#20 [2026/CBR18] West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

I read West With Giraffes (2021) by Lynda Rutledge because it was chosen by my book club. After reading some pretty bad books, we've made up a loose rule that you need to have read the book before nominating it for book club. Well, it didn't happen this time. The husband of one of our book clubbers said it would be a good book for us. I think the majority of us would agree that it was not. I think I was most frustrated at what it could have been.

It is the midst of the Great Depression. Woodrow Wilson Nickel (Woody) lost his family in the Dust Bowl in Texas. He made his way up to New York City to live with his unfriendly cousin. But then a raging hurricane came through, killing his cousin. Woody is hurt, and has just figured out he's on his own, when he sees the giraffes on the dock. One of the giraffes is hurt as well. Woody learns the giraffes are going to be trucked across the country to the San Diego Zoo. Woody decides to follow them to California, the land where dreams come true.

Eventually Woody ingratiates himself with the "old man" in charge of transferring the giraffes, and he becomes the driver. They have many adventures, including being followed by a young woman Woody calls "Red" who says she is taking pictures for Life magazine. Woody is enamored with Red, and she is a pretty large part of the story.

This story is told from far in the future when Woody is over one hundred years old and about to die in a nursing home. He is desperately writing down this story from his childhood. He wants it to get to someone. I think this is supposed to make the story more meaningful, but it didn't do much for me.

I found this book occasionally interesting, and I like that the author was trying to bring awareness and appreciation for the animals that we are constantly losing through habitat destruction and climate change. In addition, it is true that two giraffes were trucked across the country after surviving a hurricane, which was the inspiration for Rutledge's story. Finally, Rutledge touches on real aspects of The Dust Bowl, how it was affecting people, and how desperate it was. 

However, reading this book was primarily a frustrating experience. I often found the descriptions lacking, and many of the events seemed unbelievable. I never had a good idea of what the truck looked like or how it worked. The situations they got in felt absurd and impossible. Both people and animals acted and reacted in ways that did not make sense to me. I often felt physics was not being taken into account in many of these situations.

For example, the old man has a hand that is so mutilated he cannot drive. But when the giraffe starts choking on a hat, he grabs a hose and climbs up the side of the truck. That's problematic enough because that would be challenging with two good hands. But then he sticks the hose down the giraffe's throat and the hat comes back up??? I don't see how waterboarding a giraffe is going to help a choking situation. And even if that was somewhat possible, I imagine you'd need some pretty intense water pressure to do anything--although that pressure is going down on the hat, so I still don't see how it would work. 

In addition, as far as I can tell from the internet, giraffes do not "caterwaul." The most I could find is something that sounded kind of like a growl when a mother giraffe was fighting with lions over its baby. I could go on for quite a while with things that were unrealistic or not described well enough to feel realistic. Red's car bumped the big giraffe truck at 5 mph, and suddenly the truck is leaning over the edge of a cliff. Later, Red somehow uses her car to keep the truck from tipping over in a flood. I had no understanding of how these things were physically happening.

I was also disappointed in the ending. Red was a pioneering woman who traveled across the country on her own. Except that we got no actual details of her journey. And in the end, she loses all of her pictures in a flood, she's pregnant, and she very quickly dies of heart problems. What a lame journey for her character. Even Woody is frustrating. He finally gets the giraffes to San Diego, but he doesn't even see them settled. Instead he steals another motorcycle and is forced into the army. This book has thousands of positive Amazon reviews, and many people enjoyed it, including my friend's husband. But I cannot recommend it.

#19 [2026/CBR18] Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

I saw Memorial Days (2025) by Geraldine Brooks on a number of year-end lists. I wasn't sure I wanted to read a book about grief, but there was something about the description that made me want to give it a try. This was my first book by Brooks, but I really enjoyed her writing. I thought she was honest, vulnerable, and insightful.

