Midlife Sarah

Well hello there, anyone reading this!  It's been a minute. (Six months' worth of minutes, really.)  There was a seismic shift in my life last December which necessitated an about-face with all of my priorities and routines. (I'm not talking about any of that here, though.) Today I feel healthier, clearer, and more hopeful than I have in nearly a decade, and am just starting to pick up a few of the things that I put down for that long season. At the top of the list is one of my dearest loves, reading.  So far in 2025 I have read only one book each month, for my in-person book club. I plan to read a few others in July, but just a few. I'm still figuring out where the edges are in this new season. So instead of simply jumping back in, I've been easing into things and seeing if they still fit. Thanks be to God for His help over the six months I spent figuring things out. I'm grateful for His care and patience as well as His wisdom and healing as I continue shifting...

After four years of a reading Renaissance, December saw an abrupt drop off. I guess, in hindsight, it's been coming on for a few months, but in December there was a dramatic switch in focus that resulted in my reading only two (mediocre) books. January is going similarly, prompting me to wonder if my current season of reading warrants a book blog at all. I think the other areas of life that I am focusing on now will continue to take precedence over the stacks of books on my TBR, and I'm not sure that blogging is worth the time it takes. On the other hand, it's good for me to regularly stop and synthesize my ponderings. So maybe I'll keep it up.  For December, however, I'm just going to list the books and my rating. I don't think I have much in the way of insight for either of them.  The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon Our book club choice for December. My rating: 3/5 Wintering, by Katherine May My rating: 3/5  

  Just a post to review November reading. I kind of fell off the blogging wagon. Not sure if I'm going to keep it up, but for some reason I think that later I'll be happy to have my book reviews tucked away somewhere. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Fall is the perfect time of year to cozy up with this novel. This November marked my third fall in a row reading Jane Eyre, and it was just wonderful. This time I found myself thinking more about the motivations and stories of the less-liked characters. How did Brocklehurst justify his treatment of the students of Lowood School? What caused St. John to believe that his God-given mandate was also everyone else's? What would I have done in Mr. Rochester's impossible situation?  I don't know why my mind focused on these things, but reading from a different perspective really did open the story in a new way. Because--as I usually find when I try to understand the "bad guys" of life and literature--we've all go...

  This month's reading turned out differently than most. While I only completed four books,  I took my time with each selection in October.  Each of the books that I read were remarkably rich and satisfying, with exceptional storytelling that felt like attending a literary banquet.  I'm sure the weather change helped this along.  As it gets colder outside, reading becomes less feature and more fixture in my days. I've learned that living in a four-season climate has this effect for me: As soon as a new season arrives, I'm eager to conclude what I've been doing and fully ready to submerge in the joys of the season to come. In October, I felt a tension between a yearning to be doing cozy things inside and my end-of summer-to-do list, which is mostly outside.  So what did I read? Here's the list. As usual, I'm giving simple ratings that make sense in my mind.  DNF = Did not finish 1/5 = I really disliked this book 2/5 = I disliked this book 3/5 = I liked ...

  Happy November, friends! I'm still working on reviewing my October books but wanted to get this TBR out straight away. Only one is a reread (but an all-time favorite) and it's exciting to have a stack of books that I have been anticipating for a long time. Finally the cool weather is here and I'm ready to fall headlong into these! Have a look and let me know what you think. As usual, you can click on the cover image of each book to be taken to its Goodreads page. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Our in-person book club chose this for our November pick and I'm thrilled! This will be the third fall in a row that I've celebrated with a cozy blanket and this captivating novel.  Jane Eyre is a moody coming of age classic. As the kids would say, it's a total vibe. I can't wait to talk about this book with my friends!  Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. This is the Close Reads book scheduled for podcasts from October 28 - November 25.   I read (and really e...