2023 Book List
Wow, 2022, you surprised me with the moments of growth. I know I can expand my capacity to absorb and apply salubrious habits to cultivating an enriching future. I look forward to reinvigorating that resolve to read 200 portals into new delights and perspectives to contemplate. Look at the abundance of vigor in Filled with Gusto.
| Book # | Approximate Date of Completion | Title | Author | Notes | Format | Recommend? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 Contiguous States | 8/11/23 | Outer Calm, Inner Calm | Gretchen Rubin | Wow, the thought of under-buying can lead to clutter, too. Rein in how you accumulate stuff in the first place. Not put things down, put it in its place to maintain inner calm because you've reckoned with the external chaos Category: How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Yes |
| P-47 Thunderbolt | 7/29/23 | Cultured Donuts | Chloe Tyler | An interpretative curation of how historical artists would have depicted the crowd-pleasing doughed nut. I like Ms. Taylor's approach to studying the masters by creating her own artwork Category: Biography; Purty Picture; Nonfiction | eBook | Yes |
| Yon Roku (My best regards) | 7/29/23 | The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell | W. Kamau Bell | I've not heard of his comedic stylings prior to listening to this journey, but I can appreciate his musings and approach to the uneasy cultural topics Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | Yes |
| Living East of I-45 | 7/10/23 | Tough Titties | Laura Belgray | No self-help fluff here, only engaging story-telling of finding their voice and growing from their cringe-y decisions and beliefs (as expected from an unabashedly frank copywriter) Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | Yes |
| Vicks Formula 44 | 6/17/23 | Happy Money | Ken Honda | It's all in the emotional quotient and gratitude about the money coming in and going out. It needs a flow. It needs to be energized with joy and gratitude. Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Audio | Yes |
| Spanish liquer, cuarenta y tres | 6/5/23 | Keep Moving | Maggie Smith | Beautiful emergency - because the experience is fleeting and you may not be able to experience that beauty again, take it in now Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Audio | Maybe |
| Level 42 | 6/4/23 | Microjoys | Cyndie Spiegel | The gentle reminder that you can hold grief and joy at the same time. It is worth to hold on to the whimsy that speaks to your sensibilities in any situation Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Switzerland's International Direct Dialing Code | 5/28/23 | Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage | Joey "Coco" Diaz | No denying that he's a storyteller. I didn't care for his comedic stylings, but this was an enjoyable chronicle of his life so far in three acts: childhood, crime, and comedy. Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Forty Winks | 5/21/23 | Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | The no- nonsense, blunt heroine we want in the 1960s: A woman of science, capable of raising an independent daughter with the help of another strong woman, striving for integrity Category: Fiction; Book Club | Audio | Y |
| Wooden boards in a bowling lane | 5/13/23 | Studio Ghibli Cookbook | Minh-Tri Vo | My memory is flaky on these Studio Ghibli films. I don't recall these food references. Recipes look easy enough, but I haven't tried. Category: Cookbook; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Governor | 5/11/23 | The Way of Nagomi | Ken Mogi | A balance, comfort, and calm of heart and mind. Achieved through 5 pillars: 1) Maintain happy relationships with loved ones even if you disagree with them 2) Learn new things while staying true to yourself 3) Find a sense of peace in whatever you are doing 4) Mix and blend unlikely components to strike a harmonious balance 5) Have a greater understanding of the Japanese philosophy of life Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Normal human body temperature in degrees Celsius | 5/10/23 | I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki | Baek Sehee | Flowing, conversational journey into monitoring and morphing thoughts and behaviors for treating dysthymia (persistent mild depression). The anxious thoughts were all too familiar, especially the all-or-nothing extremism. A read that provides hope to navigate the burdensome thoughts Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Perfect Score on the ACT | 5/4/23 | Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars | Rick Louis and Lara Antal | A very touching note about having a son with Tay-Sachs. It's