M. Suzanne Terry

“Ruth knew that books had power…” From Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

If you ask me what my favorite month is, I’ll usually say, “October.” The weather starts cooling off, and spooky season is nigh. Fall/winter fashion is my favorite. Or I might say, “March,” since that’s the month I was born, and what’s better than that?

But December holds a special place in my heart. I’m not a fan of the busyness of the holidays or commercialization in general, but I must admit that I adore some of its side effects. Suddenly, there are twinkle lights everywhere. My favorite coffee company usually has some pretty good sales and it’s finally cold enough in Texas that I can stock up on their chocolate without it melting (yes, even with the ice packs). The church year in my tradition begins with Advent, which is my favorite season in the liturgical calendar. 

And best of all, I always have at least one week of the month off from work, which means extra reading time. Here’s how I plan to spend it this month.

Community Reads

• I Forced a Bot To Write This Book by Keaton Patti
• How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
• Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
• A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
• The Love Con by Seressia Glass
• Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So

Joy Reads

• The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
• Continue with Taste and The Joy of Cooking 

Seasonal Reads (Advent/Wintery/New-years-y)

• Winter by Ali Smith
• Wintering by Katherine May
• Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
• Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
• Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel
• How To Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

I’ll probably also finish up some of the many books/series I’ve started in previous months. I hope you’re reading something delectable that you can’t put down!