Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Favorite Books 2024

Reading goals for next year!
It's the annual book blog, where I share my favorite books of the year and then ask you to please share yours! 

Here's the full list of what I read last year, if anyone wants to see it. This includes fuller descriptions of all the books mentioned in my favorites below, if you want to learn more.

I always start with a few thoughts on my reading life. The big change for me this year - in many ways, not just in the reading life - was going back to work after a fourteen year sabbatical. This has overall been a good change and maybe I'll say more about that in a future blog - but it has definitely changed my reading life. It's not primarily about time. Life is busy, but I'm not any busier than I was when I had two under two as a stay at home mom. But there's a lot less gas in the tank to read for fun, now that I'm back to reading court reports and orders and motions, even just on a part-time basis.

This makes me super thankful that half of my life is homeschooling, because that still includes a ton of the story variety of reading. And it also makes me super thankful to have finally picked up audio book listening last year, because this is a great way to keep moving through books, even if it mostly happens while you're multi-tasking with chores. I didn't make it through nearly as many adult literary / modern fiction books this year, and probably won't as long as my life includes both homeschooling and working. But one thing I've learned in the last fourteen years, along the lines of "the days are long but the years are short" - I've got many years left to be a reader, and only right now with my family at this stage. If you've got recommendations that work particularly well on audio, I would especially love to heaaer those.

Without further ado, here are my favorites of the year (each group in random order) -- 

Top 5 Fiction:

  • "The Women" by Kristin Hannah - I love when a book makes you think about a specific group that you had never thought closely about before. In this case, it was women combat nurses who served in Vietnam - what that experience and then the aftermath was like.
  • "Same as It Ever Was" by Claire Lombardo - I love messy family dramas that take place over time and include thoughts on friendship. 
  • "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell - Amazing world building, great exploration of philosophical and theological questions, really asks you to go to a hard place in questions about suffering.
  • "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Kruger - I love his writing style, his grace-filled take on people, and the way he weaves a story. "This Tender Land", also by Kruger, was also a favorite this year.
  • "Table for Two" by Amor Towles - a collection of short stories. This is not his strongest work, but it was still very enjoyable - he could write a grocery list and it would be well worth reading.

Top 5 Non-Fiction:

  • "The High Sierra: A Love Story" by Kim Stanley Robinson - What a treat when a great writer also has as a serious hobby something that you're very interested in and writes all about it! 
  • "Lovely One" by Ketanji Brown Jackson - Absolutely loved this memoir by the currently sitting Supreme Court justice, especially reading her thoughts on balancing work and family, as well as learning that she has a daughter on the autism spectrum.
  • "Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith" by Russ Ramsey - Two parts art history, one part how art applies to faith, really well done. 
  • "Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age" by Melissa Kruger  - good gospel encouragement for parenting years when you'll take all the help you can get.
  • "How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen" by David Brooks - Good, research-based advice on having deeper, better conversations and relationships.

Top Five Homeschool Read-Alouds:

  • "Astrid the Unstoppable" by Maria Parr -a perfect winter read, set in winter in Scandinavia; featuring a very fun protagonist and an unlikely friendship.
  • "The Warden and the Wolf King" by Andrew Peterson - this whole Wingfeather series was fantastic - I would put this series right behind Narnia and Harry Potter as a must read if you are a read-aloud family. And this fourth book was the best of the series.
  • "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" adapted by Michael Morpurgo - a really fun version of this Middle Ages adventure tale, the kids and I all enjoyed it all the way through.
  • "Glitch" by Laura Martin - A fun book combining time travel, history, adventure, and friendship.
  • The first 4 Harry Potters, a 4-way tie, by J.K. Rowling - I did this series with Zoey a few years ago, but Josh and Ivy are now very interested so we're going through again - it's incredible how well these hold up on a re-read, and how much groundwork you can see her laying when you know where the story is going. 

These were my favorites of the year. And now for the best part, please share your favorites!  Happy reading :).

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Advent Post: Hope

It's time for the annual Advent post! Since I wrote about hope last month, I was planning to go on to one of the other attributes of Advent - peace, joy, or love. But my mind is sticking on hope. This month of December is so crazy with the frenzy of activities and gatherings and traditions that we can easily lose sight of what the season is all about in the first place. And, this season can feel so lonely as life changes and it's no longer full of frenzy. Coming from both of these angles, I've been thinking about where we put our hope during the holiday season, and what makes for better and worse sources of hope.

Things not to hope in: 

- Getting that perfect Christmas card photo. 

- Cooking the perfect Christmas dinner, to be served on the perfectly decorated Christmas table, inside the perfectly clean and decorated-for-Christmas house.

- Finding / being able to afford the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones. Having everything purchased with weeks to spare. 

- Having a full slate of magic Christmas parties and activities. No one is sick, distracted, grumpy, or too busy to attend. Everyone is in agreement about which traditions are awesome and which traditions should be skipped this year.

Why not hope in these things? 

Because they may or may not happen. They may not be executed to perfection. They may be executed to perfection and nobody appreciates it as much as they should have. You the preparer don't enjoy it because you are so exhausted from the month long build up, and because the sky high expectations to create Christmas magic can feel unattainable. 

At this point, you might be thinking, "this was not the feel good post I was hoping to read just a few days before Christmas". I would say, first, you probably should not come to this blog for feel good Christmas posts :). Second, it's great to enjoy these things when they do work out. It's special to enjoy a holiday feast together with lovely decorations and festive music. It's fantastic to express love and generosity through the giving of gifts. 

Most of all, it's wonderful to cherish the loved ones with whom you do the celebrating. But here again is bittersweetness - the holidays are a time where the pain of missing a lost loved one is especially sharp, even as we love and enjoy those who are still with us. So while the people we celebrate with are undoubtedly the greatest gift this life has to offer, and a beautiful thing to celebrate and enjoy and be grateful for - they are not a source of ultimate, eternal hope. 

What to put hope in?

Thankfully, Christmas points us to the one thing that does give us this eternal hope. The baby that we celebrate has come to make a way for us to be restored to eternal relationship with God. He's come to rescue us from all the things about this life that are hard and broken, and to defeat death. 

And the thing that's cool about this hope is that it brings the other attributes of Advent. Because we have this hope, we can also have peace, love, and joy in the crazy Christmas season, and throughout this life. Sending you all of these things in abundance this Christmas season!

