Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

What I Read in July 2020

August 12, 2020

It was a very fruitful reading month for once! So let’s get to the details.

Gift of the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh – This was a re-read for me and summertime is a great time to get into it since it’s about the beach, the sea, and shells. A quiet book, it’s for women in mid-life (which is when she wrote it – her mid-life); a reflection on the past and how to go into the future but also savor the present moment. I probably should read it every summer.

Time Management From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern – Many years ago I read Morgenstern’s book Organizing From the Inside Out and it was a real game changer in organizing my home. I felt it was time to get my time management skills in shape so I finally bought this one. It’s a good read and if you are really struggling with managing your home, your work, your life, this will help put it back together again so to speak. Or at least gain a new perspective. She uses the SPACE acronym that she has in “Organzing” to help gather your to dos and put them in the appropriate times in your day or week. I found that I’m doing an okay job of managing my time, but I’m not utilizing my free time well. I’m also not moving forward and reaching my goals which I already knew because I’ve been feeling stuck for awhile. All in all it’s a helpful book.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata – This was a book written in Japanese and translated into English. I’ve been wanting to read it for awhile so when I saw my library had it and that it would fulfill the book in translation category of the challenge, I was all over it. It’s an incredibly easy read – two hours one afternoon – but it’s also profound in a lot of ways too. The main character is happy in a job when everyone else thinks she should have moved on after 18 years in that job. It was fluffy without being saccharine sweet and was interesting enough that made me not put it down until I was done. So, if you’re looking for a quick read and want to get a glimpse into another culture, I’d say check this one out.

The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan – It is no secret how much I love Evelyn Ryan! I hadn’t read the book in a year or two so I decided to get it down and fulfill the Debut Novel category as well. It is a compelling story of a family in poverty with an alcoholic father and a mother who is determined that her children won’t grow up handicapped by it all. Evelyn Ryan kept her sanity and kept debt at bay (for the most part) by winning contests back in the 50’s and 60’s. This was back when you actually had to think of a decent rhyme, jingle, or a reason you use that product. It was creative writing for homemakers. (This is also a reason I have this blog – it gives me something creative to do for me. If someone else enjoys it I consider that a bonus. ) I highly, highly recommend this book and the movie – they aren’t gloomy at all but surprisingly bright and positive. I cry at the end of both every time.

Okay, now onto spiritual reading.

I started the month reading the Flourish Bible study of Romans by Elizabeth Foss. I love the books and letters of the New Testament and I’d finished Acts so it was the perfect time to get into Romans. I enjoyed the daily reflections written by different women of the Take Up and Read Community as well. Between scripture and the meditations there was plenty for me to reflect upon each day.

I am continuing in the Catechism in the Profession of Faith and am currently in the last part of it coinciding with the last part of the Creed – the Catholic Church. I found “On Being Catholic” by Thomas Howard that was a perfect tie-in for this part and it will also take me into the next Part which is The Liturgy.

I have also figured out new reading plan using the Read Your Way to Heaven Year 3 and my own personal blend of books because the ones the author has in RYWTH are usually too deep for me. Although, I will say, even if you used her book to read just the Bible and Catechism you’d still be doing well. Or, you could read the Bible and the spiritual reading books and not the catechism. In other words make it fit your interests and what you can reasonably do each day.

So, that was my July booklist. For this month I am starting my DIY college and reading two books by Fr. James Schall. I’m taking a leaf out of Ray Bradbury’s book on this one. He couldn’t afford college, but he could go to the library and read books that would fit the courses at college. In three years he figured he got a free college education. So, that’s my plan too. I’d love to go back and get a degree in the Liberal Arts but that’s not happening so this is the next best thing. Anywho – more on that in a few weeks. Happy Reading! :-)

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What I Read in July 2020

August 12, 2020

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