classics – Laurel Luehmann

Journaling, life, Personal, reading

A Month in Review – November 2020 Edition

November 30, 2020by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

It’s crazy to think it’s already time for this again!

Highlights of the month

voting for the very first time
writing (of course)
making an audio drama with cousins
a sibling sleepover
wearing cozy sweaters
sight-reading piano duets with a brother
building relationships with people in my writing community
cleaning my room
making mashed potatoes in a ginormous bowl
hanging white lights in my bedroom
accidentally winning this giveaway (!!!)

Books I’ve been reading this month

Last month I didn’t read very much. This month I read much more. Thankfully. And each book was in a different genre! Bonus points.

Prophet

I’ve not finished this one yet, but I’ve enjoyed it so far! I’m a huge fan of allegories, and Ela’s conversations with the Infinite help me understand and appreciate the Lord more. Oh, I love the power of fiction.:)

Great Expectations

I mentioned this one last month, but it’s worth mentioning again.:) I love reading this aloud to some of my siblings.

12 Days at Bleakly Manor

I’m reading this one with some family members, and so far it’s been very enjoyable… despite the fact that it’s a romance.:) The plot is so complex, and I love how some of the characters are based off of characters in Dickens’ Bleak House.

I’ve also been able to venture into the dystopian genre while reading/editing a friend’s incredibly amazing novel-in-progress!!!

Journal Snippets from this month

“I have been careless of my ways – letting life fly by while I grasp at bits of it for myself. God, I want to live whole-heartedly for You – nothing held back. God, let me seek You passionately and purposefully. I want to use this season to learn how to be a doormat for humanity. (reference to an Oswald Chambers quote)”

“God’s salvation and righteousness are enough to make me greatly rejoice… and He provides them even on my worst days. I have a reason to worship. Thank You, Jesus.”

“Oh, God… let me choose You and Your ways… first and always. Be the deepest desire of my heart and the love of my life. Be the reason I live and breathe.”

“Oh, God, guidance. Let me listen to Your gentle whisper rather than the wild throbs of my heart.”

And that’s a wrap! How was your month? Did you do/read/write anything you care to share?:)

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal

What I’ve Been Reading (+ Journal Snippets!)… October 2020 Edition

October 29, 2020November 20, 2020by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Good morning, all! Unbelievably, October is nearly over… which means it’s time for a review of my literary diet this month.

Quite honestly, I’m not very proud of the amount of reading I did this month. For writers, reading is like fueling up… so I guess I’ve been running close to empty for basically the whole month. Ah, well. Next month is fresh… with no mistakes in it! Yet.:)

Anyway… without further ado, here are my October reads!

Desiree’s Baby

Oh, man… if you want to read something short and extremely moving, here you go. This story is heartbreaking.

The Romance of a Busy Broker

Since O. Henry wrote The Gift of the Magi – one of my very favorite stories ever – I jumped at the chance to read another one of his works. The way this short story ended cracked me up!

Great Expectations

After hearing one of my brothers raving to me about it night and day, and even after being utterly traumatized and confused by the BBC film adaptation, I decided to give this book a try… and, oh, am I glad I did!

Dickens’ descriptions are incredible, and inspire me to be more creative in the way that I write my own descriptions. And his plots – oh, his plots!!! I don’t think I will ever be able to plot so masterfully as Dickens did.

Footprints of a Pilgrim: the Life and Loves of Ruth Bell Graham

My mother gave me this book a few years ago when I was researching Ruth Bell Graham for a school project, and I dug it out again recently after one of my sisters gave me one of Ruth Bell Graham’s poems.

This book is so beautiful… a fun mashup of an autobiography and anecdotes. I think what I loved the most, though, is the poetry scattered throughout. Her poetry is just so lovely and effortless… and it has inspired and influenced my own way of writing poetry.

Journal Snippets

I thought it might be fun to include some glimpses into my October 2020 journaling here…

“Seeking You (God) is all that will truly satisfy… all that will truly last.”

