The Great Book Review of 2023

Paris the Memoir

Two Week’s Notice

I’ve been a fan of Amy Porterfield forever and have always enjoyed her Online Marketing Made Easy podcast, so I was definitely interested in reading her new book.

Amy is a powerhouse in the world of entrepreneurship, and spills all her secrets on how to gracefully transition from a soul-sucking job to pursuing your passion and building a thriving online business. With her signature blend of tough love and practical strategies, Amy empowers you to ditch the nine-to-five grind and create a life on your own terms. It’s like a bootcamp for your mindset, pushing you to step out of your comfort zone and chase your dreams with unwavering determination.

I do think this book is geared more to true beginners in their online entrepreneurship journey. There were a couple of gems that I could use in my current business model, but highly recommend this book if you’re just getting started. 8/10

Nora Goes Off Script 

Nora writes fluffy romance scripts for a living, but her most recent work of art has a sad ending: the husband leaves and doesn’t come back. It also happens to be a true story about her life. When the actor playing her ex-husband decides to take a vacation from the Hollywood bustle and stay on her property, her world is flipped upside-down.

This book is a cupcake of a summer beach read: sweet, witty, and so enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end and wish I could read it for the first time all over again. If you’re looking for a summer read, this is it!! 10/10

No-Risk Abs

This was a re-read from years ago, when I was postpartum with P, dealing with… a lot… and I wasn’t sure how much I’d actually retained. This book is an excellent way to reframe how you think about the core muscles and pelvic floor.

Some of her advice is different than what we commonly hear in the core and pelvic floor world. For example, she emphasizes the outer portion of the transverse abdominal muscles (under the external and internal obliques) and how they draw the belly and corset the waist from the SIDES instead of the center. She also talks about the importance of full range of motion in the ribs, when many of us tend to only focus on keeping the ribs down to reduce strain on the linea alba (the connective tissue running down the center of the core in between the rectus abdominus, which stretches to make room for the baby and can lead to diastasis recti).

She focuses on strengthening and stretching the various muscles of the core for full range of motion and optimal strength, and also provides exercises on which exercises are visceral (muscular) and skeletal. One of my favorite tips: when you’re doing deep breathing and core engagement, think about contracting the muscles moving up, like a wave, instead of down. It’s very easy to think about just bringing in the center of our core, which can actually increase abdominal pressure and pelvic floor pressure.

If you’re a fitness nerd like me, and/or if you work with postpartum or female clients in a fitness environment, I highly recommend it. 9/10

The Mastery of Love

I listened to this one while walking Maisey, and really enjoyed it. His work may see a little woo or out-there to some reader friends, but it’s always a good reminder for me to draw inward, increase my awareness, and focus on the things that truly matter. This book emphasizes loving others as well as loving yourself, healing wounds, and becoming more joyful and peaceful. 8/10

The Power of Positive Thinking

I listened to the audio version of this book, and it felt like I was getting advice and motivation from a wise grandfather. I loved it. In fact, I had no idea that this is a Christian book and heavy on scripture, and it was a pleasant surprise. I especially enjoyed the emphasis on faith and how this can make you a more joyful and positive person. I can definitely see why this has stood the test of time and has become a self development classic. 9/10

Marriage Portrait

This book was everything I love about historical fiction. It’s beautifully written with captivating descriptions and character development. The plot pulls you in from the first few pages, and I couldn’t read it fast enough. Also, I couldn’t believe that it was based on a true story! It definitely opened my eyes to a new era of historical fiction, especially since I tend to read a lot of WWII era books. 10/10

Don’t Miss Out

Ehhhhh I really wanted to love this book because it was our Bible study book for the season and… I didn’t. I loved the topic and feel like the Holy Spirit tends to be treated like an afterthought in the trilogy. But this book didn’t do it for me. I told my friend that it felt like mansplaining; repeating the same content in various ways throughout the book. I could have simply read the last chapter and gotten everything I needed.

At a few points in the book, the author confesses that she doesn’t feel fully confident about broaching such a huge subject. I feel badly that I didn’t love it. Especially because I know what it feels like to deal with imposter syndrome and insecurities about writing.

I think this is why it’s so valuable to study the Bible in a group environment. I got way more out of our group discussions. The book didn’t enrich my life in the same way that All Things New did for me. So, for *fun*, I ordered another one of Kelly Minter’s books (this one) because I loved the last study so much. I figured it would be something good for me to do while we aren’t officially in group study again until the fall. (We’ll have some unofficial more casual meetings over the spring and summer.) 2/10

The 100 Years of Leni and Margot

This book is the best book I’ve read in years and is definitely in my top 10 of all time. I felt like I truly knew all of the characters, and it’s a book that I’ve continued to think about since I turned the final page. I also cried on and off for the last quarter of the book. It was so good, so beautifully done, and even though it’s a bit of a heavy topic, it’s intertwined with moments of levity and joy.  10/10

The Light We Lost

This book examines the impact of our decisions, and living with the “what-ifs” and implications when we don’t follow our heart. I read this one quickly because I couldn’t wait to see what happened; it reminded me of a Colleen Hoover book with more captivating writing 😉 The ending was a little bit of a disappointment and while I enjoyed this one, it wasn’t one of my top faves. I’d say it’s a 7/10.

