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Friday Five – Dreaming of a Reading Retreat

April 3, 2026 by Suzanne

I’m yearning for a reading retreat. I typically have at least one good reading night (i.e., no meetings or out-of-the-house plans, time specifically set aside on the calendar to read/journal) a week. But I’m talking an intentional day or two that is meticulously planned with all the laundry/regular weekend chores done, prepared foods and snacks, a list of specific books I want to tackle, and no other plans (unless they’re bookish ones – I will, on occasion, allow a book club meeting or bookish event some space on the retreat schedule). 

I have one scheduled this month with an online book group, and I would like to attend a social one at some point. A social retreat where we have breakfast together, read all day, and then come back together for dinner to discuss how our days went is pretty much my ideal vacation. But my current favorites are the ones I plan for just me.

One of my goals for the year is to have a personal book retreat in a hotel with room service. All the fun and relaxation of a personal retreat with none of the prep work (other than budgeting for it and booking the hotel). I’m looking forward to that.

When I feel this yearning, bookish pieces stick out to me even more than usual. 

  • Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide is coming out on May 15! If I were to make a list of my top ten reads each year, at least half of them would be books I learned about from the MMD team. The highlights usually get posted as a blog post later, but if you want the full guide experience and you’re not a member of the book club or Patreon, there’s a small charge. WORTH IT. I love that the theme for this summer is “reading retreat” and that the guide is going to offer tips for planning a good one. The unboxing is also a fun evening to gush about new books with bookish internet friends.
  • Are you upset about the state of the world? Feeling overwhelmed? Anxious? Finding it difficult to sleep? “Have you tried reading a book about sexy dragons?” It really takes the edge off.
  • I love Roxane Gay’s Emerging Writers series, and I especially love this one – No More Siestitas.
  • I knew journaling was helpful, and neuroscience agrees!
  • Scandinavia (or the Nordic region in general) is seriously wooing me. Denmark with its hygge, Iceland with its Christmas cat and Jólabókaflód. And now Norway has entered the ring with an Easter tradition called påskekrim where you hole up and read crime fiction. WHAT. I feel like we would really benefit from having reading holidays. *slow blink* Country goals.

I hope you get to hole up and read (or do whatever you consider fun/relaxing) for a little while this weekend. Have a good one, friends!

Posted in Books, Friday Five, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

April 2026 TBR

April 2, 2026 by Suzanne

Unpopular opinion – Spring is, objectively speaking, the very worst season. At least in Texas. But I imagine any place with trees or floral plant life is just unbearable right now.

So what does that leave? The desert? Desert people – how are you right now? Can you breathe? I’ve forgotten how it feels to be able to do that. Is it wonderful? I bet it’s wonderful.

The pollen is really pollening. My gray car has taken on a perpetual yellow tint, despite vigilant rinsing. I’m constantly drugged, and as they are providing no actual symptom relief, I’ve concluded the allergy meds are merely keeping me alive. I have a constant wheeze. It’s a miracle I can open my eyes wide enough to read print at all.

That must be why the audiobooks I read in March outnumbered the print books I read. For the first time ever. Incredible.

It’s National Poetry Month, though, so I’m going to power through with puffy, watery eyes to enjoy all the lovely collections I’ve planned. Print is always my preference with poetry.

[Disclaimer – I am a Bookshop.org affiliate – I get a cut of the sales from most of the links below.]

Book Clubs

  • A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (Rise & Shine theme – something blue)
  • The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (I haven’t quite finished the previous ones in the series, so I’m going to have to read them OUT OF ORDER to get this one read by the time book club comes *melodramatically breaks out in hives*)
  • Black. Single. Mother. by Jamilah Lemieux
  • Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
  • Choose your own poetry adventure – see the poetry section below!

Cozy

Poetry

It’s National Poetry Month, and I’m going to celebrate not only by reading lots of poetry but also by learning more about how to write it well from some of my favorite poets.

Anti Brain Rot Challenge

PopSugar

52 Book Club

Libro.fm

  • Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert  (narrated by Adjoa Andoh) – Listen to an audiobook by a disabled author (Part of The Great Audio Reading Surge of March 2026. It’s so good! I’m excited to read the other two this month.)
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (narrated by Robert Sean Leonard) – Listen to a banned book (Another part of The Surge. I am glad I didn’t read this as a child. I was way too sensitive to have been able to handle this then. It was almost too much for Adult Me to try to listen to during lunch and while driving. There was ugly crying involved.)
  • Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab – Listen to a Libro.fm staff pick (Also read in March. While I liked Schwab’s series – Shades of Magic and Villains, specifically – better, it was a solid read, and the audio was fantastic.)
  • Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson (narrated by Viola Davis) – Read an audiobook from your wish list (Just waiting on my libro.fm credit for the month to pop up!)

