I don't know how we're already into February, but here we are! I am belatedly linking up with An Open Book to share about the books that I started off the year with. I thoroughly enjoyed the books I read, and I'm excited to see what I pick up in the coming months!
I always enjoy taking time to reflect back on the previous year and think about the books that I read and the writing projects that I worked on. Not only do I love looking back at what I read during the various events of the year, but when I look back at my writing life, I often see that I accomplished quite a bit throughout the year.
(When life is overwhelming and I'm tempted to think that "I'll never get this project done or have time to write again," I remind myself that when I do my annual writing review, I'll be able to see that somehow, the writing happens.)
Without further ado, let's dive in!
Happy New Year! I'm linking up with An Open Book to share about the books that I read at the end of 2025. Last month, I read three books, all very different and fascinating. Let's dive in!
Happy Feast of St. Francis Xavier! With a new month beginning, it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about what I read last month. November was a bit of a handful in many aspects of my life, so I only read three books-but they were all quite different from each other and very enjoyable. Let's dive in!
Another month is here (how is it already November???) and I am so excited to share about the books I read last month. I wound up reading way more than I anticipated and it was a fabulous mix of fiction and nonfiction, books geared towards adults and those geared towards children. As always, I'm linking up with An Open Book-make sure to check that out for even more book recommendations!
I grinned as an elderly woman spread an array of food across the round table: a platter of gochujang-spiced tteokbokki, a plate of crispy egg rolls, and little plates with kimchi, sweetened potatoes, crispy Korean coleslaw, and little pieces of fish cake. Steaming silver bowls of rice stood tall and proud in the sea of little white plates, and large platters of thinly sliced beef, pork, and chicken soon joined them. I passed my plastic mug around the table, sharing sips of a simple soup, crafted from wakame seaweed, fresh mushrooms, and hot water.
This meal, this spontaneous Saturday evening feast at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, offered a visual representation of how I approach literature.
People often comment about the number of books I read, and I struggle to express my reading habits in a succinct manner. I often mention that well, I read lots of genres, or I really just love to read, and let the conversation rest with those points. However, as I mull over my approach to reading, I realize that the answer goes beyond these statements.
Over the years, my literary diet has become similar to the Korean dinner I recently enjoyed with my husband and children: a feast of flavors and textures, both nourishing and adventurous.
I am finally coming up for air after a whirlwind of a September, and I'm excited to link up with An Open Book to share about the books that I read over the month! I read way more than I anticipated, so I'm going to do a rapid-fire recap. Onto the books!
There's a statue in downtown Oklahoma City that countless people walk by each year.
Aptly titled And Jesus Wept, this statue depicts the grief of Jesus that we read about in Scripture (see Jn 11:35). Placed across the street from the Oklahoma City National Memorial, this statue reminds us that Jesus knows what it means to grieve. He is with us in our pain, and he mourns as we mourn. We remember the 168 people who were killed in the April 1995 bombing and the countless other people whose lives were upended by this act of violence. When we look at this statue, we remember that in our grief and pain, Christ is present and full of love and compassion; he suffers with us.
August flew by, and it was a really fun reading month. I'm linking up with An Open Book to share what I read. There were some children's books, a historical fiction novel for adults, and I also finished a couple of nonfiction books that I had been working on for a while. Let's dive in!
Happy Feast of the Transfiguration! I'm linking up with An Open Book to discuss what I read last month; it was a fun mix of fiction and nonfiction. Let's dive in!
