Reading, Writing, Listening: November, 2023
I hate beginning with an apology about busyness keeping me from writing, because it always sounds like a humble brag. Like, I’m soooo busy I can’t possibly find time to write for you guys… look at me, look how awesomely busy I am. In this case though, I am in the middle of a move, and life has just kind of gotten in the way, so the apology is sincere. Fear not, though, friends and faithful subscribers, as I have lots of plans for writing on here in the new year.
But in the meantime…
What I have been reading
Coming Up Cuban by Sonia Manzano - I have really been enjoying this! Manzano played Maria on Sesame Street for over five decades, and I remember her fondly from both my own childhood and when my kiddos were younger. In this YA novel, she tracks the lives of four Cuban children in the late 1950s and early 1960s as they struggle with the difficulty of living under the rule of Fidel Castro. It’s a lovely book with vibrant and relatable characters, written in a very accessible way. It delves into some heavy subject matter at times, but the book is filled with hope, and I greatly appreciate that.
What I have been writing
Since I haven’t done one of these posts in quite a while, there’s a bit of a backlog. Here’s a few of the things I have written in the last six months:
Conscience and Church Teaching: Getting it Right - Last summer, a group of Catholic lawmakers made a statement opposing the Church’s teaching on abortion on the grounds of conscience. This got me thinking about why it is so important to understand what the conscience is and how it functions. It is a super important concept for us to get, not just as Catholics but as human beings who want to do good in the world and live happy lives.
Attention, Humans! Check Out Star Trek the Motion Picture - Anyone who knows me knows what a huge Star Trek fan I am, so I am super grateful that Aleteia allowed me to write this piece. The film is more than four decades old and it is often regarded as one of the worst Trek films, but there is something endearing about the way it explores friendship and the search for meaning.
A Catholic Appreciation of Tim Keller - Though he was a Presbyterian pastor whose theology was grounded in a different tradition than my own, I learned a great deal from Tim Keller over the years and always found his faith inspiring. It was a pleasure to write this piece about him in the wake of his death in June. This also ran in The Living Church magazine.
Does Everything Happen for a Reason? - While this is framed as a comparison between the current Quantum Leap series and the original series from the 1990s, it is really an excuse to talk about something I hear people say all the time: Everything happens for a reason. A lot of people take that for granted, but is it really true? Click through and find out!
What I have been listening to
I have been to a lot of concerts this year, at least for me. So a good deal of what I have been listening to has been generated by that. Mostly older stuff. Toad the Wet Sprocket, Marcy Playground, Tears for Fears, Alice in Chains, Guns N Roses, Dashboard Confessional, and of course my all-time favorite band, Counting Crows. But I have managed a few newer listens. Here’s one of my favorites:
Stick Season by Noah Kahan - This album hits me in all the right places. The songwriting is wonderfully specific. I feel like I could step into the small town life that he describes. The instrumentation is both interesting and catchy. Part folk, part pop, part some kind of weird sonic americana that I can’t entirely describe. And the range of emotions expressed on this album makes it accessible as mood music for a lot of different moments.
That’s it for me, what about you? Share your recommendations!