“Oh, God! I want You to be far more dear to me than that which I stubbornly clench in my fist. In all my desires… all my hopes… all my ambitions… may YOU – only You – be the One I seek.”

“Acts 20 – Paul may have been seen as something of a babbler… keeping back ‘nothing that was helpful’. But he served the Lord ‘with all humility’… and that makes all the difference.”

More journal snippets… yea or nay? Let me know in the comments below.:)

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission… at no extra cost to you.😊

Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Personal

What I’ve Been Reading – September 2020 Edition

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020by Laurel Luehmann7 Comments

Hey, guys!

I just wanted to pop in today to share with you a taste of what I got to read this September.

Please note: I did NOT read all of these books cover to cover… I’m just saying I got to spend some glorious time in them last month. 🙂

Enjoy!

Books

The Bible

Absolutely… it’s my favorite. Specifically I enjoyed spending time in Proverbs and Habakkuk this September. I’m so grateful for God’s Word. It truly is a light to my path!

Animal Farm

I haven’t gotten very far in this yet, but it’s okay so far. Quite honestly, it didn’t grab me and pull me in right away, but I’ll keep reading to see how it turns out. 🙂

The Door Within

I ~~sped-~~read this when I was thirteen and loved it. Since I’m writing my own allegorical fantasy right now, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and reread this book. It’s been fun! I love all the parallels it draws to the the life and mission of the Christian.

Beholding and Becoming

This one is so, so good. It’s been such a beautiful reminder to me to stay focused on the Lord in the middle of an exciting life.

Also, the pages are bursting with beautiful word art and paintings… ahhh! So lovely.

Winnie-the-Pooh

This is one of my favorites. I so enjoy the way A.A. Milne captures the beautiful nonsense that is so logical to a child’s mind.

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

I picked this up the other night and stayed up ~~too~~ late, reading in fascination. I didn’t start at the beginning or read completely through every word (welcome to my reading life), but this was incredible. It’s the true story of an American soldier who was a POW for seven years in Vietnam.

This book is heartbreaking and inspiring. I am so grateful for the men and women who gave – and still give – so much so we can live in freedom and safety. We spoiled Americans need to be reminded of how much freedom costs, and this book will do just that.

Radical

I’d been hearing about this book for years… and wanting to read it but never getting around to it. Finally I grabbed a copy at my nearest and dearest bookstore – Goodwill 🙂 – and started reading. Wow. Talk about a wake-up call. I’m hoping to finish it this month.

Blog Posts

The Life of William Wilberforce

A few years ago I got hooked on the story of William Wilberforce via an incredible audio drama… so of course I jumped at this article! I really appreciate how some lessons to be learned from his life are pointed out at the end.

Things Christians Don’t Talk About: Money

This one is a quick read – and a powerful one. Please read it if you can spare a minute or two.

What have you been reading lately?

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission… at no extra cost to you. 🙂

Photo by hannah grace on Unsplash

Book Reviews

10 Books Your Family Will Love

September 10, 2020by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission… at no extra cost to you. 🙂

My family has spent countless hours reading aloud together. Here are some of our very favorite read-alouds!

10 P’s in a Pod

Who doesn’t want to read about a large family who sang and prayed their way around the country? The writing style and content will have you roaring with laughter at times, but this book is also very convicting and thought-provoking. I can’t recommend it enough.

The Boxcar Children

I always enjoyed reading about the adventures the Aldens had… I ~~envied~~ admired their creativity and independence! One really nice thing about this book is that the siblings treat each other with love and respect – something that’s sadly missing in our culture and a lot of books now.

Once Upon a Summer

My siblings and I love this book! It stands out from many of the other books written by Janette Oke in that its focus isn’t on the romance. (Do I hear cheers from the guys??? :D) Follow along as Josh – a twelve-year-old farm boy – tries to scare off his aunt’s suitors, gets a puppy, and learns some valuable life lessons.

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

Tag: classics