February Book Report

With a few housekeeping updates

She’s a long one this month so you might want to check out the browser version, expand in email, or read in the Substack app 💚

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Not a big reader? That’s ok! I’m so glad you’re here. With the start of our book club (next month!), there are going to be more book-related posts ‘round these parts, and you might not want those. Again, that’s ok! I’m so glad you’re here. Read below for info about how to manage your subscription so you will only get the posts you want to read.

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One more thing before we dig in! I can’t wait any longer to tell you about my friend Ashley’s new book. In this new collection of stories and essays, author Ashley Fenker delves into the complexities of chronic illness, modern motherhood, and faith. With poetic reflections and the laugh-while-you-cry style readers have come to love, Ashley interweaves snapshots of ordinary grocery lists evolving over time with deeply resonate essays and poems on marriage, creativity, patience, love, and the meaning of being a “good mother.”

I devoured it in under an hour – absolutely could not stop reading it while also wishing I could savor each word. I wept with the happiest, most hopeful tears and felt like her words were reading my mind, coming from my own heart and soul. It’s about motherhood, yes, but more than that, it’s about the experience of yearning for something you don’t know if you’ll ever get and then grappling with the messy reality once it arrives.

Good (Enough) Mother: Stories and Essays will release on March 11, 2025, and it's available now for preorder. All preorders also receive a special bonus — instant free access to Journaling 101, a self-paced course to start writing your story today.

Good (Enough) Mother by Ashley Fenker

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I know it’s February but today, he sun is shining, and it’s almost 60* (!!!!!) degrees out, so I’m dropping everything and playing outside like it’s summertime. I wore shorts on my run this morning and packing bathing suits for our weekend getaway (they have a heated pool, but still…), generally overcompensating, as my husband likes to say. It’s still February!

a glorious February sunset

This month felt like one of those months where I spent more time thinking about what to read than actually reading. I made a lot of lists, prioritizing what to read next and rearranging my physical stacks. I made a few trips to the library, returning untouched books and checking out more stacks, and I had a lot of conversations about books!

And I also had a few surprising reading highlights that I’m excited to share.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, some housekeeping updates!

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Book Club + Update your settings

Book club kicks off next month! Watch your inbox for a launch email next week that will include all the details about what to expect. For now, we’re reading Brene Brown’s Gifts of Imperfection, and the Kindle copy is on sale for $1.99 if you need to snag a copy!

If you’re not much of a reader and don’t want to be overloaded with book posts, update the settings within your subscription accordingly. I know your inbox is precious, and I don’t want to overload it, so you can now choose what you receive!

Navigate to your Substack account Settings with this link:

Under Subscriptions, select journals on the journey to make a change here.

Scroll down to “Notifications” and toggle each section on or off based on what you’d like to receive.

I’ve toggled off the “Books” section in the image below.

Let me know if you have any questions!

And now, on to the books I loved this month.