Monthly Miscellany: May Edition
Recent Reads & Favorite Things
If you’re new here, welcome! This is my monthly recap of things that I love, whether it’s a book, podcast, song, or nail polish color. If I love it, you’re going to hear about it! I love hearing what you’re enjoying as well, so please feel free to leave a comment or hit reply to this email and share your faves with me!
Life Lately
I’m writing this in a hotel in Atlanta, where my family has spent the last several days on vacation. We’ve had a good time, but I’m also really thankful that we are going home tomorrow because 1) the mattress has wreaked havoc on my back, and 2) I need some alone time. We have gotten so accustomed to renting condos or houses for trips that staying all in one room for this trip has thrown me for a loop. But we have truly enjoyed being together, and I never get tired of seeing my girls love each other. It’s not always easy because of the age gap (6 years), but they do a great job of caring for one another. I pray that they will always be friends.
I also hope and pray to return to a more consistent posting schedule here on Substack in the near future. I need to push past the creative fear I’ve had recently1 and write because I love it. Thank you for reading my words.
Recent Reads
I’ve read 14 books so far this year, mostly recently finishing Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. She has proven to be a very reliable thriller writer for me (Wrong Place Wrong Time is my favorite), but I didn’t feel quite as engaged in this story as I have with others she’s written. Ultimately, I didn’t feel as connected to the main characters, and therefore I didn’t feel as invested in what happened to them.
The standout book for the month was The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. It was the most enjoyable reading experience I’ve had in a while, and even though the book was on the longer side, it didn’t really feel long.
I’m currently reading My Friends by Fredrik Backman, and it’s quite the story. Backman is such a skilled writer, and I appreciate the way he weaves humor into his stories. (I will say that the run-on sentences are making me crazy. He clearly made a stylistic choice with them, but it’s annoying.)
I’m also reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which has been on my TBR list for a long time.
Favorite Music
“I See the Birds” by John Guerra. I keep running into references to Matthew 6 recently, and I’m trying to pay attention!
“Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark)” by Papa Roach and Carrie Underwood. My Aunt Karen sent this to me a couple of months ago, and I have played it often since then.
Citizens recently released a new EP that I’ve been playing quite a bit. I really like the song “Morning glory, don’t you worry.”
Because it’s not summer unless I have a summer playlist, I made a new one with lots of new-to-me bops.
Favorite Finds Around the Web
My friend Glenna Marshall has a new book coming out on July 1, and I’m so excited to read it! It’s called Known and Loved: Experiencing the Affection of God in Psalm 139. I often struggle to believe that God knows and loves me personally, and Glenna tells me that this book is for just such a struggle.
“Primary and Secondary Phone Harms” by Katherine Johnson Martinko. I came across Katherine’s Substack not too long ago and have found it very helpful when it comes to setting up boundaries for myself and technology and also for my kids. This post has some thought-provoking questions to consider.
Sonya’s post about her daughter’s first year of college is so poignant. I especially love what she shared about the last night she and her husband had with their daughter before she left for college.
I have nothing to market currently (but Lord willing, will someday), but I still found some takeaways in Dan Blank’s post about writers and marketing.
Melissa’s reflections on “The Sacred Honor of Being a Witness to Suffering” mirrored thoughts of my own and express some profound truths.
For Mother’s Day Stephen and I both got our moms this digital picture frame, and it has been such a hit! I love being able to send new photos to the frames using the app, too. I kind of wish I had gotten one, too.
Reader Poll
That’s it for this month’s miscellany. What are you reading, listening to, or watching lately? Please tell me all the good stuff.
Perhaps I’ll write about this. Perhaps not. We’ll see!
So glad you had a good trip! We stayed in a hotel last weekend, just one night, but it had been a while since we stayed in a hotel, not an Airbnb. And it's becoming a challenge with five of us in one space. Haha.
I’m so glad it’s been a great trip, but I also totally get being ready to be home and having your own space again!