Nowhere Book Bingo

Bad Bitch Book Club

  • Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky – A collection of poetry written by someone who has a chronic illness or disability
  • Finger Exercises for Poets by Dorianne Laux – A nonfiction book about art or creativity
  • Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson (narrated by Viola Davis) – An audiobook narrated by the author

Overeducated Women With Cats

  • Shady Hollow by Juneau Black – A book with an anthropomorphic animal
  • The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley – A book that blends genres (specifically, sci-fi and romance)

Alphabet Challenge 

Read My Bookshelf

Book Riot Read Harder

  • Game Changer by Rachel Reid – Read a sports book by a woman, trans, or nonbinary author
  • Smothermoss by Alisa Alering – Read a book by a librarian

I hope spring is treating you more kindly than it is me, and I hope you get to read a lot of poetry (or whatever you want) this month!

Posted in Books, Cozy, Fandom, Health, Poetry, Reading Challenges, Resolutions, Seasons | 3 Comments »

Reading Habits – A Question

March 31, 2026 by Suzanne

I was going to address a question I got about my reading life with my April TBR tomorrow. Then I started writing, and it was longer than an intro to an already long post should be. So it gets its own post!

Question – How much do you actually remember of what you read? 

If I’m recalling the conversation where this question was asked correctly (heh, irony), it came from someone who thinks they don’t read a lot. They read about a book a month (which is a lot, relatively speaking, as many people don’t read at all), and they really delve into it. That is, they read it slowly and also end up reading articles and listening to podcasts or watching interviews about the book, the topic, and/or the author. They join the fandoms of their favorite series and dabble in their own fanfic with their favorite characters. They go all in.

And that’s fantastic. I love that so much. What a thorough, beautiful way to approach reading!

I don’t do this with most of the books I read, but I typically have at least one deep dive going on at a time (e.g., my current hyperfocus babies are organ/music theory and Heated Rivalry). My brain does love a rabbit hole, and focusing on a book/series or a theme and reading/researching it so thoroughly definitely scratches that itch. 

However, while this approach often helps with my memory, the main factor that determines how well I remember a book is simply how much I connect to it, regardless of the length of time it takes me to read it.

The books I really love (i.e., rate 4.25 and above on StoryGraph) – I remember vividly. I remember how it made me feel, where I was/what was going on in the world when I first read it (because I am likely to re-read it), what I loved about the characters and specifically why I disliked some of them, some obscure plot details, and maybe even a direct quote or two. I will be absolutely insufferable (or delightful, depending on whether you’re a person who likes joy at all) any time this book comes up in conversation. Which will be often, if I have anything to do with it.

Most of the rest? I remember generally – basic plot, favorite character(s), intersecting themes, etc. Enough to chat about it at book club, especially if I read it within a few months of discussion time. After that, I will need to google a character list and a brief synopsis before I can contribute effectively to the discussion beyond, “I really liked it” or “This scene was funny.”

And there are about a handful of books I finish every year that, even only a few months later, I could not tell you what they were about to save my life. But that’s rare. Most of the time, if a book is that lackluster to me, I don’t finish it and thus don’t count it toward my total list for the year. The exceptions to this rule are usually things I’m reading for book club that I would probably not have even started otherwise. I’ve noticed that as I get older, I’m more likely to slide a book over to the DNF pile (but not the official, public one on Goodreads…I have feelings about this) if it doesn’t hold my interest. I feel like this leaves more room in the library of the old mind palace for the books that do.

How about you? Are you an intentional deep-dive reader, a multiple-books-at-a-time chaos reader, or something in between?

Posted in Beauty, Books, Fandom, Joy | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – I’m a Fan

March 27, 2026 by Suzanne

Happy Friday, friends. We did it. Despite being absolutely covered in pollen every time I step outside, I have made it through the week. Claritin is my friend.

