I love a good calendar. I live and die by the digital calendar on my phone. Go to a dental or eye appointment with my kids and set up a follow-up for a year out? It's already in my phone for next year. I've often said, "If it's not in my calendar, it's not happening. It doesn't exist." But recently, I realized that digital-only may not be cutting it for some of my family members, including the Hubs. And so he got a paper planner, which comes back to me at the end of the month to fill out with important family events for the coming month (and beyond), while he adds his own notes about projects and work, which can now fit in with everything going on with the family. Win!
Additionally, I picked up two wall calendars (April 2025-June 2026) on clearance and got back into my pencil and color-coded ways (every child was assigned a color nine years ago, and it's never changed!), so everyone, at a glance, can see what's happening over the next 30+ days. While some of my kids roll their eyes at me and my calendar-love, it keeps me from answering the same questions over and over again, or missing an event that someone mentioned once. And just like my digital version, if it's not on the paper calendar...it's not happening.
Which made me stop and think...perhaps I should schedule in reading time for Mom. Time in the day when I give myself permission to sit for 30-minutes and read on my Kindle or from the ever-increasing stack of books next to the bed. Because, just like with everything else, if it's not on the calendar, it often fails to happen. And while I'm all for flexibility, with four teenagers at home, we went from 0-60 MPH in the blink of an eye - as my calendar can testify, and I'm beginning to realize that if I don't make official "room" for things like reading or cleaning out or journaling, there will always be something else to eat up that time. So this month I tried something new, and I scheduled in reading time. Results below. 😏
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| Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash |
- The Miracle of Dunkirk by Walter Lord - ★★★★ I borrowed this book from Amazon Prime back in 2018, and it has taken me until 2025 to finally get around to reading it! I thought I knew about the "miracle" of Dunkirk, but what I learned from reading this was just how hectic it was, and what struck me the most was how many men who were saved from the Dunkirk shores...were lost on the crossing when ships were sunk. The numbers are truly staggering. And sobering. War is not a happy read, and yet we read so that we do not forget this fact. This is a well-written historically accurate account of the events which took place over nine days in May and June of 1940. If you don't love history, you might find it a bit dry in places, but if you are at all interested in unique historical events, especially involving the WWII era, I would recommend giving this a go. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
- These High Green Hills by Jan Karon - ★★★★★ This was at least my fourth time through this book, but I knew I wanted to lose myself in something familiar, something comforting and cozy, to help kick me back into the reading habit. As it happens, I finished this book and The Miracle of Dunkirk the same weekend, so it must have worked. As always, a visit with the (now married) Father Tim is always balm when the world seems to have gone nuts. I made the mistake of popping onto IG the day after Charlie Kirk was murdered, and the comments and posts from my friends on both the left and the right were enough to make me want to close my account and never look back. But rather than do that, I took a "trip" to Mitford, sat in a cave with Tim and Cynthia, laughed at J.C.'s attempts to woo the new female cop in Mitford, and rejoiced when Luella and Miss Patty moved into the new Hope House (for the elderly). The world is sad, but Mitford reminds me of what it once felt like (when there was more optimism than realism). Five stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
- The Cornish Wedding Murder by Fiona Leitch - ★★ I got this as a cheap Kindle book, and I read it in three days, so it was clearly something I could enjoy, but it's not great literature. The awkward drama between the main character, Jodie (a.k.a. Nosey Parker), and the lead detective, plus the weird friend/more-than-friend tension with Tony (also a suspect, also the fiance of the missing bride, and ex-husband of the corpse) was a little cheesy for me. Not to mention the continual "blushing" whenever she had to bring up the excessive number of "organic sausages" that she had on hand (give me a break, the character is 40-year-old ex-cop, with a 12-year-old daughter...she's not blushing when talking about sausages, though her preteen might be!). That being said...it's a "cozy" mystery, set in a Cornish village, a dash of Jessica Fletcher, and a whole lot of cheese. I'd try another one, but wouldn't recommend the series (there are other similar series in this genre I like better). Two stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
- Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington - ★★★★ I started this book much earlier this year, and then life happened, and I finally got back around to finishing where I left off. I don't know that I would say that I "enjoyed" this book, but I'm absolutely going to have my kids read it for school. Washington does a really outstanding job of sharing his own life story, and not dwelling (or glossing over) the hardships, but inspiring and encouraging others (whether black or white) to excel in all things, to the best of their abilities. Towards the end of the book I actually did something I almost never do (and by almost never, I mean, probably not since college when I was reading books to write papers on them)...I highlighted quotes. An inspiring man who didn't let anything stand in the way of an education or of helping others up through hard work. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
- The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett - ★ Yes, you see that correctly. One star. I simply could not get past the writing style of this book. And what's worse, I'd already read two books by this author and was prepared for the style (Review #1 - 3 stars, and Review #2 - 4 stars), but for some reason the others, even though they were in a similar style (a conglomeration of emails, voicemail transcripts, recordings, etc.), were just easier to read. This...made my head want to explode. The premise was an interesting one, but the unfolding story (which slowly revealed a story within a story, until you finally get to the truth...sort of), was just annoying and tedious. It could have been better, I think, taking the same ideas and using a different writing style (one where the author is telling the story, not a jumble of broken transcripts), and it might have been a three star book. In fact, it was only once the style changed at the very end of the book that I found my interest piqued at all. One star, would not recommend. {Goodreads Link for More Reviews if You Want a Different Take}
