Simplicity, small pleasures, and pretty book covers
A deeply intentional month
Welcome to Monthly Wrap, where I share three books I loved last month, three books Iām looking forward to, and three good things.
I got out of bed, opened the window shades a few mornings ago, and was taken aback by the view. It had snowed another few inches overnight and everything was covered in a fresh blanket of white. The sun was peeking over the trees, giving the sky a pastel cotton candy hue.
It struck me because it's been a hard month. The news is terrible, the weather is cold, and the mood can be quite blue; the collective feeling is that January lasts three times as long as a regular month. But seeing this sunrise reminded me of the small pleasures and the little pockets of happiness I've sought this month.
January was quiet. We spent a lot of time at home. I crocheted, I read books, and we went on cold walks at the beach. I felt bored and sad some days. I felt inspired and motivated others.
As I wrote this Monthly Wrap, it struck me that I was sharing many of the same things I usually do and thought, "This is so much of the same old, same old." But then I thought, "Actually, look how much I leaned into the things I love this month!" So, I hope you were able to do that, too, this month or moving forward.
Now, onto the books...
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Chemistry by Weike Wang. I already raved about Wang's latest novel, and that inspired me to dive into her backlist titles. This is her debut and I loved that she writes about many of the same themes in her books. She's funny, subtle, and tender all at the same time. Her work reminds me a lot of another favorite, Sloane Crosley.
You Have a Friend in 10A by Maggie Shipstead. I couldn't have asked for a better start to my year of short stories than with this collection from a perennial favorite. This collection reminded me that Shipstead is truly capable of writing across so many genres and styles and doing it well.
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. I can already tell that I'm in my Maeve Binchy era. I plowed through two of her 600+ page novels last month and am eager to dive into more. I find her writing lovely and soothing, and her stories completely engrossing, which was needed last month.
You can see more of my thoughts about these books and everything else I read in January here:
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (out now) because I loved Wilkerson's debut in 2022. She writes fantastic, sweeping family sagas, and this one sounds like it will be precisely that. (I was very tempted to buy the UK version; that cover!)
Show Donāt Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (out 2/25) because Sittenfeld is a favorite author of mine and I love seeing what a talented novelist does within a short story collection.
The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker (out 2/25) because Walker's novels have an otherworldly, dreamy quality to them. If you haven't read her first two novels, I highly recommend checking them out while waiting for this one to hit shelves.
Crochet. As we all know, having high-quality leisure activities helps replace time spent on our phones. And I was determined to be intentional about my high-quality leisure activities this past month. In addition to rebuilding my reading routine I dedicated about 30 minutes daily to crocheting and was so happy to get back into it. I made a baby blanket for a friend's new baby, started working on these mittens, and have this cowl queued up next. I placed my first order for hand-dyed yarn and am so excited about the color palette I chose for this project.
Photography class. I enrolled in a six-week photography workshop this winter and the first class met last week. After three years of focusing so heavily on the business side of things while launching and running my own business, I wanted to dedicate some time to the creative side of my photography practice this winter. I've felt a bit on autopilot with my photography practice and wanted to feel the spark of excitement again with using my camera to explore and document. Even after just one class I already feel the spark of creativity and inspiration growing. I can't wait to explore more in the coming weeks.
Less shopping. After the frenzy of the holiday shopping season it has felt so good to be deeply intentional about shopping this month. I haven't committed to any official low-buy practices but I've spent time reviewing our finances and recommitting to a budget (I've been using this tool and love it!). I've followed a simple rule for shopping: wait 48 hours before purchasing anything online. If I'm considering buying something, I add it to a bookmark folder. 95% of the time, I delete that bookmark 48 hours later instead of pressing "add to cart."
Until next time,
From Februarys past:
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I adore Karen Thompson Walker. I recently finished The Strange Case of Jane O. It was totally bizarre, and I had to sit with my feelings about it for a while but I absolutely loved it. Sheās scheduled to be featured on Sarahās Bookshelves Live podcast on March 5th!
After reading Jane O. last month, I will definitely be picking up more of Walker's work. I think I have a copy of The Dreamers somewhere around the house.