What I'm reading and listening to | January 2020
Last year, I made a running list of what I read (though I fell off the wagon toward the end of 2019).
The problem with that method is that you end up with one REALLY LONG and bulky page, so I thought this year, I'd break it down by month instead.
And I'll include how I access all of these items, since this is a frugal blog, and that extends to entertainment as well. 😉
What I Read
Lost Connections
(free: library book)
I put this book on hold after seeing an interesting article by the author, and I gotta say, the book was as fascinating as the article.
It's really meticulously researched and documented (the notes section at the back is enormous), and if you are interested in the topics of depression and anxiety, I think it's a worthwhile read.
Burnout
(free: library book)
This is a book specifically written for women, since the authors posit that women experience stress differently than men, mainly for cultural reasons.
I didn't agree with everything in the book (when do I?), but I thought the list of ways to "complete the stress cycle" was really helpful.
(Completing the stress cycle is basically a way of letting your body know that you are ok; helping it to wind down from stress.)
The top recommendation was exercise!
And that's followed by
- breathing (slowly)
- positive social interaction
- laughter
- affection (either with people or animals)
- a big ol' cry
- creative expression
I was struck by the fact that both Lost Connections and Burnout were talking about how human interaction and emotional/physical connection are key to our mental health.
And both of the books also talked about how having a higher purpose in life is helpful, as is being able to make meaning of our suffering.
All of those things resonated with me as tenets of my Christian faith. Following God is my higher purpose in life, the Bible encourages close fellowship with other people, and my theology gives meaning to my suffering.
Anyway, it was interesting to see two secular authors encouraging me to do what the Bible tells me to do!
A Shelter in the Time of Storm
(purchased, because the library has exactly one Paul Tripp book!)
Mr. FG and I read a devotional together most mornings, and this is our current read. It's a collection of 52 essays based on Psalm 27, and we've found them to be encouraging and helpful.
For Christians, this is a good tool to help make meaning of suffering, as I mentioned in the review above.
What I Listened To
Floodplain by Sara Groves
(I listen to this one on Spotify, but it's also included in Amazon Prime memberships.)
This is my most played album on Spotify at the moment. I especially like the tracks "Enough", "I've Been Here Before", and, "Your Reality".
Spotify has a whole separate Floodplain commentary album where Sara explains the meaning behind all of the album songs. It's like the modern version of liner notes from the days of CDs!
The Dream
(free to listen to on most any podcasting platform)
This podcast is so, so fascinating. I listened to the entire first season + the bonus episodes + every current season episode over the course of a single week.
I couldn't stop listening and I also couldn't stop talking about it.
Mr. FG and the girls might as well have listened to the podcast by now since I blathered on so much about it. Heh.
The first season and the bonus episodes are all about the multi-level marketing industry, and the second season is about the wellness industry.
Fair warning: there is a little bit of language in a few episodes. I didn't find it to be an overwhelming amount, but I just wanted you to know.
I've been reading The Way We Eat Now by Bee Wilson. I found her through her book First Bite, which I loved. I don't love this book quite as much, but I still like it. If you're a nerd about food and eating, I highly recommend her stuff.
I really enjoy your blog and read in Feedly every day. I love these recommendations and can’t wait to pick them up! I’m diving into the podcast tonight!
I really liked Lost Connections, too. My only issue was when he only talked about religion for like 3 sentences. He basically said that since he's atheist it wasn't worth exploring. Yet he opened his mind to a zillion other things. I thought it hurt the book closing off the God=happiness subject. But like I said, I did the the book was great and had a lot of good info.
Reading: Unseen by Sara Hagerty-a book about the beauty of being known by God and how that is more deeply satisfying than being seen by the people around us. I've appreciated it these months when most of my time is sitting in waiting rooms and negotiating with providers and insurance to get my children the care they need.
Listening to:
-Red Sea Road by Ellie Holcomb--first heard at the funeral of a friend last week, and has become my prayer (of sorts) for his surviving wife and young children
-Risen Indeed by Andrew Peterson
-His Heart Beats by Andrew Peterson--both Peterson songs are full of the Hope and joy that I cling to when life doesn't make sense.
-Unbinding the Bible- a podcast that encourages listeners to be aware and evaluate their assumptions and presuppositions as they look at the Bible so that they don't cloud truth of Scirpture. I'm constantly mulling his thoughts long after hearing them.
I love Andrew Peterson too! His "Always Good" song is my fave. https://kristenprompted.com/a-song-that-makes-you-cry/
The Dream podcast was so fascinating. I have talked about it to family/friends a lot, too 🙂 Even though I do not support the idea of MLMs (mostly because they prey on women/mothers and give them a false hope of a “career”), I think the reporter of the podcast already had an agenda going into it and wasn’t always as empathetic as she could have been. The reality is that many of these women are only exposed to certain types of jobs available to them and rather than acknowledge that as a problem, she mostly looked down on them (not ok!)
Also, I really enjoy reading your blog! You’re a great writer and I love reading about your perspective on life. Thank you for doing what you do!
Thank you so much for the encouragement!
Oh, she definitely had an agenda. I suppose most people would, going into a topic this controversial. And she is definitely a person who does not shy away from expressing her opinions.
I did give her points for acknowledging the good role that the parties and such played in her small town childhood community, and how much fun people had at them.
That said, I also agree with your point that if you are going to point fingers at MLMs, the finger pointing goes at the people who start the MLMs. People who got sucked into that airplane game or other things profiled on the show do definitely deserve mercy and empathy. And man, those women profiled at that Limelight convention...all of them seemed like they were trying to make money with Limelight for completely understandable reasons, and I felt sad that Limelight seemed to be knowingly deceiving them. One of the hosts got choked up talking about that part and I completely understood why.