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Hope through the Hard

I've been watching Battlestar Galactica this fall, and one of the big themes of the show is how much humans need hope. The show, in a nutshell, is about humans who are at war with robots they created, and most of the human species as well as Planet Earth has been wiped out in the course of this war. The remaining humans are floating around space in a fleet of spaceships - trying to survive, continuing to fight this war, looking for a new habitable planet - and trying to retain their humanity and find a reason to keep going as the days and months and years stretch on. Trying to find new reasons to hope when things they thought they could put hope in disappoint. (This is waaaay outside my normal type of show - space, sci-fi, and military shows are not my bag, and this one is all of those things - but it's so, so good.)

Though the conditions on this show are extreme, it gets at something that all of us know, or will eventually know at some point in life. Facing an impossibly hard circumstance. Figuring out how and why to keep going in the middle of it. Figuring out what we can put hope in that won't ultimately disappoint.

So, tying this to the month of Thanksgiving - I'm grateful for Bible passages that acknowledge the difficulty of life and offer profound hope in walking through that deep difficulty. These 3 in particular are sticking with me right now:

  • Psalm 23 - This one acknowledges that we will walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. No glossing over hard times, no sugar coating how difficult they really are. But look at this list of all the ways God helps us through: he shepherds; leads; restores my soul; is with me; comforts me; follows me with goodness and mercy; and eventually, I will dwell in His house forever. I'm not alone in these hard things - God is actively helping me through, restoring the hurting parts, and continuing to give out so much goodness. What a hope, a God who helps me through hard times in so many ways.
  • The Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:11-32) -  This famous story is about a father and two sons. One of the sons decides to get his inheritance early, part ways with his family, and go out into the world and live it up. Eventually he runs out of money and friends and hits rock bottom when he's sharing food with the pigs he's caring for. He decides to try crawling back to his family, expecting it to be a humiliating experience. Instead, his dad sees him coming from far away, runs out to meet him, throws his arms around him and is ecstatic to see him again. The father dresses the son in fancy clothing and throws a huge party with tons of great food for him. This one is hopeful to me because sometime we are in hard circumstances that are at least partly of our own making. In most situation, if you mess up badly, you can expect to pay the consequences - you might get fired, lose a relationship, lose a bunch of money, be looked down on by the people who know what you did. This father would've been totally justified in having a response like that - barring the son from returning, expecting him to apologize all over himself and grovel, treating him as less than for the choices he made - but instead, he is *delighted* to see his beloved child. He lavishly celebrates the lost son who has returned. It's a beautiful, unconditional, other-wordly sort of love. And this is the kind of love WE get from God when we turn back to Him after being absent, making a series of bad choices, thinking we knew the best way and then ending up in a terrible situation. What a hope, that kind of love.
  • Revelation 21:4-5 says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" This is the promise of what we have to hope for, how things will eventually be. My job will be a thing of the past because there will be no more foster care, no more courtrooms, no more kids in heartbreaking situations. No more hospitals and cancer diagnoses. No more relational sadness, no more watching loved ones die. No more experiencing the breakdown of your body or mind. No more Kleenex, because no more sickness or sadness. This is a hope so big, so amazing, so beautiful that I can't wrap my head around it.
I am so grateful for these hopes, and I would love to hear what's bringing you hope these days. Happy Thanksgiving to all!


Saturday, October 19, 2024

Running Post 2024


It's that time again!  Every time I run a longer race, it makes me want to write a running post.  I'm aware that I have multiple blog topics that might be interesting to those who are also into the thing, but boring-bordering-on-annoying to those not into it, and running might be at the top of the list (followed closely by homeschool).  So I invite you to skip this one if reading about running is like nails on a chalkboard for you.

Why run during this busy season?  

I covered it some here, but my life is a like a big pile of puzzle pieces right now.  Not necessarily busier than anyone else with kids and a job / homeschooling, but lots to fit in every week going in many different directions, and anything that's an "extra" can only be added for good reason.  The good reason with running is that this is what helps me keep my head on straight for everything else. The crazier life gets, the MORE I need the activity that helps my brain feel calm, focused, and able to work through things. Plus, as an introvert, I relish the alone time where it's just me and my music.

For those who are contemplating running a half marathon, here's what it's like for the recreational, could-be-better-trained, over 40 runner:

-This might just be my over 40 personality, but I am prone to avoid all activities that involve changing your sleep schedule, strategizing to find parking, and standing in line for a Port-a-Potty. Somehow though, for races, this all adds to the fun of it. Running in a big pack of people is fun, the music is fun, the race bibs are fun, and picking out your music is fun.

- For the first 7 miles, you feel really good, and you have to use self control not to blast off to a faster pace.  You enjoy the scenery and your fellow runners and the funny spectator signs and the kind people at the water stations.

- Somewhere between miles 7 and 10, your body might give you the equivalent of the Check Engine light.  Something will start hurting.  At this point, you have to decide if it's a genuine injury, or if a slow down / stretch might help, or if it's your mind playing tricks on you and you should keep going.  So far for me, it's usually one of the latter two, and if you just keep going you will feel better (or numb to the problem enough to get through the race).  If you train really diligently and include stretching, strengthening, and active recovery as part of your training plan, then you might be able to skip this step.  But who has time for that?

- Miles 10-13, your body will for sure hurt, and you have to start finding little tiny mini-goals to keep going.  Just get to that tree in the distance; that water table down the block; another quarter mile on your Garmin.  You will also note that it hurts as much to walk as to run, so might as well keep running and get the better time.  

-Mile 13 - you see the finish line in sight and turn on the gas for 1-3 blocks.  It feels amazing to cross and get handed the finisher's medal.  I usually collapse on the grass for a few minutes, then find some water, then hobble to my car and start thinking about the next race :).  

For those of you who are wondering specifically about the Rock Reno Half Marathon, here's a review with some of the distinctives:

Time of year:  Early October is a great time for a half marathon.  As your training runs get longer in September, the mornings and evenings are significantly cooler.  The leaves are starting to change color, so it's pretty.  The only big wild card with this (in Reno) is whether there is a bad fire season, as that can really affect the ability to get out and do long runs in August and September. Thankfully, even with a big fire right in town this year, our air quality stayed extremely good.

Location: This one starts in South Meadows, goes up Veteran's Parkway, and then goes west along the Truckee River until you get to the Aces stadium.  Most of the half marathons in Reno go from downtown to Mayberry Park, so it was nice to get a little variety. It was also nice that 90% of the run was along bike paths. The view usually included either mountains or river, the second half had some decent shade, and the elevation was very gently rolling, no killer hills.  This was a point-to-point marathon, so they took us in buses from the finish line to the start - that was a pretty smooth process (except when the bus driver got lost and we did an over-the-curb U-turn, but what that lacked in smoothness it made up for in hilarity).

