Books from November 2020

I read five books in November 2020.

I believe stories provide the fertile soul in which truth, goodness, and beauty can take root in our hearts and eventually grow into wisdom and virtue.

Even when I read a book for pure enjoyment, I'm sure I always end up learning something new.

I rated The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane five stars. My review stated: Such a sweet story but sad at times too.

Here's the synopsis:  Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a China rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.

And then, one day, he was lost.

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

genres: fantasy, fiction, childrens, adventure

I rated Where They Found Her five stars but did not write a review.

Synopsis:

At the end of a long winter, in bucolic Ridgedale, New Jersey, the body of an infant is discovered in the woods near the town’s prestigious university campus. No one knows who the baby is, or how her body ended up out there. But there is no shortage of opinions.

When freelance journalist, and recent Ridgedale transplant, Molly Anderson is unexpectedly called upon to cover the story for the Ridegdale Reader, it’s a risk, given the severe depression that followed the loss of her own baby. But the bigger threat comes when Molly unearths some of Ridgedale’s darkest secrets, including a string of unreported sexual assaults that goes back twenty years.

Meanwhile, Sandy, a high school dropout, searches for her volatile and now missing mother, and PTA president Barbara struggles to help her young son, who’s suddenly having disturbing outbursts.

Told from the perspectives of Molly, Barbara, and Sandy, Kimberly McCreight’s taut and profoundly moving novel unwinds the tangled truth about the baby’s death revealing that these three women have far more in common than they realized. And that their lives are more intertwined with what happened to the baby than they ever could have imagined.

genres: mystery thriller, suspense, crime

I rated Little Cat's Luck five stars, no review.

Synopsis: 

When an indoor calico cat named Patches spots a golden autumn leaf fluttering past her window, she can't help but venture outside to chase it. But soon, Patches feels something tugging at her, telling her to find a special place--one she won't know until she sees it. Why must she go on this search? She doesn't know yet.

Along the way, Patches finds herself in dire circumstances, but with the help of the other neighborhood animals, she faces off against the scariest dog in town and continues on her journey to her special place.

Beautifully told in verse and accompanied by adorable illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell, this heartwarming novel from Newbery Honor winner, Marion Dane Bauer, is a timeless, touching, and fulfilling story about finding your way home.

genres: poetry, childrens, cats, fiction, fantasy

I rated There Will Come A Time five stars. My review: I enjoyed this book very much. It made me laugh a few times and made me cry too.

Synopsis:

Mark knows grief. Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time he feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. Comfort is fleeting, but it’s almost within reach when he’s standing on the wrong side of the suicide bars. Almost.

Grace’s best friend, Hanna, says she understands what he’s going through. But she doesn’t. She can’t. It’s not just the enormity of his loss. As her twin, Mark should have known Grace as well as he knows himself. Yet when he reads her journal, it’s as if he didn’t know her at all.

As a way to remember Grace, Hanna convinces Mark to complete Grace’s bucket list from her journal. Mark’s sadness, anger, and his growing feelings for Hannah threaten to overwhelm him. But Mark can’t back out. He made a promise to honor Grace—and it’s his one chance to set things right.

genres: young adult, realistic fiction, romance, grief, death, mental health, friendship

I rated Different by Design five stars. No review.

Synopsis: 

Almost without notice, our homes and churches have become the newest laboratory for sex-role experimentation. Lured by the world's acceptance and a national obsession with fairness, we've replaced the once-clear biblical boundaries between men and women with a confusing, frighteningly secular hybrid. The harmony and effectiveness we were promised never came--only a treacherous rift that is ruining marriages, dividing families, and splitting churches top to bottom.

Different by Design offers hope for bridging that gap and finding fulfillment and success in your family and church. In his thorough, no-nonsense style, John MacArthur sets aside prevailing cultural standards and helps you understand and apply the biblical principles for men's and women's roles. Discover the beauty, balance, and benefits of God's unique role for you in this practical, well-researched tool--one you'll turn to again and again!

