Processing 2017 with the Written Word

My reading list was full of books that provided a necessary oasis…

Every year, I find December to be a month of tensions. The to-do list is lengthy but my energy level is rarely equal to the task. It’s a time ripe for reflection but also a call to future action. I find December to be a time when I must re-learn the art of sitting in those tensions. Sometimes waiting and listening are more important than moving and speaking.

But tension can easily begin to weigh on you. We all need a release when we feel the weight of tension besetting us. For me, that release comes in two similar forms — writing and reading. Writing is my ultimate pleasure. It’s how I’ve always processed the happenings of life. My love for reading has come and gone, but now that I am an adult, I see its impact more clearly. In 2016, I made it my goal to read 12 books — one for each month. I reached that goal on the last day of the year, and I wrote a recap of what I had learned from the experience.

What I Learned from Reading More in 2016

This year, my goal was 20 books. Though I didn’t quite hit that mark, I did read more than I did in the previous year. I learned so much, and you can find many of those lessons in my recap below. But more than anything, I learned anew that it is so important to step back from the worries and doubts that stalk us. We must find oases in the desert. Books provided that necessary respite for me this year. Let me tell you how…

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

In my post from 2016, I recounted how fascinating it had been to finally dive into the Harry Potter books for the first time. I had already seen all the movies, but I was experiencing the unique wonders of this classic book series completely anew.

Goblet of Fire was the first book I finished in 2017. I must admit, I paused for a second when I saw how much larger it was than the previous Harry Potter books. It took me a little longer to read. But once I reached the…