waylan. Kindred explores ancestry, slavery, and interracial relationships and is a riveting story about family, gender, and power. Butler is a fantastic storyteller who creates interesting characters and relationships. Initially published in 1979, it has withstood the test of time to have been made into a TV mini-series in 2022. I haven’t seen the mini-series, but hopefully, it will prompt others to read the original book themselves. My criticism about the book is that the time travel aspect wasn’t consistent, and the mechanism/portal was unclear to me; other than that, I highly recommend it. I listened to the Audiobook narrated by Kim Staunton, who successfully brings the various characters to life. 10 hours 55 minutes.

Recently I have been intrigued by reading graphic novels. There was something appealing to me about looking at pictures that told a story. Perhaps it was the inner child in me trying to reach back for the comfort of my picture books. It’s a genre I have only just begun to dip my toes into its deep waters. Robin Ho’s Almost American Girl and Isabel Greenberg’s The Encyclopedia Of Early Earth were a promising way to wade in.

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Moving is one of the most stressful things people do in life. We’ve all experienced it at one point or another, and if you haven’t – at some point, you will. But most people don’t move to a new country, and for those who do, the experience is even more scary and filled with barriers such as the language. Almost American Girl is a touching YA graphic novel about a middle-school-aged girl being uprooted by her mother from her home in Korea to live in America. Robin Ha’s honest and poignant portrait of her relationship with her mother is powerful and relatable on many levels. I loved Ha’s illustrative style, and the format was an inviting framework for her memoir. This story is pertinent in many ways to more than just the young adult reader. 4.5 Stars rounded to 5 for the Goodreads star system.


The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Encyclopedia of Early Earth is a graphic novel with interesting and imaginative woodcut-style illustrations by Isabell Greenberg. The nested story style is one that Greenberg is comfortable with, and I have seen her use it in other graphic novels. The story follows the journey of a boy from his home at the North Pole to the South Pole, where he finds true love. The stories are all retellings of well-known biblical and mythological tales, and after a while, I started to get a bit bored. The last two stories seemed out of sequence with the rest of the book, although it is an “encyclopedia,” which isn’t necessarily sequential. This was the second book I have read of Isabelle Greenberg’s, although this was her debut novel. There were many similarities between the two books, and what I found unique and exciting the first time wasn’t as much so the second time around.

One of my reading goals is to read my way through the collection of various favorite authors I have. My parents were both huge fans of Agatha Christie and they were the ones who introduced me to her murder mysteries when I was a teenager. This month I chose to focus on Christie; I was excited to return to the beginning with her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sisters can challenge us like no other, and we tend to rise to the occasion when they do. Madge Christie dared her sister, Agatha, to write a mystery that the reader couldn’t figure out the murderer – thankfully, Agatha was up for the challenge. As a result, she wrote what would be her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which also featured the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Poison was her first weapon of choice; Christie had an extensive understanding of medicines and poisons from her volunteer work in the dispensary in the Torquay hospital during World War I.

I enjoyed reading this mystery – silly me thought I was clever enough to figure out the murderer since I have read several of her books. That is the beauty and the genius of her mysteries that make them so enjoyable. The Mysterious Affair at Styles proved to be an excellent stepping stone.


Finally, I read two more books – one on my Kindle – The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential. I have followed Wim Hof on Instagram for several years and wanted to start incorporating cold therapy into my life more than I have with deep breathing and meditation. The Life Fantastic: Myth, History, Pop and Folklore in the Making of Western Culture was a book selected by the Literati Joseph Campbell Myth & Meaning Book Club, and I was excited to sit down with this finally.

The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential by Wim Hof

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Must Read-

I have followed Wim Hof for many years now on social media, so it was a real treat to read the Wim Hof Method. It’s filled with valuable information to help teach the many techniques which Wim Hof uses. Backed by science,Wim includes the results of many of the experiments done on him – strengthening his case for why his method works. Highly recommend to all.


The Life Fantastic: Myth, History, Pop and Folklore in the Making of Western Culture by Noa Menhaim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My To Be Read List grew exponentially while reading The Life Fantastic: Myth, History, Pop, and Folklore in the Making of Western Culture by Noa Menhaim. I love reading books like this, and although the format at first took me some time to get used to, in the end, I found the pop-up bubbles to be valuable prompts. I needed a magnifying glass near me since my eyes aren’t great. This book is all about connecting the dots in understanding where modern culture was influenced.

At the close of the month, I have completed 22% of my Goodreads Challenge with thirteen books finished. I’m currently working on a few more including Alice Walker’s collection of short stories and an interesting mystery called The Plot to name a few. Until next month, enjoy reading.

