December . . . can’t believe it came so quickly and so here we are, dealing with the last month of the year, knowing that not all plans were carried out, not all books on my list were read (and they will not be) but a lot of other good things happened, so it is a trade off and in the end, we get what we get and it is what it is.
Welcome to this December 2019 “living document” page where I share my reading intentions and record progress throughout the month in a diary at the end of the page. When the month is over my writing on this page will be finished. Goodreads keeps track of books I’ve read this year. Books I’ve read so far in 2019.
My Word of the Month
Gifts
My Haiku of the Month
Silence at year’s end
Endurance of snow and rain
Take it as it comes
Bible Verse of the Month
So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.” (1 Peter 1:13)
Books I plan to read during December 2019…
☆ – I own a copy of the book
★★ – I own a copy and am currently reading the book
✓ – Finished
PSRC = 2019 PopSugar Reading Challenge
Fiction continued from last month
★★ Recent Fiction: The Overstory, by Richard Powers
I’m probably not as much as halfway through this book yet but I’ve been keeping up with my bookclub co-readers. The first short chapters are stories about the characters who will interact later in the book. Each of them has a backstory that has a connection to trees.
☆ Recent Fiction: Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami – [PSRC #17. A book set on a college or university campus]
I’d like to get back into this book. I didn’t finish it yet.
★★ Art: The Creative License, by Danny Gregory
A seriously adorable art book that encourages us to create albeit imperfectly. He compares art to driving. If we treated driving like we treat art, we’d think only especially talented people are capable of it. Great premise for the book, and I’m enjoying reading it. Here’s one of Danny Gregory’s recent videos.
★★ Christian: 12 Women of the Bible, by Lysa TerKeurst
A women’s Bible study group in my town has been reading this. I decided to join in.
My December Reading Diary
December 7 – This morning when I woke up the first thing on my mind was that it was/is my grandmother’s birthday. She was born in 1910 and went home to be with the Lord in November 1996. I look forward to seeing her in heaven… and I wish I could say that about all my family members. There’s a meme on Facebook right now that says, “All I want for Christmas is for my family and friends to know Jesus Christ” and that’s exactly how I feel about it. I want to see my loved ones in heaven. Today I’m at the computer center working on this page and on my memoir outline. My friend and I are both working on memoirs this coming year. Right now we’re getting our outlines ready. The goal is to have twelve chapters and work on one each month. Reading – well… not today. Not yet.
December 9 – I’ve been reading the art book, Creative License… it is inspiring! I am not ready for tomorrow’s book club meeting about the second hundred pages in The Overstory. I should go to bed early tonight and finish reading that section.
December 10 – I managed to finish the assigned reading in The Overstory before the book club meeting today. One of the members found a study guide for the book with some interesting questions. We had a great discussion of what we’ve read in the first 208 pages of the novel. This afternoon I met with my friend who is doing a memoir writing project with me. We shared our outlines. We have until the end of the year to continue working on them. In January we will start writing the first of twelve sections. My outline is fairly well developed right now, and I’ve decided to prepare further by reading a 52,000 word memoir I wrote about my childhood 10+ years ago. I’ve never read it before. I have that habit of writing things then never reading or editing them.
December 13 – I missed a few days because I needed electricity! I live in my van so electricity is a challenge. There’s electric hookups at the RV park space I rented this month but I don’t like to keep my windows open for an electric cord when it’s raining, and it has been raining for days now. Today I’m at the Community Computer Center getting my laptop battery recharged. I’ve made good progress on both of the books I’m currently reading: The Overstory, and Creative License, the art book.
December 15 – As hoped, my art book reading has inspired me to start painting again. I’m doing sketchbook pen and watercolor drawings. Trying for one each day. It is not much, but something I can do while living in my van.
December 17 – Book Club with Anne today – we were the only ones there and had a nice visit! We even talked about the book for a while – The Overstory – a beautiful praise of trees and forests. I live in a forest, and this blesses me. I just got the study guide for our book in the mail from Amazon.
December 19 – I’ve been reading! I read another section in Creative License, the art book. Also I got a copy of the study guide for The Overstory and started reading that. I went to the library on Tuesday afternoon and got a copy of a book that offers advice on many types of writing – thought it could be motivational to get my writing restarted. Also, I’ll be moving into my new home next month. I’m excited about that. Vanlife has been fun but it will be good to take a break and I feel that’s what my (two youngest) children want me to do. They both live here in town now. Very exciting to be back in town with both of them here. Our writer’s club is starting up again soon.
December 21 – Today I’ve been reading more in Creative License – it is a great beginner’s art book. Even though I’m not a complete beginner, it is inspiring for me as well. I’ve also made progress in this week’s section of The Overstory but our book club won’t meet again until January 7. My friend has a copy of the Pray For America one-year study Bible and I’m about to order the same thing – to study during 2020.
December 31 – Happy New Year! I will post a January page – at least, I intend to – but first I’ll probably be moving into my new home, which I expect, possibly around the 11th of January. I have two more chapters to read in The Overstory. I just finished reading Make Your Voice Heard in Heaven: How to Pray With Power by Barry C. Black.
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