The Incredible Years

The Incredible Years: A Trouble-Shooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 2-8 Years by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, 2/5

Reading this book made me feel insecure about the more traditional approach to parenting that my husband and I have employed with success for almost three years now. Having one’s ideas challenged is not a bad thing, in itself, but what made me most uncomfortable was how self-conscious I started to feel about interacting with my child. Weirdly, it was the positive interactions that were most affected; instead of feeling joy from being authentic and savoring the moment, I became focused on doing it “by the book” and adding a check mark to my mental record of parenting wins and losses. It was a gross feeling.

While I disagree with the author’s tiresome advice that, seemingly, 99% of behavioral issues are best addressed by ignoring, time-outs, or sticker reward charts, if one can glean what is useful without departing from common sense and simplicity, this book has some helpful ideas to offer. The concept of time-outs is presented in a sensibly structured way and there were good ideas for how to participate in playtime without taking over or getting frustrated (hint: imitate and describe what is happening instead of dictating). Also, since I grew up as an introverted homeschool kid, it was helpful to be reminded that integrating well with social groups is a skill that parents can help their children develop, not an inevitable byproduct of personality.

Why I read it: a hand-me-down (without a specific recommendation) from a friend.

Extreme Birds

Extreme Birds: the world’s most extraordinary and bizarre birds by Dominic Couzens, 4/5

This book delivers exactly what is promised on its front cover, packed with strange and astonishing facts that I expect would interest anyone (not just people who are into birds).

Why I read it: my husband bought it at a bookstore for some unknown reason.

Lifelike Drawing with Lee Hammond

Lifelike Drawing with Lee Hammond by Lee Hammond, 3/5

I learned how to draw realistic pencil portraits many years ago from Lee Hammond’s Draw Real Animals!, but pulled this book off the shelf for reference when struggling with the background for a recent project (see below). Realizing afterwards that I likely had never actually read this through before, I decided to do so and did glean a couple of helpful tips that either were not in her other book or I had just forgotten over the years.

Washington State Place Names

Washington State Place Names by James W. Phillips, 5/5

One of my favorite reading experiences is to find myself, thanks to a good book, enthralled with a topic in which I had little previous interest. Washington State history is definitely one of those topics and this is one of those books. Hundreds of entries provide the fascinating and often surprising stories behind the names of Washington’s noteworthy mountains, rivers, islands, counties, cities, and towns.

Why I read it: a fun thrift store find.

Positive Parenting with a Plan

Positive Parenting with a Plan (Grades K-12): FAMILY Rules by Matthew A. Johnson, 2/5

At first, I was put off by the author’s cocksure tone, cringey attempts at humor, and brazen assertion that common sense and anecdotal evidence are perfectly reasonable substitutes for scientific research with regard to his scheme of essentially gamifying family life. However, after reading a few of the aforementioned anecdotes, I learned that there is a level of family dysfunction that I simply was not even aware existed and might credibly justify the extreme approach that this book lays out. Call me naive, but I didn’t know that many children are so out of control that the only threat parents can effectively use is to literally send them away to live with other family members or at one of the numerous long-term treatment facilities that apparently are a thing that exists! In a situation in which, God forbid, my child was physically assaulting me, committing crimes, doing drugs, and causing thousands of dollars of property damage, I guess I would try anything, no matter how contrived, extreme, and unsupported by scientific research it might feel.

Why I read it: it was in a box of hand-me-down books from a friend.

2023 Stats

In 2023, I read thirty-one books, twenty of which were nonfiction and eleven fiction.

I read 1 book written before 1899.
7 books written between 1900-1949.
4 books written between 1950-1999.
19 books written between 2000-2022.

Books that I rated 1 star: 7 (23%)
2 stars: 6 (19%)
3 stars: 9 (29%)
4 stars: 2 (6%)
5 stars: 7 (23%)

Discipline Equals Freedom

Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual MK1-MOD1 (expanded edition) by Jocko Willink, 2/5

Reading this book is certainly more convenient than buying 200 motivational posters and sitting in a dark room while someone shouts their slogans in your ear and smacks you with the cardboard tubes they were shipped in.

Why I read it: my husband bought it.

The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols.

The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols. Striving to Become an Eminently Qualified Human by Jocko Willink, with Dave Berke and Sarah Armstrong, 1/5

I have a ton of respect for Jocko Willink…BUT…this book is so absolutely ridiculous that I’m not even sure if his advice to “Set physical goals like running a 5K or deadlifting 8000 pounds” (2.4) is a typo or not. Overlooking the trademark typewriter font (which is borderline unbearable), awkward formatting, and repetitive language, I still cannot imagine many scenarios in which a rigorous, score-based method of evaluating one’s progress towards godhood would be necessary or useful. The “Protocols” are a one-size-fits-all series of steps for addressing each of life’s little problems (such as death, trauma, and addiction) in a style that can only be described as bizarrely confident and obliviously motivational.

Why I read it: my husband bought several of Jocko’s books.

Anthology of Japanese Literature

Anthology of Japanese Literature from the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century, compiled and edited by Donald Keene, 5/5

This collection is pleasingly varied and conveniently oriented towards a lay audience; the annotations are minimal and linguistic subtleties are simply acknowledged without being dissected. Most of the short poems are presented in side-by-side rōmaji (romanized Japanese) and English, allowing the reader to absorb a little more of the syllabic patterns, alliteration, and overall flavor of the original writings. Though the imagery, values, and cultural references felt refreshingly unfamiliar, there was an undeniable undercurrent of universal human appeal in the timeless themes of love, loss, death, and spiritual life.

Why I read it: an interesting-looking thrift store find.

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson, 2/5

This book is shallow as a parking lot puddle, full of cringey anecdotes and generic advice. The reader is encouraged, regardless of their own psychological state, to assess problematic people in their life using criteria so broad and subjective that a diagnosis of “emotionally immature” is practically guaranteed. Once their problems have predictably been blamed on childhood and upbringing, the inevitable advice to “awaken your True Self” by finding your inner child ensues. If the author is correct that who you were before fourth grade is key, then I guess my True Self is a horse?

Why I read it: Lent to me (but pointedly not recommended) by a family member who evidently knows me extremely well.