January 2023 Reads & Listens

January started out rough for me with my father’s death on January 2nd. I had to drive down to Connecticut to join my siblings for the service so I knew I would be in the car for at about 8 to 9 hours, so I decided to pick a long one a story that could take my mind off of my long drive and all that awaited me. Kaikeyi is a saga that over 17 hours, I started to listen to a few days before driving down, on the drive there and back and finished a few days after my return home. Zen in the Archery I found on a recommendation which now escapes me. Which makes me want to keep better track of where the recommendations I follow come from in the first place. I have always been interested in is nature and nothing makes me feel better than walking in the woods. I had seen a lot of buzz about Finding The Mother Tree which I read on my Kindle, so highlighting and keeping notes is easy. Finally, Bomb Shelter was a Literati recommendation I started at the end of December but wasn’t able to focus on reading a lot with my father’s failing health.

Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Once again, I seem to be on the other side of the fence regarding popular opinion about a book. December was rough for me, but I don’t think that had anything to do with why I struggled to finish Bomb Shelter: Love, Time and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott. It’s a collection of essays about life’s milestones that Philpott experiences broken up into six parts: the Prelude, Parts 1-5, and One Last Part. The book didn’t flow for me, and I could only read 5% at a time. Thin threads are weaving these essays together; some pieces are humorous and relatable, yet the story overall was disjointed. I expected more of a cohesive memoir from the reviews that would touch me to my core, but that didn’t happen.


Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not for everyone

My interest in nature and forests led me to read Finding The Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. Luckily, I have a strong interest, as I needed it to be able to finish the book. Explaining ecological experiments and discussions of observations and findings is challenging to make enjoyable for a broad audience. Simard’s personal story is intertwined with her journey to finding the mother tree and the forest’s interconnectivity. I think the book is worth reading, albeit a struggle—it took me two months to read because I could only read about 20 pages at a time. I enjoyed the book, but it’s not for everyone. 3 stars.

Zen in the Art of Archery: Training the Mind and Body to Become One by Eugen Herrigel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel is a short book I plan to read over and over. Even though it’s a short book that could be read in a day, I took my time reading a little bit at a time. Anyone working on trying to master a skill, from physical skills like archery, martial arts, and yoga to non-physical crafts such as flower arranging, painting, and photography – it doesn’t matter – would benefit from reading it.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kaikeyi retells one of the ancient epics in world literature – The Ramayana – although with a feminist twist and dash of mysticism and magic. Vaishnavi Patel’s novel focuses on Kaikeyi, the stepmother of Rama, who, in The Ramayana, is forced into a 14 yr exile. However, Patel’s Kaikeyi narrates her story, so it’s not necessary to know the original fable — which is something I looked up only after enjoying this imaginative tale. Narrated by Soneela Nankani at a length of 17 hrs and 22 mins.

Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature by Nathan W. Pyle

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Review of only the Audiobook Version

There are some books that don’t transfer to audiobook format as well as others and for me, Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature is one of them. The story is fun and humorous but when viewing the sample version of the hardcover and Kindle versions of this story – I would recommend the focus stay on the visual graphics which add so much to thie children’s story.

The Lion’s Den by Anthony Marra

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was intrigued by the title The Lion’s Den, the third installment of Inheritance, “a multi-author collection of 5 stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations” by Amazon. It sounded interesting, and I loved the first story in the series, Everything My Mother Ever Taught Me, by Alice Hoffman. But what I found in Anthony Marra’s father-son drama was dull and cliché, barely holding my attention. The story was short at 40 minutes – thankfully, but it was also short on style and substance. If it had been any longer, I would have shelved it.


Despite a rough start to the month, I have managed to stay on track for this year’s Good reads Reading Challenge. Fifty-nine books is this year’s goal and now I am 7 books in at around 11% of my goal. I’ve have enjoyed escaping into the world of the graphic novel with Isabel Greenberg’s 100 Nights of Hero, so plan to continue to explore this genre this year. I will add that to my ever growing list of ways to tackle my TBR list. I will expand on that thought in another post in the future. Until then, enjoy your reading.

“The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t.”

Mark Twain 

2022 Best Books Read in Review

Despite 2022 being a bit of a tough year for me, it had its highlights too. The high for me was publishing my memoir – Xine’s Pack of Strays & Others, and having my father read the book. The lows – there were a few, including two deaths. My ex-husband and father of my two children died suddenly of a massive heart attack in June. And for a good part of the year, my father was battling congestive heart disease and was in and out of the hospital, having stent procedures and mitral valve clips inserted…He spent most of December in the hospital and was released into home hospice six days before passing away peacefully on Jan. 2, 2023. It was not a great way to end or start a year.

I put many of my books in the Marleywood little library for which I am the steward.