I’m a big fan of these five things this week:

  • This is the deep dive into bar soap that I didn’t know I needed, and I am here for it. Bar soap for life. I mean, not Irish Spring, as I’m allergic. But you can pry my locally crafted soaps and my Dr. Bronner’s peppermint away from my cold, dead hands.
  • Jane Fonda is going to play one of my favorite book characters from the books I read last year. I’m so excited!
  • HARRY STYLES TALKING TO HARUKI MURAKAMI ABOUT RUNNING! “One of the most important things for a human being is to embrace the contradiction.” I feel better about life in general just having read Murakami saying, “What is this chaos in me?” Same, Murakami. 
  • Today, we are celebrating International Waffle Day (Observed) in the office because we had another lunch to attend on Wednesday, when it was actually International Waffle Day. Of course, I brought my waffle iron to work. While Mark Bittman’s quick and easy waffles are my favorite go-tos, I make a mess when I mix them up. I needed something more portable, so I adjusted to a mix I could just shake and pour. I tested it last night, and it was fine. Meh. It was waffles from a mix. It will work. I have cranberries and thyme to add to it, so that will spruce it up a bit. At any rate, yay waffles for lunch!
  • I’m going to make this dish this weekend. Baharan brought it to cookbook club, and I can’t stop thinking about it. So simple. So delicious. So easy to make, even on busy days.

I hope you have a good weekend!

Posted in Books, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Run, Work | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Awe

March 20, 2026 by Suzanne

“When was the last time you felt in awe of something?”

I appreciate nature. I do. Especially the sky. There are few things I love more than driving down a country road under a vast canopy of blue.

While nature may be my reactive response to the question, though, there are lots of other experiences that make me pause and take notice.

Today’s Friday Five brings you five things that inspire awe for me:

  • A really good cup of coffee. Not just a decent cuppa that gets the job done, but a truly exquisite coffee. That will stop me mid-sentence. So many factors go into producing the perfect cup of coffee – where and how it’s grown, how it’s harvested, how the beans are cared for before/during/after roasting, how it’s ground, how it’s brewed, the temperature at which it’s served – it’s a remarkable moment when they all come together to make something special.
  • Zoom choirs. As tired of Zoom as I got during the 2020 shutdown, some of the most beautiful things that came out of it were the choirs. I mean, I love choral singing anyway, and it’s a fast way to get to awe for me, but coupling it with the commitment to making sure people could still enjoy it despite the obstacles of social distancing was particularly touching. The amount of collaboration from all the participants and the hard work from the editors that it took to put these presentations together yielded something marvelous.
  • Meditation. My favorite style of meditation usually involves prayer, but even when it doesn’t, it’s still full of wonders. At its base, it is quiet and still and open. I am seldom closer to awe than when I’m meditating. There is so much noise in the world, and it’s so easy to get distracted from my own soul and my own purpose. There are many different ways to meditate, and I highly recommend finding one that works for you. 
  • Reading poetry. I am easily uplifted by the exceptionally worded sentence. Well-crafted poetry takes it one step further. 
  • People who excel. I love watching people who are very good at what they do – who have found their niche and revel in it – perform. Artists, musicians, writers, actors, dancers, athletes. Even if I don’t generally give a flying fig about what they’re doing (looking at you, most sports), if they are exceptional at it, I suddenly can’t get enough of it. This also extends to people I have worked with. In the grand scheme of things, very few things about any job I’ve ever had are earthshaking. But when I see someone really make a difference in a student’s day or their college experience, or enrich their life in some way, the impact of that moment makes it easier to get out of bed for a while.

Where do you experience awe?

Posted in Alive, Beauty, Church, Cozy, Friday Five, Mental Health, Music, Poetry, Wonder | 2 Comments »

Friday Five – Representation Love

March 13, 2026 by Suzanne

When the alarm went off this morning, my first thought was “last time I have to hear that this week.” It’s the small things. I have a pretty easy weekend ahead, so I’m looking forward to that.

Here are many things from the internet (mostly from Instagram) that I loved this week.