On May 27, 2019, Brook's husband and partner of over thirty years, Tony Horwitz, collapsed and died on a sidewalk in DC, where he was promoting his new book. He was sixty years old and seemingly fit and healthy. Brooks was at their home on Martha's Vineyard when she got a phone call informing her that her husband was dead. The caller hung up and she was left by herself, blindsided, and hundreds of miles away from him. She wanted to fall apart, but instead she held everything inside--forced to deal with the logistics of death first.

Three years later, Brooks is flying to Flinders Island, a beautiful, sparsely populated, and isolated location off the coast of Australia. Brooks is Australian, and thinks if she hadn't met Tony, she may have ended up there instead of living in the United States. Tony was one of those diverging paths in her life that took her in a different direction. In going to Flinders, she is getting a glimpse of something she gave up in order to be with him. And she is finally taking the time to properly grieve her husband.

Brooks jumps back and forth between her time grieving on the island; what exactly happened to her husband back in 2019; and more information about the lives she and her husband created together. I found all parts of this book interesting.

When Brooks describes finding out her husband is dead, having to tell their children the news, and not being able to see his body, I couldn't stop crying. It was very emotional. But she also points out a number of practical things. Tony died at a busy, urban DC hospital, but Brooks found them lacking in empathy and patience. Red tape kept her from seeing his body, and also kept him from donating his organs. Later, Brooks struggled taking over the financial tasks that Tony had taken care of for most of their marriage. She gives practical advice to couples in order to make these logistical things easier when you're already dealing with so much.

While on the island, Brooks thinks back to how she and Tony met, their work throughout the years, as well as their children. She also looks into different forms of formal grieving across cultures--all while using the isolation for her own grieving.

I was surprised by how much this book affected me. Her descriptions felt so real and relatable, and it made me think about my own life and relationships. I listened to this book on Audiobook, but I'm tempted to get a hardcover copy. I also might try some other books by Brooks.

#18 [2026/CBR18] The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

I'm not sure if it was because I was getting older or my interests just shifted, but back in 2019 I suddenly became fascinated with birding. It felt like a whole new world opened up simply because I started paying attention. Now that I have a dog, I spend more time walking her than going out with my camera looking for birds. However, I still look out for them, and I still find birds (all animals, really) fascinating. I'm officially hooked.

Recently I stumbled on bird drawing classes from John Muir Laws. He has a ton of great resources and is an encouraging teacher (johnmuirlaws.com). He teaches nature journaling as a way for people to pay more attention to the natural world around them and thus want to protect it. This is relevant because my brother gifted me a copy of The Backyard Bird Chronicles (2024) by Amy Tan for Christmas. She took drawing and journaling classes from John Muir Laws, but she can't drive, so she started nature journaling in her backyard in Sausalito, California. The Backyard Bird Chronicles is Amy Tan's chronological drawings, descriptions, and stories about a whole different world happening right under her nose.

This book seemed designed specifically for me. I feel like I have so much in common with Tan. She started out knowing only three kinds of birds in her backyard. I began knowing only three birds in Colorado: robins, mallards, and crows. Tan did not take a drawing class until she was 64. I only just started drawing. I related wholly to Tan's excitement and wonder as she learned and observed. The birds' lives played out in front of her as chicks learned to fend for themselves, dominance patterns emerged, and life or death drama occurred daily.

Now, even with my love of birds, I went into this book wondering if a description of backyard feeders would hold my attention. It did. Tan is observant and empathetic, and she is a natural storyteller. She notices interesting aspects of her birds, and asks intriguing questions as she wonders about their behavior. All of the drawings of birds in her book are done by her, and they are great. I've found myself looking carefully at them as I try to figure out how to draw my own birds.

Occasionally the outside world intrudes into Tan's backyard. Raging wildfires led to unusual visitors as birds struggled to get away from the stifling smoke. Covid affected the world, but Tan's backyard remained a calm oasis, full of feeders and bird baths.

I really enjoyed this book. I have been inspired to try my own hand at nature journaling. I love the idea of learning to draw, and paying more attention to the natural world around me--wherever it can be found. I'm not sure if some admiration/appreciation of birds is required to enjoy this book or if Tan could win over even those who are still apathetic about our flying, feathered neighbors.

