Welcome to my first recap of post 2023!
As far as reading goes, my goal for this year is to finish 35 books! If you’d like to get more current updates on my reading progress feel free to follow me on goodreads or storygraph.
READING UPDATE
Book #1
A Dogs Journey by W. Bruce Cameron
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.”
I asked my husband for a dog for Christmas. He got me this book instead. Our landlord doesn’t allow pets in our apartment but I still think he could have pulled some strings to make it happen…. haha
All jokes aside, this lighthearted read was much appreciated and came at a good time. After my Pop passed away I came down with a rough bout of sickness, so it was nice to have something easy and entertaining to pass the time and get my mind off things. If you’re not familiar with this series, W. Bruce Cameron chronicles the same dogs journey through various different lives in order to find his humans via reincarnation. As I definitely do not believe in reincarnation, I can only give the book 3/5 stars.
Otherwise, I love the idea of reading a book from a dogs perspective and the author does such an amazing job in getting into the thoughts and emotions of man’s best friend. His monologues will leave you laughing and crying.
My husbands plan was foiled though. This book did not appease my dog fever. It only made it worse!!
Book #2
“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls
“To all families who, despite their scars,
still find a way
to love.”
I read The Glass Castle in about two days (and very long nights).
Needless to say, from the beginning I was completely engrossed and enthralled.
The Glass Castle is the memoir of Jeannette Walls, who grew up in a deeply dysfunctional and yet equally spirited and loyal family. Her Father, who was an alcoholic, kidnapped his children out of the hospital so he wouldn’t have to pay his bills and loaded up his family in the middle of the night when he was behind on rent in the back of a U-Haul. But he was also the Father who gave his children stars for Christmas instead of gifts, instilled in them a deep sense of loyalty and taught them to live with a fearless abandon.
This book reads even better than fiction. Jeannette is a gifted storyteller who writes candidly and humorously about her painful past. Her story was such a prime example to me of the human condition outside of Christ, the struggles people endure and the complexity of family relationships. Jeannette’s father wanted to be more than just a drunk- he wanted to build a “glass castle,” for his family, but he couldn’t control his addiction. Jeanette and her siblings wanted to love and look up to their Dad, especially because he was so charismatic, but it’s difficult to trust someone who’s repeatedly broken yours.
This book reminded me of another memoir I reviewed in a previous blog post called Educated by Tara Westover. It was different however too. Most memoirs about peoples grim pasts and dysfunctional families usually end in broken relationships. On the contrary, in her adulthood, Jeannette learned to accept her parents faults, and even be grateful for her upbringing. At the end of his life, her and her Father reconciled and when he passed, she missed him deeply.
This author isn’t a Christian, and yet it was for that reason her act of forgiveness and reconciliation made such an impact on me. If someone who hasn’t received God’s forgiveness can forgive the ones who’ve hurt them, how dare we who have received it withhold that gift from others?
I would highly recommend the Glass Castle. After finishing it, my husband and I also watched the movie which is based on the book and it left me in tears as well!
WRITING UPDATE
As I mentioned earlier in this post, my January did not go the way I was anticipating due to the loss of my grandfather and getting sick. That being said, my writing definitely took the backburner.
At this point, I have edited the first 5 chapters of my novel. As I have entered tax season at work which now occupies most of my time, I am trying to give myself a little grace as far as my writing goes. My goal for this next month is to edit through chapter 20!
Besides working on my novel, in January I had the opportunity to write a guest blog post for an online journal called By Design. Part editorial magazine, part thematic devotional entries, the journal as a whole serves to stretch women of all ages and walks of life as they discover who God has designed them to be. The post is called “The Worship Song I couldn’t Sing” and you can check it out at this link.
My amazing family also entrusted my Mom and I with the task or writing my Grandfathers obituary after he passed away which you can check out here if you’re interested. It was such an honor to write his legacy and I’ll treasure the memory forever.
What was the first book you read in 2023?
Let me know in the comments!
