Monthly Miscellany: November Edition

Recent Reads and Favorite Things

Recent Reads

After reading only 2 books in October, I read 7 in November. Two stand out to me: Lauren Graham’s collection of essays called Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember¹ and Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I have come to really love Katherine Center this year. Her books are definitely in the chick lit category², but I appreciate how Center deals with heavy topics with humor and warmth. Hello Stranger is the 5th book by her that I have read this year, and it is also my favorite. The main character develops face blindness, something I didn’t even realize was an actual thing until this book. (And oddly enough, another book I read in November—Rock Paper Scissors—also featured a character with face blindness. What are the odds?)

I listened to Lauren Graham’s book on audio, and I highly recommend that format for this book. Her delivery is impeccable. I didn’t love this collection as much as her first one, Talking As Fast As I Can, but it was still really fun.

Stay tuned for a bookish year-in-review in December!

Favorite Music

1. “Abide” by Mission House. I have been listening to a lot of Mission House and Anchor Hymns these days.

2. “Jesus Is" by Paper Horses.

3. “Land of the Living” by Jason Gray. “So help me remember when I feel like quitting that I’ll see your goodness in the land of the living.”

4. “What Is My Hope?” by Tenielle Neda and John Van Deusen.

Favorite Podcasts

• I really appreciated Counsel for Life’s recent episode about Christians and psychiatric medications.

• Christine Hoover’s interview with Caroline Saunders on The Ministry Wives Podcast was really enlightening for me as someone who is not in ministry but loves people who are.

• Last year I used The Bible Recap to read through the Bible, and this year I joined in starting in October to read through the New Testament. Tara Leigh Cobble gives a brief overview and analysis of each day’s reading, and the daily readings are very manageable. If you’re interesting in starting (you don’t have to wait until January 1 to start a Bible reading plan!), find all the info you need here.

Favorite Finds Around the Web

• Risen Motherhood recently released an Advent magazine, and it is gorgeous.

• “Good Either Way” by Glenna Marshall. “God’s goodness does not ebb and flow with our circumstances. If He intervenes and protects us, He is good. If He allows suffering and sorrow, He is good.”

• “That Bible Verse You Don’t Like and What to Do About It” by Rebekah Matt. The author’s perspective here was really helpful for me.

• “Instagram Addicted Your Teenager Because She’s Worth $270 to Them” by Chris Martin. Oof. This needs to be required reading for parents of teens.

  Instagram Addicted Your Teenager Because She's Worth $270 to Them

• “Only Hours and Hours” by Laura Kelly Fanucci. “But here comes the kingdom, again and always: slow and sacred, patient and plodding, human and divine. Demanding more than I want to give, demanding less than the world deems worthy, revealing everything that matters, relentless.” 

  Only Hours and Hours

• I have been thinking often of this poem recently.

• There are some good finds on this list of inexpensive stocking stuffers.

Favorite Money Savers

(This will not be a recurring feature, just so we’re clear on expectations.)

• I am assuming most of you are already aware of Rakuten, but in case you’re not, it’s an app and browser extension that allows you to shop at your favorite stores and earn cash back. You create an account and then either open the app or your browser and click to the store you want (like Walmart, for example), do your shopping, and then once Rakuten verifies your purchase, your account gets credited with cash back. Different stores have different percentages of cash back available, and at certain times the amount of cash back is higher (for example, I recently got 12% cash back at Ulta during a Black Friday sale, whereas usually that store offers 2-4% cash back). I have earned a decent amount over the years, just by doing shopping I already would be doing! You can sign up here.

• I also recently started using the Upside app to earn cash back on gas and select restaurants. You have to use certain gas stations, but I have gotten between 12-15 cents per gallon, which doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up. If you’re interested, download the app and then enter my referral code F7DWUR for an extra 15 cents per gallon on your first purchase.

• Also, if you’re reading this today, November 29, Old Navy has my favorite pants, The Pixie Pant, on sale for $20! Here’s the ankle length, and here’s the full length.

Life Lately

I was thrilled to have my poem “Concealer” featured in Part-Time Poets’ Halloween issue. You can read it here.

I spoke at a local church’s women’s event at the beginning of November, and I was so encouraged by the women there. Sharing parts of my story while talking about psalms of lament was such a blessing. I am honored every time I get to tell others about God’s goodness, and if you need a speaker for an upcoming event, please reach out to me! (See here for more info.)

We put up our Christmas tree this past Sunday, and seeing that cozy Christmas glow fills me with joy. I know the holiday season can be stressful and complicated, so here is my invitation for you to pause and consider what is truly meaningful and lasting and life-giving about this season. Chase after those things, and discard what steals your joy. If you start to feel overwhelmed by your calendar or the expectations you put on yourself to make everything magical, look for ways to simplify. It’s okay to have minimal decorations or skip events you usually attend or not make a Christmas craft every day with your kids (that last one’s for me; crafts are of the devil). Treasure Christ and His Word and His people, and fill in the cracks with the rest. The condition of your heart matters more than what’s on your mantle. Rest in Jesus, our Emmanuel—God with us.

---

Reader Poll

---

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

1. All Amazon links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link.

2. As best as I can recall, there are no overly steamy scenes in these books, although things sometimes do get a little “spicy,” to borrow a phrase from a book club friend.