Happy Friday, friends! I'm going to start sharing bookish blog posts again in 2026. I don't know how long I'll keep up with reading books like I did this month, but I'm going to keep trying and am determined to start reading again regularly. I hope you enjoy this post and are inspired to read!
I am so proud and happy to say that I read four books in January!
Have you ever read a book by Fiona Ferris? If your answer is no, you should consider adding a book of hers to your TBR (to be read) list. I love every book she's ever written, and I've read a lot of them! No matter what the title of the book is, I always walk away feeling inspired. I love reading books that inspire me!
I heard about this book on Instagram; I follow Case Kenny and loved the thought of this book. It was okay, honestly, but you should definitely
follow him on IG (I included a link there to his IG profile)! His account is one of my favorites. This book was full of relationship advice, and while I loved some of the quotes, I didn't love the writing. I realize that sounds harsh, but I need chapters to be short, not thirty six pages. I'm being facetious when I write that, but each chapter was too long. I can't recommend this one because I didn't love his writing, but I do suggest that you follow him on IG.
I loved the quotes pictured above from his book.
I loved this book titled Awake by Jen Hatmaker. I haven't read anything by Jen for years; truth be told, I stopped buying her stuff, because she kind of went off the deep end. She was considered a Bible teacher and some of her books were considered Bible studies, but I disagreed with both. I believe and hope that deep in her heart, she loves Jesus, even if her view point on how He works might be a little twisted/warped and despite the fact that she cussed a lot in this book. (The same has been true of me the last year and a half; I love Jesus, but I cuss a lot sometimes depending on circumstances I'm walking through. I don't mean to be like that, but it comes out. And guess what? Jesus knows my heart and how much I love Him.)
Back to the book: I love Jen as a person, though, and this book is one I could have written myself. It was raw, vulnerable, and brutally honest as she openly shared about her unwanted divorce. Her husband was a pastor in their church, not that this fact excuses him from bad behavior. It was a shocking scandal at the time when she went through this; I remember hearing about it in real time as the truth about him came out. I am sad to say that I had what I now know is a typical reaction of hearing that a couple divorces: I wondered what she might have done to push him away. I haven't ever thought about that until I started writing this. I think many people think like that, wondering what the wife did to push the husband away, as if it's always all only the woman's fault. I think this thinking comes from old fashioned beliefs in the church, and what I was taught since I was a young girl.
This is a terrible way to think, though. I know this now, because I've walked through my own divorce. I know that people probably thought that about me when my ex left me for another woman, one who is younger than me. I might not have heard them say those words, but I felt them. I could see it in their eyes. I felt shame a lot when I first started walking the path of divorce, but now I feel no shame whatsoever. I was never a perfect wife, but I was a really good one and I gave him my very best. Was it enough? No. Was him leaving me for another woman my fault? Hell no. (Sorry for that word, but I'm feeling strongly about this at the moment.) We both made mistakes in our marriage, but I was faithful to him for almost twenty-eight years. He cannot say that.
This book unleashed something in me, maybe because almost every word she wrote resonated so deeply within me. It was a heartbreaking read, honestly, but I realize that it was like free therapy for her to write this out. I've considered doing this same thing; I don't know that I'll ever write a book about it, but it's one of the reasons I write here on my blog everyday. It's free therapy. I have been open about my divorce and my feelings, because I want to be real and vulnerable here. My life is nowhere near perfect; I have my good days and I have my bad days.
The book had three parts: the end, the middle, and then the beginning of when she started her life all over again. I loved that the chapters were short and that she included poetry. I love that she drew me into her story with the first sentence of the book. I started reading this on a trip last year, but I didn't pick it up back up after I returned home. Once I picked it back up this month, I couldn't put it back down.This one might be my favorite book of 2026...it'll be a hard one to top, because of how powerfully deep her words were. It felt like validation.
I loved these "chapters" and their titles.
I finally finished The Let Theory by Mel Robbins. This is another book whose author I love; her
Instagram and podcast is one of the best, in my humble opinion. I didn't need a whole book about this theory, though. I felt like a lot of it could have been said quickly, and in shorter chapters. I would recommend
following her on IG (click that link) and maybe listening to her podcast; I don't feel like I can recommend this book based on how I felt about it droning on and on.
What did you read this month that you loved? I have learned that I am in a nonfiction phase of reading for the moment. Do you have any recs that you can send my way? I'd appreciate it, friends! Thanks for reading my blog today...come back tomorrow morning for the January 2026 edition of Share 4 Somethings. I'll see you then, and if not then, I'll see you Monday morning. Love to all!
Jenn 🖤