Throughout last year, I was able to rely on books to help take my mind off my troubles and escape into some other world and someone else’s life. A few years ago, I decided to turn off the TV and read and listen to books more. Since then, I have increased my reading goals, expanded my interests in topics and genres, and achieved my reading goals. I read an increasing number of physical books, eighteen books last year which made up 24% of the total number of books I read. Have really enjoyed my physical book selections which many were suggested by my Literati Book Club which sadly is no longer operating and my Book of the Month Club membership. Both clubs have introduced me to wonderful author and stories. Many of the books I read were based off recommendations from friends and family, including my Dad. I read The Rose Code because I saw that he was reading it. I’ll miss being able to talk about books with Dad.

I also read faster than I used to, proving that my English teachers were correct and that my reading would improve with practice. Too bad it took me so long to listen to them. Better late than never; you are never too old to start something new. I love curling up on the couch with the dogs, bookending me as I lose myself in a book. I’ve also started to read more on my Kindle again this year.

I love statistics – I think it may be a family thing. This is one of the reasons I love using the Goodreads website and joining their annual Reading Challenge since they tell you how many pages you read and all sorts of stats about the books you read during the year. For instance, I surpassed my goal of 57 books by reading 75 books – 129% of my goal! The shortest book was Lying at 47 pages, and the longest was The Rose Code at 624 pages. You can visit my author profile by following this link.

When I started on the Goodreads website a few years ago, I would rate a book simply by assigning a star rating. But I realized as I aged and read more and more that I would sometimes forget why I liked or disliked a particular book. So, I decided to start writing book reviews as a writing exercise and a memory one.

My average rating for 2022 was 3.5 
13 books rated 5 stars   (17%)
33 books rated 4 stars   (33%)
12 books rated 3 stars   (16%)
15 books rated 2 stars   (20%)
  3 books rated 1 star      (4%)

My 2022 Five Star list (in the order read during the year)

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is a moving story about family and the power of the names we give our children.

Unleashed: Poems by Writers’ Dogs by Amy Hempel and Jim Shepard – a humorous and heartwarming poetry collection dedicated to our dogs.

A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas – A powerful memoir that blew me away

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe – Classic collection of stories

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut – Another classic that still holds the test of time.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert – fascinating historical fiction rich with character

The Power of Neuroplasticity by Shad Helmstetter – Scientific stuff broken down to easily understand

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite– powerful novella packs a punch!

Verity by Colleen Hoover – Late to the game in getting to know Colleen Hoover – I became an instant fan after this book!

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams – I loved this so much about this book.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn – Awesome historical fiction about Bletchley Park masterfully told.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams  – An unforgettable story about family, community, and grief

Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions by Ogunyemi Omolola Ijeoma

I realized that I have never explained my criteria for rating books, so I have separated my Rating Criteria into a post describing how I arrive at my star rating, which I include in my Goodreads and Amazon reviews of books and audiobooks.

Overall, I read a bunch of books which I really enjoyed. Learned about some authors that I was unfamiliar with, became a big fan and look forward to read more from them. Our lives are inundated with reading this, that and the other thing in quick snippets everyday thanks to the internet and social media. attention spans are shortening. Which is why disconnecting from all that noise and diving into a book feels so good.

Enjoy your reading!

My Star Ratings Explained

Over the last two years, I have been reading and writing book reviews, and I realized that I have never explained my criteria for rating books, so here we go.

Books that receive a 1 Star rating are books that I thought have several issues:

  • They are predictably dull and full of cliches
  • The writing style is challenging to get through- no flow
  • The characters have no depth
  • The overall unenjoyable reading experience
  • Poor narration – making it difficult to listen
  • I would NOT recommend

Books that receive a 2 Star rating are books that I thought were just okay.

  • I won’t reread 
  • It wasn’t good, wasn’t bad 
  • The writing style is hard to get through
  • The characters weren’t anything special – they lacked depth
  • It has an interesting premise but disappointing execution
  • I probably wouldn’t recommend

Books that receive a 3 Star rating are books I thought were good.

  • They have an exciting premise, but the execution could have been better
  • The characters lack depth and complexity
  • The plot is superficial
  • The themes could have been handled better
  • There is some momentum – slow in parts but overall good
  • It is not a particularly memorable story
  • I would probably recommend it with caveats

Books that receive a 4 Star rating are books that I like, and thought were very good.

  • I enjoyed the book from start to finish
  • The writing style flowed well – great momentum
  • The characters were solid and had depth
  • There are deeper themes -thought-provoking
  • But it is missing the cherry on top – it didn’t blow my socks off entirely.

Books that receive a 5 Star rating are books that I absolutely LOVED and thought they were great.

  • I can’t stop thinking about the book and the characters. I thought about them when I wasn’t reading them and continued to think about them afterward.
  • The story filled me with emotion, making me think about things, laugh, cry, or both.
  • There are memorable, multifaceted characters with distinct voices – I would be sad my time ended with them when the story was over.
  • A great writing style that brings everything to life in multisensorial ways.
  • It is a unique or exciting plot or story that’s well executed
  • The ending is satisfying, yet it makes me want more time with the characters.
  • The story transcends its genre.