Greetings, everyone! I’m back after my two-week-long break from blogging. During those two weeks, I taught a Vacation Bible School class (the 3- and 4-year-olds) and then allowed myself some much-needed recovery time. The past six months have been a whirlwind for our whole family, but hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy our quiet little hobbit hole for at least the first part of the summer.
In the meantime, I’ll try to keep the next few posts short and sweet. This one should explain why my time is still a bit tied up.
I am currently…
Reading: several books at one time, haha.
- Bigger on the Inside: Christianity and Doctor Who*
. This book is actually written by several different authors, and features essays on the Christian ideas hidden within a show that really isn’t known for its Christian ideals. But all truth is God’s truth, and there is plenty of truth in Doctor Who…which is pretty awesome.
- Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
* by Madeleine L’Engle. I don’t agree with all of L’Engle’s theology, but she has a gift for explaining why art is and should be so important in the Christian life–even if that art doesn’t necessarily come from a “Christian” source. ” ‘All shall be well,’ ” she says, quoting Lady Julian of Norwich, ” ‘and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.’ No matter what. That, I think, is the affirmation behind all art which can be called Christian. That is what brings cosmos [order] out of chaos.” (emphasis mine)
- The Door to Camelot
* by Suzannah Rowntree. Written by one of my lovely Twitter friends, this is the first book in the Pendragon’s Heir series, and so far I’m really enjoying it! It has a great mix of fantasy, medieval adventure, and time travel, and it’s written in a very “old-fashioned” style reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.
. This book is actually written by several different authors, and features essays on the Christian ideas hidden within a show that really isn’t known for its Christian ideals. But all truth is God’s truth, and there is plenty of truth in Doctor Who…which is pretty awesome.
* by Madeleine L’Engle. I don’t agree with all of L’Engle’s theology, but she has a gift for explaining why art is and should be so important in the Christian life–even if that art doesn’t necessarily come from a “Christian” source. ” ‘All shall be well,’ ” she says, quoting Lady Julian of Norwich, ” ‘and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.’ No matter what. That, I think, is the affirmation behind all art which can be called Christian. That is what brings cosmos [order] out of chaos.” (emphasis mine)
* by Suzannah Rowntree. Written by one of my lovely Twitter friends, this is the first book in the Pendragon’s Heir series, and so far I’m really enjoying it! It has a great mix of fantasy, medieval adventure, and time travel, and it’s written in a very “old-fashioned” style reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.I also just finished reading several Wendell Berry novels. A friend of mine recently stated (and not lightly at all) that Berry had done more for her sanctification than she would ever know. After immersing myself in the quiet stories of Port William–a fictional town in Kentucky rich in community values, forgiveness, and hard work–I can see Berry’s influence working on my own thoughts, values, and habits as well.
Writing: the fourth draft of Lionhearted. I get most of my writing done on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and if I finish one chapter on each of those days, I’ll be finished by August 8–right before the birth of my first niece and before my younger siblings get back to school. After working on this novel for two and a half years, I have to admit I’m getting a little weary. But I’m proud of this story, and I want it to be the best it can be before I send it to an editor and begin the publishing process.
I’m also working on my next book, which I’m keeping under wraps until it’s strong enough to withstand outside opinions. Camp NaNoWriMo helped me jumpstart it and I’m really excited about giving it more of my attention–but I can’t do that until I send Lionhearted to an editor. This definitely accounts for at least some of my increased motivation.
Watching: Lark Rise to Candleford
Re-evaluating: my habits–especially my social media habits. With the sole exception of this blog and sharing the links to my latest posts, I’m avoiding all social media for a month. Come July, I should be able to assess the effects of this break and decide how I can use social media more responsibly. In the meantime, I’ve already noticed I have a lot more free time to read and work on Lionhearted!
I’m also re-evaluating my whole skin care routine, which is pretty fun 😉
Anticipating:
- The arrival of my first niece!!!
- Diving into some new books–especially The Everlasting Man
* by G.K. Chesterton and The Flame Imperishable: Tolkien, St. Thomas, and the Metaphysics of Faërie
* by Jonathan McIntosh.
- Seeing the live-action The Lion King in July! I saw the original cartoon in 1994, when I was two years old. I don’t actually remember that, but The Lion King
* has been one of my favorite Disney movies ever since. I’m fully prepared for the possibility that I may get very emotional for the new one. After all, the trailers already make me cry.
* by G.K. Chesterton and 
* by Jonathan McIntosh.
* has been one of my favorite Disney movies ever since. I’m fully prepared for the possibility that I may get very emotional for the new one. After all, the trailers already make me cry.Enjoying:
- My favorite podcasts: Speaking With Joy, Redeemed Imagination, At Home With Sally, and Believe to See.
