THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for conversations with strangers about books and reading. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

BOOKS I FINISHED - JULY 2026

 

The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power, written by Deirdre Mask

This book is an interesting, and sometimes discouraging, look at what it means for an individual to have, or not to have, a personal address. It highlights cities and countries all around the world to focus on different aspects of addresses - history, political and community influence, impact on homeless people, and more. Although I read the print version when it caught my eye on a library display, it's a type of nonfiction book that I tend to enjoy on audio. 

p. 19,  ... in most Kolkata slums, there are about thirteen people for every 450 square feet - about 100 feet smaller than the average Manhattan studio ...

p. 85, Zip stands for "zoning improvement plan".

p. 122, Grids vary in size and shape in every city. Some have rectangular blocks (Manhattan), some have square blocks (Houston), some have large blocks (Salt Lake City's are 660 by 660 feet, inspired by the Mormon founder's idea that plots should be large  enough for urban farming), while others are small (Portland, Oregon's are only 200 by 200 feet). 

p. 205, (speaking of the Constitutional Court of South Africa), The courtroom is unusual, a place that radiates the spirit of reconciliation. The building, once the site of a notorious prison, is built around the theme "justice under a tree," alluding to the tradition of wise men mediating disputes in villages. An old stairwell from the prison's trial block remains, and bricks from the prison are mixed with the new ones. The justices do not sit above the audience, and though the windows behind them are high above them, outside they are at ground level. Watching the courtroom, you see a steady stream of feet walk above their heads outside. At all times, judges are reminded that they are not above the law.

p. 206, ... by some measures, South Africa is the most unequal nation in the world. Just a tenth of the population, nearly all white, owns 90 percent of the nation's wealth. The net worth of 80 percent of South Africans (mostly black) is zero. Geographically, economically, and emotionally, it is almost as if apartheid never ended. 

Anxietyland, written and illustrated by Gemma Correll

Graphic novels aren't my thing, but I really liked this graphic memoir. The author, whose work has been featured in many well-known publications, has battled anxiety since childhood. In this book she alternates between all the years of anxiety she experienced leading up to the present (colored just like the cover) and the weeks she spent in an outpatient hospitalization program to treat her mental illness (same illustration style, but swap the red for blue), treating the whole thing as if it's an amusement park. Her transparency is helpful for those who don't have personal experience with anxiety but want to better understand it and her sense of humor makes a heavy topic easy to read about. I learned about this book from the 5/22/26 edition of Shelf Awareness. 

p. 425, "It's not weak to ask for help. It's actually really brave."

The Boy from the Sea, written by Garrett Carr

This novel interested me when I read about it on What I've been reading lately: the new and the notable, the 6/15/26 post from Modern Mrs. Darcy. The story starts in Ireland during the early 1970s when a baby boy washes up on the shore, then continues through his childhood. It's not only about him, but also about the (what I'd consider dysfunctional) family who adopted him and the community he's part of. I liked the writing style and the narrator being the voice of the community, but the book as a whole wasn't what I was expecting and was too bleak for my taste.

p. 63, He'd never actually apologize but he'd be extra jovial in their next few encounters; this was how we indicated we were sorry for something we'd said or done: by acting oddly the next time we met you.

p. 164, ... his ability to maintain a state of denial was extraordinary, we admired it, we really did. It's an underrated talent, denial. These days were told it's a flaw, we're told we should be in touch with our feelings, be honest with ourselves. But try this: picture two people standing in barrels of steaming slurry, up to their necks in it, and made to stay there all day. Who will have the better time of it? The one who's best at denial, that's who.

p. 238, Much misery results when a person is unable to simply sit at home most evenings reasonably contented.

Cutting for Stone, written by Abraham Verghese and narrated by Sunil Malhotra

I read another book by Verghese a couple years ago, so I grabbed this one when it was a "skip the line" option on Libby. Following the lives of twins born in Ethiopia to a British surgeon and his assistant, an Indian nun, this novel spans decades. It involves historical aspects surrounding a revolution in Ethiopia, lots of medical settings, the unity and division of twins, what it means to be a family, and life in different parts of the world.  For those with similar content preferences as me, heads up that I skipped some parts because there were open door descriptions that I prefer to avoid in books. I found that aspect of the story annoying, but I appreciate the way Verghese writes about the simultaneous beauty and mess of being human. Lots of hard things happen, but there's also lots of good, including personal growth.  

