DFed Reads and Reads in 2023

Hello everyone! My name is Dawn and this is my 14th (!!) year in the 75-book challenge group. I live in Lexington, KY with my husband and I work for an equine non-profit organization. As I stated last year, I've also started a side hustle which is taking up a good portion of my reading time.

I generally enjoy horse-related books (especially horse racing), biographies and travel memoirs with a few young adult reads and cookbooks or diet books thrown into the mix.

I so enjoy being a part of this group and any visitors and here's to a wonderful new year of reading!

My 2022 thread can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338182#n8016597

Happy reading year, Dawn.

I look forward to following along with you again in 2023.

Welcome back, Dawn!

Thank you for the welcome Paul! I've been a bit delinquent in starting this year's thread, so I already have a few reads completed!:



#1 - Wait, Gabriel, Wait by Winalee Gentry, 225 pages (own). Gentry's mother moves in with her family in MI from her ancestral KY home - chaos ensues. I really enjoyed this "take" on combining generations into one household.



#2 - The Queene's Christmas by Karen Harper, 320 pages (own). A seasonally appropriate continuation of the Elizabeth I mysteries.



#3 - Jill and the Runaway by Ruby Ferguson, 160 pages (own). I warned you last year that I wasn't done with Jill yet! What a hoot she is...

Happy New Year, Dawn! Looking forward to seeing what you read in 2023!

Happy reading in 2023, Dawn!

I'm late to the party, but welcome back!

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! I've spent the last couple weeks on a business trip and recovering from said business trip so haven't had much chance to update my thread....



#4-5 - A Useful Woman and A Purely Private Matter by Darcie Wilde, various pages (library). I jumped the gun a bit on this series last year so I'm catching up with the earlier books.



#6 - An Invisible Flower by Yoko Ono, 52 pages (own). I bought this for my sister but gave it a read first. It was...different. I did like the back story by Sean Lennon - they were meant to be as a pair!



#7 - The Great Kettles: a Tale of Time by Dean Morrissey, 40 pages (own). A purchase for my nephews based purely off of the amazing illustrations by the author!!



#8-10 - Jill's Riding Club, Jill Has Two Ponies and Challenges for Jill by Ruby Ferguson, various pages (own). I warned you there would be more Jill books! Unfortunately reading out of order but highly enjoyable nonetheless!

#11 - Momma Loved to Dance by Betty Jo Arnett Lykins, pages (own). I do try to make an effort to read books by authors from my adopted state of Kentucky, of which this is one. Lykins writes about growing up in Appalchia and especially about her hard-working momma who was (like so many women have been) frustrated by the restrictions of her community, too many children and a wandering husband. Not earth-shattering writing but a pleasant memoir.



#12 - The Duke & I by Julia Quinn, 464 pages (own). I adore the Netlfix series based on these novels and finally got around to reading the books! I've already started on the next...

#13 - Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fish Backus, 288 pages (own). The title of this one threw me off a bit - it's in reference to the Tomboy mine in CO in the early 1900's. I thought it was in reference to the pluckiness of the author: both are true. What a fascinating tale and the love Backus had for her husband throughout their many adventures in the back of beyond shone throughout.



#14 - And Dangerous to Know by Darcie Wilde, 352 pages (library). A continuation of the Rosalind Thorne mysteries. I'm all caught up now so the very latest in the series has already been ordered from the library.



#15 - More Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins, 224 pages (own). A follow up to Letters From Pemberley, I think the author does a great job of honoring the characters in Pride and Prejudice.



#16 - The Princess and the Foal by Stacy Gregg, 272 pages (own). What a very well written tale of the famous equestrienne Princess Haya of Jordan. I found the epilogue fascinating. I knew she had been the head of FEI for some time but did not realize she had married Sheik Mo...then remembered hearing about her horrible divorce from him...such a shame that she's had to go through that.

Patience & Fortitude by Nicholas Basbanes, 688 pages (own). So...what's the longest period of time you've ever read a book?? I distinctly remember buying this book in college. That's over TWENTY years ago now!! And this should in no way reflect on the quality or interest of this particular tome - it just....seemed to hang around to be picked up now and then is all.

Hi Dawn! I'm enjoying seeing what you've been reading lately! Looks like plenty of good ones! I am going to try to start a new middle grade book about a girl and a horse this weekend, but may or may not get a chance to pick it up.

aktakukac - hello!!



#18 - The Best of the Widener Collection: Images From Racing's Golden Era by Blood-Horse Publications, 202 pages (own). More of a photography book but what a gorgeous look at some of the figures from horse racing's Golden Era. A keeper for sure!



