Every week, I curate a list of the best links and articles to make you think and keep you informed. Enjoy!
So, I just want to give you guys some insight into how I do this piece every week. Throughout the week, I save any articles that seem interesting, that I read and liked, or that I want to read. I save them in this folder on my bookmarks called "Reading List" and then I write this post usually on Thursday or Friday.
Except that I haven't done a post in almost three months.
Basically, my reading list folder is huge. Like, overflowing. Like, I'm not sure I could ever actually post them all.
So, to fix this problem I'm going to dump a lot of them, but I'm also going to have a few weeks where the options are robust and some of the articles are a few months old. It's tough to keep up with all this with everything that I have going on in my PhD program (more about that later). I hope it's still enjoyable.
What I read this week:
Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):
Find Power in Vulnerability: An interview with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber about life as an Enneagram 8 – Episode 3 (The Road Back to You): This is a podcast with my favorite minister/writer on the topic of the enneagram, which is something my sisters are kind of obsessed with. I'm a 4, in case you were interested.
Going Full Catholic: Deandra Lieberman’s Journey from Judaism to Christianity (Diocese of Tyler): I can't believe that I haven't posted this yet. It's a piece with my friend from college, Deandra, talking about her journey into the Church. It's a great read.
Dear christians defending rapists: your prejudice is showing (Suspended in Her Jar): I can't believe that these articles still have to be written. Basic moral theology states that we are in complete control of our thoughts and feelings. We are responsible for our actions.
Health care is a right, not a privilege, pope says (CNS): Anyone who has ever studied Catholic Social Teaching already knew this.
Pope Francis Accidentally Misplaces Keys To The Kingdom Of Heaven (Eye of the Tiber): I'm posting this mostly for kicks and giggles. Love it.
Whatever Happened to the Pro-Life Movement? (Steel Magnificat): This.
27 Beautiful Bible Verses For Every Woman In Need Of Love, Reassurance And Strength (Thought Catalogue): We all need these sometimes.
Pens/Pencils/Stationery:
- 23 Things Anyone Who’s Slightly Obsessed With Stationery Has Secretly Done (Buzz Feed): I love these, and I totally get some of them.
- How the pen industry hangs on in a digital world (Chicago Tribune): I cannot wait for the pen show this year. It's the highlight of my fall. Also, "I tend to give Safaris and Namikis as graduation gifts." A namiki? I need to make friends with that guy!
18 Calligraphy Pictures That Are So Beautiful You’ll Want To Cry A Little Bit (Buzzfeed): These make my hands itch. MUST. CREATE. NOW.
An Ode to the Palomino Blackwing: Why is This Pencil So Special? (Journal Makers Blog): I'm mostly a pen person, but I adore these pencils. I also might have purchased a subscription to the special editions. Also, I might need a 12 step program for stationery addicts.
23 Inexpensive School Supplies That’ll Make You Actually Want To Be In Class (Buzz Feed): Excuse me while I buy all of these.
Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):
- 3 moments that might convince you Edgar Allan Poe was a time traveler. (UP Worthy): Love this!
This book nerd's tweet to a bookstore's official Twitter account ended in a love story (Mashable): Adorbs.
Excellent Harry Potter Fan Fic#1 (Facebook): I hope you can follow this link. Somehow a bunch of HP fan fic has been showing up in my feed lately (I don't usually read fan fic, not enough time to read generally mediocre writing) and there were a couple that I just adored. Here's the first. It imagines if Wormtail had been found out much sooner.
Excellent Harry Potter Fan Fic #2 (Malay From India): And this one made me cry.
Movies and TV:
- 15 Tumblr Posts About “Stranger Things” That’ll Make You LOL (Buzz Feed): I'm loving this new show. These definitely made me smile.
Life in General:
- Sticking to a Habit: The Definitive Guide (Zen Habits): This makes habit forming seem less scary. I wonder if this will work!
Race and Class Issues:
Death in Dallas and America’s existential crisis: Our new “civil war” over the nature of reality (Salon)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism (Good Men Project): I seem to get a lot of pushback for posting anything that has to do with race. Maybe this article will help. I keep hoping something will, because I hate the idea that most of my friends from college are actually racist. This article, at least, helps me understand why they're so defensive. Also, this paragraph: "Mainstream dictionary definitions reduce racism to individual racial prejudice and the intentional actions that result. The people that commit these intentional acts are deemed bad, and those that don’t are good. If we are against racism and unaware of committing racist acts, we can’t be racist; racism and being a good person have become mutually exclusive. But this definition does little to explain how racial hierarchies are consistently reproduced."
I'm a White Mother Raising Three Black Children and Here's what I Mean when I Say Black Lives Matter (Babble): Definitely a good response to consider.
Tough and Awkward Topics:
- Your Slut-Shaming Dress Code Is Distracting My Daughter From Learning (Viral Women): I. AM. SO. TIRED. OF. DRESSCODES. FOR. LITTLE. GIRLS.
To Make You Laugh:
- The Baby-Sitters Club Gals Are All Grown Up In 'The Jaded Quitters Club' (Bust): This made me laugh just a little too much... I loved these books as a kid.
Style Thief: How To Dress Like Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (Autostraddle): I adored Holtzmann in the new Ghostbusters movie.
16 Pictures That Will Make You Say “Nailed It” (Buzz Feed): These made me laugh.
Parenting:
The Secret Lives of Children (Church Life Journal): A great read from my friend from Notre Dame.