Atmosphere: Positive environment, easy access, on the small side (there were around 400 that ran the half marathon portion of this race).  They call this Rock Reno, but the only music was at the start and finish lines (however, that music was dope, credit where credit is due.)

Overall: This was well run and pleasant - if you live near Reno and this works out conveniently for your schedule, I would give it two thumbs up. 





Friday, September 27, 2024

Trouble Me


I was listening to the Natalie Merchant song "Trouble Me" the other day (I linked the video above) and thinking about what a great instruction manual this song is for deepening friendship.  Here are the lyrics, then some thoughts on them, below --

Trouble, disturb me with all your cares and your worries
(Trouble me) on the days when you feel spent
Why let your shoulders bendUnderneath this burdenWhen my back is sturdy and strong?Trouble me
don't mislead meThe calm I feel means a storm is swelling(Speak to me) there's no telling where it starts or how it ends(Speak to me) why are you building this thick brick wall to defend me(Speak to me) when your silence is my greatest fear?
Why let your shoulders bendUnderneath this burdenWhen my back is sturdy and strong?Speak to me
have a look inside these eyes while I'm learning(Let me) please don't hide them just because of tears(Let me) send you off to sleep with a"There, there, now stop your turning and tossing"(Let me) let me know where the hurt is and how to heal
SpareSpare meDon't spare me anythingTroubling
disturb me with all your cares and your worries(Speak to me) and let our words build a shelter from the storm(Let me) and lastly, let me know what I can mend
There's more, honestlyThan my sweet friend, you can seeTrust is what I'm offeringIf you trouble me

----------------------------------------

I think this is great going both directions.  These are areas I'm trying to grow in, so I write the following thoughts as a student who's trying to be better:

Be the friend who is available to be troubled - 

  • Making Time - this is maybe the hardest thing in our busy culture - having the time margin, or being willing to carve out the time margin, for friends.  Both making time for regular get togethers / phone calls / texts so that relationship is there when you need it, and making time right away when the proverbial poo hits the fan.  When a friend who you know is extraordinarily busy makes time for you, that alone can feel like a giant hug received.
  • Distraction v. Presence - This is related to the one above, but is a little different, and might apply more to the people you see every single day - carving out the attention and mental space to really be present with the person, even as there is the work thing to attend to and the Facebook notification that just popped up and whatever else might be pulling on your attention even as you're physically present.  It's hard to have a real heart to heart when someone's got half an eye on their phone.
  • Support Without Advising - Sometimes when people are pouring out their hearts, idea bubbles start popping up about action steps that could make the situation better.  And even if those are 100% right (which they may or may not be, as we rarely know all the dynamics of the situation if we are not the person in it), unless the person has specifically asked for advice, they are probably not looking for ideas on solutions as they are sharing their heart.
  • Relentless Positivity -  I am all for gratitude and counting your blessings - a good chunk of my blog space goes towards this - but when someone is pouring out their grief, their deep sadness or fear or hurt - that's not the time to steer the conversation towards what's going well, or what can be learned through this, or how God is working, or anything else that attempts to wrap the situation up in a happy, presentable package.  Sometimes things are just hard, there is no positivity in that moment, and the gift is to acknowledge that.

Be the friend who is willing to trouble - 

  • Wisdom in sharing - I think all of us have a tendency towards either oversharing or undersharing.  Mine is under, so I'll go into that in the next couple bullet points.  But I think it's wise to spend some time building a friendship and growing trust with a person before you spill all your last guts out.  There's also wisdom in seeing that some friends will be particularly well suited to hear particular areas of struggle.  I tend to talk the most about the challenges of special needs parenting with friends who also have children with special needs, for example.  Not because other friends aren't trustworthy and supportive, but because they haven't walked this particular road.
  • Vulnerability - It takes courage to share the places where you struggle or you have messed up or you don't know how you're going to move forward.  It takes bravery to show someone your fears and hurts and sorrow.  If you can summon the courage and do it anyway, then you can potentially receive two beautiful gifts: 1) You can get support and love from the person you share with, and this can bring tremendous help, to know you're no longer alone in it, even as the thing still hurts so badly; and 2) You can deepen the bonds of that friendship by showing more of who you really are, warts and all. I am truly terrible at being the friend who is willing to trouble.  I am fiercely independent, unquestionably to a fault, and hate to open up about the hard parts of my life.  But there have been times when I just couldn't go it alone, and what a blessing to let the defensive wall crack and let light shine in through a friend.
  • Instagram culture - I think one of the things that can help us with the courage needed for the vulnerability point above is to remember that Internet culture isn't real.  Everyone has imperfections and hurts, we mostly just don't broadcast these to the world. And we can be a huge help to our friends who are feeling like they are the only one who don't have their lives together by sharing the areas where WE don't have it all together.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk :).  If you have more thoughts on any of this, please share!


Thursday, August 22, 2024

Day 30: Something You Find Magical About the Universe

I don't even know where to start with this final prompt.  There are so many things that I find magical about the universe!  This quote, from "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis, captures a few of them:  the brilliance of stars at night; the transcendence of music; the poetry of words that captures these phenomena; and the wonder of God working through these things.  I find all these things magical and I'm so grateful for all of them.

Thanks to those of you who have followed along on my annual gratitude challenge.  I would love to hear if anyone participated along and had any highlights from your own list.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Day 29: A Public Figure


The public figure I'm grateful for is Sydney McLaughlin.  Sydney McLaughlin is the world record holder and most recent gold medal winner in the 400m hurdles.  She put on (arguably) the best performance in all of the Olympics in (arguably) the hardest of track and field events.  I admire her incredible athleticism, her excellence in form, and the discipline it takes to stay in top shape for this race and keep getting better and better.

But what I admire even more than her running ability is the way she carries herself.  She is utterly dominant and blows the rest of the field away, but she doesn't go around showboating.  She isn't falsely humble, and she's clearly focused when running and happy when she achieves her goal, but her whole identity isn't wrapped up in how she performs as a track and field athlete.  Her identity is rooted in her faith, which she shares consistently.

I'm grateful to have this athlete to look up to, and Sydney I'm rooting for you to break 50!!