#19 - A Counterfeit Suitor by Darcie Wilde, 437 pages (library). The latest in the Rosalind Thorne mystery series - I'm all caught up now!



#20 - Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley, 256 pages (own). I'm a lurker on the 75'ers decluttering thread but have been pursuing the concept since Covid began (what else was I going to do??). Throughout my research "The Flylady" has come up but I hadn't really understood her system so what a lucky find at a local Goodwill, right? Wrong...this book read like the intro. to a cult with lots of "cutesy" phrases and not much solid content/instructions. However, we can all learn a little something from everyone so I appreciated her concept of getting dressed for the day (jeans seem a bit formal to me nowadays!) and learning to love yourself first so that you can love your family/home.



#21 - The Sidetracked Sisters Catch-Up On the Kitchen by Pam Young, 207 pages (own). In a weird twist, The Flylady credits her cleaning system to...the Sidetracked Sisters! I already had this book in my library due to my penchant for 70s/80s era cookbooks so I gave it a read. Though I don't count myself as "sidetracked" the Sidetracked Sisters were humorous about their inability to keep house and seem to have created a solid concept for household chores. I've already ordered their original book (which they did recommend reading first before attacking your kitchen) on PB Swap and look forward to reading (and maybe implementing) more.



#22 - The Innocents From Indiana by Emily Kimbrough, pages (own). I just adore Kimbrough's book and this was a hilarious tale of her family's relocation from rural Indiana to Chicago in the early 1900s.

#23 - Owls In the Family by Farley Mowat, 91 pages (own). I've been eagerly waiting to read this for quite some time now. Though I did not appreciate the manner in which Mowat acquired his first owl, Wol, I do love the humorous events throughout. And, if you've read The Dog Who Wouldn't Be, you'll love that Mutt makes an appearance too.



#24 - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn, 451 pages (library). The next in the Bridgerton series - I'm fully invested now and will be reading more of them.



#25 - Still Me by JoJo Moyes, audiobook (library). I did not initially realize that this was a sequel of a trilogy. I loved the narrator on this and will be sure to pick up the first two books as I definitely enjoyed Louisa Clark's character.



#26 - Gift From the Mikado by Elizabeth Fleming, 176 pages (own). A children's book about a missionary family in Japan. A gift from the Mikado (a cabinet) has lovely ramifications in the family's lives...



#27 - Gut: the Inside of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders, 304 pages (own). Well, you wouldn't think that a book about your gut could be interesting, but this certainly was! I learned a lot and loved the funny illustrations provided by the author's sister.

#28 - Born To Run by Christopher McDougall, audiobook (library). If you've ever been a runner, or interested in running, this book is for you! I was so upset when I had to return this midway through and then wait through an endless line of holds for it back :) McDougall is a writer for Runner's World magazine and took a fascinating deep dive into how humans evolved to RUN! I've personally been dealing with some foot pain, have been diving into the "barefoot" lifestyle as a solution and was very inspired by this book to get back on track to run again.



#29 - The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet by Rachael Heller, 322 pages (own). I've had this on my shelf for awhile now and, unfortunately, cannot remember what inspired me to purchase a copy. Dr. Rachael Heller has an inspirational personal tale of weight loss that she stumbled across and formulated into this book with her husband.

An easy diet - eat two low-carb meals per day with one "freebie" meal - it's curious that I haven't heard much about it before now?



#30 - The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland, 384 pages (own). I adore Gulland's books and have long had this one on my wish list when I came across a copy in my local ReStore. The book features Hortense de Beauharnais - Empress Josephine's daughter from her first marriage. Hortense was an enjoyable character - such a shame that her life turned out the way it did. Of special interest: Hortense was a real-life composer and Gulland made a point of sharing resources wherein you could hear her works.

I seem to be on a bit of royalty-related reading kick lately!



#31 - The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester by Duchess of Gloucester Alice, 208 pages (own). A fascinating memoir, though I do wish that the Duchess would have gone into more details about certain things - her tone was very matter-of-fact about so many interesting occurrences in her life. It's also so funny that she referred to her husband as "Prince Henry" throughout...



#32 - Do Let's Have Another Drink by Gareth Russell, 228 pages (library). This was a very weird concept for a book - each chapter had a title relating to an excerpt or quote or little tidbit about the Queen Mother's life. I definitely learned a lot about her but it was weird reading.



#33 - Coronation Summer by Angela Thirkell, 175 pages (own). I've never read any of Thirkell's books but she's right up my alley with this one! Fanny Harcourt accompanies her family and friend Emily to London for the young Queen Victoria's coronation. Much adventure, and even romance, ensue.

