Even After Everything - Stephanie Duncan Smith

Genre: Christian, Spiritual, Self Help

What a beautiful, complex, layered book is Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith.  Two caveats for readers. Smith is a believer and her faith is imbued throughout the text. A reader can certainly benefit from her ideas without sharing her faith, but the faith is leading the content in most ways. Also, she talks frankly and passionately about pregnancy and miscarriage. If as a reader you are in an uncertain place here, proceed with this knowledge. I am a long way from pregnancy. The lessons she teaches (and I don’t think she’d prefer that wording) are universal. I am finding it difficult to encapsulate the thesis of the book simply (beautiful and complex, right?). Smith discusses the need to love and hope even in the face of loss and inevitable death. She frames her discussion around the church’s liturgical calendar - arguing that we try to live in a linear way when the world invites us to live in a cyclical way: the seasons, the liturgy, women’s monthly cycles. 

I love this way of thinking. Raised a United Methodist, I have long had my worship framed by the liturgical calendar, but Smith’s insight takes it from a frame to a philosophy, and I am here for it. I have learned over a long period and with good counseling that for me grief is, in fact, cyclical (not what I was taught in Psych 101) and that trying to power through it with “positivity” was not working for me. I had not, however, made the connection to the cycle of liturgy that organizes my faith life. She points out how the loss is baked in and that we acknowledge it yearly. And suggests that we gain wisdom each time we move through cycles. I love that. Her reasoning is compelling and the idea is beautiful and points to a more hopeful way to experience loss and turmoil. Can I just advise you to read the book? 

For me, the use of poetry and literature to support Smith’s ideas is very powerful. I have long believed that literature can clarify so much about life if we would just allow it to do so. She also quotes other research and thinkers. She creates these beautiful metaphors based on her personal experience. I value her transparency very much. She, then, uses the stories and experiences of others to expand her ideas. Finally, she anchors these ideas with literature and research, speaking to the universality of them. Oh how Smith speaks to the English teacher’s heart here. Also, I love liturgy and church history. I cannot celebrate the joy of Easter without reflection on sacrifice during Lent. I love the advent approach to Christmas. I have been told by more evangelical friends that this approach seems quite old fashioned and out of step, but how it works for me.

I am fascinated by the fact that I have read about women’s cycles and periods in two different self help books in the last two weeks. Folks, we have ignored them long enough. When Smith wrote of the conditioning we have to be quiet and perhaps a little ashamed of our cycles, I felt it more deeply than I expected - do you remember trying to get to the bathroom at school - hiding the necessary supplies somehow? In The PLAN, Kendra Adachi, urges us to build our cycles into our planning - embracing the high and low energy times. Smith uses them as another illustration of how life, living and dying-hope and loss, is about cycles. Accepting the cycles instead of ignoring them is a key to a more effective life. I’d love to have had these insights as a much younger woman - I’d love to have passed them on to my daughter. 

I am grateful to Stephanie Duncan Smith’s Even After Everything for deepening my liturgical life and increasing my propensity to love and to hope in a difficult world. I appreciate how she encourages her readers to reframe how we live. I am thankful for the reminder that God will meet us where we are.  I recommend this title most highly. Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Cover of Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee: A Meg Langslow Mystery - Donna Andrews

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Christmas

A Meg Langslow Mystery Series #36

Donna Andrews’ Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is my first introduction to the Meg Langslow Mystery series. Meg is celebrating differently this Christmas season.  Her sister Delaney is experiencing a difficult pregnancy, so the family is working to keep her quiet and calm. Simultaneously, her grandmother is holding a Presumed Innocent conference in a nearby hotel. When the man who is 100% opposed to the work of the conference is found murdered in Michael and Meg’s yard, the holiday, naturally, takes a turn. 

I liked Meg right away. She is frank and down to earth. She loves her family, and takes a fairly no nonsense view of managing them. Like many women she juggles her family with work and a variety of other commitments. I appreciate that even in her role as detective she enlists her twin sons in helping to solve the murder. It’s kind of adorable. What a fun and quirky community has been created around Meg Langslow. This book is my introduction to the series, and I sure hope to get to know them better. If you are new to Meg Langslow mysteries as well, I promise you can hop right in and enjoy the work - but be prepared to add to your TBR pile. The Christmas bits here were lovely…I will be especially seeking out the other Christmas books in the series.  I just love lights, celebrations, holiday songs, and all that goes with the genre.

If, like me, you enjoy a good cozy mystery, Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews is a good one - with fun twists and turns and a family vibe. The Christmas elements add to the loveliness. Grab a copy for your holiday reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Death at a Scottish Christmas - Lucy Connelly

Genre - Contemporary Cozy Mystery

A  Scottish Isle Mystery Book 3

In Lucy Connelly’s Death at a Scottish Christmas, Dr. Emilia McRoy thinks she is going to have a long Christmas break from her job as doctor in the community of Scottish Isle - in this book, a cozy Hallmark Christmas town. She mostly thinks that she will be volunteering to help the locals with the wide variety of holiday events that this festive community hosts each year. As part of the celebration the internationally famous Scottish band with local roots has come to perform at the local pub; Emilia’s plans change abruptly when the band’s leader Bram is murdered. As the coroner she joins forces with the local constable Ewan - who is considered a suspect - to solve the mystery. 