Yellow Wife

This book is based on a true story, and follows the life of Pheby, who is born a slave in Virginia and is the daughter of the plantation’s medicine woman… and the master of the plantation. Instead of receiving the freedom that she’s promised when she turns 18, she ends up being sold and forced to leave her home and those she loves behind. She’s transferred to the Devil’s Acre, which was a real jail that housed and tortured hundreds of thousands of slaves, and becomes the mistress of its Jailer. The book is obviously incredibly hard to read. It’s about a tragic and dark time in our history, and a devastating reminder of the atrocities that have occurred in our society. While it’s a difficult read, it’s an important read. It was well-researched and the author vividly describes the hardships that so many faced, while demonstrating what women will also endure to protect their children. 10/10

$100M Offers

This book is written by a super successful entrepreneur (making 10M+ per month… I KNOW) and how to craft an irresistable offer for your audience. He goes into the psychology behind what makes a great offer, how to bundle your services, pricing, supply/demand, copy, etc. I learned a lot while I read this book, and am going to use some of his tips with my current product offerings. 9/10

Good Inside

I wish I would have read this book when the girls were babies – it didn’t exist yet – but the thing is, it’s never too late to read this book. Her tips are applicable whether you have a toddler, a big kid, a tween, teen, or even if you’re a grandparent helping with grandkids. I strongly align with Dr. Becky’s parenting philosophy: treating children with firm boundaries, kindness, understanding, and humanity. I learned so many wonderful tips from this book and loved listening to the audio version. It has validated the importance of connection, especially when a child is going through a difficult time. As she says, “Your job isn’t to get them out of the hole. It’s to get INTO the hole with them, so they know they’re not alone.” 10/10 – definitely read this one!

Lessons in Chemistry – DNF

I started the audiobook of this one, and called it quits halfway through. I hated it and couldn’t help but wonder if I was listening to the wrong book! SO many people highly recommend this one, and it’s just a good reminder that we all have such different tastes in books! I found that it dragged on and on, nothing exciting happened, and I felt blah about the whole plot. 0/10

The Winemaker’s Wife

This was my first book of 2023 and I finished it within a few days. As much as I loved Book of Lost Names, I think this one was even more of a page turner. It has parallel storylines, following three main characters in the Champagne region of France in WWII, and present-day Olivia, who is brought to Paris on a mysterious trip with her 99-year-old grandmother. I had no idea how winemakers were involved in the Resistance, and that they would help with transporting information, ammunition, and hiding refugees until they could flee to safety. Some parts of the book were hard to read, as you can imagine, but the ending was so lovely and so well done. I definitely give it a 10/10, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.

Diamond Eye

This book was captivating and another one I read within a few days. I’m  a huge fan of Kate Quinn (definitely recommend The Huntress and Rose Code). I couldn’t believe that this one was based on a true story! This one immediately sucks you in, and follows the story of a young mom and student who becomes one of the world’s deadliest female snipers. 9/10

The Forest of Vanishing Stars

This was another Kristin Harmel book and she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. It’s another one that I couldn’t finish fast enough, and you can tell she puts a ton of research into her novels. The ending was WILD and it was an engrossing and well-written read. Definitely check this one out if you enjoy historical fiction. 9/10

House in the Cerulean Sea – DNF

200 pages into this book, I called it quits. It’s been on my “books to read” list for over a year now and I had high hopes for this one. I had mixed feelings on the subject matter (one of the children is the anti-christ…) and this book shows how it’s possible to be extremely descriptive without being captivating. And I could tell you every detail about the main character’s life, disposition, and outfit, and was bored.to.tears. I kept waiting for it to get better, but life is too short to read books that are blah.

Stop Alzheimer’s Now

I wanted to read this book because I’ve become more interested in the progression of Alzheimer’s and strategies you can use to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. This book is so thorough and packed with science-backed information. Alzeimer’s is often referred to as Type 3 diabetes (as insulin resistance can affect the progression), and I also learned about how dental bacteria and infections can affect Alzheimer’s. Hight recommend if this is a topic that interests you. It’s obviously a dry subject, but packed with valuable info. 10/10

The Love Hypothesis

I forced myself to finish this one – it was nominated for Book of the Month’s best book of the year – and had heard great reviews. I was also pleased that it was about women in STEM careers, which isn’t something I read about very often, and also, I LOVE a fluff book. (Book Lovers is excellent.) It was another drag for me. I kept waiting for something (anything) to actually happen, and it just dragged on and on. When I finished it, I was like, “Why did I do this to myself?” 1/10.

The Woman in Me

I listened to the audio version of this and thought Michelle Williams did a remarkable job. As expected, this memoir was heartbreakingly sad, and provided so much insight into the trauma that Britney has endured. You could hear her unraveling, and I hope that she’s eventually able to find healing and peace. 8/10

Fourth Wing

I was SO excited when I started this book, because the plot instantly caught my attention, and I was convinced it would live up to the hype. The middle was sloooooowwwwwwww. The last quarter of the book was SPICY (whew!!) and super exciting, but all in all, not my fave. It took me forever to finish it and I have no desire to read the second one. 4/10