Well, it's been a minute, hasn't it? Here are my latest reads:



#34 - That Summer by Jennifer Weiner, audiobook (library). WARNING: this book could be triggering for victims of sexual assault!! A thought provoking tale of a victim of sexual assault and the ramifications of that - on both the victim and her assailants. Clearly Weiner wrote this at the height of the "Me Too" movement...



#35 - Sidetracked Home Executives by Pam Young, 157 pages (own). As promised, I got my hands on the original "Sidetracked Sisters" book. I hope to implement some of their systems for my own home.



#36 - Peterman Rides Again by John Peterman, 225 pages (own). Yes, THAT J. Peterman of Seinfeld fame! A local legend (his company was based in Lexington, KY, my hometown), he seems like quite a character. Though I found some of his Lexington references intriguing, it really was more of a business advice book.



#37 - Life With Father by Clarence Day, 183 pages (own). I adored Day's Life With Mother and enjoyed this one just as much!

#38 - Simon's Cat: Beyond the Fence by Simon Tofield, pages (own). I'm a long-time fan of Simon's Cat so was pleased to get my hands on this book.



#39 - Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel, 384 pages (own). Finally! After reading the rest of the series, I learned of Peggy's beginnings as a lady-in-waiting.



#40 - Beginning French: Lessons From a Stone Farmhouse by Les Americains, 256 pages (own). Tale of an American middle-class couple who "took the leap" an bought a stone farmhouse in France. I enjoyed the POV on this one very much.

#41 - All Over the Place by Geraldine DeRuiter, 274 pages (library). An admittedly terribly traveler, DeRuiter nonetheless takes on the role of world travel blogger when she loses her job. What I appreciated most about this book was her deep-rooted love and respect for her husband (who has the patience of a saint!).



#42 - Everything But the Horse by Holly Hobbie, 32 pages (own). The illustrations in this book are just gorgeous! However, any true horse lover will tell you...a bike just doesn't cut it :)

Speaking of horses...



#43 - Horsefolk Are Still Different by Cooky McClung, 253 pages (own). McClung is a former columnist for the magazine, The Chronicle of the Horse. To be honest, I started reading this with very low expectations but McClung is surprisingly humorous and the illustrations were fun too.



#44 - Peril In Paris by Rhys Bowen, 278 pages (library). The latest Royal Spyness mystery and I hear from the author that the next in the series is coming in November!



#45 - Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman, audiobook (library). Read by the author, this book was just...oy. Bittman certainly speaks the truth and if humans don't enact some major changes in our agricultural ways soon, the results could be dire.

#46 - Anybody Can Do Anything by Betty MacDonald, 240 pages (own). MacDonald is a treasurer of an author and I adored this tale of the Depression and her (sometimes futile) attempts to find work in Seattle. Her sister, Mary, the driving force behind many of her jobs, was quite a force to be reckoned with!



#47 - The Game of Eating Smart by Julie Loria, 240 pages (own). I could, frankly, care less about Major League Baseball. Yet, the recipes included in this book have intrigued me and I can confirm that the few I've tried thus far are delicious and healthy!



#48 - The First Rumpole Omnibus by John Mortimer, 560 pages (own). Oh, Rumpole...if you've never given this English Barrister a try, I urge you to do so - such dry British wit!



#49 - A House Unlocked by Penelope Lively, 240 pages (own). I've been reading this one for what feels like an eternity - much to its detriment. The concept of the book is an intriguing one but I did it a disservice by not consistently reading it for its full effect :(

#50 - Considering the Horse by Mark Rashid, 224 pages (own). I can't recommend this book enough to anyone who trains, rides or handles horses. Rashid wrote this book to be purposely easy to read and anyone who's spent some time around horses can relate to the various training issues he outlines and their solutions. What a fantastic approach he has and the last chapter will certainly speak to any true horse lover.



#51-52 - Jill and the Perfect Pony and Jill's Pony Trek by Ruby Ferguson, various pages (own). I told you there'd be more Jill stories...I was lucky to find a batch of books on Ebay for a reasonable price and I'm sad that I'm quickly running out of more to read!

A New England Girlhood by Nancy Hale, 157 pages (own). Hale writes about growing up outside of Boston in the early 1900's and coming out in the '20s (my favorite time period to read!).

Side note: she had a whole chapter about S.S. Pierce's in Boston. What an amazing sounding institution!



#53 - Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner, audiobook (library). Oh, Jenner, you're quickly becoming a favorite author of mine with this continuation of the characters from The Jane Austen Society.



#54 - Fast Like A Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz, 336 pages (own). For the last year or so, I'd fallen off the fasting wagon - much to my detriment. I heard about this book from a few different sources and am very intrigued by her advice. Wish me luck as I attempt to follow it!