Dr. John MacArthur, Jr. is Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and President of The Master's College and Seminary. Known for his dynamic expository preaching, John is heard daily on the "Grace to You" syndicated radio broadcast and has a cassette ministry that has distributed more than eight million tapes. His many books include The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series, Our Sufficiency in Christ , Ashamed of the Gospel , How to Meet the Enemy , and Anxiety Attacked .

The MacArthur Study Series is designed to help Christians better understand and apply the Bible by better understanding some of its key truths and doctrines.

genres: marriage, theology, Christian living, family

New books (to me) that I picked up in November 2020.

Books are my friends, my companions. They make me laugh and cry and find meaning in life. -Christopher Paolini

I'm always thankful for my eyesight. To be able to see the wonderful world that God created, my loved ones faces, for the independence that sight gives me, and to be able to have such a wonderful hobby as reading.

Thank You, God, for all that is good, and dear, and beautiful.

-Anne Frank

Kansas Trip Part 3

November 27, 2020

After a six-day visit with the in-laws it was time to head back home. We were on the road by 10:50 am. It was a sunny cold day, 44 degrees. 

We drove all the way home this time. I didn't want to fly plus we do enjoy road trips. We made stops at rest areas to stretch our legs and use the restroom. 

Driving on long stretches of road definitely gives you time to think. One of our conversations was about coming up with male cat names for a possible cat in the near future. We wanted to stick with traditional regular men names. This is what we came up with: Virgil, Wyatt, Franklin, Atticus and Donald. Fast forward six years, and the name we picked was Franklin (after Benjamin Franklin).

Jacob always begins driving on our road trips and most of the time he'll drive the entire time but sometimes when he gets too tired that's when I end up taking over.

We stopped for the night in Loveland Colorado, had dinner and headed to the hotel to call it a night. I didn't get good sleep. Had a restless night.

November 28, 2020, Saturday

I can see snow-capped mountains, pretty. We were on the road by 8:22 am. We drove past Fort Collins. It's a cute town. We saw lots of cows. I find cows so cute.

By 9:17 am we crossed into Wyoming. We stopped in Rawlins for lunch. Pizza is always a fun choice. We love pizza. Pizza Hut used to be our favorite. I loved their buttery crust on their pan pizzas but while we ate, we noticed that the pizza crust didn't quite taste the same, so we googled it and read that Pizza Hut had changed their recipe the year before in 2019 after 40 years with the original recipe. So after we discovered this we no longer eat Pizza Hut pizza. I wonder why they even had to change it. I don't know if they have gone back to the original recipe.

It was sunny and quite cold, 33 degrees.

We stopped in Evanston for some coffee and to swap. We then got gas and here's where I saw a couple of dead deer on the back of a truck. It was my first time seeing this. It was hunting season. I don't agree with killing for sport but if it's to feed your family then it's fine. It still doesn't make it less sad though. I hated seeing that. 

We crossed into Utah at 4:37 pm. 

Driving on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Hwy. I like how the side of the hills look.

The sunset drive paints the landscape with vibrant orange hues turning our drive into an awesome experience. It definitely looked a lot cooler in person. 

We stopped at Brigham City for the night. Got Mexican take out, took it back to our hotel and ate. Afterwards we walked over to a Christmas village that was near the hotel. 

It was cute. It was very nostalgic, of long-ago times. Seeing all that reminded me of my childhood. I remember my mom would have us get dressed in our Christmas clothes and head over to one of the malls to see Christmas decorations that contained moving figurines. It is unfortunate that malls don't decorate with nostalgic Christmas animatronics anymore. I'm sure people would enjoy seeing them.

I liked this display of books by the window ... obviously.

Another very cold night. 

November 29, 2020, Sunday

Our goal is to make it home today. We were on the road by 8:10 am, sunny and 25 degrees. When I got my water to take a drink I noticed tiny pieces of ice in it. 

