Books I Read in 2021

This November I'm rounding up the year and taking stock of books I've read this year.  My list, in no particular order, is below.

The Last Castle: An Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan

Love books about houses and this one is epic!  The story of the Biltmore.  The parts that I loved the most were the pictures and life story of Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, the only daughter of George Washington Vanderbilt. The birthday parties and her 1924 wedding at the mansion were the stuff of vintage dreams.  In 1934 she moved to Paris, divorced her husband, dyed her hair pink and never returned to the Biltmore.  

A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich

Young Adult genre, I read this as a young person and many of the images and words stayed with me.  I finally re-read this year.  Such a wonderful story about the arc of a life.  

Bird by Bird Anne Lamott

I read this but I want to re-read and study.  Great work about writing.  

The Yellow House by Sarah Broom 

Again, I love books about houses...I struggled to get through this one, but in the end was glad I did.  The story of house that died in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the family it belonged to.  

Moab and Grand County by Travis Schenck and Museum of Moab

A quick read with lots of pictures from a gift shop while in Moab this spring.

My Life with Plants by Sand Mueller (My dad!)

My dad wrote and published a book about his life.  It's a good read!  I even have a short essay on page 248.  

A Matter of Death and Life by Irvin D. Yalom and Marilyn Yalom

Yalom is a psychology guru, I was trained in his Interpersonal Group Therapy and it informs my work to this day.  Group therapy is one of my favorite clinical practices and I lead several groups a week with Veterans.  This book made me cry!  Irvin and his wife alternate chapters as they write about her pending death.  Makes me hold tight to my precious Walter.  

Tulsa 1921 by Karlos Hill

This book was a bit tedious at times, but I got through.  Certain details were very interesting and the author also shares opinions.  

Lenny Kravitz: Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz

Great book!  Easy read.  Now I more fully understand this great artist and his mission.  Let Love Rule!  

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Re-read a childhood favorite.  This book also influenced my fascination with old houses.  

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Another childhood favorite.  I find re-reading these books comforting.  The whole series is great and re-reading reinforced for me that my favorite volume is The Magician's Nephew, Narnia's origin story.  I don't understand why this hasn't been made into a movie or mini-series.  I was disappointed in the movie made of The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Wow!  What a read.  But the best part is in the very beginning when she tells the Cheetah story.  I love her and am confused by this writer.  How can she so passionately write about knowing ourselves, being true to ourselves when she was a Lesbian married to man for so many years? 

Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo

The most beautiful book I have read this year.  Her words seem to capture Native spirit and a mystical sense of life.  

A Life on Fire: Oklahoma's Kate Barnard by Connie Cronley

I found this tedious but persevered.  I love books about women in history and had not heard of Kate Barnard before.  I also attended an authors talk so that was cool!

Authoritarian Nightmare by John W. Dean & Robert Altemeyer

Walter had me read this (I actually listened to it on audible) and I really got into the psychology behind authoritarianism and Trump and his followers.  

An Elevated View: Lessons from the Tightwire  by Annie Mueller

My aunt wrote and published a book this year!  This is a series of essays that poured out of her during the pandemic.  She's long been a poet but these words are different.  She shares her insides without holding back and we are enveloped in her worlds and cultures- Texas, femaleness, coming of age, marriage, divorce, world travel,and intimacy.  The book is deep but my favorite parts are descriptions of people, places, clothing and color.    

Short Stories of Famous Women by Pearl A. Wanamaker

This is a precious vintage book published in 1949 with stories women ranging from Queen Elizabeth to Madame Curie.  I most enjoyed the stories about the women I had never heard of:  Priscilla (subject in the Longfellow poem titled: The Courtship of Miles Standish) and Molly Pitcher (a women who went into battle and fired guns during the revolutionary war.)  

Deep Fitness:  The mindful, science-based, strength-training method to transform your well-being in 30 minutes a week by Philip Shepherd and Andrei Yakovenko

I am actually still in process with this one but will finish it by the end of the year.  A friend who lives in Toronto and attended this gym posted about this book on facebook.  This technique combines mindfulness with weights.  I'm gearing up to try it!