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Day 28: Something You Like About Your Job

 


The things I like the most about my job by far is meeting with the kids and the meaning I feel when I get to act on their behalf.

But today I'm going to write about another thing I love about being a lawyer, and that's how you get to use words with extreme care.  In real life, if you correct someone for being a little loose or sloppy with the way they're using words, it's considered annoying and overbearing.  But as a lawyer, they PAY you to use words in a way that is precise and convincing, and to go after the other side if they fail to do the same.  That is super fun to me, and I'm grateful for this part of my job.

Monday, August 19, 2024

Day 27: Little Things You're Grateful for About Your Significant Other

 This is not a little thing, but I'm grateful for how deeply Kenny loves his friends and family.  I'm seeing it right now in the context of loss, but I see it every day, particularly in how he orders his time.  If a relationship matters to him, he makes time for it.  If someone he loves is struggling, he is there for them.  If someone he loves is celebrating, he is also there for them.  His loyalty to family and friends runs deep, and I'm very grateful for this.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Day 26: What Service Are You Grateful For?


 I'm grateful for the service of mail delivery.  I'm grateful how, for a very affordable rate, you can send things to anywhere in the country and most places in the world.  

I'm grateful for the memory of air mail letters in elementary school, when we would write to someone overseas, and then when they wrote back.

I'm thankful for the care packages my grandma sent in college, filled with Scotcharoos or puppy chow or other classic Midwestern treats. 

I'm grateful for the thrill that comes when you find, amidst the sea of political ads and bills, a handwritten letter.  I'm thankful for birthday cards and Christmas cards.

I'm grateful that these days, you can get almost anything you need through the mail - groceries, prescriptions, the entire universe of things that Amazon offers.

And I'm thankful to you, mailmen and mailwomen, for making this all happen.

Friday, August 16, 2024

Day 25: Who Do You consider family


I am grateful that I consider my fellow church members to be family.  We attend Dayspring Church, which is a church of about 100 people that meets in South Reno.  Because it's small, people really get to know each other.  Many of my kids' best friends are kids they know from church.  When someone goes through a hard time, we pray for each other, visit each other, send each other cards, and bring each other meals.  When someone goes through a happy time, we celebrate together.  I love the smaller church size and I'm grateful for the common faith that knits us together.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Day 24: Item of Clothing


I am thankful for summer dresses.  I'm thankful for the way they can work for so many things in hot weather - a night out, a casual day around the house, a morning at church, a work afternoon.  I'm thankful that when you wear a dress, you only have to choose one item of clothing, not a matching top and bottom.  I'm thankful that dresses are colorful and fun, and that they cause people to give you more credit than maybe you deserve for making an effort :).  Here's to you, summer dresses.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Day 23: Personality Trait

A personality trait I'm grateful for is my preoccupation with thinking about on one hand, on the other hand - trying to see both sides of the issue in all things.  (I've also learned that this can be extremely annoying to those who spend a lot of time with me and have learned not to verbalize it each and every time it passes through my head :).  It helps me in my job because I can sometimes anticipate what the other side is going to say and be ready to respond.  It sometimes helps me better understand where another person is coming from if they have a different opinion than me.  It helps me see how much beautiful complexity there is in the world.  It does NOT lend itself well to being a die hard, all in, stick with your team no matter what sort of person.  And this is why it's great to have such a diversity of types of people in the world!

Sunday, August 11, 2024

Day 22: Who Helped You During A Trying Time

We are going through a loss in the family right now, so I can just look around and see who's helping me through this trying time.  First, it's beautiful the way the family unit has supported each other.  There's something really powerful about sharing memories, sharing tears, and sharing grief.  Second, it's meaningful the people who hear the news and then respond with more love, memories, and words of support.  I'm grateful for all those who have been supportive and am trying to remember their example as I see others walk through hard times down the road.

Friday, August 9, 2024

Day 21: Little Gesture


Today I'm grateful for the "little gesture" of Kenny often making the coffee first thing in the morning.  Our days are both full to the brim, and while it's not a huge deal to start the coffee, it's such a nice moment when you walk into the kitchen and see there's already a freshly brewed pot sending out the delicious aroma, just waiting to be poured.  It's not even so much the time and energy saved, but the feeling of being loved and cared for that someone else started up the morning.

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Day 20: Teacher

The teacher I'm grateful for today is my high school English teacher, Mrs. Vandervoort.  There are several facets to what I am grateful for about her.

First, she taught us to be technically proficient writers.  She demanded excellence in everything: our sentence structure and word choice, the coherence and organization of our essay as a whole, and the content of the ideas we wrote about.  The amount of feedback she gave in grading each and every essay was miles beyond the norm, and it included both encouragement and constructive criticism.  I was worried when I went to college that I wouldn't be at the same level as my peers, many of whom had attended the fanciest private high schools in the country, but thanks largely to this class, I was completely prepared as a writer for college.

Second, she loved books and taught us to love books as well. I've been a pretty voracious reader ever since elementary school, but she helped introduce us to new authors (Tom Robbins sticks in my mind), and she helped us see new levels of depth and symbolism and beauty in classic works (there was a Hamlet character wheel I particularly remember doing, where we made a visual representation of how a character's strengths and weaknesses can be flip sides of the same character trait). These first two things - learning to read and write well - are the main things you hope an English teacher will provide, and she completely delivered on these.

In reading these first two paragraphs, you might get the impression of a teacher who was strict, by the book, and no fun.  But the defining characteristics of Queen Vee, even more than her rigor, were her wild creativity and her generous kindness.  Two examples of this:

1. The walls of her classroom were covered with aluminum foil, and on this aluminum foil was written the name of every student in every class - except that their name had been turned into a word.  So my name might have been something like "Erinessence" or "Erindipity" - and she did that for each of the 100+ students.  It made you feel special and valued to find your name, while also incorporating a love of words and the sense of the playfulness that you can bring to writing - first you learn the rules, and then you can learn when and how to break them.

2. Every time we turned in a paper, we had a Paper turning in ceremony.  Leading up to this day, we had worked hard - studying a book in detail, writing drafts of the paper, workshopping the drafts with other students in the class, going over it with a fine tooth comb.  She understood that putting all this work into something and then handing it in to be evaluated and judged was stressful.  So on the turn in day, she dimmed the lights and lit candles; played the Beatles' song "Let it Be"; and I think there was a magic wand and crown involved.  She was helping us learn that while there's a time to work your tail off, there's also a time to see that the project is done and release your worries. 

