what I read in January [from the book pile 2016]

the books my mother mails me and the post-it love notes contained therein

See the Giant List of What I'm Reading in 2016 here. 

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01  Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (Harper Perennial, 2005. 432 pages)

Reading challenge category*:  a book set in Europe (Ireland)

This book has been included on so many of the recommend reading lists I've seen through the years. I kept putting it off because I had it in my head that it would be melodramatic and depressing. In some ways, it is both of those things. Except, somehow, it's also not those things. I think it helps to know that the author and two of his brothers make it through the horrific poverty (of all sorts) of their Irish childhood to make good stories together and to continue loving each other. 

Mr. McCourt is a skilled writer - causing us to both love and agonize over his parents' choices, his home country's bleak era, and his own awkward acceptance of the good and the bad in each. In this way, he is all of us as children - in one way or another. We root for him, and in front of our eyes he grows in wisdom and favor with God (the God of both his Catholic and Protestant forebears) and man.

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02 The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time by David Sloan Wilson (Little, Brown and Company, 2011. 448 pages)

Reading challenge category*:  a book set in your home state (actually set in my hometown of Binghamton!)

This book is not really what I thought it would be, but I found it interesting -- in a scannable sort of way.  I first noticed it because of the lovely cover illustration by Gina & Matt.  I'm also a sucker for any title with the words "neighborhood" and/or "project" in the title.  This had both!  

It was only after that I discovered the book was actually written about my little, beleaguered home town of Binghamton, NY.  Well, now, of course I needed to read this book!

I've discovered that the older I get (and, perhaps, the further away from home), the more I want to understand the complexities of the place generations of my family grew and raised families and founded churches and met disappointment and persevered.  Professor Wilson's noble goal to apply his expertise in evolutionary biology  and research (many of those years at Binghamton University) to address the social conditions of the Triple Cities.  With research grants, an impressive network of colleagues, and "an ambitious scope that spans biology, sociology, religion and economics, The Neighborhood Project is a memoir ... and an exploration of the big questions long pondered by religious sages, philosophers, and storytellers."

I didn't find the book necessarily practical, as the synopsis claims, but heartfelt and intriguing, nonetheless.  Becoming agents of change in the sort of "rust belt" and "tech desert" that is my hometown will take all vocations, and the sort of optimism, enthusiasm, and collaboration that Professor Wilson seems to embody. 

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03  The Emotionally Healthy Woman: Eight Things You Have to Quit to Change Your Life  by Geri Scazzero, with Peter Scazzero (Zondervan, 2013. 226 pages)

Reading challenge category*:  a book recommended by someone you just met 

Approximately a dozen years ago, when Brian and I were poking our heads up from the ground of ministry leadership, we had the privilege of hearing Pastor Pete Scazzero speak at a major church conference.  His story made a major impact on our minds -- if not yet on our youthful idealism. 

The story Pete and Geri Scazzero tell of of both ministry and relational collapse, when it seemed like it would have been easier to quit both, is powerful. (I actually found myself wishing so much that my mom and Geri could have been friends.)  Out of the pain of the church planting burnout in Queens, NY, the Scazzeros sought spiritual, emotional and physical healing within the long story of Christianity.  They learned the wisdom of the disciplines of contemplative prayer, silence and Sabbath from outside their own non-denomination tradition.  In a beautiful redemption, they experienced personal healing which then multiplied throughout their large church family.  Out of these changes and learnings, the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality ministry was born.  

In a fun twist, a mutual friend connected me to Geri Scazzero to discuss a ministry that I've had experience in leading for about ten years.  Imagine my surprise to discover I was giving ministry advice to the wife of the man who'd had such an impact on Brian and me a dozen years ago!  As a result of the conversation, Geri encouraged me to dig into some of the more recent books she and Peter have released.  I started with Emotionally Healthy Woman, and I'm especially grateful for God's timing in this as Brian and I set out to lead a church in the near future.  I highly recommend the book, and hope to go back through again in a study format with a few women this year. 

Brian and I are reading The Emotionally Healthy Leader out loud together, which is turning out to be another gem.  May God strengthen each one of us for the work he's given us to do, and may He bless all those who have persevered -- imperfectly -- in positions of leadership in His Church throughout the ages.

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04  Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic, 1997. 256 pages)

Reading challenge category*:  reading the world: North America

My mother sent me this small novel (along with an innovative, homemade bookmark) because she loves me so well that way.  The Newberry award-winning book could be considered the American version of Angela's Ashes (even note the similar ash/dust theme). Out of the Dust is a "gripping story, written in sparse first-person, free-verse poems, is the compelling tale of Billie Jo's struggle to survive during the dust bowl years of the Depression." I've never read a more vivid description of the infamous dust storms that ravaged the mid and south-western states during the first part of the last century.  And that is only one part of the devastation the young woman must overcome.  But there is light and there is beauty, and somehow, through her eyes, we see light in the darkness of that horrible time in our nation's history. 

