FALL BACK TO READING SERIES 2025 – Featuring Abbie Kimerling

It's that time of year again - to fall back to reading, so I've launched a repeat of my first series with that title and invited a dozen thought leaders to answer six questions about reading, books, and marketing. Join me every Monday during October, November, and December - ending on December 15th and with a series recap on December 21st.

Today's featured series participant is Abbie Kimerling, Ph.D., an engineering leader and chemical engineer with experience in plastics, printing, and coatings industries. She leads with compassionate enablement, making people's days better by meeting them where they are and connecting them with the tools, knowledge, and resources to move forward. Abbie has been a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for over 25 years, serving in multiple local leadership positions, and actively mentors engineering students and professionals. In October 2025, she will receive the Esteemed Professional Member Award at the annual SWE conference. She lives in Oregon with her partner and two children and enjoys reading and book club discussions (we met through the "Leaders Who Fiction" virtual book club), ballroom dancing, volunteering, and crafts in her spare time.

QUESTION: Why did you choose the last book you read?

ABBIE KIMERLING: I read "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" by Jesse Q. Sutanto for the "Leaders Who Fiction" book club. Each month, I try to read a book for this group and a non-fiction book for my women engineers group. Most of the time, I successfully complete these reading selections, and occasionally, I have time for another book that I'm interested in. I often check out books from the library and assign them to my partner to read first, and if he says they're good, then I'll try to make time to read them. 

QUESTION: Have you ever chosen a book because you were drawn to the cover design? If yes, what was the book, and what attracted you to the cover?

ABBIE KIMERLING: One book I own that I have not read is "Communal Justice in Shakespeare's England: Drama, Law, and Emotion" by Penelope Geng. As an engineer and leader, why in the world would I be interested in a book on law and literature? The reason: the cover. The cover features a portion of my favorite painting, "The Penance of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester" by Edwin Austin Abbey, depicting a scene from Shakespeare's Henry VI. I saw this painting in person when I was 17 years old, and the color and emotion struck me deeply - and still does to this day. At that time, I often felt I was alone against the world and identified strongly with Eleanor. 

QUESTION: Have you ever chosen a book because of its title? If yes, what was the book, and what drew you to the title?

ABBIE KIMERLING: Last year, I saw "Math in Drag" by Kyne Santos on the new book shelf at the library and was fascinated. I love math and reading about math, and the combination with drag culture is very unexpected. The book was everything I could have hoped for: fun yet advanced reminders about the nuances of math, some history I did not know previously, and connections of math concepts to the experiences of queer people. I think I saw just the spine, not the cover, but memory is faulty about these things (read "Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting" by Lisa Genova to understand). I'm sure I've chosen books because of their titles but am unable to recall them now. 

QUESTION: Have you ever finished reading a book, been disappointed by the ending, and thought you could have written a better ending? If yes, what was the book, and how would you have ended it?

ABBIE KIMERLING: I struggle with this question because I don't want to put down a book, especially if it is possible I didn't get it because of my experiences and perspective. I recently read "The Kindest Lie" by Nancy Johnson, about a young black professional woman who goes back to her working-class hometown in late 2008 to seek answers about her past. In the end, she gets closure, but there were other plot lines left unanswered that I would have loved to fill in. Her husband came off as a self-centered jerk at the beginning of the book, and he never redeemed himself, so I would have loved to see the main character either confront him or leave him. Also, she faced a lot of bias and lack of recognition in her work as a chemical engineer, and then she took off for at least three weeks during the holidays - did she plan to quit? I know no entry-level engineers, especially in 2008, who can afford this level of time off, if they care about their careers. The book should have either moved faster or included an explanation as to why she wasn't working.

QUESTION: Is there a social media account, a national book publisher, or book club you follow for reading recommendations?

ABBIE KIMERLING: I listen to "The Book Riot Podcast" to find out what's going on in books and get recommendations for way more books than I will ever read. The episodes I find the most valuable (and find time to listen to) are the seasonal recommendations for gift giving, look backs at top books of past years (for example, they just covered 2005), and a highly entertaining monthly prediction of the "it" book that everyone will be talking about. I trust recommendations from people whose job it is to read books, because they can get through so many.

QUESTION: What book should everyone read, and why?

ABBIE KIMERLING: This is tough to answer because there are so many different subjects that people should learn about! At this moment, I think a great book for anyone that will help set them up for a secure life is "The Simple Path to Wealth" by JL Collins. If you are only going to read one personal finance book, this is the best one. Collins covers why you want to seek financial independence and offers clear and simple advice on how to achieve it.

My gratitude to Abbie for sharing her insights and for being a part of my fall back to reading series. Until next week, happy reading!

Image Credit: Amazon.

Connect with Abbie at this link:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-kimerling-phd

Check out this link for more about The Penance of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester:

https://carnegieart.org/classroom/continuous-story

Check out this review of "Math in Drag"

https://www.trentarthur.ca/news/drag-queen-kyne-santos-presents-math-in-drag-at-take-cover-books

Check out the website for the "Leaders Who Fiction" virtual book club:

https://www.leaderswhofiction.com/upcoming-books