Monthly Miscellany: April Edition

Recent Reads and Favorite Things

Life Lately

Hey, friends! I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe it’s almost May. This year is flying by, and I have been feeling sad about my lack of consistency in this space. Ever since I started my new job in January, it has been harder to find the mental energy to write. I love my job, but it has been a huge life adjustment and has required a lot of me, so at the end of the day it is hard to muster the discipline I need to write quality words. I keep thinking that will change soon, but I don’t know when that will be. Until then, I plan to at least keep sending these monthly roundups because I love sharing all the things I’m enjoying, but I don’t know how often I will be publishing more personal, long-form essays. Who knows? I may wake up next week filled with new creative energy! But if not, please be patient with me. I am so grateful to all of you who have followed and supported my writing.

Griffin is barely tolerating this, but I can’t help but snuggle him.

Recent Reads

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

1. April’s book club book was Remarkably Bright Creatures¹, which has gotten all kinds of positive buzz. I liked it, but I didn’t love it, although I did find the characters of Tova and Marcellus both very charming. It was a creative premise, but ultimately I think I’m just not that into books that tend towards magical realism.

2. The only other book I read this month was Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister, who wrote one of my favorite thrillers from last year, Wrong Place Wrong Time. Just Another Missing Person was also very solid and kept my interest the whole time, and I loved how the author explored the tension the main character felt between love for her family and love for her police work.

Favorite Music

1. Caroline Cobb released 2 new songs recently, and they are both excellent: “Burning Bushes Everywhere” and “O Death, You Terrible Thing.”

2. “The Rock I’m On” by Ross King. This artist is new to me, but I think this song is really honest and powerful in its conviction.

3. “Good God” by Leslie Jordan. I loved All Sons & Daughters, which is the duo that Leslie was apart of until they broke up several years ago. I am so happy to have found music by her!

4. I really like the version of “This Is My Father’s World” that The Worship Initiative just released with Davy Flowers.

Favorite Podcasts

Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash

• “Mr. Apology” from Criminal. This story is fascinating.

• “Three Faith Pillars for Parenting Teens” on the Don’t Mom Alone podcast. This interview with Melissa Kruger was so helpful and encouraging. I have just started listening to Melissa book, Parenting with Hope, and will report back on it when I finish.

• “Kids + Technology with Jean Twenge” on the Coffee & Crumbs podcast. Man, this interview was SO convicting and challenging. I need to work on my own screen discipline if I’m going to truly help my kids navigate tech in a healthy way.

Favorite Finds Around the Web

• “Dear Hildegard: Newborns to the World” by Rachel Joy Welcher.

  Dear Hildegaard

• “On Denim Jackets and Purity Culture” by Heather Cadenhead.

  On Denim Jackets and Purity Culture

• “How to Go Back to Work” by Rachel Nevergall.

• This poem by Amy Grass wrecked me. (And if you haven’t read the Spring collection on Coffee & Crumbs, what are you waiting for?)

• “Social Media Poisoning” by Melissa Edgington.

Odds & Ends

• I recently purchased these hot pink pants and LOVE how they feel. I have fully embraced wide leg pants. Also a new favorite: these linen wide leg pants (I got black and olive). I do wish they had a drawstring, though. (Pro tip: if you subscribe to Old Navy’s daily emails, you can catch a lot of good prices on things. I got all of these pants when they were on sale for $15/each. Every day I skim the email’s headline and just delete it if I’m not interested in what they have on sale that day.)

• If you’re like me and have lips that dry and crack easily, you might try this rosebud salve. I bought it back in the fall and apply it every night before bed. It has significantly reduced chapping for me and lasts a long time because a little goes a long way.

• I’m also always on the lookout for a good hand cream because my hands are chronically dry year round (if anyone knows why this is, please tell me!), and I have been loving this Burt’s Bees hand cream. It is thick and does have a slightly greasy feel when I first apply it, but it goes away fairly quickly. I also happen to love the light almond scent.

Reader Poll

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That’s it for this month’s miscellany! What are you reading, listening to, or watching lately?

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