You mentioning this podcast got me started on it, Kristen, and I've been binge-listening for the last four days. And yes, my poor husband who has to listen to my mental processing - haha! I've gotten through the MLM series except for the last bonus episode. Thought provoking to say the least! I've never been a part of an MLM or even bought much from those who are, so I had never considered the thousands of people who LOSE money trying to make money through them!
I laughed out loud when her team attempted to use Gothard making a two sentence statement about a Bible verse to parallel a cult leader talking about how good it was to have a plan. While they have a point about people with charisma creating followings (whether an MLM or a cult or a church), I thought they could have used different sound bites to illustrate their point.
Now I'm curious to hit the next "season"! Thanks for the braincandy suggestion!
Since I've been working at a school, I browse through the (tiny) library and pick out a book to read on my lunch break. Thus, I've been reading a lot of juvenile fiction lately. My favorites so far are a loose trilogy of books by Lois Lowry. They're loosely related, although they don't all follow the same characters the same way. They start with "The Giver," which was the only one I had heard of and I had never read, and then there's "Gathering Blue," and "Messenger." They really are astonishing books. Sort of hard to explain, but absolutely original, well-written, and very thought-provoking. Definitely going to have my children read them when they're old enough. I think probably teen years is about right.
I have heard so many good things about "The Giver" and yet I have never read it. And this despite my own children reading it!
This needs to be rectified.
Yes. It does. Lois Lowry wrote two books that also go with The Giver.
1. If you like historical mysteries, the Tudor era series by C.J. Sansom are superb. The writing is dense, in the best sense of vocabulary and sentence structure being meaty.
2. I never miss an opportunity to push a young adult book called The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. It is superb on so many levels---painlessly teaching WWII history, how life was in the 1940s in Britain, how abuse in childhood twists a personality, and how the love of just one person can teach you the language of love that you did not know existed and are afraid is weakness when you are first exposed to it. There is a sequel called The War I Finally Won. Although it is good, the War That Saved My Life is better. Ages 14 and up. I read it aloud to my husband when we were driving across the US and he loved it, too.
3. No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder is tough going non-fiction but worth the effort. I have worked with many families impacted by domestic violence, and attended many trainings, but I learned a ton of new information about why victims don't leave, and some startling information about the physical effects of certain types of abuse. For example, when women are choked to the point of nearly passing out, the small veins in the brain can rupture and cause brain damage that is not visible but can lead to decreased intellectual abilities and a marked change in executive functions such as planning. If it happens often enough, the woman may eventually lack the capacity to evaluate danger or make plans to get away...or be employed and able to function independently if they do get away.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to perhaps add to the fan base of these writers!
I really enjoyed "The War That Saved My Life." I actually just read it last month and am now encouraging my book club to read it also.
I liked the sequel also. The message of internal resilience despite overwhelming hardships spoke to me strongly. It was done in a highly readable format, which often is not the case with books of this type.
Also, don't judge the book by the cover! It is seriously a nightmare!!!
I love the War that Saved my Life and it's sequel!
Another great series to read is the series by Richard Peck that starts with "A Long Way From Chicago" (Newbery Honor) followed by "A Year down Yonder" (Newbery Medal) and one other one. So good.
I recently found a copy of The Canterbury Tales in a thrift shop and am giving it a go. I studied it in college, but that was 30 plus years ago! I'm thinking I will make my own notes in the margins of this book - synopsis of what I read. Its a classic and amusing.
Hi all,
Like the addition of the book source. Books are frugal entertainment!
I just finished a wonderful book called Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah. It is the story of a young woman getting back to the business of life after a life threatening illness and a smart young girl with a mysterious/troubled past.
I also regularly listen to Anne Bogel’s podcast, “What Should I Read Next.”
Wonderful book suggestions!
I'm sure it's been asked but do you track you books on Goodreads? They have a yearly reading challenge each year that I always enjoy participating in. I also love seeing what my friends are reading, it leads to me picking up books I normally wouldn't.
What I'm reading:
Fish In a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt - I read this with my nine year old son. It's about a little girl with a learning disability and her struggles in school. It does have a happy ending and has sparked some empathetic discussions with my little guy. It was given to him by his best friend's mom because his best friend has some learning disabilities that my son didn't quite understand.
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo - Reading this one with my son right now. She's favorite author for both of us and the fact that she's local to us makes it even more fun.
The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurardottir - She's a favorite author of mine but I am struggling with this book. I'm so far along that I will finish but I'm just not connecting this time around.
What I'm listening to:
Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness and The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena - both were books on my reading list that I downloaded the audio book for. I didn't love either of them but they did make the commute to work better.
Bad Batch - Wondery puts out some good podcasts that always have a good story behind them.
Sawbones - one of my all time favorite podcasts, just playing catch up after audio books.
May I recommend the podcast of a friend of mine, Kate Hanley? She is very uplifting and positive.
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/soundadvice/how-to-be-a-better-person-with-kate-hanley
To go with the first two books I suggest:
Digital minimalism by Cal Newport
He talks about relationships and anxiety and a whole bunch of other stuff on why we should choose tech that adds value to our lives.
Ooh yes, I listened to that one this summer and I thought it was really good!
I have been listening to:
Conan O Brien needs a friend. I only listen to the best of ones....they have adult language so I only listen when alone or walking the dog.
I also liked the PODCAST: Scattered I learned a lot about Cuba!