TBR List Update: January

I'm working my way through #VirtualMountTBR. Here's my current To-Be-Read List, and here's the list of titles I have read this year.

In January 2023

Books read: 12 (plus a short article that I thought was longer when I added it to the list)

Books I decided NOT to finish: 1

I have had Black Pioneers in a White Denomination on my TBR list for almost a decade, and I finally checked out a copy through interlibrary loan, and... decided to DNF about a third of the way through. It was published as a graduate thesis in 1984, through the lens of the late 20th century, and that's not so relevant for me today. I was also looking more for a sociological discussion of contemporary Unitarian Universalist congregations, and this focused on two historical figures in the ministry.

Books left on the TBR List: 138

Best book of the month: In Love

It was approachable (I blazed right through it) and heart-rending and very honest. I come from long-lived people, and 3 of my 4 grandparents experienced some form of dementia before they died (and the 4th died young, so who knows whether he would have); I can expect to revisit their struggles with my own parents (both older now than Brian Ameche was when his Alzheimer's was diagnosed) and perhaps have those genes waiting in myself. Very existential read, prompting the big questions like "What do I want to leave as my legacy?", "How will I live after a major life disruption?", "What makes life worth living?" etc.

Worst book of the month: Christmas Days

I had this whole setup for a mood read -- snow outside, me wrapped up in a blanket with a mug of cocoa -- that this collection did not live up to. Some of the recipes, with their accompanying anecdotes, were intriguing. One or two of the short stories or essays could have stood alone, and I'd've been happy if I'd encountered it in the wild. But the back-and-forth between two formats, and the overall atmosphere of this writer's memoirs, failed to gain my empathy or hold my interest for long.