"I don't feel indifferent to any creature struggling to survive. I think my distress over theirs is a good thing." (168)

"I rationalize the cost of mealworms by calculating the amount of money I have saved by not having children." (178)

#17 [2026/CBR18] The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

I'm a little burned out on self-help books, but I always think the next one will help me a little more. On the whole, I've learned some important things about myself, as well as various coping strategies. I keep reading them even though I'm tired of them because I have a little FOMO when it comes to missing that one book that will fully explain me to myself.

Brené Brown was recommended to me by my therapist, and The Gifts of Imperfection (2010) seemed like something of a classic, so I went with that one. I was expecting Brown to dive right into shame and perfectionism, but instead The Gifts of Imperfection is centered around "wholehearted living," which is defined as a process of becoming, rooted in self-worth and embracing one's authentic self. I think I expected something a little different from this book, and it probably didn't help that I was listening to it instead of reading it. I was sometimes confused about what Brown's focus was. It took me awhile to figure out that this was more general advice for a better life.

But looking back on it, and with the help of the internet, this book is pretty straightforward. It has three tools and ten guideposts to help you achieve a "wholehearted life." It's interesting how many of these self help books fall back to the same things. Brown talks a fair bit about self compassion, something I've already read an entire book on. It seems that there is general agreement in what makes a happy and fulfilling life.

Cliff's Notes:

-Let go of perfectionism for wholehearted living.

Three tools:

1) Courage    2) Compassion     3) Connection

Ten Guideposts for Wholehearted Living:

1) Authenticity - letting go of what people think

2) Self-Compassion - nurturing kindness toward oneself

3) Resilient Spirit - cultivating a resilient spirit

4) Gratitude and Joy - practicing gratitude

5) Intuition and Trusting Faith - believing in oneself

6) Creativity - engaging in creativity

7) Play and rest - allowing time for play and rest

8) Calm and stillness - managing anxiety

9) Meaningful work - engaging in work that matters

10) Laughter, song, and dance - embracing joy

The one advice that stuck with me the most was Brown's recommendation to follow the vowels every day: A - abstain from something bad for you (Instagram, alcohol, whatever it is for you); E - exercise; I - do something for yourself; O - do something for others; U - see if you are holding on to unexpressed emotions; and Y, yeah, be grateful or excited about something good that happened. Perhaps I forgot the last two vowels, but it's a pithy little way to get yourself back on track.

I like how Brown uses personal stories to make some points, and I found this book readable and potentially helpful. Perhaps if I'd read this book earlier in my self-help book education, it would have had more of an impact on me.

#16 [2026/CBR18] What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

I have read a number of books by Ian McEwan, including Atonement, Amsterdam, On Chesil Beach, Saturday, and The Children Act. Even though it's been over ten years since I've read a McEwan book, I remember being impressed by his writing and enjoying his books. Thus, when I saw a number of lists touting What We Can Know (2025), I figured it was time to get back to him.

What We Can Know takes place in post-apocalyptic Britain in 2119. Climate change and "The Derangement" have cut down the population by two thirds. What's left of Britain is a collection of islands; everything else is underwater. The United States is made up of warring gangs. Britain is relatively stable, but the ease and excesses that we take for granted now are long in the past.

Thomas Metcalfe is a scholar who is investigating a lost poem written in 2014. A famous poet, Francis Blundy wrote a poem for his wife, Vivien Blundy. He wrote it down on old-fashioned vellum, read it aloud at an intimate dinner party, and then gave the one and only copy to Vivien. Nobody knows where it went, but word of it spread. Even though no one knew the actual words, the poem took on a life of its own as people gave their own meaning to it.

I had some problems getting into this book. I didn't really care about the poem, and McEwan wasn't giving me enough information about the characters to care about them or even keep them straight. I resorted to a little cheat sheet to keep the dinner party guests straight. In addition, I wasn't particularly attached to Thomas or his co-worker/girlfriend/wife, Rose. They seemed to be using each other more than really caring for each other.