- The Avengers: Endgame soundtrack
*
- Reading The Practice of the Presence of God
* by Brother Lawrence as my quiet time devotional
*
* by Brother Lawrence as my quiet time devotional
Maribeth Barber Albritton 
Loved reading about your summer post! I’m staying off social media as well, too. I hopped on for Father’s Day and to share a fun edit yesterday, but mostly sticking with just my blog and my books and my writing. I find that writing becomes put to the side whenever social media is in my life. I’m excited to hear about your progress with Lionhearted! I too am working on my own unofficial work of fiction, so I understand your excitement – but mine’s not nearly on the fourth draft lol *writer troubles*. And yes – isn’t the MCU just brilliant? I’m so in love. I’ve loved it forever, and I’ll probably show it to my kids when I have my own. I love Cap and Tony the most, too. Good luck to us both on our social media hiatuses! Ooh, and I look forward to your review of Larkrise to Candleford (I think that’s how you spell it?)! It’s a show I’ve wanted to watch for a while but haven’t gotten to it yet. That one and Cranford. And Victoria. Haven’t finished that one yet…
Cheers!
Emily 🙂
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Mmm, that’s a good point about writing being “put to the side”–I’ve already noticed how much more time I can devote to writing now that I’m not scrolling through this feed or that.
The MCU is a gift and we don’t deserve it. I’ve been listening to the Endgame soundtrack quite a bit today, and I just–(*insert ALL the crying emojis*)
So far I’ve really enjoyed Lark Rise to Candleford! It’s kind of like a British Little House on the Prairie, haha. I do prefer Cranford, but this is the same sort of “small-town drama” that I love 😀
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Yes, I’ve already felt my mind clean up so much since being off of social media. It really does have psychological effects – especially on this human.
Ohhh, the Endgame soundtrack – MY HEART! It’s so good and brings back all the feels so hard.
I need to watch both of those! I love British telly, so I have a large task ahead of me. I hear Tom Hiddleston plays a small role in Cranford, right? He looks adorable in a cravat with that mop of curly hair lol XD
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Couldn’t help but notice how organized your summer seems to. Births seem to take us by surprise. Don’t be surprised if some of the time you plan to spend on Lionhearted is spent with your niece. Don’t plan so rigidly. Allow for flexibility and overlap and those times when there is nothing to do (yes, I know those are rare) You can try and control your life but our lives often control us. Be prepared for the unexpected.
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Thanks for the advice!
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Wow, I’ve been meaning to leave a comment on this for ages and am only now getting around to it!! Apologies for my horrid grasp of passing time. 😩
I’ve only just arrived back home after two weeks of being down south, and now I’m heading into a busy week of church camp. It’s sure to be exciting, fun, and extremely sweaty. 😝😂
I began reading The Everlasting Man about a month ago, and it is a fantastic book! Chesterton has one of my favorite writing styles; it’s impossible to resist the urge to giggle throughout at his rather outrageous sense of humor that at once pokes for of everyone (himself included) and reveals so much truth. After getting a handful of chapters behind me in the audiobook, however, my library’s digital loan system reclaimed it and informed me that my lending limit had been reached for the month… so I switched over to my mom’s account and began listening to Orthodoxy (which is also fantastic!) Once I finish that one up, I plan to go back and complete The Everlasting Man as well.
(I’m also going to have to check out that Christianity/Doctor Who book you mentioned… I’ve read a couple of similar collections on Narnia and the Star Wars universe, but have never seen anything like that centered on the Whoniverse before!)
I hope you’re having a great summer and the rest of it will continue to be great! I’ve missed seeing your tweets on my timeline for the past month, but hopefully this hiatus has been beneficial to you in all the ways you were hoping it would be. 😊
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No apologies necessary, my friend! I completely understand your busy-ness; my own life has been, as you described your church camp, “exciting, fun, and extremely sweaty.” (Alas, the summer heat is dreadful.) But I was so excited to get your comment, too–I’ve missed you as well! The hiatus has been so good for me, sometimes in ways I would’ve never expected, but it’ll be good to catch up with all my Twitter-peeps after July 20.
Chesterton is so hilarious, but it was his common sense that kept me underlining whole paragraphs when I read Orthodoxy. I can’t wait to start The Everlasting Man. I defintely think you would enjoy the Doctor Who book! I was a little disappointed in the amount of typos (my Inner Editor shrieked in dismay several times), but overall the content was excellent and informative. Aaaaaaaand it was written in 2015, so Twelve and Clara get several honorary mentions–BLESS 😀
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