#AMonthofFaves2016: Top 10 Other Sh$t That Rocked in 2016 … Or 5 Reasons I’m Glad 2016 is Over

You guessed it! We're capping off the year with Shit that Rocked or Reasons You're Glad 2016 is over. Against all odds, I'm going with shit that rocked!

1. My kid. My kid freaking rocks. Not only is he, like, the cutest thing ever, his reading is in full swing. He's constantly asking me the definitions of words and spelling things for me, and his vocabulary is a thing to behold. He also recently lost his first tooth, and, and. So much good Greyson-related stuff.

2. Cawffee! My mom, husband, and I have a Saturday and Sunday-morning coffee (cawffee!) date. We sit around and chat, and eat. and giggle, and it's the best time.

3. I'm finally feeling the blogging/content creation mojo. It was dormant for a while, but as we exit 2016, it's back in full effect.

4. My sticker shop! I have enjoyed designing and making stickers SO MUCH, and I have lots of bookish sticker plans for 2017.

5. All of you. Thank you, friends, for being amazing.

And a big THANK YOU to Tanya Patrice, Kim, and Tamara from GirlXOXO.com and TravelingwithT.com for having me as cohost again this year! I hope they don't kick me to the curb for being a slacker this season. This event has really been the thing to rekindle my blogging mojo!

#AMonthofFaves2016: Badass Books I Loved in 2016

Today's #AMonthofFaves prompt:

#AMonthofFaves {The Reading Year} - reading stats etc. / Top 10 Books that Blew My Mind in 2016

When I think back on the year, it doesn't stand out as a great reading year. However, like so many things tainted with negativity, that negativity can seep in and take over, blotting out the good stuff. Such was the case as I looked back over my books read in 2016. There was never any way of narrowing it down to 10 overall favorites, so here we have my badass 2016 reading by category.

Voila! Thank you, 2016, for not sucking completely.

Visit GirlXOXO.com and TravelingWithT.com for my cohosts' faves! <3 nbsp="" p="">

Badass Fiction

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt for beautiful atmosphere and endearing characters.
The Unfinished World: Stories by Amber Sparks for gorgeous weirdness.
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud for its rage.
The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales for women kicking ass.
13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad for nuance and a sense of the familiar.
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron for brutal honesty and truly memorable characters.
The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez for inciting empathy. I want to give this to EVERYONE.
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett for practical magic and a heroine I want to be.

Badass Comics and Graphic Novels 

Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie for charm and wit and a look at Africa that avoids stereotypes.
Something New by Lucy Knisley for taking the topic of marriage, weddings, and DIY and expanding it to something so quirky, and charming, and meaningful. For tackling the big topics along with the obvious ones.
Captain Marvel Volume 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez for a badass superhero with a sense of humor.

Badass Non-Fiction

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin for surprising me and pissing me off.
Running Like a Girl by Alexandra Heminsley for helping me believe I could run.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling for making me laugh, making me love and admire Kaling even more.
When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams for a close look at silence and an examination of voice that I really needed to read.

The Badass Classic

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham for making me cry despite its problems.

Badass YA

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson for being a book I wanted to hug.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero for an outspoken, fierce heroine....even though she doubted herself.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo for grabbing me immediately. And the Darkling.

And the inevitable problem of making these lists before the end of the year: I'm still reading. In fact, I'm in the middle of Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson and Terry Pratchett's final book, The Shepherd's Crown. There's a high probability that both of those books belong on this list.

What were your faves?

#AMonthofFaves: 5 Must-Haves for Winter Survival

I LOVE WINTERRRR! Because it's a break from stupid Texas heat. Here are my winter must-haves.

Aveeno Active Naturals Skin Relief Intense Moisture hand cream. My hands always crack. I say this every year. And this is the year's fave hand lotion. Along with Aveeno's eczema soothing lotion with colloidal oatmeal. Best! 

A beanie. Preferably Wonder Woman. David picked this up for me at Walmart because I needed a running hat, and it is perfection. I basically wear it all the time. 

A sweat wicking activity jacket kinda like this one. I bought one of these way earlier in the year when they were out of season and on super sale. Now I am tooootally into it, and a jacket like this one allows me to run when it's way too cold for this Texas gal. 

Puppies and kid snuggles and coffee and blankets and jammies. The end. And messaging with Heather because we all know I'd curl up and die if that wasn't a thing I did every day.

What are your faves? I always need ideas! 

Visit TravelingWithT.com and GirlXOXO.com too!

#AMonthofFaves2016: 5 Fave “New to Me” Author Discoveries or Audiobook Narrations

2016 has been a great year for new-to-me authors, and it's been a pretty fine year for audio, too. All of these are new-to-me authors, and a couple were audiobooks as well.

Be sure to see what's cooking at Girlxoxo.com and TravelingWithT.com today!

