Missed me? I missed you, so I thought I’d give this month’s edition just a little earlier than usual! As much as I know you’d love to receive this newsletter while you’re stuffing your face with turkey, as I do send out the newsletter the last Thursday of every month, thus making it land every November on Thanksgiving!
November always sneaks up on me like, “SURPRISE! It’s holiday season—hope you’re ready to pretend you’ve been organized all year.” Tell me I’m not alone! One minute I’m finishing off Cider Mills donuts like it’s a food group, and the next thing I know I’m standing in the kitchen supervising people who actually know how to cook. My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner is usually moral support and maybe opening a can—or at least standing nearby looking helpful. And just when I finally sit down with a yummy plate (made entirely by other people’s labor), I remember what’s coming next: Christmas shopping, family gatherings, and the annual interrogation about my New Year’s resolutions.
Honestly, November feels like the calm before the storm—both literally and figuratively. Usually during this time, I just want to curl up with one of my favorite books and just block out the world a little bit. I’m not sure if you’re like me and love rereading books, but if you’re not, by the end of this edition you will be!
KNEE SLAPPER THURSDAY
VERSE OF THE MONTH
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NASB1995
SERVINA
Over here in the Midwest, the winters can get mighty cold. Like most places during the winter, we just want to stay snuggled inside with our pets by the fire and some hot cocoa in hand. Along with the cold comes the wonderful holiday of Christmas! As a little Christmas gift for Servina, I’m planning on upgrading her space — while I haven’t hammered out all the details yet, this is an inspo pic for what I’m thinking. Stay tuned to see how it turns out!
OOPS, I REREAD IT AGAIN: WHY WE DO & WHY WE SHOULD REREAD BOOKS
Sometimes I crack open an old favorite thinking I already know every twist, only to realize the book hasn’t changed—I have. Rereading feels a bit like catching up with an old friend who suddenly has better advice than I remembered. It’s proof that the same story can hit completely differently when you’re carrying new hopes, scars, and wisdom between the lines. But if that small paragraph wasn’t enough to convince or explain to you why rereading a book is one of the most amazing things, here’s a deeper dive!
1. You’ve changed since the first read.
The person you were when you first picked up the book isn’t the person you are now. New experiences, struggles, and joys shape what you notice in the story. Suddenly that “random” line on page 47 feels like it was written specifically for you. Growth: it ruins plot twists but improves literature.
2. Your expectations are different.
On the first read, your brain is busy trying to figure out what will happen next. The second time, you already know the plot, so you can slow down and soak in the details—character motivations, themes, symbolism—that you completely missed the first time around.
3. You catch the emotional nuances.
Without the pressure of discovering the ending, you start noticing the subtle looks, the throwaway comments, the quiet moments that foreshadow everything. Every sweet moment feels sweeter, every awkward moment feels cringier, and every tragic moment feels like watching a movie where you’re screaming, “NO, DON’T DO IT—oh wait, you already did.”
4. Life has slapped you around a bit since then.
A chapter about loss hits harder after you’ve lost something yourself, a hopeful ending feels richer when you’re in need of hope, and the existential crisis chapter feels weirdly… relatable. Books don’t change their words, but life changes the lens you read them through, and suddenly an old passage feels brand new.
5. You start appreciating the author’s sneaky genius.
On the first read, you were just trying to keep up. On the second, you’re like, “Ah yes, I see what you did there, you clever smurf.” You notice the breadcrumbs, the structure, the jokes you weren’t emotionally mature enough to catch before. Rereading lets you appreciate the writer’s choices: the structure, the pacing, the way dialogue is layered, the little clues sprinkled throughout. It becomes less about “what happens” and more about “how it was built,” which can feel like discovering a secret behind the curtain.
6. The characters aren’t just characters anymore—they’re old friends you can lovingly judge.
You know their future mistakes, their triumphs, and their messy drama. So now when they make a terrible decision, you get to shake your head like a proud but exhausted parent who’s seen this all before. You start understanding them not as puzzle pieces in a plot, but as flawed, human, relatable people you’re revisiting with fresh insight.
BOOK REVIEW
“HER MOTHER’S HOPE”
This month’s book is “Her Mother’s Hope” by Francine Rivers.
My Overall Opinion:
I’d like to preface this by saying that before reading this book, I didn’t know that Rivers had used accounts from her own grandmother’s life to inspire and guide her story. That being the case, it explained a lot as to the flow of the story. While the story is about a mother and daughter, Marta and Hildemara, it did feel sort of like a biography of Marha’s life and that we were sort of just checking off milestones in life. That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the story, as I do love the way that Rivers writes, but I think I hated how realistic the story was. Usually, I like to use books to escape reality and the harsh cruelties of life, not embrace them. Nevertheless, it was still an interesting and a look into life in the early 1900s. I also was surprised that I liked the POV change halfway through the book, moving from Marta onto her daughter, Hildie’s, perspective on things.
My Favorite Character:
I would have to say that Bernie is probably my favorite. He is pretty amazing to Hildemara and Elizabeth, as a brother and husband.
Things I Didn’t Like / Would Change:
As with many of Rivers’ books, not that I would change it or am opposed to it, I would keep it out of the hands of young readers, as she alludes to things that occur in a marriage, abuse, and such.
Ranking:
3.9/5 — While it was nicely written, as I said, I don’t like feeling depressed after reading. Maybe I’m crazy, but I use books to escape the horrors of life, not suffocate in it. This story did still have some highs, and I liked the character development though!
Other Comments:
In general, specifically to WWI and WWII, I find that I have a hard time finding books and films that I like because, since it’s such a recent and dark time in our history, I only find sadness and little hope.
COMING NEXT MONTH
Christmas through the centuries and holiday must haves!
See You Next Month!