  • This made me laugh and laugh. Substitute “report card” for “cleaning my room” and this is spot on. My favorite is “You know everybody’s business on the street but you can’t remember what the doctor said?” Actual words that have come out of my mouth – “DO I NEED TO COME TO YOUR APPOINTMENTS AND SIT NEXT TO YOU?” My parents don’t think it’s so humorous when their own words come back at them, but here we are. 
  • Do you have someone in your life who is obsessed with Heated Rivalry? Yes, you do. It’s me. I recently preordered the 7th book that’s coming out in June and also all the special editions of the first six coming out in October, and I’m not even sorry, bank account. This is my joy. Thanks to HR, my Instagram algorithm no longer sends me immediately into a downward spiral (courtesy of the ongoing wtf-ness of the news cycle), and I’m so grateful. HR has gentled the spiral. My May/June TBR (or as soon as I can get my hands on all of them in some form – I’m next on the library waitlist for the first two eeeee!) will basically be this. I have watched the first three episodes with friends, but I am 96% sure I’m going to cave and subscribe to HBO Max for my birthday next week so that I can just watch them all on repeat on a daily basis. My favorite reel right now is of an episode I haven’t even watched yet that shows a whole sports bar’s reaction to a pivotal scene. Spoiler alert – episode 5 (but really, if you have any interest in HR and you are on the internet at all in any way, you have seen this scene). The sheer, unbridled, effervescent joy. Also – Representation matters.
  • Because the representation in HR deserves another bullet point. “It’s about a kid seeing someone loving the same thing he does, trying to stand fully in himself, realizing that the different parts of him don’t have to cancel each other out for him to belong.” The writers and cast are hearing from professional athletes in the closet who are so thankful for the show. “Queer people need to see gay people win. Gay love doesn’t have to end in tragedy. The other shoe doesn’t have to drop.” “Obviously, it’s important to have people who have the experience of autism playing roles who are autistic, but there’s also so much value in having somebody who loves someone who’s autistic playing this role” Finally, this is one of my favorite scenes so far (because there’s gonna be a Season 2 yay) – the apology, the acknowledgement, the space to just let the hurt and the apology exist in the same conversation without trying to smooth either one over. Just…*happy sigh*
  • Excellent breakdown of what good research actually is. Also, Ground News, y’all. Such a good resource. “Let your truths guide your politics; don’t let your politics tell you what’s true.”
  • And finally – I love this energy. “I’m not doing favors today.” “Your request is denied.” And my favorite – “Learn your rights – I can’t learn them for you.” That’s fed-up mom/teacher energy, and I second that emotion.

I hope both your day and your weekend are wonderful!

Posted in Alive, Beauty, Books, Fandom, Friday Five, Fun, Hope, Mental Health, Revolution, TV, What I'm Into | Leave a Comment »

March 2026 TBR

March 5, 2026 by Suzanne

It is March, which is the best month. The month of my birth. I can even forgive it for being spring. It’s starter spring, when I am thinking about which plants I want to have outside this year and trying to convince myself that my allergies aren’t that bad. It’s a tricksy month. I can get on board with that.

As is my custom, I’ve started several of these already (and even finished a couple). A peek into my process – I start compiling my TBR lists at least a couple of months in advance. My book clubs generally have things already picked out (e.g., two of them have selections chosen for the whole year already), so I go ahead and list those books and plug them into the reading challenges where they fit. Then, as I start herding together the print copies for the blog post picture, I find myself picking them up. And when I pick a book up, I start thumbing through it. And then, before I know it, I’ve started/finished it.

As problems go, it’s a nice one to have.

Anyway, here are my reads for the best month of the year!

[Disclosure: Most of the links below are affiliate links; I get paid a percentage if you purchase from these links. Alternatively, you could search your favorite indie bookshop on Bookshop.org or Libro.fm, and they get an even bigger cut!]

Book Clubs

I am especially excited about my book club selections this month. Happy birth month to me!

Cozy

I’m pretty sure cozy is accidentally (but also predictably) becoming my favorite reading challenge this year. I’m looping the books from the series I’m reading into this curriculum, so I’ll also list them under this heading from here on out.

Anti Brain Rot Challenge

I’m spending the month finishing up my reads for January and February (which will still put me ahead of schedule on this challenge). Most of what I’m focusing on this month for this challenge is the curriculum for learning to play the organ.

PopSugar 

  • Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde – A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn’t
  • Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas – A book with a shadow daddy

52 Book Club

  • My Friends by Fredrik Backman – Provokes strong emotion (I have never read a Backman book without either ugly crying or laughing until I wheeze – usually both – at some point, and this one was no exception)
  • Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas – Character with a secret identity
  • Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer – A three-syllable word in the title

Libro(dot)fm

Nowhere Bookshop Bingo

Overeducated Women With Cats

  • Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas – A book set in a fully invented world
  • Piranesi by Susannah Clarke – A book that plays with memory or time
  • Tell Me How You Eat by Amber Husain – A book published in 2026

Bad Bitch Book Club

  • Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry – A book by an author who went to your high school or college

Modern Mrs. Darcy Spring Preview

Three(ish?) times a year, Anne Bogel (aka Modern Mrs. Darcy) and her team tell us the new books coming out that season that they think we will particularly enjoy. I don’t ever make it through all of them, but I pick a handful out of each season, from either the actual list or the “other books you might like that we haven’t vetted yet” list, that sound amazing (and/or that I have received via one of my subscriptions).