The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales is FUUUUUUN and the women in this novel are Bad. Ass.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is one of the books I was listening to when my massive slump began. Sadly, I laid the book aside, but it did NOT deserve that kind of treatment, and I will be returning to it shortly. Jahren writes--and reads--so passionately about her life in science.

Yesternight by Cat Winters was a rollicking good time. A historical novel with a reincarnation twist. It was excellent ear candy.

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt was one of the first books I read in 2016 and it still stands out in my mind as one of the best reading experiences of the year....creepy, atmospheric, intriguing.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo was quite a surprise since I'm usually not much for YA fiction, but this fantasy novel scratched the itch.

Be sure to share your choices here!

 

#AMonthofFaves: Best Changes We Made This Year and a Tearful ONE WORD

Best Changes We Made This Year #AMonthofFaves2016 – to your Day / Life / Routines / Blog / Habits

Don't we all know what I'm going to say? This is officially the #AMonthofFaves2016 prompt most likely to make me cry. 

This was the year I quit a toxic job. The year I started running. The year I was willing to do really scary things in order to make myself, my life, my health, my family, my mental health better. It's crazy that this year, what started off pretty damn glorious, is ending with a mental fog, a lot of broken-heartedness and lost-feelingness because of the way the world is. See politics, hatred, war, apathy, etc.

I find myself in a really dark place. This morning has been an example. I read the news: Aleppo, mind-boggling Cabinet picks, and I just don't even know what the fucking hell I can do. I feel guilty for being tired, gobsmacked, sad because there are so many people fighting so much harder for so much longer. I know that. I feel it right down to my toes.

Screaming into the Facebook and Twitter voids are echo chambers, which can help me feel less alone, but there are limits. I want to be more hands-on where I am in my daily life, but I have a hard time finding those opportunities because I live...here. Let's be real: the people around me are, mostly, not distressed. Especially my government officials.

I am looking for my people. I am looking for a church of accepting believers. I am looking for the helpers. 

I am not excited nor hopeful about 2017. Resolutions feel empty right now, so I started looking at the "one word" idea. As I was reading, I zeroed in on the idea of finding a word for something you want to be. Where you want to land. I did some Googling and some mulling, and I was tossing a few different words around. Friends on Twitter suggested things like revolutionary, radical, hopeful. They're perfectly wonderful words, but I'm feeling too ineffective for those. Like I can't live up to them. Maybe all the more reason to choose them, but they just didn't feel right. 

I landed on "assurance." 

I still wasn't sure it was right...until I started digging. 

I've mentioned on the social medias and up above that I'm looking for people here in Texas who want to help. HELP HELP HELP. I feel like a church is the right place to start...to dig into the community. To do something tangible. I'm looking for a place where my political and spiritual beliefs can live together....be respected together as part of a good-doing heart.  

I Googled "scripture about assurance" and came to one of my favorite verses: 

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jer. 1:5

I'm not a prophet to any nations. I'm not touching enough people, doing enough, making a difference. I doubted that this really applies to me...even though I'd like it to.

And then I read around this single verse. 

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." 

"Alas, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young."

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. 

Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

I'm feeling completely powerless and ineffective. What can I say, what can I write, what can I? What can I? Words are my gift and they're not HELPING. Or at least that's how I feel in my solitude. 

My students tell me different. My friends and family do, too. I often have a hard time believing it. I found myself in tears over these verses about righteous words. Moreso, when I took a close look at the definition of assurance. 

as·sur·ance

əˈSHo͝orəns/

noun

noun: assurance; plural noun: assurances

1. 1.

   a positive declaration intended to give confidence; a promise.

   
   

   synonyms:

   word of honor, word, promise, pledge, vow, avowal, oath, bond, undertaking,guarantee, commitment "you have my assurance"

2. 2.

   confidence or certainty in one's own abilities.

   
   

   synonyms:

   self-confidence, confidence, self-assurance, self-possession, nerve, poise, aplomb,levelheadedness; More

   • certainty about something.

     
     

This post is a garbled mess of feels, but here's where I am: 

There's no assurance that everything will be ok. There's just not. But I assure you, I promise, that I will do my personal best. I will give what I have whether it's words, love, encouragement, resistance, grace. And I have to accept the assurance of those I love and trust that the things I'm doing, trying. striving for, are not worthless. They are not in vain.

I read these words from Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves (and so much more). that gave me an injection of hope and purpose. I know I will come back to them over and over again. This short essay is titled, "We Were Made For These Times."

"Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good

What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale."

...and...

"In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours. They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for."

#AMonthofFaves2016: 5 Books on Our Winter Reading List

5 Books on Our Winter Reading List - which books are your must read this winter?


Last week I announced on Twitter--out of nowhere--that I'm going to read 12 books in the next 24 days. I'm off work for winter break until January 2, so what better time to try and inject some energy into my reading life? 

These are the initial books I chose from my shelves that I'd like to focus on. Check out GirlXOXO's and TravelingWithT's picks, too! 

