Another month has ended, and it’s time to report how I did on this month’s Tic-Tac-TBR Solitaire game! When playing solitaire to choose books at the beginning of the month, I promised to let you know how it went, so here goes…

What’s inside this TBR Wrap Up Article:

1. List of books read this month
2. Brief reviews of selected books

(To learn more about the Tic-tac-TBR Game, join our Brilliant Writer Merry Band!)

January 2022 Book List & Prompts:

Key

(F) = Fiction. (NF) = Nonfiction.

1. Prompt: Penalty Book + New author
   Better Than Normal by Dale Archer (NF): A psychologist explains how well-known mental illnesses are just excesses of normal mental states, and how they have positive sides, if used right.
   How I did: Skimmed, unfinished.
2. Prompt: Penalty Book + Book title doesn’t contain the letter “u”
   Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (NF): A writer examines how to modify various habits to improve life quality.
   How I did: Finished
3. Prompt: Penalty Book
   Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar (F): A retelling of the famous Salmone and Rahab story from the Bible — how a former prostitute becomes the wife of a prince of Israel and a foremother of Jesus.
   How I did: Finished
4. Prompt: Penalty Book
   More Than a Carpenter by Josh and Sean McDowell (NF): Father and son Josh and Sean explore reasons for Christianity.
   How I did: Finished
5. Prompt: Penalty Book
   Teach Your Gift by Danny Iny (NF): Business coach explains why and how to turn your skills into online courses.
   How I did: Finished
6. Prompt: Recently published
   Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin (NF): A graphic novel about a young boy who illegally immigrates from Southern Africa to Europe.
   How I did: Finished

Selected Book Reviews

Personal Ratings & Review

I use 2 criteria to rate every book on a scale of 1–5:

1. Content: the ideas in this book are interesting, edifying, and worth learning. (Out of ★★★★★ stars)
2. Craftsmanship: the work is polished, skillful, and well-written. (Out of ★★★★★ stars)

Better Than Normal by Dale Archer (NF)

“Not everyone needs therapy or meds…” — Better Than Normal

1. ★★★
2. ★★

Better Than Normal is one MD/psychiatrist’s reflections on eight “famous mental illnesses,” and how they aren’t all bad…or at least, there are positive sides to ADHD, OCD, Social Anxiety Disorder, GAD, Histrionic Disorder, Narcissistic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia.

Whew! Seeing all those mental illnesses listed out like that is rather overwhelming. But I find the premise interesting — the idea that if you know the right way to handle your tendencies toward one or more of these mental illnesses (and everyone is on the spectrum somewhere for all eight), then you can use those tendencies to your advantage.

But to be honest, this book was a bit disappointing and difficult to work my way through. Mostly because the author didn’t say anything that I didn’t know or couldn’t predict, and had few if any suggestions for turning down the pathological side of the spectrum on these disorders to make them useful in daily life. Still, an interesting premise, and I would like to see another psychologist try to tackle this topic, with more insight!

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (NF)

“We won’t make ourselves more creative and productive by copying other people’s habits, even the habits of geniuses; we must know our own nature.” — Better Than Before

1. ★★★
2. ★★★★

Better Than Before is a detailed foray into the importance and consequences of forming and keeping habits. In this book, author Gretchen Rubin explores how and why people form and break habits, how they affect our daily lives, and how we can take charge of our own habit-formation to mold the kind of life and accomplishments we want.

Rubin does a great job exploring the many facets of habits and habit formation, from

The only critique I have of this book is that there are quite a lot of personal anecdotes, stories by the author about her own experience and that of her friends and family. This is fine for blog posts, but less ideal in books. Then again, some people might actually enjoy anecdotal evidence, and perhaps that’s the USP (unique selling proposition) that makes Gretchen Rubin stand out in the personal development book writing space. Personally, I’d rather the book was shorter 😉

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar (F)

“We long for things that harm us and run from the things that grow and heal us. We think good is bad and bad is good.” — Pearl in the Sand

1. ★★★
2. ★★★

Pearl in the Sand retells the famous Old Testament story of the Canaanite zonah (innkeeper, synonymous with harlot) who saved a couple of Israelite spies, was herself spared during the conquest of Jericho, and eventually joined Israel and even married a man from one of the highest Israelite families.

I’ve read this book a couple times now, and upon re-reading it again, I found more flaws than before (some language/wording issues), but was again impressed by how Afshar is able to draw the reader into the story (even when you know what’s going to happen). The story themes focus on how shame affects women, even after they’ve repented, and how to forgive and reconcile relationships, then tries to tie it to spiritual lessons without being overly preachy (which is a common failing of too many Biblical fiction books).

I really liked the book when I first read it, although now that I’m older I see it with a more critical eye. It’s still one of the more entertaining Biblical fiction books I’ve read, though, so if you’re interested in a retelling of this story, you can give Pearl in the Sand a try.

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell (NF)

“Religion is humans trying to work their way to God through good works. Christianity is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ.”–More Than a Carpenter

1. ★★★★
2. ★★★★

More Than a Carpenter is one of the classics in apologetics literature. Written by Josh McDowell (former traveling evangelist) and his son Sean (now a prominent Youtuber and professor at Biola), More Than a Carpenter covers arguments and evidence from history, archaeology, and philosophy for why Jesus is, as the title says, “more than a carpenter.”

My first foray into apologetics literature was via Lee Strobel’s Case for Christ. Like More Than a Carpenter, both books are entry-level books if you’re interested in this topic. (If you’re REALLY interested in philosophy and theology, give William Lane Craig’s more scholarly books a try. Those will give you a run for your money).

But back to this book — those who are already familiar with the basic apologetics arguments may find this one slightly repetitive, those who are interested in learning what Christians really believe and why should definitely give this book a shot!

Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin (F)

“Before, the men showed us a photograph of a better boat. Shining and new with space for all. Not this rotten, patched-up thing.” — Illegal

1. ★★★
2. ★★

Illegal is a graphic novel written by Eoin Colfer (of Artemis Fowl fame) and children’s author Andrew Donkin and illustrator Giovanni Radonko about a boy from Africa to Europe, and the challenges he meets along the way, from dishonest human traffickers (are there any other kind, really?) to hazardous deserts and oceans.

In my personal opinion, graphic novels aren’t the best format for this kind of story. Illegal immigration is a complicated topic, and graphic formatting flattens and oversimplifies all of the factors that contribute to this problem. Granted, not every story can or should address every perspective on a controversial issue, but as a reader I felt a sense of lack after finishing this book, despite its bittersweet ending. The one thing I can say for it is that the plot was well-designed, with cliffhangers at chapter endings to keep people turning the page. I finished the book in two sittings.

Teach Your Gift by Danny Iny (NF)

“Information is cheap [but] education comes at a premium.” — Teach Your Gift

1. ★★★★
2. ★★★

In Teach Your Gift, entrepreneur and course creator Danny Iny shares the history of online course creation and where the market is in the 21st century. This is a short-and-sweet introductory book for those who are just now dipping their toes into the course creation industry. More of a high-level overview than a detailed how-to on how everything works.

This is a decent entry-level book for those who are interested in starting their own course and business. It doesn’t go into the details, because it was written more as a bribe-to-subscribe in the first place. Those who have studied marketing and course creation for a while (* hand raised *) won’t find anything new, but it’s not bad as a reminder.