I often think back to the people in the 1800's and wonder how they could do so many heartless, irrevocable things, including hunting numerous species to extinction. I remember learning how millions of bison used to cover the western plains before they were summarily executed and left to rot on the ground. And now I think people in the future will look back at us and wonder why we were so careless about our Earth and our resources. How is it defensible to use plastic bags for groceries? Something that lasts thousands of years for a slight convenience that lasts moments. McEwan hits this point directly. Thomas is obsessed with Blundy's poem and his wife and the time period they lived in. Rose and Thomas are jealous of the beauty and natural abundance that we take for granted now, and they are angry with how ignorant and uncaring we were.

But the book is about a lot more than that. About two thirds of the way through the novel, it shifts perspective. Suddenly, we are back in the early 2000's with Vivien Blundy. Her part of the story is much more detailed, and her life was a lot more interesting to me. I was struggling through the rest of the story, but this last third reminded me of why I liked reading McEwan's books.

Vivien describes how she met her first husband, Percy, and how he became sick. We already know the broader strokes of this story because of Thomas's deep research into her life. However, even with all of the electronic records from that time at his disposal, he was missing so much. It is only when we hear from Vivien that we really understand what had happened.

I did like this book. Even though I was occasionally frustrated in the first two thirds of the book, the last third made up for it. I've also found myself thinking about it way after I read it. It's easy to see how I am one of the ones the future population will look back on and wonder why I didn't do more. Thomas says something about how absurd it is that people would fly halfway across the world, just to go on vacation for a couple weeks. My husband and I do exactly that. We are so busy with our own personal lives in the present that we don't connect our actions to what may happen in the future. And then there are the truths about Vivien's life when Thomas believed something different for so long. McEwan wrote a pointed, layered novel that has stuck with me.

#15 [2026/CBR18] Smile, or You're Doing it Wrong by Andy Glaze

As I write this, Andy Glaze is almost 100 miles into the Arizona Monster 300 Trail Race. It's over 300 miles of mostly trail running with a cut off of seven days. It's really beyond my comprehension. I've backpacked about 250 miles, but it took me three weeks. Ten to fifteen miles of hiking per day with plenty of sleep is nothing like what's happening in Arizona right now. I stumbled upon Andy on Instagram. He is a fire battalion chief in California and an ultrarunner. I have the yearning to become an ultrarunner, but my body breaks down every time I try to jog for more than ten minutes per week: ankles, Achilles, hips, IT band, TFL. I keep doing physical therapy and I keep trying, but it seems that I am most successful living vicariously through those that can.

Glaze first caught my attention for his positive attitude and his running "jorts" (running shorts that look like jean cut-offs). And then I learned that he has run 100 miles per week for over 300 weeks--which is now close to six years! Is this a good idea? Absolutely not--which Glaze himself admits. But is it impressive? Indubitably. I've had so many weeks where I was traveling, I was sick, I was hurt, or I just wasn't feeling it and barely exercised. 100 miles a week is averaging 14.3 miles per day--for years! And if you can't run for a day, then you have six days to make up the mileage. I'm afraid this streak would start feeling like an albatross around my neck, but it's still very impressive!

When I saw that Glaze had a memoir out: Smile, or You're Doing it Wrong: A Journey From Rock Bottom to Redemption (2026), I wasn't sure I wanted to read an influencer book. I like to lurk in the shadows and not get too involved with people I see on social media. But I was curious about Glaze, and I had a credit on Audible waiting for me. 

Glaze reads the Audiobook himself, and he talks about his life, the obstacles he overcame, and how he got into running. I've discovered that many people involved in punishing endurance sports have survived major difficulties in their lives. Whether it is an alcoholic or abusive parent, neglect, or addiction, it seems to pop up more often in these athletes than you might expect. I am guessing that sometimes they feel the need to keep accomplishing something, that endurance sports might be a helpful emotional balm on their past trauma, and/or the physical pain of a race is nothing compared to the physical or psychological pain that they've already been through. So, I was only a little bit surprised to hear that Glaze was a drug addict as a teenager. His parents tracked him down on the street and sent him off to one of those youth camps in Utah that have since been determined to be inhumane and abusive.