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05  A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis (HarperOne, 1961. 112 pages.)

Reading challenge category*: a book you can finish in a day; also read for the Liturgy of Life Reading Group

I'll be posting a separate review for this book soon.  

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* This year, I'm part of two different reading groups made up of friends and sisters. You can find the lists here: Take Our Ultimate Reading Challenge / A Year of Reading the World, & Liturgy of Life reading group. *

Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2015 and previous years.

Here's my Goodreads page. Let's be friends!

What's In the Book Pile for 2016

It's never too late for an old blog to learn new tricks, right?  I humored my love for list-making with a 2016 reading list.  I'm sure the titles will change (maybe even often!), but this gives me a general direction to aim for the coming months.

This year, I'm part of two different reading groups made up of friends and sisters. You can find the lists here: Take Our Ultimate Reading Challenge / A Year of Reading the World, & Liturgy of Life reading group.
Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2015 and previous years.

I've also finally figured out Goodreads, and am slightly addicted! I think I'll be adding my book blurbs there instead of in a monthly post here. Not sure yet. 

Here's my Goodreads page. Let's be friends!

Reading Challenge Group (via Popsugar)

1. A book based on a fairy tale: Phantastes - George Macdonald

2. A National Book Award winner: Between the World and Me - 

Ta-Nehisi Coates

3. A YA bestseller: The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Australia)

4. A book you haven't read since high school: The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom

5. A book set in your home state: The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution To Improve My City, One Block At A Time - David Sloan Wilson

6. A book translated to English: I and Thou - Martin Buber

7. A romance set in the future: Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

8. A book set in Europe: Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt (Europe) 

9. A book under 150 pages: The Whistler - Ondjaki (Author), Richard Bartlett (Translator) (Africa)

10. A New York Times bestseller: All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

11. A book that's becoming a movie this year: Silence - Shusaku Endo (Asia & Liturgy of Life)

12. A book recommended by someone you just met: The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team and the World - Peter Scazzero; The Emotionally Healthy Woman: Eight Things You Have to Quit to Change Your Life - Geri Scazzero with Peter Scazzero; Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible To Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero

13. A self-improvement book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life - Barbara Kingsolver (Liturgy of Life)

14. A book you can finish in a day: A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis (Liturgy of Life)

15. A book written by a celebrity: Along the Way: The Journey of A Father and Son by Martin Sheen & Emilio Estevez

16. A political memoir: Strength to Love - Martin Luther King, Jr

17. A book at least 100 years older than you: The Consolation of Philosophy - Ancius Boethiusv (Europe)

18. A book that's more than 600 pages: The Brothers Karamazov- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

19. A book from Oprah's Book Club: Jewel: A Novel - Bret Lott

20. A science-fiction novel: Children of God - Mary Doria Russell

21. A book recommended by a family member: The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

22. A graphic novel: The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi 

23. A book that is published in 2016: Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering - Makoto Fujimura

24. A book with a protagonist who has your occupation: Let Us Keep the Feast: Living the Church Year at Home - Jessica Snell (Liturgy of Life)

25. A book that takes place during Summer: A Month in the Country - J.L. Carr

26. A book and its prequel: The Chronicles of Narnia

27. A murder mystery: Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike novels) - Robert Galbraith

28. A book written by a comedian: The Joker: a Memoir - Andrew Hudgins

29. A dystopian novel: Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

30. A book with a blue cover: Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More - Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist - Karen Swallow Prior

31. A book of poetry: Idiot Psalms: New Poems - Scott Cairns

32. The first book you see in a bookstore: TBD!

33. A classic from the 20th century: The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis (Liturgy of Life)

34. A book from the library: Monday, Monday - Elizabeth Crook

35. An autobiography: Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir In Books - Azar Nafisi (Asia)

36. A book about a road trip: The Alchemist - Paolo Coelho (South America)

37. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: Fools Crow - James Welch

38. A satirical book: Wise Blood - Flannery O'Connor

39. A book that takes place on an island: Back Channel: a Novel - Stephen L. Carter

40. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy: TBD!