While the book is part of a series, I was able to hop right in and understand this book from start to finish. While Connelly does a great job of situating book 3 for new readers, she also plants the seeds to lure readers into reading the first two.  The mystery here is very unique and quite grim in terms of the murder method. As McRoy interviews suspects and pieces together the scattered clues, the reader is engaged. I love the twist and turns this sleuthing took. The murder method was unique and the variety of suspects excellently developed. The detective work is punctuated by a series of Christmas events - the holiday must go on. The community works hard to honor a variety of traditions from a variety of cultures and seems like a place I’d love to visit in December. I have long wanted to explore my Scottish roots. The town and its residents are nicely represented as well. The reader can easily understand why Emilia is so at home there. I imagine that what we learn of each of the townspeople grows over the course of the series. I intend to find out. 

Lovers of a cozy mystery and/or a heartwarming Christmas read, need to pick Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly up as soon as it publishes on October 15. You won’t regret it. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Cover of Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

The PLAN - Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

Genre - Nonfiction, Self Help

Kendra Adachi - the Lazy Genius - has been speaking common sense and joy into me from Instagram for a number of years now. When she started talking about her new book - The PLAN, I had to give it a look. I’m so glad I did. Kendra (I like to call her that as if we are friends.) takes on the productivity culture with excellent evidence to  back her claim. She advocates throughout the book for living in the now in place of always “planning” for the future - she uses the term integration in terms of a happy life, and I am here for it.

The idea of integration spoke to me - so Kendra had me from the beginning. She (and Brené Brown) refer to integration as “wholehearted living.” I have long worked toward some nebulous future and was seldom mindful about my current life - being integrated involves fully living in the now rather than working toward some future “greatness”. I have never achieved that kind of integration. I couldn’t even fully name what I was looking for, and I love the idea as outlined in this book. She offers three sections toward a more fulfilled life. The first section is Principles, and here is where she offers the basic ideas of the PLAN - hint, it turns the idea of planning as we know it a bit on its head. The second section offers strategies. I love her take on the “to do” list. Most of us could use a bit of “to do” list counseling I think. The third section offers pep talks. I fully believe I will refer to these often. She also provides us with a lovely overview/glossary section which organizes her thoughts for us as a reference. Books like this need to be revisited, and she recognizes the process of trying to change in the way that she organizes the book for easy reference. Kendra writes her book in such a way that you feel like she is sitting across the table from you and talking to you over tea. She is comforting and encouraging and funny. 

I have already made some changes to my life based on my reading of this book. I am, quite honestly, living in retirement as I did as a full time teacher. I feel driven to produce and not just anything - something useful or “important” or income producing. All of those things I said I’d do “after I retired” weren’t getting any attention. So last week I pulled out a fancy cookbook and set a fancy table for my husband and me just because I could; I wasn’t too exhausted; and I had time. Listen, I didn’t even photograph the food to prove it happened - so mindful. (I sure did the place setting :-) While this may seem silly to you - it was a big step for me in living a more integrated life. So while I thought maybe this book wouldn’t be for me, it sure was. It likely is for you as well. You don’t have to know the Lazy Genius way or to follow Kendra in the socials to benefit from this book. But when you are done, you will want to get to know her better. And she will make you feel better either way. On October 8, go get yourself a copy of Kendra Adachi’s The PLAN and use it to make your life more fulfilling. Thank you NetGalley and Convergent Books for sharing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of George - Kate Greathead

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction

George in Kate Greathead’s The Book of George is about fifteen or so years younger than I am. As a result many of the big events that frame his life framed mine as well making the novel quite relatable. How to summarize … George’s fairly ordinary life is set forth chronologically from 12 until his early 40s. We learn about the divorce of his parents, his college life - his friends and philosophy major, his series of jobs, and his on again off again relationship with Jenny. And more…

The novel is very much character driven. The reader learns just so very much about George. The relationship with Jenny which encompasses many eras of his life sort of hints at what George’s life in general is like. Jenny cares for George much more than he cares for her. She just sort of happens to him. They don’t choose to live together at first, but little by little, she is there. He allows all of this to happen while low key criticizing her much of the time. As they break up and come back together, Jenny puts up with so much, and continues to champion him and quite literally support him for years and years with little in return. When he does overcome his malaise and shows her some love - it always tugs at my heart strings just enough to have some empathy for him. He is like he is with Jenny with his friends and his family. At one point he spends a whole weekend playing Mario on game boy rather than cleaning his childhood room so his mother can move. When the entire place is finally packed he UNPACKS kitchen boxes to make some sentimental pancakes.  He means well but seems incapable of reading a room so to speak. He floats through a variety of largely dead end jobs and seldom can pay for a place to live. But he knows he is a difficult person. He assesses himself fairly accurately. But even that self awareness doesn’t inspire him to do much on the way of changing himself. Greathead’s characterization is precise and detailed and accomplished. 

What kept coming back to me as I read, was what if I had such an in-depth accounting of my thoughts and actions and choices of my chronological life. How would I fare compared to George? What is my ratio of optimism to cynicism? Of joy to sadness? Of steering my life to letting life happen to me? I even played around with the differences between being a millennial (George)versus being Gen X (me). I think reading this book after the upcoming Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner also featuring millennials just made me curious. I got a bit frustrated with both George and to a lesser extent Amy. Could it be our different generations and perhaps different approaches to life? Or, if I were truly honest (authentic? My review of The Authenticity Project is coming :-) would I sound quite like George? Now I am writing in circles. Kate Greathead’s got me thinking with her fascinating  novel The Book of George, and I quite like it.