I'm so grateful for this teacher who contained multitudes, and who conveyed these things to her students - caring and warmth, rigor and technical proficiency, fun and creativity, and a love for reading and writing.

Friday, July 26, 2024

Day 19: Book


 The book I'm grateful for is the Psalms.  This book of poetry in the middle of the Bible will meet you wherever you are.  It has songs of rejoicing and Thanksgiving; celebrating how nature testifies to God; remembering the goodness of God.  

But what I've really found comfort in during harder times is how many of the Psalms show you how to come to God with anger, sadness, confusion, and desperation.  It shows that these emotions are an expected part of life, and it guides us how to get through them spiritually.  

I'm so grateful for this book that's been with me through the ups and downs of life.

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Day 18: Moment


I'm grateful for the moment at breakfast when the kids answer their daily "Would you rather?" question. It's so fun to watch their personalities come out as they gravitate towards different answers, or to listen to them reason through different possible scenarios, or to try to find loopholes beyond what was explicitly presented like they're practicing law. It's fun to get to live for a few minutes in the expansive, imaginative mind of kids.  And I'm grateful that even as we have a teenager and almost teenager, they're still willing to humor me and participate in these kind of conversations.

Monday, July 22, 2024

Day 17: Learning Experience


I'm grateful for the learning experience that I didn't know homeschool would be.  As I've mentioned on this blog before, we lean heavily on the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, which means that for many of our subjects, we read aloud together and then discuss.  I'm learning facts about the Middle Ages and human anatomy and physiology; about the people we cover in biographies and the states we studied in geography; and I'm getting to experience along with the kids, new literature that I didn't read myself as a kid.  This is a hugely enjoyable part of homeschool for me, and I'm so grateful for it.

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Day 16: A Hobby that Refreshes You


The hobby that I'm grateful for is running. And for today's post, I'm specifically thankful for the mental health benefits that running provides. Aside from prayer, that's nothing that can clear my head and flip my mood like a good run. If I'm feeling stress or nervous energy or frustration, running provides an outlet in which to funnel all that negativity. If I need to work through a problem or process an emotion, running provides the quiet and space for that, and clears away some of the fog and distraction that otherwise tends to linger around the brain. If I'm feeling sluggish, counterintuitively, going for a run often provides a boost of energy. I'm grateful for the mental and emotional boost I get from running. 

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Day 15: Non-Profit Charity

My legal career seems to gravitate towards non-profit employers, and today, I am grateful for Northern Nevada Legal Aid, and for Legal Aids in general.  My job is to represent abused and neglected kids.  Other lawyers in our group represent other categories of people who are vulnerable and need legal representation, but will not be able to pay for it.  

I am so grateful that in our country, through a combination of public and private funds, we have deemed this a worthy cause to put money towards.  I see every day what difference it can make to provide a free lawyer to a person who is marginalized in society, in a difficult situation, and without a voice within the court system.  Thanks to Legal Aid, and thanks to those who fund it, our clients have someone in their corner who can tell judges what they need and who can file papers on their behalf.  I think we (myself included) take things like this for granted in the United States, but this isn't the case in most times and places in history.  I'm grateful that we live in a time and place that prioritizes funding legal services for the most vulnerable. 

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Day 14: Hometown

I've written multiple times about how much I love Reno and Nebraska, but I don't think I've ever written a gratitude post about my actual birth place, which is Sacramento.  We live just two hours away from Sacramento now, so we've had reason to go there for all sorts of different things - doctor's appointments, concerts, school field trips, a fun day trip - enough that I have ample material to write a gratitude post.

Sacramento is an underrated gem of a city.  It's populated enough to boast big city amenities like nice restaurants, big concerts, and an NBA team.  But it's small enough that it doesn't feel so intimidating to get around.  Traffic is nothing like Southern California.  There are many nice nature spots nearby, not to mention the Sierra Nevadas immediately to the East.  We travel to Sacramento every couple years to enjoy the zoo or a concert, or to attend a medical appointment that's not available in Reno, or just to get more of a big city feel but in a very easy to access way.  I'm grateful for these cities that combine the virtues of big city life and a smaller town, and I'm grateful that Sacramento is available nearby for us to enjoy often.


Thursday, July 11, 2024

Day 13: Season


The season I'm grateful for is summer Olympics season.  As this worldwide athletic competition approaches, I'm so excited for the two weeks that feature the athletic events that rarely appear on TV - field and track, indoor and outdoor volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, and all the others.  I'm grateful that these amazing athletes get to take center stage every four years.  I'm grateful for the beaty of these sports, and the excellence and tenacity and perseverance and spirit of these Olympic athletes. I'm grateful that we get to see people from all over the globe come together.  

I will also add a little post script that I'm grateful for winter Olympics season as well, especially now that we live in Reno and do some winter sports -- but nothing beats the summer Olympics.

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Day 12: Favorite Time of Day

 The time of day I'm most grateful for in the summer is undoubtedly the afterglow.  When the sun has set but it's still a little bit light out, and the sky is changing colors by the minute, all of it looking like a painting that should be featured in an art museum.  The air is cooling, the world is quieter.  Bats might be out gathering insects, fireflies might twinkle.  The stars appear, one by one, slowly and then a whole sky full.  The world feels magical.

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Day 11: Daily Life

 

Today I am grateful for all the daily rituals involved in caring for a pet.  Getting their food and water, letting them outside, giving them pets, and maybe taking them for a walk or administering medicine.  These are things that we often do almost on auto-pilot, and sometimes can feel like a hassle on a busy day, but as I've learned, they are the moments that cause the sharpest pain of missing the pet once it's gone.  These daily acts of caring for a dependent creature, and the corresponding gratitude they often show (at least if it's a dog), are a big part of what forms the bond with your pet over time.  I'm grateful for these little rituals that day by day help us bond with our animals.

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Day 10: Nature

 

Something I love about nature is the prairies of the Midwest.  The entire western half of the United States has big sky, but only the prairies have the uninterrupted, panoramic, as far as the eye can see view of the sky.  It makes for breathtaking sunsets and unbelievable storm viewing.  What the prairies lack in mountains and trees, they make up for in the personality of the wall clouds that roll in.  The vastness of the sky and the rolling fields can make you feel small in the same way as the ocean.  Because the beauty is more subtle, something equally subtle like the twinkling of fireflies and the chirping of crickets is not so easily missed. 

