My 2023 Q3 Reading List

I truly enjoyed the ‘Summer Reads’ series for Courage Becomes Her where I interviewed the authors of new books that came out this year – books 25-33 are part of that with links to each conversation. Two of them were absolutely incredible books that I have already started reading again.

On to the list…

2023 Book 25: I Won’t Shut Up by Ally Henny

A courageous telling of being silenced, as both a child and an adult, and trying to find her voice. Ally shares about her experiences with racist and toxic leadership, and the tipping point of realizing that she could assert her voice and speak out against racism. She shares how we can contribute in a meaningful way to liberation from racism by actively listening to the experiences of Black people, even when it challenges us or creates discomfort.

Listen to my conversation with Ally about her book.

2023 Book 26: Better than Okay by Brandi Wilson

Brandi courageously shares about how she navigated life after divorce one day at a time, including the days when she could barely get out of bed. She talks about what self-care looked like for her and how she leaned on her support system when she was tempted to isolate. She also talks about the pain of loneliness, and the importance of therapy and counseling to the process of healing. She shares about dating and dreaming again, and the unexpected blessings that she’s received and how life after divorce really can be better than okay.

Listen to my conversation with Brandi about her book.

2023 Book 27: Healing Rain by Sue Detweiler

Sue courageously shares about her experiences with chronic pain and sickness, and her healing journey. She talks about several strategies for healing and wholeness and talks about how self-pity is destructive to our ability to heal. She calls us to have courage to believe that we too can receive healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Listen to my conversation with Sue about her book.

2023 Book 28: A Faith That Will Not Fail by Michele Cushatt

Somehow, I made it to middle age believing that the pain I’ve experienced in the last few years meant that I was being punished for doing something wrong or that God was angry with me or disappointed in me. Mercifully, God used a couple of people, including Michele, to teach me that my beliefs were completely false, and to guide me to a place where my faith has not only stayed intact but has transformed and grown into something richer and deeper than I ever imagined possible. To say that the wisdom Michele shares has been a lifeline is an understatement without exaggeration. If your world has fallen apart, this is a must-read.

Listen to my conversation with Michelle about her book.

2023 Book 29: The Hem of His Garment by Dr. Michelle Bengtson

Words can and do hurt us, even if they’re not intended to. Pain caused by well-meaning people is a topic that I hear often from my clients, and I appreciate that Dr. Michelle confirms that those wounds can run deep. Dr. Michelle’s teachings from personal experience and knowledge, especially regarding what pain does to our bodies (including our brains), opens the door to healing and restoration.

Listen to my conversation with Dr. Michelle about her book.

2023 Book 30: Holy Unhappiness by Amanda Held Opelt

If you’ve felt disappointed by life or a general undercurrent of restlessness, Amanda’s book is a must-read. Somewhere along the way I bought the line that if I’m “good” and I “do the right things” that I am owed happiness. Amanda breaks down the underlying assumptions and beliefs about this transactional exchange and points us to a better path. This is a book I will re-read again and again – the wisdom and philosophy are sound.

Listen to my conversation with Amanda about her book.

2023 Book 31: Translating Jesus by Shauna Pilgreen

I have tremendous appreciation for the methodology that Shauna teaches – it is full of love and kindness and is something that we can all learn from for general relational health. She teaches us how to share the love and goodness of Jesus by noticing people, being curious, paying attention, being humble, listening well, getting out of our comfort zones, sharing our stories, and praying. Her reminder that all people are significant and loved by Jesus is something we seem to be forgetful of these days.

Listen to my conversation with Shauna about her book.

2023 Book 32: I Used to Be _______ by Ashley & Chuck Elliott

From personal experience with big and small losses, Ashley & Chuck help us process our losses when we enter the realm of what “used to be.” They teach us what it looks like to grieve, the downsides of unprocessed grief, and how feelings like anger are signals of grief. They point us to positive coping mechanisms and help us learn how we can neutralize the things that trigger grief within us.