Book Riot Read Harder

  • The Library Book by Susan Orlean – Read a nonviolent true crime book
  • Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon – Read a book by an intersex author

Alphabet Challenge

Read Your Bookshelf

  • Heartless by Marissa Meyer (of course, my audiobook shelf counts for this challenge) – A weapon on the cover (or in the title)

I hope you have a wonderful month of reading ahead of you!

Posted in Books, Cozy, Music, Reading Challenges, Resolutions | Leave a Comment »

Ideal Home

February 25, 2026 by Suzanne

This week, I have early voting and Lenten services and some community events on my plate. I’m particularly overbooked on Sunday, which means part of my Saturday plans may have to fall by the wayside. There seems to be an urgency afoot – not just with me but with others in general – and it’s all good, but also I need to take a breath occasionally.

Fortunately, this is my cozy year, so I have built those breaths into my plans. Note for future self – don’t stop doing this just because the year ends. This is a good thing to learn and incorporate into your life.

This is the second post in the series I have planned to explore the theme of cozy for the year. I am starting with Montana Happy’s list of hygge journal prompts, but I will probably incorporate others as the year progresses.

Prompt #2 – What elements are the most important in designing your dream house?

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. One of my favorite hobbies is sketching out floor plans to visualize what I want in a house (if ever the opportunity should arise). At this point, I could plan a whole neighborhood, which is not a bad idea. Anyone want to make our own mini-town with me?

A few disclaimers to begin:

  • This is not a judgment of your home. Your home is lovely. 
  • I don’t often entertain, at least with large guest lists. I used to entertain regularly. I might decide I like to entertain again someday, but I am also cool with that part of my personality fading into the background. My home is introvert-coded, and that has turned it into a place I can really be at peace. Again, if that’s not you, that’s not a judgment. It’s just what I prefer for my own living space.

While I could make just about any house work right now just to have the luxury of my own parking space and all my walls, floors, and ceilings to myself (i.e., not shared with neighboring apartments, along with their sounds and smells), here are some preferences I’ve discovered as I dream and draw:

  • Garage – attached with the doors facing the side or back (i.e., not the street). Not only do I find this more aesthetically pleasing, but it also seems more secure. The fewer points of entry on the public-facing side of the home, the more effort it takes to breach. Safety measures are important in general, but especially for a woman living alone. As you enter from the garage…
  • Large laundry room that I don’t have to walk through the kitchen to get to from the primary bedroom. I hate tracking my clean clothes through the kitchen, which is generally the most aromatic room in the house. In my ideal home, there is a straight line from the laundry room to my bedroom. Bonus points if there is a pocket door between them that opens directly into the primary closet.
  • Primary bedroom – I don’t necessarily want this to be a large room. The larger it is, the more distractions I will be tempted to add to it, and the less conducive to sleep it will be. I don’t need anything that makes sleep harder for me. It just has to accommodate my bed, two side tables, a small bookshelf and chair, and a corner to put down a Pilates mat for night and morning stretches.
  • Primary bathroom – Large bath and shower (separate – oh, to be done with the shower/bath combo that apartment living necessitates). My arrangement of elements varies, but the overall size and structure mimic most homes on the market these days.
  • Private reading nook as part of the primary suite bedroom suite. One of several reading pockets tucked around the house. Generous shelving with all my self-soothing books – cozy mystery and fantasy, foodie fiction and memoir, etc. –  comfy chair(s), a side bar for tea/coffee-making, and a small fridge for cheese, fruit, and other snacks.
  • Full library, of course. I flip between wanting separate areas for each genre and putting all fiction together and just separating nonfiction by genre (i.e., like in the public library). A mix of the two (to accommodate certain genres being in other rooms) is where I am currently sitting, but…I have thoughts that are beyond the scope of this post. Designing the library is a whole subsection of this hobby.
  • Private office that you can only get to via a secret bookshelf/door in the library. Walls lined with shelves that hold all my writing books, journals, and research notes, with file drawers on the bottom of each bookcase. The nook also accommodates the appropriate tea/coffee-making paraphernalia and snack storage to fuel long bouts of writing and reading. 
  • Large kitchen – I like an island with a large worktop, a huge farmhouse sink under a window, and a whole separate upright freezer in addition to the small one that comes with the fridge. I want the pantry to be its own separate room and for the door to it to actually open into the kitchen (not in the utility area with the rest of the storage). Speaking of storage, I want plenty of it, including bookshelves where all my cookbooks live. I also want seating around the island so people can hang out while I cook without having to stand.
  • Dining area – A house with all this other stuff will likely have a whole dining room. I’ll probably have a table if it’s far enough away from the entry to keep it from accumulating a lot of stuff. But I’ll definitely line the walls with bookshelves and cozy the room up to use as another reading space. Maybe this is where I will host book club when it’s my turn to do so.
  • Living room – pretty standard. Lots of comfortable seating. Console with a TV and stereo, including a turntable, and shelves for my records.
  • Studio space – Room for a piano, organ, dance floor (and at least one mirrored wall with ballet bars), and craft area. I want designated spaces for all the arts I try to do. There will be lots of shelving for storing supplies and creativity/inspiration books.
  • At least two guest rooms (that – let’s face it – will also be filled with books, likely my most recent acquisitions) with ensuite baths.
  • Alright, you got me. The whole house is basically a library.
  • There are also plants in every room. My ideal home also includes an ideal self who keeps multiple plants alive.
  • Shared backyard with the whole block – indoor and outdoor pools, community garden, outdoor kitchen, brick pizza oven, firepit, community library shed, maybe a pickleball court if the neighbors like that sort of thing? Anyway, a large semi-private/semi-public outdoor area shared with the neighbors whose houses back up to mine in a large, quasi-commune situation – just with our own houses. This, of course, implies that I get to pick my neighbors. Otherwise, this is significantly less than ideal.