I have a special love for the prairies because I was raised in the Midwest. You get a special sense of place in your childhood - the prairies will always be the geography that feels most like how things are supposed to be in my mind, no matter how many decades I live elsewhere, no matter how much I love and enjoy the mountains.  And we get to go visit them next week!  I'm grateful for the rolling hills of the Midwest.

(The quote in the picture is Willa Cather.  I can also get down with John Muir's "Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.")

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Day 9: A Gift

 

Today, I am grateful for the gift of words.  I don't want to embarrass anyone in particular, so I won't get too specific with this one, but my most treasured gifts from my spouse, from my kids, and from friends, are written words that show that they know me well and value me.  

I'm also grateful when someone goes to the trouble of putting together a scrapbook of memories or a collection of pictures - these are also a favorite kind of gift.  When I have a bad day, these are the kind of gifts that help buffer the storm. 

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Day 8: A Coworker

 Today, I'm grateful that I have a supportive boss and helpful assistants at work.  There are some stressful days and weeks in the life of a lawyer, some times where you need someone to have your back (whether that's helping you work through what to do next, or helping you file something that you submit at the very last minute).  I am lucky to have very competent, kind, supportive people as my co-workers.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Day 7: Social Media Platform

 

Today, I'm grateful for Instagram.  I chose Instagram in part because I've already written extensively about Facebook :).  But I do appreciate things about Insta.  I appreciate how it has photo editing capabilities, so you can show up with your shadowy, weirdly angled picture and edit it into a keeper.  I like how they make it at least a little more difficult for people to take and re-share your information.  I'm grateful for how easily you can add music to pictures and videos.  I'm grateful for funny pug videos.

But most of all, I like their focus on the visual.  I like how this encourages people to share moments of their day, rather than sharing political rants and articles of dubious truth and other things that aren't actually shares about them and their experience in this world.  

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Day 6: Someone You're Grateful For

 

A person I'm grateful for is my sister-in-law, Naomi.  When you date your spouse, you don't necessarily spend a lot of time thinking about all the people that are going to come along with that choice when you get married.  Which is funny, because over the course of a lifetime, you spend a lot of time with this extended family.  I have been really, really blessed across the board with my fantastic in-laws, but have never done a focused post on Naomi.  We joined the Ching family at nearly the same time, marrying the Ching brothers just 2 weeks apart in the spring of 2006, and barely knowing each other as we lived on opposite sides of the country.  

Once I relocated to Reno, I learned that I had hit the sister-in-law jackpot.  Naomi is warm and friendly, interesting and interested, loyal, fun, so smart, and just an overall terrific human being.  We share a love of mountains and reading, we share a common faith, we had kids around the same time, and she's been a super helpful mentor for me in the world of homeschooling.  She's incredibly organized and has a spreadsheet for all occasions, which we like to tease her about, but actually makes everything run much more smoothly.  And for the last four years, she's been the pastor's wife at a church plant that we attend together, and has worked so hard to keep things going behind the scenes.  I'm so grateful for Naomi.  

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Day 5: A TV Show / Movie

 

A movie I'm grateful for is The Princess Bride.  The kids are finally old enough, as a group, that we can start watching some of the movies that were my favorites as a kid.  Some of them hold up better than others.  This one is a great blend of comedy, adventure, fairy tale, and lots of quotable lines.  ("Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" is another banger in this same category.)  This gratitude series seems to be taking on a nostalgic theme - we'll see if it continues :).  I'm grateful for movies that bring back good memories for me, and that I can enjoy all over again with my family.  

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Day 4: A Type of Food

 

Today, I'm grateful for luxurious breakfast foods.  The kind that someone took the time to cook up hot, and that usually people sit around a table together and eat.  The kind that usually means weekends, holidays, special occasions, or camping.  (At least for us - weekdays are throw together something easy, like toast or oatmeal.)  The kind that would usually be called dessert, if you weren't eating it before 10 am.  

My absolute number one pick for luxurious breakfast would be banana chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs with spinach and goat cheese mixed in.  But I'm also grateful for anything else in this delicious category.  

Monday, June 3, 2024

Day 3: An Album

 

An album I'm grateful for is "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette.  This album came out in 1995 and stayed influential through the late 90s - right when I was in high school.

This album is packed with emotion - anger, wistfulness, love, sadness, a whole gamut.  And like with all the best music, you can really feel these emotions through her words and melodies.  It helped me work out the big feelings that come with the teenage years, and to see that music is a great place to turn when you want to work through the ups and downs of emotion.  

Another thing I love about this album is that it's quality songs from start to finish - a rarity always, but more so now than ever in the age of streaming music.  It was so great to put on a CD and listen to and enjoy the whole thing from start to finish.  

Sunday, June 2, 2024

A Place


Today's prompt is:  think about a place you're grateful for.  I'm grateful for trails.  I love the feeling of discovery around every bend.  I love getting to see crazy rocks formations coming out of the top of a mountain and thinking about what geological event happened to make that formation.  I love walking through a desert landscape and seeing a flower appear to break up the brown and sagebrush.  I love waterfalls, big and small.  I love the sounds of birds, wind rustling through trees, babbling brooks.  I love the combination of nature, sunshine, and movement.  I love the type of easy conversation that comes when you hike as a group.  I love the silence of hiking alone.  I love running a trail that you've done a hundred times before and knowing the trees and canyons along the way like friends.  I love nature trails that tell you a new fact every quarter mile or so.  Cheers to trails!

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Day 1: A Happy Memory

I'm starting up another gratitude challenge, and this year I'm going to extend the time parameters from Memorial Day to Labor Day, taking on a couple each week.  As always, I would love it if anyone wants to participate along with me!  I will put the full list at the bottom of this post.




The first day is:  "What is a happy memory you're grateful for?"  This is an easy one.  Since tomorrow is our 18th wedding anniversary, I'm grateful for the memory of our wedding weekend.  Kenny and I got married on May 27, 2006 at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, NE.  Kenny's family and friends are from Reno, and at the time we were going to school in North Carolina, so we had people traveling in from all over the country to join the celebration.  At age 25, I only had the smallest idea of what a special, unusual thing it is to have so many of your loved ones gathered in one place, and what an honor it is that people take the time and trouble to come witness your special event.  I also had only the smallest idea of what a big thing it is that someone promises to be your partner, through better or worse, for the rest of their life.  But I did have lots of love for the funny, smart, handsome, faithful man that I was going to get to call husband.