Listen to my conversation with Ashley about their new book.

2023 Book 33: Free & Fully Alive by Karrie Garcia

Karrie strongly advocates for facing the hard parts of our lives and not just leaving the past in the past but surrendering our stories to the kindness and care of God. She doesn’t want us to settle for relief but wants us to find lasting freedom. She wants us to see that behavior modification is a false freedom, just a bandage over a still-festering wound.

Listen to my conversation with Karrie about her book.

2023 Book 34: Midlife Battle Cry by Dawn Barton

A thoughtful, funny, transparent look at the most talked about topics concerning mid-life: aging, our bodies, defining who we are and clarifying our purpose, caring for children and parents, loving ourselves, cultivating community, becoming a grandparent, financial planning, learning to forgive, letting go of bitterness, and leaving a legacy. Dawn wants us to know and believe that the second half of our lives can truly be the better half.

Listen to my conversation with Dawn about being the sandwich generation.

2023 Book 35: The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté, MD and Daniel Maté

I most appreciated Dr. Maté’s ideas about the origins of mental illness and his assertions that there is so much more that we need to learn about mental illness. His research and findings about the severity of PTSD that often comes from abandonment in early childhood were incredibly helpful to my understanding of my husband’s trauma journey.

This book has been the most helpful to me in understanding trauma.

2023 Book 36: This Must Be the Place by Jami Nato

I’m not exactly sure why, but for some reason I was expecting this book to be just another “discover your purpose” book with a repeat of information from similar books and little substance. Boy was I wrong!! Shame on me! Jami’s words are rich and thoughtful and are the doorway to real growth and transformation. I have already assigned her book as required reading for several clients and will continue to do so.

2023 Book 37: Women at Halftime by Shayne Moore and Carolyn Castleberry Hux

A helpful guidebook for women in mid-life who want to learn more about themselves and their gifts and talents, and are hopeful of discovering new dreams, purpose, and joy in the second half of life. Highly recommend, especially for women who are recently retired from a full-time profession or are on the cusp of retirement, and women who shelved their careers in order to raise children and now find themselves wanting to re-enter a career but aren’t sure where to start.

2023 Book 38: Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First by Laura Tremaine

We really do need coaching on how to have honest, vulnerable, authentic conversations, and Laura provides that coaching with this wonderful book of prompts that are filled with stories from her own life. I greatly appreciate her courage to model the way for us.

2023 Book 39: The Life Council by Laura Tremaine

I agree with Laura that we “don’t need a busload of besties”, but having supportive, kind, loving women in our lives really does make life better. Friendship often creates a sense of belonging that even motherhood or marriage don’t provide. Laura’s friendship philosophies are pure gold – lean into them and you’re sure to have more meaningful friendships.

Listen to my conversation with Laura about friendships in mid-life.

2023 Book 40: The Chronicles of Nai Nai by Mary Chen

A motivating and inspiring memoir of the founders of ChenMed. We can all learn from their determination, perseverance, and resilience. I love one particular quote from Mary where she says that instead of counting the breakdowns, she counts the rescues – this is a perspective of optimism that I want to have more of in my life.

2023 Book 41: Galatians for You by Tim Keller

There are several things that create continued sadness and disappointment for me about Tim Keller passing away earlier this year – one is that he had only written studies on a few of the books of the Bible and we really would have benefitted if he had been able to do more. I highly recommend this particular study for the book of Galatians!

Here are the previous 12 books of his that I have read.

Did you miss books 1-24? You can find Q1 here and Q2 here.

I talked about the best books I read in the first half of the year in this episode of Courage Becomes Her.

You can always find my reading lists from previous years here.

And the books that literally transformed my life are here.

As always, please share your must-reads with me!!

I’m specifically looking to fill the rest of the year with inspiring biographies and memoirs, life-giving soul care, and stimulating thought leadership on culture.