3:23:19, Wasn't that the definition of home? Not where you are from, but where you are wanted?

13:29:32 (a doctor to someone struggling with the reality of a new colostomy bag), "And yet, imagine if all humans were born with their anus on the belly and that's where everyone's waste emerged. Then, imagine if someone said they were going to operate on you and reroute your bowel so it opened behind you, between your buttock cheeks, somewhere where you couldn't see it except in a mirror and where you could hardly reach it or easily keep it clean."

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, written and narrated by Sarah McCammon

This came up as a "skip the line" option on Libby when I was looking for a book to listen to. I've spent my entire life attending evangelical churches, so I was intrigued. Part memoir, part research, the author shares her own experience in and out of the evangelical church, as well as describing the broad group of evangelical churches, their place in society, and the negative impact they've had on specific people. As someone whose beliefs generally fall into what would be considered conservative Christianity, but who has also really (really!) struggled over the last decade or so with the attitudes, words, and behavior of so many who share my beliefs, I appreciated the book. While my own experience doesn't completely sync up with hers, and I'm not questioning my faith, there were definitely parts of the book I agreed with or related to. There was nothing in it that I hadn't already heard from people I know or read from strangers, but I think she presented the information well. 

The Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks: A Celebration of Creative Punctuation, written by Bethany Keeley

This short book is an amusing look at quotation marks in places they don't belong, along with the author's commentary. 

Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, written by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and narrated by Robin Miles

I can't remember where I learned about this book, but it was both interesting and disturbing. Slavery is horrific and it's appalling to think of the lengths people will go to in order to keep other humans as their personal property. While I did enjoy the book, there were a lot of educated guesses about various details, which is understandable due to limited available information, and I wonder if it should have been written as historical fiction instead of nonfiction.

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, written by Nicholas Carr and narrated by Richard Powers

This book was a random "available now" option on Libby when I was looking for an audiobook, so I checked it out. While it's obviously about the benefits and costs of internet use, it's also about the history of reading and writing, the impact of various forms of technology on the wiring of our brains, and how culture is regressing in its ability to read and think deeply because it's adapted to constant distraction. Written a little over 15 years ago, it talks a lot about Google, a little about the future of artificial intelligence, and accurately predicts where we're at now in regards to our decreased attention spans, increased need for small doses of information, and the technology use that, in a cycle of addiction, has both created the situation and provided the (literal) quick fix. It was sometimes a little dry for my taste, but it met my need of a book to listen to.  

Under the Java Moon, written by Heather B. Moore and narrated by Bianca Amato

This book was a "skip the line" option in Libby that I'd never heard of before and I really enjoyed it. Based on the true story of Marie "Rita" Vischer Elliott, and including an afterword by her, this novel is about the years spent with her family in an Indonesian prisoner of war camp on Java Island during WWII. Only six years old when taken into captivity, her Dutch family had lived peacefully in Indonesia until Holland and Japan went to war with each other and Japan invaded Indonesia. The story spans four years and involves families being separated, pregnancy in a camp riddled with disease and starvation, being stranded at sea, a famously cruel camp director, and the horrors you'd expect under all those circumstances. Told in alternating perspectives from Rita, her mom, and her dad, it's written without any need for warnings about language or graphic violence.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful I saw last night's beautiful full moon. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

PUZZLES I FINISHED - JULY 2026

 

Common Quilt Blocks - Cobble Hill - 1,000 pieces

Precise patterns and rows arranged by color? Yes, please! I loved this one.

Fireworks - Artist: Steve Crisp - White Mountain - 1,000 pieces

This was a perfect one to start on the 4th of July. Did the edges and some of the clothingi at the bottom in the morning, was about half done by the time I went to bed, and had the whole thing done within about 24 hours of starting. All the patterns in this one were really fun.

The Ws - 252 pieces 

This is one of two meaningful puzzles I received at my puzzle-themed surprise 50th birthday party. I'd.never done a puzzle with faces of people I know, much less of my family members. It was cool!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the times I get to eat wild blackberries that I come across during my daily walk. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for a cool morning to bake the muffins that Tyler requested. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for nail clippers. What's one thing that you're thankful for?