What I’m Reading
The Girl With the Louding Voice
This week I finished reading and/or listening to two really great books. The first was The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare. This book was fantastic and unlike anything I have ever read. It tells the story of Adunni, a teenager from rural Nigeria, who is essentially sold into marriage by her father after her beloved mother passes away. This event sets off an incredible chain of events that are both terrifyingly tragic, and oddly serendipitous. As the story unfolds, Adunni faces untold suffering, but her trails also bring her into contact with a series of unsung heroes who both protect her, and teach her how to protect herself. When I got to the end of this book, I was both filled with a palpable sense of relief for Adunni, and grief for the vast number of Nigerian women who continue to live in, or perish because of, the same forces of subjugation, dehumanization and misogyny that Adunni very narrowly escapes.
If you, like me, feel inspired to help after reading this book, you can support the amazing men and women who are currently on the ground in Nigeria working to pass legislation that protects women and girls from child marriage and sexual abuse, and guarantees them access to at least 12 years of comprehensive education, by donating to The Malala Fund.
The Great Alone
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah was a true page-turner. I started this book on Friday evening, and had finished it by Saturday night (and I have two young children, so I have to be really motivated to sneak that much reading time into one weekend). The story follows Leni (or Lenora), as she adapts to her new life in a remote Alaskan village. The move was instigated by Leni’s father, who suffers from war-related PTSD and a variety of other mental health issues, and believes that starting anew in the wilderness will “cure” him. (You can probably already see where this is going…)
The book is both a fascinating glimpse into what life was like on the Alaskan frontier in the 1970s, and a terrifying peek into the lives, choices and mental states of abusers, and the victims of their abuse. Leni and her mother are characters I know I will be thinking about for a long time, and I can not recommend this book enough (It would be a great book club read as well)!
What My Kids Are Reading
I recently received my first shipment of Usborne books, and am so in love with our first round of holiday picks! First, we got this 1001 Things To Find At Christmas Time, which is a little bit like Where’s Waldo, but also asks kids to practice their counting skills. My daughter loved this book, and I had to force her to stop hunting for snow fairies and acorns so that we could eat dinner.
We also ordered a Magic Painting book, and some Magic Painting Christmas Cards for the kids to work on during our vacation this week. Magic Painting is a great, mess-free craft for kids of pretty much all ages (I even enjoy doing it), and is something we always take with us when we travel.
Lastly, we were sent D is for Dreidel by a friend, and I will definitely be featuring it on the blog and Instagram later this holiday season. It is an adorable little Hanukkah alphabet book that will probably end up being a gift for one or both of the kids.
What We’re Eating: Thanksgiving Sides For Days!
My family will be on our own this Thanksgiving, and I’m using this fact as an excuse to make the Thanksgiving dinner of my dreams: a sides only feast. While I would love to make six types of mac and cheese and call it a day, I’m not going to do that to my growing fetus (or the rest of my family). So, I plan on making one pot of mac, as well as a few of these more “healthified” takes on traditional Thanksgiving dishes.
First, I will be making this Vegan Creamed Corn from Shane and Simple Blog. Creamed Corn has always been one of my absolutely favorite Thanksgiving sides, but the heavy cream doesn’t always sit well with me… I’m excited to try out this lighter version of my favorite comfort food, and will be sure to let you guys know how it goes!
I also plan on making this Paleo Stuffing from 40 Aprons, which is quickly becoming one of my new favorite food blogs. This stuffing is grain free (what?!) but the reviews promise me it will still be delicious. Fingers crossed my kids agree.
My Quaratine Thanksgiving Feels (and Outfits…)
Honestly guys, this Thanksgiving week is a bit of a bummer. I really miss traveling, and seeing my friends and family in person. I am definitely going to bask in the “vacation” that is having my husband off work for almost an entire week, but the arrival of the holidays is making me miss “normal” life more than usual.
But what I’ve found really interesting (and honestly quite surprising), is that I’m not as sad, upset, and frustrated as I was in March. Even though Covid cases in my area are on the rise again, businesses are shutting down for the second time, and the grocery store is out of paper towels for the 1 billionth time, I’m pretty calm (and trust me, this is not in my nature). Reflecting on it now, as I plan for a Thanksgiving that, in March, I really didn’t think we would be spending alone, I am seriously impressed by own ability (and our collective ability, really) to adapt and adjust to the craziest of circumstances.
So, what am I grateful for in this year, 2020, the year of the Covid-pocalypse? I’m grateful for my inner strength, and the resilience I didn’t know I had. I’m grateful that I can weather storms, isolation, and a LOT of time at home with my kids, and actually be better off because of it. I’m grateful for so many of the front-line workers, including my own brother (who, in his own words and mine, is a gosh, darn HERO), who have also adjusted, adapted, and risen to the occasion more than we, or probably even they, could ever have imagined. And I am grateful that, even though we are still far from out of the woods in regards to this pandemic, most of us have really shown up for each other (and masked-up for each other), and done a lot of little things to keep our friends, family members, and communities safe.
On a side note, I am also grateful for online shopping, and the fact that I have had an almost year-long excuse to wear exclusively baggy sweaters and slippers… And, in case you were wondering, that is exactly what I will be wearing this Thanksgiving (linked below).
May you all have a safe, relaxing, and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving, however it may look for your family. Much love, and thanks for reading!
