When 2016 began and I decided to post blog entries briefly reviewing every book I read this year, I hoped to get to 50 books by the end of the year. Here are some thoughts on the 45th book I completed, but I’m probably not going to make my goal. I’ve started 2 other books that I expect to finish, but I’m afraid I probably won’t get all the way to 50 this year. Whether or not I hit my ultimate reading goal, I’m happy now to share some thoughts on the most recent book I finished.

Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan is, I guess, what could be called a feel good book – if that’s possible for a book where in the opening chapter the main character discovers that she has terminal cancer and that her husband is leaving her on the same day.  Libby Miller, who has been a hope-filled optimist since enduring the tragic death of her own mother from cancer, plunges ahead to find some final tastes of joy in her remaining few months of life – and encounters some wonderful people and some deeper personal insight along the way.  This is a book I actually received for free during a period of time when I was an Amazon Prime member; I never would have read it or even heard about  it without Amazon’s ‘one free Kindle book per month’ program for Prime members.  But I’m glad I read this book.  It’s not overly deep or insightful, but it was enjoyable and the hope its central character discovers comes across as something deeper than you might expect.  This as a quick read but I’m glad to have taken the trip with this character as part of my own reading journey in 2016.