M. Suzanne Terry

Friday Five – ARGHvent

December 4, 2015 by Suzanne

I am still a toddler at following the liturgical calendar, and I’m not very good at it yet. This year, about mid-October, I thought to myself, “Self, Advent starts soon. You should start early – make your calendar, find your books, buy your candles. That way you won’t feel rushed.” And I did. I made this:

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And the finished product:

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It looks a little baby shower-ish, but we’re expecting the Christ child here, so I felt that was appropriate. I felt good about my progress.

Then time sped up.

So now it’s the first week of Advent, which is my favorite season because I know what longing is and usually have a lot to say about it. I’m reading the things and lighting the candles (which are the wrong color – because it’s actually pretty hard to find Advent candles here. War on Christmas, my ass. Christmas is fricking everywhere.), and going to the services (which has kept me sane this week). And I’m fighting not to settle for autopilot because it would be so easy to check out mentally and emotionally and barrel through, waiting until it is over to be human again. I’m just barely making it.

But I have had a little help from a few places this week.

Annie Leibovitz is the photographer for the 2016 Pirelli calendar. And it’s going to be amazing. I need to become royalty so I can get this calendar.
The #BodiesMatter hashtag and Suzannah Paul’s piece on Faith Feminisms.
Jamaal May’s poem The Gun Joke could have been written yesterday, but it wasn’t. Ponder.
Ten great books by women that were overlooked in 2015. My reading list just gets longer and longer.
And thank you Abby and Amy. I needed this so bad – ten ways to be unproductive and stay sane this season.

What’s helping you today?

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What I’m Into – November 2015

November 30, 2015 by Suzanne

Superheroes and villains. Family and pie.

In other words – the essentials.

I spent NaNoWriMo fleshing out a new story wherein the main character is a superhero who currently has telepathy and mad combat skills. Her powers are up in the air – I had a lot of fun writing different scenes where she has different powers and seeing how that would play out. In the end, my favorite scenes (or the ones that I can actually piece together and make into a story) will probably dictate what her powers will be. I only finished about 10,000 words, but I love her, so this will be a story I revisit.

Of course, this meant I watched a lot of Smallville. You know, for inspiration. And trips down fandom memory lane. And eye candy.

Thanksgiving was fun but seemed rushed. I took the whole week off last week so that I could have two days of getting-things-done and be able to relax when we went to see the parents on Wednesday instead of spending the holiday making lists of all the things I needed to remember to do when we got home Sunday. Of course, like a fool, I then told people I took the whole week off, and because I would much rather have dinner and hang out with people I miss than clean my nasty apartment…well…that’s how that went.

You’re right. I totally told them on purpose.

To-do list completely not done, we left around noon on Wednesday to travel to the parents’ house. This was my view:

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Love that sky.

But I still managed to relax a little at Thanksgiving, although my lists on my phone are out of control now and I might never get them done. We had traditional fare and lots of dessert. I ate four different kinds of pie (over the course of the weekend, to be clear). There was coconut cream pie and chocolate meringue pie and lemon pudding pie and because that went so well (and so quickly), a chocolate pudding pie. There was also a pecan pie, but I am not a fan, so I left that one to others.

I really love pie, y’all.

The weather is finally exactly how I like it. Cold. And not the “cold” that some people start complaining about in late October when it dips slightly below 70. Like…ice has formed. I mean, not here. But at my parents’ house –

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Ice on the kitchen window.

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Frozen vines and icicles on the trellis in the backyard.

I didn’t read a lot this month, but it definitely had a theme to it. Holidays apparently make me want to look at my relationship with food. I picked Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi for my memoir/biography discussion for book club. She already had me at this:

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This is the best, rawest, most honest capture of what it’s like to have an eating disorder that I’ve ever read. Sometimes, it was like reading pages out of my own journals from my late teens/early twenties. It would be tempting to write a memoir on this subject from a heavy now-looking-back perspective – to rush to lessons learned and mountains moved. But she didn’t do that, and that’s why this book is so important. She takes you through the details of her thoughts and feelings, which, if you’ve ever thought and felt similar things, doesn’t give you the chance to say, “Well, that’s not me.” It hits you in the gut and makes you deal with it. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I also read a lot of Mireille Guiliano. I loved the food philosophy (i.e., common sense) of French Women Don’t Get Fat, so I tried French Women for All Seasons (I liked it…and found it charming that she included sections on how to tie scarves in each season…but otherwise meh) and Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire (I found some parts very useful and some parts very baffling). She reminds me a little of my mother.

So that’s what I’ve been into this month. What have you been doing/eating/reading?

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – click the button below and join us!

Posted in Books, Food, NaNoWriMo, TV, What I'm Into, Writing | 2 Comments »

Friday Five – November 20, 2015

November 20, 2015 by Suzanne

In the interest of reaching even one of my meager writing goals set this week, here is your Friday Five:

I’ve been writing as much as I can on my NaNoWriMo project, but that process is turning out to be molasses slow. It is clearer than ever that I need a computer at home if I’m going to have a book published before I’m 50. How did people even make this happen before computers? I’m in awe of them.
There’s so much sadness and terribleness in the world. But it’s not just “out there.” It’s here. It’s in our country and in our hearts. I am saddened to know that the freedom of many citizens to practice their religions by welcoming the outcast has been denied them this week. I am sadder to understand what that means for the outcasts. I want to be angry, but then I look at my own couch, empty of any refugees or people in need, and I am force to look at my own practices. Am I welcoming people as I ought? My favorite post of the week is from A’Driane Nieves – We ARE the threat.
I love superheroes, but I especially love this.
My favorite couple on my current favorite show are a real couple in real life, and they’re having another baby. *fangirl squee*
Send more cat pictures. Especially ones where they don’t realize they’re being adorable. And for those who wonder why cats gravitate to people who don’t want their love – finally an explanation.

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What I’m Into – October 2015

November 4, 2015 by Suzanne

Because Fall.

Fall food is my favorite food. October didn’t have quite the sharp coolness that I wanted, but I feel like I ushered in the season in my heart with food and habits.

I made so much beer bread last month. I used a slight variation of my friend Mel’s recipe, which is super easy – Mix 3 cups self-rising flour and one beer (I use Corona or a similar beverage), put it in a greased loaf pan (that’s right – no kneading necessary), pour half a stick of melted butter on top, and bake it for about an hour at 350 degrees. It is good with soup (and also with gravy, but we won’t talk about that).

I also made a lot of lasagna and stacked enchiladas, and I quite possibly ate my weight in kettle corn. It was not a health food month.

For someone who spent almost every day blogging about books, I certainly did not read that many. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones was nice. I enjoyed that.

I spent most of my TV hours watching My Boys (ah, that takes me back) at home and Once Upon A Time at my sister’s house. Whoever told me that I would loooooove OUAT? You were utterly correct. It’s so clever and awesome, and I want all of the evil queen’s clothes/costumes. Also…Hook. I don’t care if he’s bad, I am a big, big fan.

But the main thing I was into this October? Knitting. I knitted like a madwoman.

I finished a blanket that I started over three years ago:

I started and finished a whole new lap blanket:

I made several scarves:

All of these projects barely made a dent in my yarn stash. I don’t know what triggers these knitting frenzies, but I’m glad I have them every once in a while. My house would be overrun with yarn.

What have you been into this October

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – come join us!

Posted in Food, Shelfies, What I'm Into | 4 Comments »

Acknowledgements

October 30, 2015 by Suzanne

This was originally going to be the background to my 31 Days icon. I look sneaky. I like that, but I couldn’t get the right color of text that would show up in front of the books and the dark space. The writing group at Andilit helped me in my hour of visually challenged need to pick a better picture, a better font, and better spacing.

Ah, yes. Much better.

I also received a lot of encouragement from my other online writing group, the Coterie at Awake the Bones. We had several people participating in the 31-day challenge, so we had a thread every day to help us keep up with each other’s posts.

I am thankful for my friend Michelle, my librarian friend and star of my Fandom Friends post. She will read anything I hand her, and she’s done so for as long as we’ve known each other. I need to clear out a place on my shelf where her books will go someday. You’re all going to love them. Also, I am pretty sure I got the idea of taking shelfies from her. I distinctly remember a picture of her with library shelves in the background, and I thought, “Shelfies. That would be a cute series.” So I’m officially giving you credit, Michelle.

Dear Maggie – here is another post where you are mentioned. It happens so often because, even though you are far away, you are still one of my main sounding boards for rants and stories, and a lot of those turn into longer rants and stories of book-ish length. Thanks for loving my rants and reading my stories and for being my partner in crime for NoHoNoPro (No Honor, No Problem) that one time.

I love being friends with Margarett, and I love that this series is sprinkled with stories from our friendship, from our one shelf of sanity to our obsession with Ethiopian food to our compulsion to acquire large numbers of books in a single bound. Thanks for never telling me I have too many books.

This month has made me especially grateful for my parents. My earliest memory is my mom reading Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer to me. She took me to libraries, encouraged me to read anything I could get my hands on, and made me look up answers for myself. My parents insisted that I go to college, and that experience was instrumental in forming me into the person I am today.

Thank you, dear readers. Thanks for your likes and your comments and your emails and your encouragement. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this series as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. You make me make this face:

I wrote 31 Days of Shelfies!

Posted in 31 Days, Andilit, awake the bones, Coterie, Shelfies | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Five Books That Have Changed Me

October 29, 2015 by Suzanne

Today, we will be taking a look at one of my virtual shelves – the Goodreads Reading Challenge shelf (ignore how far behind I am).

I was originally going to talk today about my five favorite books I’ve read this year, but then the video of the assault at Spring Valley High School changed my mind.

And before we launch into you-don’t-know-the-whole-story rhetoric, let me be clear on my position. No other possible side to this story justifies his behavior, so don’t even try it. No matter what she did, he was wrong.

Earlier this week, I shared this post – The Assault at Spring Valley Would Not Have Happened if the Girl was White -with a friend who was telling me that this assault wasn’t about race. His only response after he read (I presume he read it) the article? “Well, of course they think so. They’re black.”

Okay, then. Let me be clearer. I am saying that this assault would not have happened to me in high school. Even if I had been doing whatever it was she had done before the video. Even if I refused to get up. Even if I refused to go with the man who was threatening me.

It wouldn’t have happened. Not because of anything I did or did not do, but simply because I’m white and because of who my parents are.

“But you didn’t act the way she probably acted to get the cops called on her.”

What way? Sitting in my chair, minding my own business? Or even mouthing off and giving zero damns about people who disrespected me? No matter how you spin it – actually, I almost always acted that way. Still do. And it has never ended in my being thrown on the floor by someone who was supposed to protect me.

I was pulled over for failure to use my turn signal one night. I was guilty – I did not use my turn signal. The person following me was following closely, and I pulled into another lane to let them pass. I was annoyed with the person behind me, and it probably showed in my sudden acceleration and sudden lane change. It turned out the person was a cop. When he pulled me over, he asked why I didn’t use a signal, I replied, “I was trying to get out of the way of the jerk tailgating me.” I was snippy, and I delivered it with a look to match my tone. Did he pull me out of my car and force me facedown on the ground with my hands behind my back? Did he ask me to step out of the car at all? Did he give me a stern lecture on cooperating with law enforcement?

No. He did not. He laughed and said, “Fair enough,” and told me to have a good night. He did not even give me a ticket, despite the fact that technically he could have. He gave my behavior – which frankly was quite rude – the best possible interpretation he could come up with and let me go with his good wishes. Now I understand that this could have been an unusually jovial fellow. It’s possible that particular cop would have responded the exact same way if I had been a woman of color. I think that’s naive, though. I’ve heard too many similar stories with different outcomes just from my friends, not to mention the stories that have made the news.

So I don’t just want to talk about great books today. I want to talk about great books that made a difference in me.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson is an attorney and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. His book is heartbreaking. We read it for my church book club in August. As aware of the world as we like to believe that we are, it shocked quite a few of us. We were dismayed that there’s still so much reform needed in our prison system. This book made me want to go to law school (that urge passed) and be more involved in the work of justice (that urge wakes me up at night).

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

This is one of my favorite books – and not just of this year. In her collection of essays, Roxane Gay lays out her point of view and points out exactly how it doesn’t always fit in with mainstream (or, as she admits, any) feminism. I need her voice; my feminism is incomplete without it.

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie weaves tales between the past and the present, between tradition and modern life. This book made me realize how many of the stories I read about other cultures are not written by people from that culture. The difference in the stories told is remarkable. I want to read more stories written by people who embody the narrative rather than people who are merely reporting it.

Salt by Nayyirah Waheed

Nayyirah Waheed’s poetry leaves me undone. There’s not a word wasted or unintentional. Her words paint pictures of her experiences living in her body in this world.

Speaking of undone…

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

If I could only recommend one book of all the books I’ve read this year, this would be it. Everyone should read this book. Just read it. Claudia Rankine chronicles the treatment of people of color in the world and in the media. If you are interested at all in race relations, you need to read this book. Listen.

I made a goal at the first of the year to read at least 40 books – one third of my overall goal – written by people of color. I’ve only managed to read 17 so far, and it’s not quite a third of all the books I’ve read. I’ve learned that even when I’m being intentional about my choices, I gravitate toward the familiar and comfortable. This knowledge is humbling and helpful. I can do better.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Shelfies | 2 Comments »

Language

October 29, 2015 by Suzanne

I have always been told that I’m good at languages.

I’m not sure exactly what that means, but hey – it’s something I’m good at – I’ll take it.

I took a couple of years of Spanish in high school, four semesters of Latin in undergrad, and three semesters of German in grad school. Of course, I still have all the books.

I’ve also added to them. I will often buy books in one of the languages I’ve taken to practice my skills. I will also purchase books in languages I have absolutely no training in, because I like the title (In Praise of Yiddish) or because I recently read a book (by Murakami) and thought, “That was a nice paragraph. I bet that was beautiful in its original language” (and thus had to buy a book of Japanese phrases). I have several books on Portuguese because I want to travel someday to Brazil, and I am trying to learn Italian (and they said the Latin was a waste of time!) because I not only want to travel there but also because I found a cookbook that I need to read.

I’m obsessed with Duolingo.

I know that I will probably only become marginally proficient (I can ask for the bathroom and order coffee in at least five languages), but it’s a fun pursuit.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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The Play’s the Thing

October 28, 2015 by Suzanne

It is odd how few plays I own considering my theater experience. I guess most of them are in scripts.

But it does highlight pretty clearly who my favorite playwright is.

I love Neil Simon. I love his wit and his characters. Any time I had to choose a monologue to give, it was almost always Neil Simon.

Barefoot in the Park is my favorite. I even managed to work it into a conflict management assignment in grad school. I analyzed one of Paul and Corie’s many arguments and made the class watch it during my presentation. They know they loved it.

His most famous play is probably The Odd Couple. I love Felix. He is one of my top five favorite TV/movie characters.

Who is your favorite playwright? What’s your favorite play?

I’m Writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

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Read This Next

October 27, 2015 by Suzanne

There are books stacked everywhere in my house. The corner of my desk is no exception.

This is where books go when they don’t really go anywhere else. I have a general organization system, but there isn’t really a Feminist Ryan Gosling section. I suppose it could go in the feminist theory section, but it seems dwarfed by those texts. Nor is there a Coffee: The Bean of My Existence section. Maybe if I started collecting graphic novels. It’s almost a graphic…short story?

My most used Bible also lives here. I know I could look up verses online, but my fingers are faster than my iPhone.

Read This Next is a great book to have if you’re starting a book club or have a book club. The questions in the book should only guide your discussion if a lot of drinking is involved or if you’ve known the people in your group a long time. Then again, having people answer these questions – much like playing Cards Against Humanity – is a quick way to get to know the people in your group. At any rate, they’re hilarious.

Sadly, this is also where books go when I’m “working” on them but have decided to take a “break.” Translation: I found ten other books I’d rather read, and it got put aside. I may never actually read this book. Also, I may have borrowed it from someone and forgot who that was. The Evolution of Adam, anyone?

A friend once said, “Oh, it’s like your junk drawer. It’s a junk shelf.” Rude.

Tell me you have a shelf like this in your house. You know you do.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Shelfies | 2 Comments »

Friends of the Library – Fort Worth

October 26, 2015 by Suzanne

One of us is clearly more excited to be taking a shelfie than the other.

Twice a year, the Fort Worth Friends of the Library hosts a huge sale of excess books. I don’t always make the spring sale, but I usually make the one in the fall.

Margarett likes to go on the first day, when there is a better selection. She’s even found some first editions. I prefer the $15-a-box day, though, and she is happy to go on that day, too.

In years past, they have had two rooms. The smaller room hosted lots of nonfiction, poetry, and classic literature. The larger room was filled with fiction, DVDs, and books on tape. This year, they didn’t have the larger room. It was taken over by a kitsch store. I like kitsch as much as the next person, but I am (not-so-)secretly hoping for the store’s demise over the course of the year, because cramming all those books into that one tiny room (and an even tinier one next to it) created a very stressful situation for me. At one point, I was trapped in a pocket of four other people, to whom I exclaimed, “LetmeoutIhavetogorightnow.” They totally understood.

But I still came away with a pretty nice haul. My box wasn’t full (because I was not going back in there), so we consolidated and saved even more money.

Even if they don’t get the big room back next time, I know I’ll return. The stress will fade from my memory and will be replaced by a longing to support libraries and acquire new treasures.

I’m writing 31 Days of Shelfies.