Monthly Mercies: January
It's me again.
Hello, friend. Happy New Year!
I realized late-afternoon of December 31 that I had put zero thought into goals for 2025. I’m registered for a race in June which holds a big running goal for the year for me, but I’ve thought very little on intentions for the year otherwise. I joked with a couple friends early this week that my 2025 word of the year was going to be “garbage” because I’ve been decluttering and throwing so much stuff away. But that’s about as far as I’ve gotten.
2024 was challenging for reasons that feel hard to articulate, which has made reflection a challenge as well. But I’ve decided to not overthink it for the first time in my life. 2024 was what it was. There was a lot of hard stuff and a lot of good stuff. I’m guessing 2025 will hold more of the same.
A couple nights ago I was sitting my bed reading while Joel made dinner and the kids watched a show. This is a regular rhythm in our home, one I often feel guilty about. I should be spending more intentional time with the kids, I should cook sometimes to give Joel a break, maybe I should start watching TV with them instead of reading by myself in that time, what does my need for space at the end of every day say about me as a parent?, etc etc etc. So goes the internal monologue of a mother prone to anxiety.
But on Wednesday night, I saw that time for the mercy it actually is: space. Space for Joel to put headphones in and have some quiet while he cooks, space for the kids to just be and watch a show, and space for me to do my favorite thing: read. As we reconvened for dinner together, I felt gratitude for the simple rhythms that breathe this grace into our family. We do not have to do every single thing together all of the time. TV is okay. Headphones are okay. Sitting in a room alone behind a closed door is okay. Sometimes intentionality actually looks a lot like solitude and the absence of doing.
I needed that little pep talk to kickstart my year. Maybe you do too.
May 2025 hold intentionality in all its various forms and the mercy to see it for what it is. Happy New Year!
In his mercy,
Amy
December Reads
We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me by Elliot Mintz
This is a memoir of friendship written by a man who became a dear friend and confidant of John Lennon and Yoko Ono after doing a radio interview with Yoko. The book catalogs their eccentricities and the roller coaster of their life post-Beatles through John’s tragic death and the aftermath. I was captivated by it.
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
After reading this novella for the first time last December, I decided to make it an annual re-read. I listened this time and loved hearing the story in an Irish accent. This story of a father and business owner grappling with what his life means and what “right” decision to make over the Christmas season is short, but poignant. Claire Keegan packs a punch. I love this book.
My Goodreads rating: 5/5 stars
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (The Vanderbeekers #1) by Karina Yan Glaser
I’ve had The Vanderbeekers recommended to me several times because of my love for The Penderwicks, so it was fun to finally start the series. The Vanderbeekers are a family of seven living in Harlem and in this first book, they find out the lease of their beloved brownstone has not be renewed and they’ll have to move out right after Christmas. The five kids hatch a plan to win their landlord over and—as all good sibling plans go—hijinks ensue. I was so charmed by this middle grade novel and look forward to reading more!
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler
This collection of short stories was put together by the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City who commissions a mystery story for his customers each year. I enjoyed the varied style of the stories in this collection. Fun read!
My Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Another Christmas novella! A Christmas Memory is just that: a quick retelling of the memories of one Christmas in Truman Capote’s childhood while he was living with elderly distant cousins in Alabama. This was a lovely story of belonging and friendship that still managed to capture a child’s wistfulness even written years after the fact.
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush
Another poetry collection that had been sitting on my shelf for a couple months! I actually pre-ordered A Bit Much but when it came I was so worried about flying through it that I never even started. When I received another copy in my book club’s Christmas exchange, I took that as the kick in the pants I needed to finally start. I love Lyndsay Rush’s humor, simplicity, and whimsy. I needn’t have waited to start but it was worth the wait.
My Goodread rating: 4/5 stars
Brightly Shining by Ingvild H. Rishoi
Wowowow this short little novel quickly landed a spot on my best-of 2024 list. Written during the Christmas season about two young Norwegian girls navigating the ups and downs of their father’s alcoholism, it was stunningly written and somehow devastating and hopeful at the same time. I immediately texted two friends begging them to read it too so we could discuss.
My Goodreads rating: 5/5 stars
In Which I Try To Save the World (Part-Time Poets Collection I) by Michelle Windsor
Sure, it felt a little self-indulgent to rate the poetry collection I am one of the writers of on Goodreads, but also I wasn’t *not* going to rate the poetry collection I am one of the writers of on Goodreads, you know?? I am incredibly proud to be part of this print edition of Part-Time Poets. Holding these poems in my hand and reading them in the order curated by the brilliant
My Goodreads rating: 5/5 stars
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
This novel about three estranged sisters regathering in their small village after the death of their father was a bit Hallmarky, but in a very nice way. I love a story of rekindled friendship and complicated family dynamics. I finished it on the afternoon of Christmas Eve which felt exactly right.
My Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars
Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth
This novel is about the writer of the most popular children’s book series in the world who runs into an unexpected obstacle to writing the last book: she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Libby writes under a pseudonym so no one knows who she is, but demands for her identity to be revealed is adding increased pressure to the book writing. Through a series of decisions made out of desperation to finish the book, Libby winds up in a small Colorado town with an eleven year-old super fan of her books. This was a sweet story of unlikely friendship and the importance of stories, so obviously a big win for me.
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
My last Christmas read of the year was about a family of four quarantining in Norfolk together over Christmas because their oldest daughter has just returned from Liberia where she worked as a doctor in the Haag outbreak. The family isn’t terribly close anymore, but their forced closeness over the week plus some small surprises—a surprise adult son fathered in Beirut 30 years prior, for one—change things forever. I liked this book, didn’t love it, but it did resonate with me a lot emotionally. So there’s that.
My Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars
Instructions for Traveling West: Poems Joy Sullivan
I’ve had this poetry collection for several months and finally read it in December! Joy Sullivan wrote these poems after ending a serious relationship and moving west. It includes themes of self-discovery, identity, freedom, and wrestling with religion. I enjoyed her style even as I didn’t connect as much with some of the poems as I might have expected.
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
December Bakes
I didn’t actually bake much at all in December, aside from the 12 Cakes of Christmas, that is. Most fun project I’ve done in a long time.
December Words
I shared my poem from Issue 19 of Part-Time Poets on Instagram in December. Read the whole issue here!
Speaking of Part-Time Poets, DID YOU HEAR THAT WE MADE A BOOK?? Sorry for shouting. It’s all very exciting
December Favorites
#janueverydayoutside 2025 has begun! It’s not too late to join in!
Holiday episodes of The Great British Baking Show are always a fun add-in to our holiday viewing!
It was a big game Christmas: our kids got Piggy Piggy, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Sleeping Queens, and Sorry. Piggy Piggy has been a favorite thus far!
I’ve been wearing this navy cardigan with everything—jeans, leggings, and sweatpants. We love a versatile sweater.
This instant camera was a big hit with Eloise for Christmas without the big price tag of an Instax Mini. As a bonus, it works as a digital camera too!
🎶This month's newsletter was written while listening to:
Clouds- Joni Mitchell
I'll see you back here on the first Friday in February! Until then, you can find me on Instagram.
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I hope your January is full of new mercies. Take care of yourselves, friends.
I honestly really needed that pep talk, ha. Thank you!! Also looking into Small Things Like These right now <3
1. "2024 was challenging for reasons that feel hard to articulate" AGREED. 2. "I didn't bake that much just 12 Christmas cakes" LOL, GIRL. 3. I did NOT marry a cook (my bad), so your read-while-husband-cooks routine sounds perfectly lovely to me. ❤️