Tag Archives: it’s not supposed to be this way

January Favorites

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What a month. We have been dealing with some illness in our little family lately, so a focus on favorites is just what I need for a pick me up.

Book of the Month

I had a few strong four-star reads this month. I’m still working on my last book of my TBR (The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath), but I’m really happy with the books I’ve read so far this year. If I were to recommend one, it would be this one, It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst. I wrote a review for it here.

Baby

As I’ve said, we have had a lot of illness in our house this month. So you better believe we have had at least one pack of these in every room. We use saline drops as well, but when you hear that sneeze (and you know the one I am talking about), it’s good to have these nearby.  You can check it out here.

Beauty and Fashion

Michael bought me the Winter box from FabFitFun.com because I was really intrigued. It was on sale for about $30, and you got a lot of products in the box. In fact, I think the Winter box is still on sale, although from what I understand, you don’t get all of the exact same products. It seems that they change them for new products once the old ones run out, but I haven’t seen much that I wouldn’t enjoy getting. Anyway, that long explanation brings me to this face mask. I couldn’t find it on Amazon, but it’s a mask that you can either put on for 5 mins or leave on overnight. It’s the perfect hydrating mask for me on nights I don’t have much time. And I love the feel of my skin when I wash it off. 

Like most subscription boxes, I can get you a bit of a discount and they will also give me a discount. The Spring box comes out next month and I can’t wait to see what they have in store (which will probably be Michael’s Valentine’s present to me). Here’s the link for the discount.

Entertainment

I am a bit behind on all of the movies. I realize that this came out last summer, but it’s the first in my TBW (To Be Watched) list that I could finally rent (the next one is in February…it’s not weird to watch the Nutcracker in February, right?).

It’s basically a documentary on Fred Rogers. There are some things about his childhood, his education, the famous speech that saved PBS, and his later years where he was parodied and the rumors swirled. I remember those rumors as a kid. It was fascinating how they were addressed. Also, I learned a few things that warmed and broke my heart.

It’s definitely a good watch and if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend.

What are some favorites you have been enjoying this month?

All disclaimers have now moved to my About Me page.

It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst: A Review

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It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered by Lysa TerKeurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is going through hardships or suffering of any kind. She writes this book of faith and truth while she, herself, was still in the thick of her own unknown. And I think it really helps give a sort of credibility to what she is writing. She writes with both compassion and a sense of challenge to the reader.
The only thing I had a slight issue with was some of the writing. She tends to rely heavily on alliteration, wordplay, and rhyming to get her points across. In this context, if I was someone going through tough times, this kind of writing would help me remember in little bites some of the truths that she talks about. But it can get repetitive and sing-songy in a way that took me out of the story a bit.
However, the Fighting Words chapter is bookmarked and set for when the next crisis in my life happens (because I know it will come). There are some amazing scriptures and reminders in that chapter. But I recommend reading all of the chapters before it because I feel like the previous chapters lead up to this one.
Of course, there is no profanity or sexual content (other than some stories of infidelity but it was about confessing to it, not the actual act) or violence in the book. It is heavy material though, something to be studied over weeks at a time. I was told that she is leading a study of the book sometime soon, so if you have a chance to be a part of that, I would encourage it!

January TBR

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For those of you not familiar with the bookish vocabulary, TBR stands for To Be Read. Last year I read 40 books, much to my own surprise. This year, I have a goal to read 44 books. So, for my TBR each month, I plan to try to read four books, so that will give me a month margin of error.

Of course, being who I am, I love to categorize and label, so I thought I might try to do that with me TBR. I want to read a classic, an adult fiction, an young adult fiction/middle grade, and a nonfiction book. I have a lot of books on my shelf that I haven’t read yet, so I’m hoping to read one from each category.

This month, here are my hopeful books I will read:

The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath. I have had this book since college. I’ve tried to pick it up and read it twice but something has always come up to pull me away. I’m hoping third time’s the charm.

It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst. I love her work. I got this book as soon as it came out last year. I’ve already begun it, and it is SO good so far.

Devian by Shanna Bosarge. This was an impulse buy at the end of last year. The author was selling her book at a farmer’s market. There is a lot of world-building and people who can control the elements. I’m excited to jump in.

Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness. Her All Souls trilogy is one of my favorites. This book is a continuation of the story more than a sequel. I have already read a few pages into the story and I’m loving it.

So those are the four main books I am reading this month. Of course, that didn’t stop me from going to the library last week and picking up a few more books that piqued my interest. But we shall see how fast I get through these four first.

What are some books you are reading this month?