not about grief, but honoring the human that was here Category: Graphic Novel; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Common film gauge for photography and motion pictures | 4/28/23 | We Over Me | Khadeen and Devale Ellis | Relationships defined by being in service of others, but remembering to honor your own needs. Before I listened to this book, I didn't know the authors, but they are relatable especially in this current season of life as a first-time parent Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Number of Vertebrae in the Vertebral Column | 4/27/23 | The Advice Trap | Michael Bungay Stanier | Curiosity, humility, and empathy to see what the true issue is, hold room to explore questions, and be generous in silence to really listen to tame your inner advice monster Category: Leadership; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Traditional Number of Racers in the Indy 500 | 4/21/23 | Live Wire | Kelly Ripa | I can understand her relatable appeal as a talk show host. I appreciate that she makes no pretenses about this being a memoir, but a collection of essays. I'm still categorizing this as a memoir Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Total Number of Black Squares on a Chess Board | 4/14/23 | Making a Scene | Constance Wu | Heartbreaking to hear about the harassment she had to endure. The pressure of being the face of the AAPI community making strides in Hollywood when you feel the need to be guarded from abuse Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Baskin-Robbins | 4/12/23 | Son of Elsewhere | Elamin Abdelmahmoud | Sudanese-Canadian lens of being a '90s immigrant teen - relatable, but eye-opening about a Muslim African world I had no idea about Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Paperback | Y |
| 30 days hath April, June, September, and November | 3/24/23 | I'm Wearing Tunics Now | Sarah Devos | Introduced to this title at the 2022 Texas Conference for Women. Lots of chuckles and comfort knowing it's okay not to fit the usual mommy mold. No expectations for being put together. Enjoy the free expression; you'll find your people. Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Twentynine Palm, CA | 3/19/23 | World's Best Life Hacks | Sarah Devos | Egg cartons can hold paint (fill egg slot) and cards (slits on the bottom created by box cutter)! If trying to figure out where to nail a frame to a wall, draw the holes on a piece of tape then place the tape on the wall. Casette holder or 2 binder clips can be a stand for a phone-shaped object. Use fitted sheet at the beach instead of a towel so you can put items in the corners of the sheet to avoid sand. Bobby pin to squeeze last bit of Toothpaste tube. Kiddo to remember what side of shoe goes where - half a sticker on each side of the shoe so they know the sticker needs to match up. Are we there yet - string between 2 front headrest and move car along the string. Muffin paper cup to catch Popsicle or to cover beverage cup with straw through it. Pool noodle under sheet to keep kid on bed. Straw through bottom of strawberry to remove stem Category: Nonfiction | eBook | Y |
| Atomic number of Nickel | 3/16/23 | Crying in H Mart | Michelle Zauner | Appreciate the introduction to Korean dishes as the author navigates the grief of losing her mother through the loving labor of making comfort dishes and exploring part of her identity Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Mixed |
| Number of letters in the Spanish alphabet | 3/11/23 | How to be Perfect | Michael Schur | Fail good at being human. Make your decisions and keep the compassion fatigue in check. You are human after all. Every decision won't be perfect Category: Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Fe Atomic Number | 3/9/23 | The Mamas | Helena Andrews-Dyer | Navigating motherhood and finding a supportive community is complicated when community members do not know how to relate to you or understand how to empathize with social constructs that challenge your ability to access the same resources. I'm not quite at that point of my parenting journey, but Her experience as an educated Black woman resonated with me. It was a reassuring read that I will find that community Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Uplifting Women; Nonfiction; Preggo Note-o | Hardcover | Y |
| Prophets Mentioned in the Quran | 3/9/23 | Fatty Fatty Boom Boom | Rabia Chaudry | Love this peek into the Pakistani Immigrant journey and discovering culture through food. I appreciate witnessing the growth, healing, and caring of the body. The recipes were a wonderful bonus. Remember: pakoray is the plural form of pakora and parathay is the plural form of paratha! Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Chromium Atomic Number | 3/4/23 | The Morning Mind | Dr. Robert Carter III | Gold: The mind is better primed for changes in the morn because of all the changes in the body transitioning from a sleep to wake state Category: How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | eBook | Y |
| Human pairs of chromosomes | 2/25/23 | Tears of My Mother | Dr. Wendy Osefo | Deep emotional resonance and humility of reading a Nigerian-American experience. The main themes of my own life narrative - having a single-parent mother, raised with the immigrant ethos for striving for higher education and security, financial stability, and being independent. Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| Letters in the Hebrew alphabet | 2/25/23 | Yes Please | Amy Poehler | The humor and the recollections didn't resonate with me. However, I do admire her assertiveness to keep things private and not cave in for bids of gossip Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | N |
| Points to win table tennis | 2/21/23 | Out of the Maze | Spencer Johnson | Beliefs are powerful. They are thoughts that you hold true. They can keep you stuck or uplift you. Beliefs don't define you so you can change them at any time. Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | eBook | Y |
| Sectors in a standard dartboard | 2/10/23 | Love Unfu*ked | Gary John Bishop | Work on yourself first. Your actions should reflect the way you want to be loved. Category: Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Optical Hexagons in James Webb Space Telescopes | 2/8/23 | Dead-End Memories | Banana Yoshimoto | I don't know if it's the commonality in an Asian upbringing, but the articulation of how these women wove their way through challenges with a renewed sense of self and hope for a more informed way forward, was comforting Category: Fiction | eBook | Y |
| Holes in a Regulation Golf Course | 2/6/23 | Smart Brevity | Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz | The authors created Axios HQ to make "worthy" content. Use their AI to score and improve your content for mass consumption. 6 word titles, the one point to take away in a sentence, why it matters, and context to appease skimmers' curiosity Category: How-to; Leadership; Nonfiction | Hardcover | Y |
| M- Rated Gateway | 2/5/23 | Mom Milestones | Grace Farris | You are doing the best you can through all the challenges, joys, heartbreaks, and snacks in your motherhood journey. Roses, Thorns, and Buds - one nice thing, one bad thing, one thing to look forward to Category: Self-Help Fluff; Purty Picture; Nonfiction | Paperback | Maybe when I can relate more to these situations |
| Minimum age to get a license with parent's consent | 2/4/23 | Own Your Everyday | Jordan Lee Dooley | There is overlap with Dooley's other book. Good nuggets of relevant topics that I often ruminate on (perfectionism, comparison, striving). Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Uplifting Women; How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Mis Quince Años | 1/30/23 | There are Moms Way Worse Than You | Glenn Boozan | Doesn't make me feel reassured that I am in a better posture to parent than animals that are trying to ensure survival of their strongest offspring Category: Nonfiction | Hardcover | No |
| Silicon Atomic number | 1/29/23 | Be Not Afraid of Love | Mimi Zhu | Very triggering, but also cathartic. I certainly ran through the gamut of emotions, but came through acknowledging the spectrum of emotions need deep expression to usher in transformation Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Uplifting Women; How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction | Paperback | Y |
| The 1970 Apollo mission that was deemed a successful failure | 1/27/23 | Wintering | Katherine May | Finding revival and stillness in an uninviting season. Still a mystical journey for me Category: Nonfiction | Audio | Maybe - would re-read a physical copy because got distracted |
| Number of signs in the Chinese zodiac | 1/25/23 | Expecting Better | Emily Oster | Reinforces what I've absorbed from other books and classes, and backed by a lot of data. Glad I had the chance to get reassurance by an economist. Category: Nonfiction; Preggo Note-o | eBook | Y |
| Smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables | 1/22/23 | Whoa, Baby! | Kelly Rowland | Loved the real talk about postpartum. One of the more particularly helpful celebrity motherhood books to brace me for the upcoming transition in life Category: Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction; Preggo Note-o | Hardcover | Y |