I know that I will probably never live in a house like this, but it’s fun to think about. And when I start looking for a house, I can keep these elements in mind.

What would your dream home look like?

Posted in Beauty, Books, Cozy, Home, Mental Health, Quiet | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Wanderings and Wonderings

February 20, 2026 by Suzanne

Happy Friday, friends. We made it.

This is what has wondered across my desk and through my brain this week:

  • Creativity doesn’t have to be a project – note to self (and perhaps also to you?) to explore the benefits of creative play.
  • Nadia Bolz-Weber’s Lenten discipline for cranky people that I can really get on board with – 40 Days of Good Shit.
  • Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes’s piece on the intricacies of the body. “There is freedom in seeing my body not as a mystery to be solved, but rather as a delicacy to be treasured and cared for.”
  • When I tell you that I loved Eileen Gu’s response to this crusty reporter’s question, I fear that that statement won’t quite express the utter glee with which I CACKLED, especially with the “I KNOW who I am…and who are you?” laugh that started it all. Good for her. Edited to add – I, along with the rest of the world, loved, loved, loved Alysa Liu’s performance that won her the gold.
  • These slides pretty much sum up my views on the senseless death of Dr. Linda Davis (and all who have died as the result of ICE’s lawless and reckless behavior). There are also resources listed in the caption of the post if you are wondering what you can do. In this season of lament, we cry, “How long will this injustice continue?” and call for the U.S. to repent and abolish ICE.

Have a good day/weekend!

Posted in Alive, Beauty, Church, Cozy, Friday Five | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Crafted Cozy

February 13, 2026 by Suzanne

I want one of these days. Oh, to be a crocheted frog! That looks so cozy and nice. Maybe soon. 

In the meantime, here are some good reads that also feel cozy. Enjoy!

  • I love Jenny Lawson, and I cannot wait to read How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay. That is all.
  • On embracing the inner crone, from Stefanie Vallejo Monahan. Yes, please.
  • I have many favorite authors. My authors page on my working TBR rivals my series page as the longest. However, I don’t know that there’s even a single author about whom I can say I’ve read all their works. I mean, I wanna. I have the drive to do so. I will read something I love and immediately devour three or four other books that person has written. I will drop everything I’m doing to read the newest Fredrik Backman (or at least make sure it gets on one of my book clubs’ lists). And I am (slowly) working through Isabel Allende’s work in order of publication. But I do not yet have a completist author of my own, and I WANT ONE. I am looking forward to this series.
  • Ash Wednesday is NEXT WEEK. What in the world. Anyway, I have practiced Lent for many years and in several ways. I like the way this post breaks it down into four intentions to pursue.
  • And finally, I’m gonna make Joy the Baker’s one-pot French onion pasta tomorrow. I’ve got a fairly busy weekend, and this little dish is going to help me slow down a little and remind me that it is, in fact, my day off, regardless of what my activities may suggest.

Have a good weekend, friends!

Posted in Beauty, Books, Church, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Joy, Mental Health | Leave a Comment »

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