Liturgy of Life Reading Group:

1.  January 17th - February 13th: A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis

2.  February 17th - 24th & April 3rd - May 28th: The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis

3.  May 29th - July 2nd: Silence - Shusaku Endo

4.  July 3rd - November 18th: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life - Barbara Kingsolver

5.  February 28th - March 2nd & November 20th - December 15th: Let Us Keep the Feast - Jessica Snell



Ministry, Church, Theology, Spiritual Practice, Anglicanism, Mission list:

1. Considering for Lent: Discovering Our Spiritual Identity: Practices For God's Beloved - Trevor Hudson

2.  Figured I should read, considering my blog title: Sacramental Life: Spiritual Formation Through the Book of Common Prayer - David A. DeSilva

3.  Because my friend Phaedra recommended it: Monk Habits For Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality For Protestants - Dennis Okholm

4. Because I keep hoping to do this in a more formal way: Crafting A Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way - Stephen A. Macchia, Mark Buchanan

5.  Because I love books about books + I love Eugene Peterson: Take and Read: Spiritual Reading -- An Annotated List 

6.  Because I keep hoping to be a better Sabbath-practicer: Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight - Norman Wirzba

7. Because I have so much more to learn & pretty soon I'll be an Anglican priest's wife: The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography - Alan Jacobs

8. Because everything about this title inspires me: Creating A Spiritual Legacy: How to Share Your Stories, Values and Wisdom - Daniel Taylor

9. Because, Sabbath: The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath - Mark Buchanan

10. Because I need to understand this more fully: Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper - Brant Pitre, Scott Hahn 

11. Reading with our group of healing ministry leaders: A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World - Paul E. Miller

12. For several important reasons: The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society - Henri Nouwen 

Leftover To-Read Stack from 2015: 

1.  Death Comes For the Archbishop - Willa Cather

2.  Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More - Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist - Karen Swallow Prior

3.  The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present - Phillip Lopate

4.  Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within - Natalie Goldberg

5.  Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead - Brene Brown

.....

Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2015 and previous years.

What are you reading right now?

What I'm Into Lately (January 2016 edition)

We started the month in full twirl with wedding, family and holiday festivities.  We ended the month at a quiet retreat center.  Seems fitting.  And, I think, now I'm finally ready to get started with 2016!  

Here are some other things I've been into lately...

• The "sneak preview" of Alex & Rebekah's wedding photos.
• As many year-in-review photo essays as possible.
• Author Leif Enger's breathtaking IG feed
• This silk-screen poster from Betony Coons.
• The unique and meaningful photos shared by the WALKING EPIPHANY guest posting friends.
• Epiphany daybook 2016 visual art

[photo credits]  

Although, it wasn't January yet, I should mention that we made a Christmas Day family trip to Alamo Drafthouse to see the new Star Wars flick (in 3D).  From what I could tell, it was very good. (The rest of my family are the true fans -- some more rabid than others.)  Also, it was late in the day, and I hadn't had my traditional Christmas Day nap. Please, please don't tell the world that I fell asleep.  This, in no way, reflects on the quality of the movie.

The biggest viewing event this month was our Making A Murderer binge (along with the rest of the country, apparently). I have no words that haven't already been shouted in all-caps across social media.  Had you been near our house during the hours we were watching you might have seen a neon blue streak shooting out of the walls.  (My daughter told our son "I've never heard Mom curse like that before.")  Well, some things are, indeed, curs-ed.  

We tried to settle down after the final episode by scrolling through the @makingamurderermemes IG page.  I was inspired to create my own (which my kids tell me is lacking in some key meme-ish qualities, but it made ME feel better.)

Other than that, I've half-heartedly followed the final season of Downton Abbey.  I really wish we'd been given more scenes of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes' wedding, don't you? Also, if Mary and Edith can even one time treat each other like loving sisters, I will admit to liking the show. 

I've decided that if a cooking show could reflect a personality, than Brian's would be Chopped and mine would be The Great British Baking Show .  We spent an afternoon watching and drooling over breads and cakes and dreamy British pastures. I can't bake a lick, mind you.  

We spent another evening catching up on some great Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee episodes (especially enjoyed Jerry Seinfeld's conversation with new Daily Show host Trevor Noah). 

I spent a bit of my wedding recuperation time watching old favorites: Babette's Feast, Once, and -- I'll admit it if you promise to tell NO ONE -- The Notebook. (The latter prompted a long conversation with Brian and Natalie about what to do with us when we die -- which, of course, will be in each other's arms.)

I may be the last person on earth to really get YouTube.  I mean I'm finally understanding that if you happen upon a video you really, really like YouTube will kindly give you lots and lots more suggestions of other videos you  might like. This is what happened when I watched James Cordon's Carpool Karaoke with Adele, and then watched every single one of his sweet karaoke sessions. (favorites after Adele: One Direction & Stevie Wonder, which includes the sweetest of moments when Stevie Wonder sings to James' wife over speaker phone).  

Discovering the magical powers of YouTube kept me company during a 24-hour bout with food poisoning and I watched every possible clip of Ellen interviewing adorable kids.  Seriously cute kids.  

This year, I'm part of two different reading groups made up of friends and sisters. You can find the lists here:  Take Our Ultimate Reading Challenge / A Year of Reading the World, & Liturgy of Life reading group. 

Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2015 and previous years.

Here's my reading list for 2016 .  I've also finally figured out Goodreads, and am slightly addicted! I think I'll be adding my book blurbs there instead of in a monthly post here.  Not sure yet.  Here's my Goodreads page, though.  Let's be friends!

Audio streaming anything makes the daily mundane of my life better:  albums, playlists, podcasts, sermons, live concerts, your kids saying cute stuff on Facebook. On rare occasions (rarer than I'd like) the sound comes alive in a concert or house show or public reading. 

Here's some of what I heard and enjoyed in the past few months.

• Forever Young, Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit (live), Nina Simone

• Grammy Awards 2016 playlist on Spotify

• Brian's carpool karaoke cover of Imagine Dragons covering Taylor Swift's Blank Space (& a bit of Stand By Me)

• The song Kendra wrote for our 25th Wedding Anniversary gift

• Reasonable Doubt: Update: In light of the Making A Murderer documentary, Radiolab re-aired and updated the 2013 episode when they reported out the story of Penny Beerntsen, the rape victim, and the wrongful judgement against Steve Avery.  The interview with the documentary directors is especially enlightening.

• On Being with Martin Sheen & Spirituality of Imagination - fascinating and delightful (did you know that Martin Sheen has been arrested more than 60 times in vigils and protests or that he made some specific requests of Aaron Sorkin for the religious leanings of President Bartlett?)

ePantry | I learned about a this automatic delivery service for earth-friendly household products from my friend Tsh at Art of Simple.  I got in on a crazy-good introductory offer in January that gave me a whole bunch of free Mrs. Meyers' products (which we can't help but love). Not sure how I'll use the service moving forward, but sure did love getting that delivery to make my house sparkle and smell good in 2016!  

(Spiked) Cranberry Mulled Cider | We used this favorite recipe (via Tiger In A Jar) over and over again through the holidays.  With more adults than minors in the family now, we tried giving a little bourbon kick to the mix this year.  As you might imagine, it was a huge hit.  So much so, that we used the same recipe for the cocktail hour at the wedding.  This recipe will join the few family legacy recipes we've gathered in our 25 years.   

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sliders | We first made this for Kendra's graduation party and it remains our go-to for feeding a crowd -- like our family reunion / NYE party.  I like eating the chicken on a bed of lettuce, but small slider buns (like these) are great for everyone. 

FoodHeads Cafe on W. 34th St. | WIt wasn't our first time to enjoy this place, but it was our first time to hire them as caterers (as well as renting the venue). Now I can't stop raving about our son and daughter-in-law's rehearsal dinner.  Highly recommend!  

Ranch 616  on Nueces & W. 7th | A sweet mid-week ladies' lunch with my co-workers.  Fun ambiance + really yummy food + reasonable prices + a new to-to for work lunches (or anytime, really).  I ordered the Chili Lime Grilled Tiger Shrimp and Parmesan Truffle fries with dipping sauce.  My mouth is watering now just thinking about it! 

• Toured South Congress & Community First! Village with a bunch of sweethearts.
• Road tripped to Houston to hug the newlyweds.
• Hiked deep in the heart of Texas (and ran back most of the way to beat the sun!)

• 30 members of my family + 200 wedding guests
• my sisters (!!!)
• the Christ Church pastors, staff and spouses for an evening of Epiphany feasting
• the newly-formed Christ Church choir (& having a blast!)
• a small band of retreatants, praying and learning together how to befriend those in crisis
• a slow-cooking Saturday dinner party (complete with 2 cutie pies!)

(top posts in January)

Epiphany, week 2: of bridegrooms, good wine & better things to come |  My Epiphany daybook for these 5 weeks of witness. Join me, won't you? (Read here for a brief description of the liturgical season of Epiphany. See previous Epiphany daybook 2015 posts here)

WALKING EPIPHANY in the Rio Grande valley: neighborhood notes from Erica Jarrett | I'd been counting down the days to re-start one of my favorite blog series of the year.  In the WALKING EPIPHANY guest post series I invite friends from near and far to respond to some thoughtful prompts about neighborhood and community with photos and captions of their own neighborhoods. My new friend Erica Jarrett kicked off the series sharing the light of Christ she lives and sees in her neighborhood at the border of Texas and Mexico. And it is a beautiful light indeed.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} in a season of abundant celebrations | Otherwise known as a Series of Fortunate Events.

The gift I finally have permission to share with you | Like every musician I know, Kendra was hesitant for us to share her song publicly. I think we all understand that phone video is not the most conducive quality to translate beautiful music. I think it was worth the risk, and you find this beautiful anyway. 

What were you into in January?

Linking up with Leigh Kramer to share what I’ve been into lately.