Two books about OCD

The first:

Kissing Doorknobs (Terry Spencer Hesser)

Why I have this book: It was referred to in another book I read (Is Fred in the Refrigerator?) and it was pretty inexpensive on Kindle, so I bought it.

This one was okay. I think I would have like it more if it was more "autobiographical" than "Oh, I've had some of these experiences, but it's not autobiographical." What does that even mean? I guess I went into it thinking it was a memoir, but it's more fiction based on personal experiences. 

In any case, I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

The second:

Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Jeff Bell)

Why I have this book: This was another book referred to in Is Fred in the Refrigerator?, so I put it on my wish list and bought it when I had an inkling to spend a little money on Amazon. :)

This one earned five stars on Goodreads from me. It IS a memoir and it's brutally honest and so well-written. It's really easy to feel like you're just listening to the author sharing his story with you (and I wasn't listening to an audiobook). I liked this one very much, and I'm glad I read it.

Wolf Hollow (Lauren Wolk)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library on the recommendation of my reading friend, L.

Okay, so when I first started it, I just couldn't get into it. I was reading the ebook version. I put it aside for a few days, then decided to check to see if the audio version was available so I could listen while I cross stitched or cleaned the house. It was available, so I started listening to it and got totally hooked. I still had the ebook version, so when it was time for bed, I switched back and stayed up until 3:00 am to finish it.

Just like the author's other book I reviewed, I would have given this slightly less than a 5 star rating had that been on option on Goodreads, but since it's not, I gave it all 5 stars. I really, really like this author. I just put her next book on hold.

I honestly don't understand why both the ebook and audio version were available to borrow at the ebook library. The book is so good that I would have thought it would have a waiting list. I guess people just don't know about it.

Clean, although there are a few unsettling things going on in the story. I don't recall any swearing, but if there was, it was mild and rare.

The Language of Sycamores (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

This is the third book in a series. I've enjoyed all of them so far, so I need to get the other two (?) book on hold soon.

This may have been my favorite in the series. I did notice one possible inconsistency from the second book to this one, so I actually put the previous one on hold so I can double check. I can't help myself. Haha...

Anyway, this one gave me all the feels.

Clean, although one character made a comment that confused me... was it a slang word that means a "loose woman," or was it something else? I'm not sure. A married couple has sex, but it's not graphically described.

A destroyed box of books... a lost box of books... and a box of books donated...

We finally got around to unpacking all our books after moving a year ago. (We had to finish parts of the house and have a son move out in order to feel motivated enough to get things all the way done.)

Anyway... being the super organized person I am (!), I had listed every single box we moved, along with a brief description of what the box contained. And after unpacking all my boxes of books, every single box on my list was marked off, except one. Box 66, containing "books" is not accounted for.

I mean, I'm 99% sure it made it to our new house. We only moved like 5-6 houses/lots down the street. No professional movers were involved. Really, nobody was involved outside of our family. And I'm pretty sure all the boxes were moved in our own vehicles.

Either I unpacked it and forgot to mark it off before passing it on to a friend who was moving (although I feel like I was super careful in that regard), or it really did get lost. The only way I'd ever really know is if I started looking for books that I couldn't find, and even then, would I really know?

And then... even worse... 

I was pulling boxes out of a closet downstairs, and the one on the bottom of the pile was stuck. Like I couldn't move it without a lot of effort BECAUSE... it was stuck to the wall. BECAUSE it had been wet and then dried. The whole bottom and up the sides had been wet at one point (there were liquid marks, plus the box was stuck to the wall as it dried). WHAT??? Why? We could see no evidence of a water leakage on the wall or the carpet. The carpet didn't even look discolored or anything. I know it wasn't wet when we put it in there, because I'm sure we would have noticed. None of the boxes above it were wet.

I freaked out some because I tend to be really suspicious of people, especially people who pee in empty water bottles and throw them on our property while doing sheetrock work for us. I still wonder if one of them peed in the room on the other side of the wall from this closet and it leaked under the wall. (The other room wasn't finished at the time... they were putting sheetrock in there, and it wasn't a job they were thrilled about.) I mean, I probably wouldn't have thought that at all if not for the pee in the bottle outside. 

Anyway, I can hardly stand to think about it. In any case, the box was labeled "Books - probably donate," so it wasn't a hard to decision to just decide they were definitely going to be donated... to the trash.

Most were churchy type books, some weren't, but I honestly didn't feel like digging through it too thoroughly. I was too grossed out with the scenarios going through my mind. 

Now if I can just someday forget about this disturbing situation, that would be awesome. As it is, I'm glad it's not a closet I plan to spend any time in.

And then there was yet another box of books that were labeled "Probably will donate," so I donated those to DI. I didn't take any pictures or even make any notes about what they were. A lot of them were books from our previous homeschooling days, so not a lot of sentimental attachment.

I still hope to find a resolution on Box 66... like maybe my daughter will find it among the boxes I sent her way. 

(ETA: No luck with either of our daughters, so I'll never know what happened with this box.)

(ETA again: Discovered our first missing book: Holes. I know we had it, it's been on our shelves for years, and my youngest son wants to read it for a school assignment. I had no doubt it was on our shelves, but it's not. So is there a missing box of books? I guess I'll see what other books show up as missing as time goes on. Sigh. In the meantime, I bought him the Kindle version.)

Without the Mask (Charlie Bird)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from DBS+ as an audio book.

I really liked this book written by a former (very popular) mascot of BYU sports - Cosmo the Cougar. I mean, Cosmo didn't write it, but the man who wore the Cosmo costume did. Charlie was a mostly closeted gay man during his years at BYU, but now he's openly gay, and still an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He chooses to live a chaste life and to keep the covenants he's made with God.

If I could give it a 4.5 on Goodreads, I would. Since I can't, I gave it five stars. I thought the author's thoughts were excellent, and it actually helped me with some of my spiritual struggles lately. (I'm not gay, but spiritual struggles can be similar even when brought about by different circumstances.)

I admire Charlie for being able to (at least at this point in his life) stick to his convictions of morality when he knows he'll never be able to have the life that feels comfortable for him as far as relationships go. I also understand why some choose another path as lgbtq members of the Church. It can't be easy either way.

Clean. 

I, Eliza Hamilton (Susan Holloway Scott)

Why I have this book: I bought it on sale for Kindle after someone recommended I read it before watching the musical Hamilton on Disney Plus.

Oh, my gosh. So boring.

I seriously pushed myself to about 35% (?) and I've chosen to stop. I'm a third of the way through and it's still a chore to pick it up each night. (I have no interest in picking it up in the daytime, either.)

So done and such a relief to get it off my reading pile. (Reading pile = books on my Kindle.)

Clean'ish so far. There's a mention or two of Hamilton being a womanizer and he and Eliza doing a bit of groping before marriage and loving the marriage bed after, but none of it is descriptive.

Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt (Patrick Q. Mason)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from DBS+.

I gave this five stars on Goodreads. I think the author does a great job at validating those who are questioning their beliefs and their faith. In my opinion, this book is so helpful for those who are doubting and also for the people who love them.

Does it answer every question? Not even close, and the author doesn't pretend that he can explain away the things that cause people to question or doubt. 

I recommend it for anyone who is a member of the Church. If you're doubting, this might help you feel supported and understood. If you have family members or friends who are doubting or leaving, this might help you understand their reasons.

Clean.