I have been wanting to read slow stories that feel real. That hold truth and explore small joys and small triumphs. After finishing A Year in Provence, I turned to Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, and there I am still, making my way through. Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi The fourth in Kawaguchi’s … Continue reading May and June 2024 Reads
Jordan Peterson says that if you want to change the world, you need to start by cleaning your room. Elisabeth Elliot tells us we just need to do the next thing. If we’re asking ourselves how to serve God, how to live our lives, she makes it very simple; if you are a student, you … Continue reading Start Small, Start Today
About six weeks ago I bought myself three new A5 notebooks. Two thin ones, and one thicker, but all with soft covers. I didn’t know exactly what I would use them for, but I had the vague notion of a commonplace notebook. I have a current A6 notebook I use for Bible verses, Christian quotes, … Continue reading The Commonplace Notebook
I have been reading before going to bed, like I used to. It’s a much nicer way of ending the day rather than watching something, and reminds me how much I love reading! I can complain that I don’t have enough time, but in reality I have at least half an hour at night. I’m … Continue reading April 2024 Reads
I want to do the difficult things. The things that pull me somewhere my nature does not necessarily want to go. It is easier to not spend my time well. It is easier to do the bare minimum and spend time on something that has a quicker turnaround of achievement or productivity, instead of say, … Continue reading Turn On the Tap
It’s finally time to reveal the mystery of what I've been reading for the last couple of months! Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard I really enjoyed this. About a woman, Much Afraid, as she makes the difficult journey from her home, and away from her controlling, fear-inducing family, to live in the … Continue reading February and March 2024 Reads
I finished some books and started some books. I currently have six sitting on my bedside table, which is far too many but I started reading far too many, so that’s on me. This month I read some manga (don’t ask me why, ask my sister who started me on this path) and finished the … Continue reading January 2024 Reads
Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney I have been meaning to read this ever since it came out in 2021. While I know some people struggle with the way Sally Rooney’s books are written (there are no quotation marks for dialogue), I really enjoy it. I like that it’s different, even to the … Continue reading October 2023 Reads
I have been writing more lately. Which is a relief, because there was a period when I wasn’t writing much at all. (I’m speaking of The Novel.) At times it is easier not to write, which I suppose you could say of anything. There are responsibilities and interests outside of work and writing that easily … Continue reading More or Less
In my early twenties, I had a corkboard of writing prompts. Next to it I kept rows of sticky notes that outlined my novel, allowing me to rearrange the plot while I was editing if something didn’t fit where it was. I don’t have particularly strong memories of the bedroom I had from eleven to … Continue reading Writing and Growing Older
the softest words 