| 10 official inkblots in a Rorschach y Test | 1/122/23 | How Y'All Doing? | Leslie Jordan | Loved the reminder to unabashedly embrace your own stories without embellishment. Those are usually the better stories. Even the stories of fear and shame that you tell yourself often lead you to a less enriching life. Category:Memoir/Autobiography; Nonfiction | Audio | Y |
| Kowloon (Nine Dragons) | 1/19/23 | Why Did No One Tell Me This? | Natalia Hailes and Ash Spivak | Straightforward and no nonsense information on prepping and going through pregnancy Category: Uplifting Women; How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Nonfiction; Preggo Note-o | Paperback | Y |
| A byte (8 bits) | 1/19/23 | Stop Doing That Sh*t | Gary John Bishop | Bullish stuff is comfortable because that is what you know. If you are future-oriented, there are endless possibilities to explore another reality without the excuses you hold onto Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff | Audio | Maybe? Need to re-listen |
| Seven Year Itch | 1/16/23 | Unfu*k | Gary John Bishop | Fitting time to listen to these words through the chaos of figuring out impending parenthood, marriage, living situation, life goals and ambitions. I am (un) willing. I always win. I got this. I embrace uncertainty. I am not my thoughts. I am resilient. I expect nothing and accept everything. Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff | Audio | Y |
| Colors of the RGB Wheel | 1/15/23 | The LOVE Prescription | John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman | Got me very introspective about my marriage and my personal development to improve on my part in the relationship. All 7 habits need attention and cultivation: 1) Make contact 2) Ask a big question 3) Say thank you 4) Give a real compliment 5) Ask for what you need 6) Reach out and touch and 7) Declare a date night Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff | Paperback | Y |
| Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five | 1/10/23 | Embrace Your Almost | Jordan Lee Dooley | The disappointments and near-successes help you refine what are the more meaningful and present priorities in this season of your life. Turn "Why Me?" instead of "Why Not Me? " Those upsets are opportunities to reset and find new gems and dreams. Her story of multiple miscarriages and loss really struck me on how she was able to be resilient and embrace the suck and have faith that the divergent path is leading to something even more meaningful than you can ever fathom Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff | Audio | Y |
| Four-Stroke Engine - intake, combustion, power, exhaust | 1/7/23 | The Good Life Method | Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko | A love of the truth. If anything, this book stoked my curiosity about philosophy to examine whether the stories we hear are presented in the correct context to derive meaning. If given the chance, it would be best to digest these thoughts and questions they pose in a written format Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff | Audio | N (Seek the written version) |
| Triangle, the most stable physical shape | 1/6/23 | The Surfer and The Sage: A Guide to Survive and Ride Life's Waves | Shaun Tomson and Paul benShea | Beautiful collage of sunset vistas and the enormity of the ocean to complement the text. I appreciate the introduction to the South African native's world of surfing (time to visit Waimea, HI) and the mindset to catch a thrilling, meaningful wave have parallels with how we deal with the highs and lows of our individual life journeys. The sage's poetry (from benShea) was a conundrum to me. I resonated more with Tomson's application of a code to drive individual paths towards a life of meaning Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Leadership | Hardcover | Y |
| Duality | 1/2/23 | Amplify Your Influence | René Rodriguez | I love how another book stresses context (in this case, framing)! To effectively communicate, start with LOVE (listening, observing, validating, and expanding - in that order) then move on to provide a frame, message, and tie down to transfer those golden nuggets of meaningful exchange. Category: Nonfiction; How-to; Self-Help Fluff; Leadership | Hardcover | Y |
| Unity | 1/2/23 | How to Do Nothing | Jenny Odell | Yes! A good perspective shift to consider that most addictive technologies strip away context. I have permission to do nothing in contexts that are destructive. I can do something more nurturing in a different context where I can effect more meaningful attention and action Category: Nonfiction | eBook | Y |
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