This is a first! I’ve never read so many books in one month that I had to dedicate three blog posts to those books the following month!

Saving Grayson, by Chris Fabry

I requested this book at the public library after reading that it was about a man with Alzheimer’s Disease. This terrible disease has struck my immediate family and I’m trying to learn as much about the condition as possible.

It wasn’t until I brought the book home that I saw that Jerry B. Jenkins had anything to do with it. The author credits Mr. Jenkins as giving him invaluable editorial advice. The front cover says, “Jerry Jenkins Presents.”

I’m not a fan of Jerry B. Jenkins’ Left Behind books. I think his books blurred the lines between fiction and nonfiction and too many people latched onto that series as being nonfiction. I tried to put those feelings aside and started reading Saving Grayson.

I immediately became invested in the main character, Grayson “Gray” Hayes; however, by the time I was one-third into the novel I was no longer able to suspend disbelief.

There were too many instances where Gray was doing and saying things that a person in his stage of Alzheimer’s Disease would not be able to do. I know that every case of Alzheimer’s Disease is uniquely manifested, but for Gray to be able to go from hardly recognizing his traveling companion to climbing up the concrete embankment under an interstate bridge to give a mattress and advice to a homeless man was difficult for me to believe.

After his dog was hit and killed on the highway after he’d completely lost track of the beloved pet after getting out of his van which had run out of gas – the van he was driving without a driver’s license – and telling a police officer he didn’t know Josh, the traveling companion he’d sneaked away from, but the next minute was able to give a stranger marital advice in nuanced language… I decided I didn’t need to finish reading the book. I carefully select the books I have time to read, so I’m always disappointed when I decide I can’t finish a book.

Perhaps from my description you will know if this book is your “cup of tea.”

The Official Mind Diet: A Scientifically Based Program to Lose Weight and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, by Dr. Martha Clare Morris

I have been semi-following the MIND Diet for a year or two, but it was not until last month that I read The Official Mind Diet: A Scientifically Based Program to Lose Weight and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, by Dr. Martha Clare Morris, the diet’s creator. It is the potential for delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease that drew me to the diet. It is named one of the best diets by scientists, doctors, and organization such as the Alzheimer’s Association. It combines the Mediterranean and DASH diets, and I find it relatively easy to follow. It’s a lot of common sense and information we all know but most of us have chosen not to follow. It isn’t a diet you must strictly follow. Following it to various degrees is supposed to help you.

The MIND Diet has recommendations for how many servings of leafy green vegetables, other vegetables, certified extra-virgin olive oil, and whole grains you should eat every day and how many servings of berries, nuts and seeds, fish, poultry, and beans and legumes you should eat every week. There is a list of things you should limit, such as red meat and processed meat, butter and stick margarine, full-fat cheese, fried food, and sweets. No surprises there!

If you are interested in giving yourself a chance at avoiding or at least postponing the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, I highly recommend this book. Whatever steps you can take in following the recommendations of this book will be positive.

Annals of Bath County, Virginia, by Oren Morton

I read this book for free online via Internet Archives. I needed the information it held so I could more effectively write the first chapter in my historical novel, The Heirloom. Since the history of Bath County, Virginia is of limited interest to the readers of my blog, I’ll just leave it at that. It was a Godsend for me, however!

Finding My Way: My Journey as a Blind Educator & Pastor, by Dr. Gregory Davis

I dedicated my January 15, 2024 blog post to this book. I’m so excited by this book, I’m writing about it again today.

This is a book of the Rev. Dr. Gregory Davis’ memoirs. I don’t care what you have accomplished in your life, this book will leave you feeling like you should have done more. To say it is inspirational is an understatement.

Dr. Davis completely lost his sight as a teenager. He never once used blindness as an excuse or a crutch. In the book he chronicles his childhood; his time as a student at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina; his time as a student at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte; his time as a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and his time in the School of Divinity at Duke University.

Everywhere he studied, he excelled not only as a student but also as a leader. He served in student government associations and all along the way encouraged other students to be all they could be.

Originally aspiring to be an attorney, he came to realize that God meant for him to be a Minister of the Gospel and a college professor. He taught and mentored at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and he also served as pastor of Bellefonte Presbyterian Church, USA in Harrisburg, North Carolina for nearly 30 years.

I have been acquainted with Dr. Davis for nearly 30 years and I knew he was a remarkable person; however, I had no idea about most of his challenges and accomplishments until I read his book. If you want to read about someone beating the odds in life and never giving up, you need to read this book.

By the way, did I mention that Dr. Davis accomplished all this while not only being blind but also being a black man?

In case you missed them…

I blogged about three books on February 5 (Three of the 10 Books I Read in January 2024) and three books on February 12 (Three Other Books I Read in January 2024).

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read this week.

Take advantage of the resources available through your local public library system.

Remember the people of Ukraine.

Janet