Even after getting off drugs and graduating from college, Glaze struggled to find himself. He was a sedentary, unmotivated chain smoker. When he ran 1.5 miles as part of a class and struggled mightily to finish, he decided to turn things around. To get all the details, you need to read his story, but he now runs much more than that mile and a half.

On the whole, I liked this book. Glaze seemed to be honest and open about his struggles, and he has an optimistic outlook that encourages people to try hard things. I found his book inspiring--even if my goals are simply to walk 10,000 steps a day and run when I'm not too hurt. 

My only nitpick is that Glaze tells the story more by subject, and this sometimes led to my confusion. Sometimes more details would have been helpful. For instance, in high school, Glaze's father was dying of cancer. So, for much of the book when he talked about his father, I was assuming he meant his step father--even though we didn't get very much information on him until later in the book. And it wasn't until near the end of the book that I learned that Glaze's father actually survived a terminal diagnosis for thirty years and had been around the whole time. In addition, when Glaze mentioned that his first wife asked him for a divorce, I wasn't even aware that he had gotten married. He said the divorce was very hard on him, but it was difficult for me to understand the emotional implications when the woman and the relationship had not even been mentioned before.

This book was interesting, easy to read, and inspiring. Recommended for those that find this kind of thing intriguing. 

#14 [2026/CBR18] Game Changer by Rachel Reid

Inspired by the new, hit television show Heated Rivalry (a show I've heard of but not seen), my book club decided to read a random, hockey-themed romance novel paired with a field trip to watch a hockey game. The random, hockey romance novel was not a huge hit, so I decided to skip it and go straight to the source material. When I looked up Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, I discovered that it is actually Book 2 of a series. So, I decided to start at the beginning with Book 1: Game Changer (2024).

Kip Grady is 25 years old. He lives in New York City with his parents after getting his history degree. He works at a Smoothie shop while paying back his student loans and trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. Then, Scott Hunter walks in the door, looking for a blueberry smoothie on game day. Scott Hunter is the captain of the New York Admirals, the local, professional hockey team. The team had been going through a bit of a slump, so when the Admirals win that night, Scott comes back their next game day for his lucky blueberry smoothie.

Kip is very attracted to Scott, but Scott is not gay and he's a professional athlete. There's no way he would be interested in Kip, who is pretty low on self esteem at the moment. But then they run into each other again at a fancy party where Kip is hired on as waitstaff for the night. The two decide to go get a burger after the gala. 

And so it begins. Scott is actually gay, but he's deep in the closet because of the rampant homophobia surrounding hockey culture as he was growing up. FYI, I googled "gay NHL players" and found that the NHL is the only professional men's league to never have a current or former player come out as gay. I'm not positive this information is current or correct because I also saw somewhere that there was an  NHL prospect who did come out--inspired by these very books. Either way, it's safe to say that even today you would be courageous to come out while playing in the NHL. Tangent: Isn't it interesting that there are gay women all over professional women's sports, and it seems to be much more accepted?

Scott and Kip are both nice guys, who are young, incredibly hot, and very much into each other. They have a lot of sex, which is described in detail, over and over again. In some ways, their relationship is perfect. But the problem is that they have to keep it a secret. It really starts to wear on Kip because he is continually lying to his friends and family. Eventually, he even starts avoiding some of his friends because he doesn't want to lie to them. Scott doesn't want to lose Kip, but he feels stuck.

Eventually Scott does what needs to be done, and in a pretty dramatic fashion. And they live happily ever after.

I listened to this book, and although there were parts I liked, I don't think I'm going to continue on with the series. I thought the narrator did an okay job, but he had different voices for each character, which I found distracting. I especially disliked Kip's voice. I thought he sounded like a Neanderthal with a weird accent I couldn't place. I also thought this book had more sex than story. I liked Scott and Kip's meet cute and their first experiences with each other. But then it felt like a big chunk of the book was just enough storyline to get them to their next sex scene. It was actually refreshing when their relationship began struggling a little bit over the coming out issue. Maybe I'll try out the show, but I think I'll skip the rest of the books.