We saw sheep on the side of the hills. They blended in so well that you wouldn't be able to spot them in a picture. 

We stopped at the Bliss rest area. It was windy, we were freezing. We saw several people wearing shorts and t-shirts though. Crazy! 

We stopped in Boise Idaho for lunch at Bittercreek Ale House. We enjoyed our meals. The burger was very tasty. But now, it was time get back on the road. We couldn't wait to get home!

Snake River ... it borders between Oregon and Idaho.

These hills remind me of the way suede feels. I love these colors.

We came across a bit of snow on the side of the road. We saw that an SUV had hit a deer and it lay dead on the side of the road. That's very sad. 

We stopped at Arrowhead Travel Plaza so I can take over driving. It was already dark and cold, 36 degrees. 

We crossed over into Washington at 5:40 pm.

GPS took us on a back road and that's when fog became extremely thick. I could not see but one car in front of me. That stretch of the drive seem to have taken an eternity. I finally came across the freeway. Semi drivers were passing me up like if it wasn't foggy. It was SO nerve-wracking driving through that. It felt like I was going to hit a wall. 

We finally made it home by 10:12 pm. What a relief. Driving through that thick fog really wore me out!

We were so thankful we made it home safely and happy to see our older children and our cats. 

There is nothing better than being home after being gone on vacation. Looking forward to getting back into my daily routines especially to have home cooked meals is one of the best feelings. I also couldn't wait to enjoy some time alone visiting a bookstore and going thrifting. These are some of the ways I destress.

Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world. -C.S. Lewis

The best things in life are the people you love, the 

places you've been and the memories you've made along the way.

Kansas Trip Part 2

November 25, 2020

We woke up to snow. Strong winds stopped at about 1:00 am. We stayed the morning inside cozy and warm while Jacob made us all breakfast. Moments like these are to be taken in their fullness. Anything that evokes a sense of coziness are some of the moments I look forward to in life. 

After we had breakfast and lunch we visited Greensburg's museum. Here we learned a bit of the town's history especially of the infamous  F5 tornado and the devastation it left behind.

The aftermath of the chaotic tornado caused people to leave but others stayed and rebuild.

There's a cute nostalgic ice cream parlor just before one enters the town's museum. My husband and his parents love sweets so naturally we stopped for some ice cream scoops. The library is just across the hallway. I was surprised that it's a decent size library for such a small town. I wish I would have had the time to browse.

Being here visiting family made us realize how much we cherish the power of family bonds and God's abundant blessings. Being intentional with family is what life is truly about ... creating memories.

After we had our ice cream we stopped by the town's water tower, the Big Well. The water tower was also destroyed as were most of the buildings during the May 4, 2007 tornado. It since has been rebuilt and showcases pictures of that fateful night.

This well is the world's largest hand-dug well, built in 1887. The well survived the event and remains a central attraction.

Here we are at the very top of the tower.

... here we are looking down at the well.

And here's us looking up.

It was quite an informative day. We enjoyed learning all the town's history and browsing their souvenirs.

THANKSGIVING 2020

The snow didn't stick around for long. The following day we walked over to the park to stretch our legs. Surprisingly it wasn't windy but mostly sunny and cold.

A father is respected because he gives his children leadership .... Appreciated because he gives his children care .... Valued because he gives his children time .... Loved because he gives his children the one thing they treasure most -- himself.

After the park we were chilled to the bone so we got cozy on the couch and enjoyed the rest of our slow afternoon waiting for the turkey to be ready.

Now that I look back, I just realized I hardly took any pictures of the day. 

This was Riley's serving. One green bean, lol! I don't have a picture of my plate or of the kitchen with all the delicious food. 

I am sure we had some type of dessert. I just can't remember what it was.

I "borrowed" this picture from my MIL. This is the only picture that was taken of all of us on this Thanksgiving day. 

We are thankful that we got to spend Thanksgiving with family. Ultimately, it is not about the food but the gathering in love and worship for all that has been given to us.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give

thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV