THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that Devon built our fire this morning. What's one thing you're thankful for?

BOOKS I FINISHED - NOVEMBER 2023

God is More Than Enough, written by Tony Evans

Breaking down Psalm 23 one verse at a time, this book is a reminder how much God loves us and how he meets various types of needs we have. With only six short chapters, it was a perfect launch point for my Bible reading each day this week. 

I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, written by Monica Guzman

When I said something on Facebook about reading I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening): A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversations, written by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, back in July 2022, a friend who'd read it said she'd also enjoyed this similar book by Guzman. It's definitely a good read-alike. I prefer Holland and Silvers' book, mostly because the writing was less casual, which feels more professional to me for this type of book. However, Guzman's book places the same high value on seeking to understand those who have different beliefs than we do instead of demonizing them, which is important to me. I especially appreciated all the examples she gives of questions that lead to understanding and peace, not to division and conflict. 

xxiii, We know what happens when the people we love don't think we really see them: they go find someone who will.

p. 12, That's what happens when you're surrounded by people who share your gut instincts: You end up sharing your blind spots, too. And when the whole group has the same blind spots? You'll amp up each other's ignorance and make bad decisions even more spectacularly together than each of you would have apart.

p. 14, When you're surrounded by people who reflect the same basic set of perspectives, you'll find it harder to grasp any others. Not because you're incapable of grasping them. But just because you're less likely to be given the chance.

p. 49, "What am I missing?" is not just any question. It's the question. It's the doorstop to put down in the hallways of your mind, pathway after pathway, to keep open possibilities from slamming into harmful assumptions.

p. 74, But there's no question that the most valuable opportunity to put our curiosity to work is precisely in that vulnerable place where perspectives meet in all their raw complexity, ready to push and bend, to reveal and be revealed.

p. 115, Fail to notice your assumptions and they might harden into lies. Turn them into questions and they'll get you closer to the truth.

p. 134, The first is, "Are you willing to believe that you are wrong about something?" < snip > "That simple observation, 'I'm wrong, I just don't know what about!' should produce some humility," David said. "Some willingness to listen."

David then asked his second question: "Which do you value more: the truth or your own beliefs?"

"Cause they're not synonymous," he told the class. 

p. 135 (quoting Elizabeth G. Saunders) "When you feel you won online, you've rarely changed anyone's mind," she writes. "Instead, you stand as the triumphant king of a lonely land soldering with the ashes of people you've decimated with your words who are less likely than ever to ever listen to your side again."

p. 159, Asking the question "What am I missing?" reminds us that our perspectives are always limited and we're always missing something, keeping our curiously on standby.

p. 178, When we look across our distorted, exaggerated divides, it's easy to mistake a different ordering of values for an absence of the ones we care about most - and judge people accordingly. 

p. 193, It's the "walk a mile in my shoes" rule: See the issue you're discussing from the perspective of someone with a very different stake in it, and it's almost guaranteed to illuminate something you hadn't considered.

p. 193, This leads to another one of my all-time favorite questions to ask anyone steeped in assurance about their own position, especially when they've just criticized the other side: "What's your most generous interpretation of why they disagree with you?"

p. 202, Listening is showing people they matter. And when you stay long enough to hear people all the way through on something they care about, you show them they matter loads.

p. 234, That while each of us fights and rages for our own convictions, we can choose to leave room for what we're missing and the people who can show us different views on the same shared world. Not to change our minds but to challenge them, one "I never thought of it that way" moment at a time.

 

Long Way Down, written and narrated by Jason Reynolds

A 15 year-old boy's older brother is murdered. He enters his apartment building's elevator the next morning to get revenge and is met on each floor of his descent by someone that he knows. The catch is that each of the people are dead. Written in verse, it's a story about choices, consequences, and how we don't always know as much as we think we do about circumstances or people.

The Lost Girls of Paris, written by Pam Jenoff

Inspired by actual events and told from the perspectives of three women spread across various locations in two different years, this piece of historical fiction is a story of danger, loyalty, and betrayal. It's about women who broke discriminatory barriers to serve their country, put their lives on the line for their jobs, and then disappeared without any explanation. This book was the November part of a year-long gift from a friend, one book to unwrap and read each month.

The Man Who Died Twice, written by Richard Osman

Diamonds are missing, people are being killed, and four friends in their seventies are determined to figure out what's going on. Local law enforcement and the mafia are involved, so there's a bit of a race to see who can solve the crimes first. As with the first book in the Thursday Murder Club series, the characters in this second book are loveable and the dialogue is witty. I don't know if I'm just not remembering the first book accurately, but this one seems to have way more comments about people's desire for casual sex. Just a heads up for those that matters to. 

p. 72, Revenge is not a straight line, it's a circle. It's a grenade that goes off while you're still in the room, and you can't help buy be caught in the blast. 

p. 127, An apple is an apple whether you are eating it because you like to take care of yourself or you are eating it to impress a new girlfriend. The nutrients are the same. < snip > ... and that he needs to pretend to enjoy life a bit more than he does. And what if it's the same as apples? What if pretending to enjoy life is the same as actually enjoying it?

Seedfolks, written by Paul Fleischman and narrated by Sunnit Hit, Hue Edwards, Barbara Rosenblat, Michael Rafkin, Stephanie Diaz, Earl Alexander, Sandra Squire, Nicholas Luksic, Noria Ahrash, Robert Hit, Russ Lamore, Michelle Blackman (Huge thanks to Blackstone Publishing for e-mailing me the list of narrators when I couldn't find it anywhere online.)

An abandoned lot in Cleveland is filled with garbage. One day a girl plants a few beans. Eventually the space is cleaned out and becomes a community garden. Told from the perspectives of several people, all coming from different countries, experiences, and ages, it's the personal stories of several individuals, but also about the ripple effect of any single person's choices, how one small choice can snowball into something much bigger, and the importance of belonging.

THE BOOK I BAILED ON

Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story), written by Daniel Nayari

So many people love this book and it seems like one I'd enjoy, but I struggled with the writing format. I'll probably try it again later, knowing what to expect. Meanwhile, there were some quotes I liked from the part I read.

p, 52, When the immigrants came to America, they thought the streets would be paved with gold. But when they got here, they realized three things:

1. The streets were not paved with gold.
2. The streets were not paved at all.
3. They were the ones expected to do the paving.

p. 86, There is the part that makes you improve yourself - makes you practice controlling your fear and jealousy. There is the part where you choose every action so that it doesn't hurt the one you love, even indirectly. There's a lot more to love than smooching.

p, 92, Memories are tricky things.

They can fade or fester.

You have to seal them up tight like pickles and keep out impurities like how hurt you feel when you open them. Or they'll ferment and poison your brain.

PUZZLES I FINISHED - NOVEMBER 2023

Holiday Sleigh Ride - Artist: Jane Wooster Scott - Mattel Puzzles - 1,000 pieces

I love the homes and people in this one. I also really love my sister, daughter, and youngest son for working hard with me on the parts with lots of sameness.

Seasons of Birds - Artist: Stuart Cox - Ravensburger - 1,000 pieces

I thoroughly enjoyed the different scenes and variety of patterns in this one. Bonus points for it being a brand I love, bought at a significant discount, and paid for with a gift card. 

Taj Mahal - Artist: Eric Dowdle - Dowdle Folk Art - 1,000 pieces

I enjoyed the vibrant scene filled with people, flowers, animals, and architecture. 

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for crispy / French fried onions. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for dry roasted almonds. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the music of Andy Grammer, Sandra Boynton, and Tenth Avenue North - totally different from each other, but perfectly suited to particular moods. What's something that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the apple slices dredged through peanut butter. What's one thing that you're thankful for?