As the end of January rolls around, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourite books, activities, objects, and Bible verses from the past month. I hope you’ll take the time to read my January favourites and find something to inspire you in February!

Books

The Happiness Project: I love Gretchen Rubin’s books (I had already read Happier At Home, Better Than Before, and Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill). I’m impressed by all the reading and research she does; intrigued by her personal experiences; amused by the conversations she relates; and pleased by her honest attempt to answer objections and search out the root of the matter. Of course, The Happiness Project is also intensely practical. Some of Rubin’s resolutions that I’d like to practice more often are “act the way I want to feel,” “be generous,” “stimulate the mind in new ways,” and “give positive reviews.”

My Father’s Dragon series: Published between 1948 and 1951, these three short chapter books are classics. I remember my dad reading them to me when I was young. In My Father’s Dragon, the narrator’s father (Elmer Elevator) journeys to Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon who is cruelly treated by the animals who live there. Using the odd assortment of supplies in his knapsack he outwits all the wild animals who want to eat him and manages to rescue the dragon. In Elmer and the Dragon the pair land on Canary Island and help the King unburden himself of a secret that has been causing the birds to die of curiosity. In The Dragons of Blueland, Elmer helps the dragon save his parents and many brothers and sisters who have been trapped in a cave by a group of men who just discovered that dragons are not extinct after all. The illustrations on nearly every page make this trilogy a good readaloud for young children learning to sit still for longer periods of time.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog: This novel (translated from French) is narrated by two people: Renee, a concierge in a wealthy apartment building in Paris who tries desperately to hide her true self, and Paloma, a brilliant 12-year-old who lives in one of the apartments and is planning to commit suicide. This book will make you stop and think… or plough onward when the philosophical musings are over your head!

Activities

• Skype book club (My sister and one of our cousins have started a monthly book club; we take turns choosing a novel and then spend an evening discussing it — and sundry other topics that arise.)
• Skype writing group (My sister and one of our best friends have started a monthly Skype chat where we share what we are working on, be it blog posts or a novel.)
• Choosing paint colours (I’m doing one tiny renovation project this year — patching and painting our guest room closet. I chose “Ice Drop” to coordinate with “Mesmerize.”)
• Shopping for home stuff (We bought a wire basket for the kids’ shoes, a table lamp, and a step stool; I have many more things on my list!)
• Listening to an audiobook while spending Saturday  afternoon baking and prepping food for Sunday supper

Objects

• A new table lamp for the living room (more light in the evenings!)
• A folding step stool (useful for toddlers who want to reach the sink and for my closet painting endeavor)
• The chalkboard that I finally hung on the wall to write my weekly to do lists on

Bible Verses

I love both the message and the poetic imagery of this bittersweet passage: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:1-7

The wording of this verse gives me pause for thought: “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13

Any January favourites you’d like to share?