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

Hammer Head by Nina MacLaughlin

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott

The Mother by Yvette Edwards

Academy Street by Mary Costello

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hillary Mantel

Chainmail Bikini by Hazel Newlevant and Sarah Winifred Searle

Rat Queens volume 2 by Kurtis J. Wiebe et al

Right now I'm reading the other two. Today I'll finish I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching #4) by Terry Pratchett and I'm reading Just Mercy along with Heather. Good stuff!

#AMonthofFaves2016: The Most Unique, Weird or Most Memorable Book(s) Read This Year

The Most Unique, Weird or Most Memorable Book(s) Read This Year – not necessarily your favorite book because it could be memorable for how bad or how much you liked or disliked the characters.

I'm here! I'm back in the game! Last week was a whoooole bunch of grading, but aside from one class, I've officially closed out the fall semester, so I'm back to blogging. I love today's prompt, so let's dive right in...

Good-Memorable

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero for its fierce, relatable, quirky main character (and the secondary characters, too).

Toil and Trouble by Mairghread Scott and Kelly and Nichole Matthews for it's unique take on Hamlet and three badass witches. 

Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron for it's heart-rending plot.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig for sexy times in a boat.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer for surprising me with more heft than I expected.

Not Great-Memorable

Your Kid's a Brat and It's All Your Fault by Elaine Glickman, and as the title might suggest this one tried humor but landed in more sensational territory.

Ikebana by Yumi Sakugawa was beautifully drawn but ultimately totally confusing.

American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis had great promise but fell flat. 

Do tell! Can't wait to see what you all came up with. Don't forget to check out GirlXOXO.com and TravelingWithT.com, too! 

#AMonthofFaves2016: This Is How We Blog

This Is How We Blog #AMonthofFaves2016 – – Essential Computer Programs, Browser Plugins, Websites and / or your blogging routine

My posts for this event may be wayyyyy underwelming. I'm beginning to see a pattern here! 2016 was the year my routine blew up. It was a great year for personal freedom, following my heart, and taking a new direction, but with that, a lot of the old stuff fell off. 

I obviously blog a lot less. I read a lot less. Overall, I'm at peace, so that's all that really matters, but I can't say I've been terribly innovative this year. My planning and organization have reverted to paper. I haven't incorporated any new technology per se. 

The technology that plays the most central role in my life is my podcast app. When I can't read or am having trouble concentrating, when I need to feel engaged but not toooo much, or when I'm out running, I turn to my podcasts!  I have a slew of new ones to try thanks to Heather, but my old favorites are still at the tippy top of my listening list: Note to Self, Lore, and Get Booked! 

Even though I haven't done much in this regard since March doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to your answers! 

#AMonthofFaves2016: Popular Books Worth the Hype

The year started off with a bang, but my reading has been nearly nil since August. I blame it on the election, thankyouverymuch. Looking back at my books read this year there are a lot of winners. Thank goodness this prompt didn't ask specifically for books that are popular NOW.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I REALLY struggled with this in print, but it was just the fast-pasted escapism I needed on audio.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang. So weird, so good, so much to ponder and discuss.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I need to re-read this quarterly.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. This is an audiobook winner from the April Readathon. Kaling's self-deprecating humor is just so good. I want to be her friend.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. I literally want to give this to all my neighbors in hopes of growing some extra empathy in my town.

Check out Tamara and Tanya Patrice's faves, too! Link your own post down below!

 

#AMonthofFaves2016: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things #AMonthofFaves2016 – eg. to eat, drink, wear, smell, see, do, enjoy, best thing I bought, most used gift received etc, favorite concert, outdoor activity, place visited, most squee worthy moment of the year, biggest change.

2016 has been a bit of a beating, hasn't it? It feels a bit weird to be posting at all, and at times I feel guilty for not reading something serious, making calls to representatives, or some such. But we all need a break. Deserve one even. We must recharge to be effective at anything. 

So, my favorite things you ask? 

And don't forget to visit GirlXOXO and Traveling With T when you're done here. 

My planners. I went apeshit crazy with planning this year, and right now, with my multiple teaching gigs winding down, I could not be more thankful for them. I was sitting around grading a few straggler papers this morning and realized I needed to download a lot of what was cluttering up my brain, so I pulled out my Recollections brand personal planner from Michael's. When I got home I made sure all those bits and bobs were also in my big Erin Condren planner, and that way I can't miss anything. Well, I can, but it's less likely. 

My personal planner this very week!

Running programs. I never would've started running without Couch to 5K because I needed a plan with incremental goals to stay motivated. I might not be running now if it wasn't for Couch to 10K. 

My family. Because at the end of the day I get to spend time with my badass mom, my understanding husband, and the greatest little boy around. 

Happy favoriting, friends! Can you believe it's December? Nope, nope, nope.  

Link up your own post below!