I was never one to dream about the details of my wedding - thinking about that kind of thing stresses me out.  I was in the middle of my 2nd year of law school and honestly found wedding planning exponentially more stressful than my law school classes.  Fortunately, my mom and sister were super helpful in the planning process.  I wore the same wedding dress my sister wore the year before, used many of her same vendors, and took as much of their advice as I could.  Thanks largely to them, the rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception were just what I hoped they would be.  Lots of laughs, food, good conversation, hugs, and dancing with our favorite people.  A wonderful way to launch into married life.

And I'm grateful to Kenny for putting up with me for all this time, and to God for His provision in our marriage.  Cheers to 18 years!





Thursday, April 25, 2024

Strong and Courageous - How?


This month, my memory verse group (led by my friend Kim, the inspiration for countless blog posts) has been thinking about the verse Joshua 1:9, which says, "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  I absolutely love this verse, and I thought of it often when Joshua was going through all the surgeries and medical stuff.  And this month, it's been an encouragement in a whole new way.  

Whenever I'm going through a transitional time in my life, like I am right now (see previous two posts), there are always moments of fear and discouragement.  Always.  And I don't think I'm alone in this.  It's hard to move out of your comfort zone; it's hard to be the beginner and have to learn new systems and ask questions and look foolish; it's hard to be on the learning curve.  All of us go through these times in life, whether it's a new job, a new city, or a new life stage.  This verse, and some others that relate, are perfect for these transitional times.  

The verse tells us to be strong and courageous rather than frightened and dismayed, but how are we supposed to get this strength and courage?

  • The first answer is right in the verse - "the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  I don't have to look to my own strength to fight fear - I can look to the one who travels with me wherever I go, who faces every discouragement by my side - and who is infinitely more powerful than any of those things.
  • Here is a related verse that takes the concept even farther:  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)  This verse comes from the story where the Israelites have just escaped Egyptian slavery, and the Egyptians are chasing them down, and they run into a dead end at the Red Sea -- but then God parts the Red Sea, lets the Israelites through, and stops the Egyptians in decisive fashion.  Neither the Israelites nor the Egyptians could've possibly imagined this is how the story was going to go.  It's a good reminder that I don't need to know all the details of how my life story is going to play out, and in fact I'm going to be a lot better off if I trust and be still and enjoy the ride.
    •   If I was going to get another tattoo, it would say "Be Still" as a reminder of this verse.  (Either that or matching Celtic tattoos with my sister.)  (But not going to get tattooed.)
  • Another verse that acknowledges how heavy the burdens of fear and discouragement can be, and how God takes those things on for us:  "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)  God never promises us an easy life.  He understands that the burdens life throws at us are heavy.  But He does offer rest in the midst of life's challenges.
  • Finally, a reminder that this piece of the story we're living in is just a tiny sliver of the bigger story:  "Fear not; I am the first and the last." (Revelation 1:17).  God has been there since the beginning, and He will be there in the end.  He is working all the events of history, including all the pieces of our individual lives, towards a larger redemptive story.  Remembering the bigger story helps us relativize any fear or discouragement we're feeling right now as temporal, momentary, passing. 
These are the thoughts I'm having this month on how to be strong and courageous.  As always, would love to hear any further thoughts! 



Sunday, March 24, 2024

Back to Work - How's It Going?

I am about one month into the working life, so I thought I'd write a follow up blog about how things are going.  There are two parts to it - the return to work after such a long break, and the combining homeschool with work - so I'll split it up that way.    

Lawyer hours

What It's Like to Go Back to Work After 13 Years

This has been a mix of all kinds of emotions:

  • The first time back to anything significant feels like jumping in the deep end of a freezing cold pool.  The first time back at court.  The first time drafting a pleading.  Etc.  But then you do it, and you survive, and it's exhilarating to be back at it.
  • There are moments where it feels frustrating to be this far along in life and this early in the career.  Like, I shouldn't be asking the most beginner of questions in the same year where it might be time to get bifocals.   
  • It's satisfying to get back into the legal world - it feels like an important part of my mind is coming back.  I want to be clear here - stay at home parents, and particularly homeschool parents, are using their brains a ton - that could be a whole separate post - but it's not the same type of thinking as legal analysis.  
  • It feels good to be contributing financially to the family, even though Kenny's still taking on the bulk of that responsibility.  

The main thing that's been really different this time v. 13 years ago is how much remote work changes the entire nature of the job.  This job used to be much more social.  I chatted with my colleagues in their offices at least a couple times per day; talked to the other lawyers we go up against before and after court; saw the other people who are part of this work at meetings.  Now, pretty much all of it takes place by Zoom, and the in-between social interaction with people has disappeared.  There are definitely some positives to this, but it's striking what a difference it makes.    

What It's Like to Balance Homeschool and Work

Homeschool hours
The first couple weeks were unbelievably exhausting, but as I settle in, the hours are balancing out about like I hoped they would.  Half the day goes to school and half the day goes to law, and I try to keep it pretty separate.  Occasionally I have to take a work call during school hours, or I might work on the homeschool library list while I'm sitting in the Zoom waiting room for court, but in general it's helpful to keep them as two different worlds.  

Both lawyer and homeschool mom are an identity, and those identities are pretty hilariously different.  How you act, what you do, what it's expected the whole rest of your life is like.  I actually love this part of it, as both sides feel like a piece of who I am, and neither feels like the entire thing.  The things that are stressful in each are different, so one provides relief to the other, going both ways.  And the things that are rewarding in each are different, and the contrast helps bring out the positives.  

The thing that feels hardest is that these are both primary gigs.  They are both my priority.  They are both things where I'm continuing to puzzle about how to do it better or how to fix a particular problem or what I have left undone after the actual "work hours" are over.  On a day to day scheduling basis, law wins - you can't skip court because you have a previously scheduled homeschool group - and luckily, homeschool is flexible enough that it mostly works out fine to flex around the more set law schedule.  But looking at how things have worked out over a whole week, or a whole month - if there's not enough time and energy to get them both done well, then it's not going to be okay to keep doing both.  Thankfully, so far so good.

On good days, I feel so blessed to have this life.  I can't believe that it's worked out that I still get to have this very significant chunk of time with my kids, get to educate them the way I want, get to continue on this path that has worked so well for us.  But still somehow also get to resume life as a lawyer in a significant way and work a job that I really enjoy.  On days where one or both pieces are hard, I feel overwhelmed.  But really, this is not so different from all the other working and / or homeschooling parents out there! 

