Tuesday Thoughts & Things: Wrapping up January 2023

Beginning a year of restoration, so many mysteries, Philly radio and an appetite for grace.

The best thing about January 2023 is that it was no longer 2022.

I’m not kidding.

Last year saw a total of three car crashes in the family. Just as I was getting used to a new job, my Dad passed away, leading to a whole new set of challenges to work through. And, of course, all of this happened while I was still recovering mentally from the rollercoaster of being in the newspaper business during a pandemic. The pace of those first few months, followed by the ups and downs of the virus’ different waves, put me into a state of exhaustion and I’m only beginning to understand I began emerging from it in the second half of 2022.

So, I embraced this new start of a new year with the one-word theme of “restore.” Restoring rhythms of life - albeit new ones after a significant loss. Restoring confidence in driving. Restoring my writing routines. Restoring my love of reading. Restoring my attention to my own wellbeing.

January has been a great start. Now, on to February.

Things I read …

Amazing what a difference logging off of Twitter made! In the evenings, I’ve been actually reading books rather than scrolling. For the first time in maybe years, I made it through four audiobooks and three e-books in one month (pictured above.) If I had to pick, While Justice Sleeps by Stacy Abrams was my least favorite. It took a long time for me to get into the story. Once I did, it was a decent story that brought out some significant issues, but it isn’t something I would pick up a second time.

Of Grisham’s books I preferred The Judge’s List over The Whistler. The concept of a serial killer judge alone was intriguing. The way the stories of the pursued and pursuing intertwined kept me turning pages right to the end.

You can never go wrong with Elizabeth Strout, but I clearly read these in the wrong order. My library hold for Lucy by the Sea became available before Oh, William! so I just read them as they came in. They were perfectly fine as I read them, but I can’t help but think Lucy By the Sea would have been so much better if I had the foundation provided by the events in Oh, William!

In a twist of sorts, I only read one nonfiction book in January and that one by a favorite, Erik Larson. In the Garden of Beasts is a fairly detailed account of the American ambassador to Germany and his family in the years leading up to World War II. From the ambassador’s warnings about what was to come to the darkening of his daughter’s rosy view of the Nazis, this book leaves you with the overwhelming question, “What if someone - what if the world - had listened?”

Finally, my favorite of my January reads was by an author who is quickly climbing onto my favorite writers list. Faithful Place by Tana French plops detective Frank Mackey in the neighborhood he left behind to solve a murder that gives him a tragic answer to the greatest disappointment in his life. If there’s a flaw, it’s that the final revelation came about so quickly. Still, it was so compelling that even that can be overlooked.

Things I listened to …

What to put in this category to summarize the month? I intentionally reduced the number of podcasts I listen to and increased the number of audiobooks so that makes up a lot of my listening.

I’ve also intentionally started listening to music more as I work at my day job and on projects at home. Most often, that’s meant turning to the live stream for my favorite radio station, WXPN out of Philadelphia. It’s eclectic with plenty of special features like the daily episodes of World Café.

A thing to remember …

“A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.”

Eugene Peterson