There are lots of other homeschool parents who work, so I'd be interested to hear from any of you how you what you think about the balance.  And friends who have gone back to work after years of staying at home with young kids - I would love to hear your thoughts on that.  

Friday, February 9, 2024

Back to Work!

Some big news around here:  I will be going back to work for the first time in thirteen years!  Back before we had kids, I never thought I would spend any stretch of time beyond maternity leaves out of the work force.  Life threw us some curves that had me home for a couple years with a medically fragile child.  And then, as we had more babies, it continued to make sense and be my desire to stay home full time - and thirteen years rolled by.  Kenny has worked very hard as the sole income earner all this time, and God has faithfully provided for all our needs.  And now that the kids are older and a good opportunity has presented itself, it seems like the right time for me to join back into the workforce.

I will be working part time as a child advocacy attorney, representing kids who are in the foster care system in their court cases.  This is the same job I had right before I stopped working, and I really like it.  It's one of the very few jobs in the legal world for which I've gained some skills during my time at home - I know a lot more about Early Intervention and IEPs, for example, and I know a lot more about how to interact well with children.  

I have a swirl of emotions as I get back to legal work after such a long time away.  I'm excited to get back to work, excited to do a job that's meaningful to me, and excited that it's available in a way that will work for our family (part time and mostly remote).  I'm nervous, but this is helped greatly by going back to a job I've done before.  And I'm grateful that my employer is giving me this opportunity after such a substantial time gap on the resume.   

I'm working part-time because we are continuing to homeschool all three kids.  I've written blogs about why I like homeschooling here and here.  Homeschooling can be done in about 20 hours a week, and those hours can be very flexible - we'll see whether the students and teacher of this household can also adapt and be flexible - this will be an area of growth for us :).  

I'm hoping these two things will combine well.  I appreciate all prayers and well wishes, as this will be a big transition!  And any tips from remote working homeschooling moms would be great :).  

Monday, January 1, 2024

My Favorite Books of 2023

This is my annual book post!  My tradition is to put pictures of the books I read this year (thanks, Goodreads, for compiling the list), and then post my favorites.  Before I get to the favorites, I always put a few thoughts about my reading life over the last year.  This is probably a little like recipe bloggers who tell a whole story when all you really want to see is the recipe - the good news is, like those blogs, you can just scroll on down to the picks if you so desire! 

The big change in my reading life this year is that I finally, finally picked up the habit of audiobooks.  I've heard people singing their praises for years, but I just didn't think that format would work for me.  The tipping point came this year as my friend Autumn had us swing by the Douglas County Library when we were on an adventure, get a library card, and get the Hoopla app  -- and then, because she had gone to the trouble of


getting me up and running, giving it a serious try with at least one book.  Everyone was right:  audiobooks are an excellent way to get in more reading!  Like with podcasts, you can pop in an earbud while you're doing chores, or put it on the radio when you're driving somewhere, and suddenly you're making it through a bunch more 

pages per week.  I read 91 books this last year - 25 of those were audio.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who kept pushing them!

(Relatedly, here's a hot tip for any northern Nevada audiobook listeners - Douglas County Library will let Reno residents sign up a library card for free and that gives you access to Hoopla; Washoe County Library


has Libby.  The two apps compliment each other well. Hoopla's big strength is that it lets you check out books instantly, and keep renewing as long as you need to - but its selection tends to be more back list titles.  Libby has many of the hot new books, but there is usually a wait list and then a two week 

deadline to get through the book before it's returned.  So Libby might have the books that you want more, but Hoopla will have the books that are always available.  If you get both, you will always be well stocked with good books.)


I'm still training my mind not to wander while listening, and I still get interrupted frequently with the kids home all the time, so not all books work perfectly.  The books that work the best for me are non-fiction and memoirs, where you still get the gist of what they are talking about even if you miss a thread here and there; lighter / page turner type fiction; and long books of any kind, where you might be mired down for months if you read the print version but can fly through more quickly by audio.  Do you like audiobooks?  What kind are your favorite?

And now, here are my favorites of the year:

Favorite fiction:

  • "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin - excellent portrait of friendships over time, new appreciation for the art of video game design.
  • "Birnam Wood" by Eleanor Catton - really enjoyed this eco-thriller set in New Zealand.
  • "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver - a modern day retelling of David Copperfield, set in modern Appalachia.
  • "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese - Multigenerational family saga set in southern India - Verghese covers the important parts of a life so well.  
  • "The Fortnight in September" by R.C. Sherriff - a family in England takes a seaside vacation - this book covers it in fine detail, and from all the characters' perspectives.
  • "Shark Heart" by Emily Habeck - this book was part love story, part reflection on grief - really weird, really good.  

Favorite non-fiction:

  • "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein - compelling case why kids (and adults) should be learning a broad range of skills rather than specializing early.
  • "Invisible Child:  Poverty, Hope, and Survival in an American City" by Andrea Elliott - excellent investigative reporting that follows a family living in poverty in NYC over years and shows their experiences with homeless shelter and the different systems.
  • "Habits of the Household" by Jusin Whitmel Earley - good ideas for how to incorporate regular spiritual habits into busy family life.
  • "A Treatise on Good Works" by Martin Luther - excellent reflection on how faith and good works relate, using the Ten Commandments as a framework.  
  • "How to Stay Married: the Most Insane Love Story Ever Told" - this memoir is not going to be for everyone - it's raw and has lots of dark humor, but is also pervasively Christian (i saw reviewers who disliked it from both angles) - but ultimately hopeful, both in terms of faith and the value of fighting through hard times in marriage.  
  • "The Six Conversations" by Heather Holleman - a great book about becoming a better conversationalist by being interested and asking good questions.

Favorite Middle Grade:

  • "Everything Sad is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri - a memoir about a child whose life goes from prosperous Iranian to refugee living in America - lots of Arabian folk story woven in, also humor, also some very sad parts - shows the experience well.
  • "A Place to Hang the Moon" by Kate Albus - historical fiction book about a group of siblings who were orphaned and grouped with WWII evacuees from London - a good mix of funny, sweet, sad, and ultimately hopeful.
  • "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie - really fun read aloud for both parents and kids.  
  • "The Light Princess" by George MacDonald - funny, well written, beautiful themes.
  • The Wingfeather Series - we made our way through #3 and are in the middle of #4 - this is an excellent series for any children or parents who love books like The Chronicles of Narnia. 

Happy reading, all!  I would love to hear your recommendations!  Would especially love to hear books in any genre that were great on audio!