February 2021
A banner reading month, a magically delicious soup, and various links from around the interwebs
Hello, and happy Sunday! Daylight savings is in a couple of weeks, and the snow is finally melting off around here. I hope this finds you well and perhaps even with renewed hope on the horizon thanks to the COVID vaccines. Thank you for being a part of my little From Holly community, and enjoy this month’s edition.
Bookshelf
I’m pretty pleased with my reading month! A few winners (and a few disappointments), but every page is a treat and I’m grateful.
Reads in February
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi |★★★★★
A affecting novel that follows Gifty, an Alabaman daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, who is pursuing a PhD in neuroscience. The book explores the tension she feels between her faith and her scientific profession. The story is slow-moving, reflective, and tenderly poignant. Gifty struggles with the questions that plague her: how to be good and please God, to be intellectually honest, to honor her family. Gifty draws parallels between her present-day struggles to her younger days, implacable by platitudes but desperately eager to be good. It’s truly a remarkable book that will stick with me for a long time to come.
Vanguard by Martha Jones | ★★★★☆
Historian Martha Jones highlights the role Black women in the pursuit of equality for all people Covering American history from the 1700s to present, Vanguard offers up the stories of the oft-overlooked (and regularly silenced) women behind anti-slavery, suffrage, and human rights efforts over the decades. Jones tackled a huge piece of under-reported history and the book did feel very academic at points. There are lots of names and dates throughout.
This was the February selection for the Show Me the Women book club and we had a good chat, talking about which women we’d like to learn more about (for me: Mary Ann Shadd Cady, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and Mary McLeod Bethune) and what parts of our traditional, male- and white-centric historical understandings were upended.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini | ★★★☆☆
Short and nearly spoiler-free synopsis: this sci-fi space epic follows Kira Navárez, a xenobiologist who works studying the flora and fauna of to-be-colonized planets around the galaxy. At the end of a mission, she makes an extraterrestrial discovery that sends reverberating impacts throughout settled space and sets the trajectory for the rest of the 800+ page story. The characters of this book were dynamic, varied, and, in many cases, funny. I also thought that Paolini’s approach to an alien encounter was particularly inspired. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the book, even if I had some nit-picks with the plot towards the end.
I listened to this book on audio via LibroFM and one of the best parts was the truly masterful performance by Jennifer Hale. People talk about following actors/actresses, but I might have to start a list of top-notch narrators.
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce | ★★☆☆☆
I’ll get straight to the point: this book was disappointing. I had such high hopes given the premise: a misfit pair of women forge a friendship while on an adventure of a lifetime! Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired. The characters felt flat and over-the-top and the story was much heavier than I expected given the premise and endorsements. There are a number of serious content warnings which you can check out on my @fromhollysbookshelf review or on StoryGraph.
We Need to Talk About Race by Ben Lindsay | ★★★★★
Written by Ben Lindsay, a pastor in the UK, We Need to Talk About Race presents a compelling, grace-filled argument for why skirting conversations about race just entrenches the status quo and does a disservice to minority groups in spiritual spaces. Lindsay’s words are sincere and forthright, not eschewing truth but also calling us all in to seek justice, reparation, and reconciliation. A particularly interesting part for me was when he pointed out a difference in theological approaches between Black churches and white Evangelical churches. Lindsay highlights Anthony Bradley’s observation that Black churches often point to Jesus by way of Moses, while majority white churches make the approach to Jesus via Paul. This plays out in what we prioritize: justice & the collective vs. salvation & the individual. It was an excellent (and succinct!) read.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab | ★★★★☆
This book has been absolutely drenched in hype since it came out in October. I was excited to read it, albeit a little wary given all the positive reviews (I didn’t want to be let down!). The protagonist, Adeline LaRue, is born in rural France in the late 17th century. On the evening of her wedding — one to which she did not consent and is wholly dreading — she makes a deal with the darkness that gets her out of it. The catch: she is immortal but no one will remember her once they lose sight of her. Thus her 300+ year adventure begins, bringing Addie up to present day NYC. On the whole, it’s a marvelously written book with rich character development and a unique storyline. I have two main gripes (thus the 4 star rating): Namely, the beginning is slow. The first 100 pages didn’t enrapture me like I expected them to. But once I was hooked, it was a very gripping read. Secondly, and this is purely personal preference, the story’s resolution is pretty much my least favorite trope, and it was sort of hard for me to get over, even though it was an enjoyable read otherwise. It was entirely befitting of the novel and not out of place, but let’s just say I did some rage crying when it was all said and done. I cannot say more without spoilers! Ultimately, a good read — the hype is understandable!
For regular posts & reviews, follow along at @fromhollysbookshelf and in my Bookshop storefront. For my monthly staff picks, visit my WORD page.
*Note: Links listed above are to Bookshop, where I'm an affiliate. I make a small commission off any purchases using those links, and Bookshop uses its profits to support local bookstores. If you have a favorite indie shop, please purchase from them instead!
Kitchen
I know that spring is just around the corner in many places, but I’m going to take one last opportunity to share a soup recipe. I stumbled upon this a few weeks ago and it blew my mind with how tasty it was. Highly recommend you serve with a crusty loaf of sourdough (if you are in NYC, She Wolf is the way to go).
Deep Winter Caramelized Cream of Onion Soup
From Ski Town Soups* | Serves 8-10
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 large yellow onions, peeled & julienned
• 1 tsp ground white pepper (Note: yes, it’s different from black pepper, and yes it does make a difference!)
• 3 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups dry sherry
• 1 gallon chicken stock
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 oz Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese (Note: it does not have to be this brand, this is just how it’s listed in the cookbook. I also would venture a guess that you’ll end up wanting more than 4 oz, speaking from experience. I buy the pre-crumbled stuff, but make sure it’s a good quality kind!)
• Fresh thyme
Directions
In a large, heavy pot, melt butter and add onions. Sauté over medium heat until onions are caramelized. This may take upwards of 30 minutes. Stir the onions often to prevent burning.
Once caramelized, stir in the white pepper and dried thyme. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Add sherry and cook until thick. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add cream, salt, lemon juice, black pepper, and Tabasco. Bring soup to a boil. Taste & adjust seasoning.
Serve topped with fresh thyme and a hefty portion of crumbly blue cheese.
*Note: I recently learned that this cookbook is out of print, so save this email if you’d like to make it! Same with last month’s chili recipe.
For snippets of my home cooking with occasional tips & recipes, follow along at @fromhollyskitchen.
Miscellany
Austin Channing Brown is a remarkable writer and activist. I love her Wild, Holy, and Free newsletter. Specifically, her recent piece Dear Nice White People is worth a read.
Earlier this month, I took a baking course with Kendall Vanderslice of Edible Theology. She is exploring the intersections of bread, faith, and embodied spiritual practices. If you’d identify as Christian, I strongly recommend her workshops. I learned so much about bread and her approach is deeply rooted in care and mindfulness.
As mentioned above, I listened to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars on audio, and the narration was phenomenal. If you’re into or would like to explore the world of audiobooks, might I suggest checking out LibroFM? Unlike Audible which is run by Amazon, LibroFM directly supports indie bookstores. When making a purchase, you get to choose which store gets the credit! I love it.
Despite campaign promises, thousands have already been deported under the Biden administration. I will always hold firmly to the conviction that deportations are inhumane and cruel, and the majority carried out by the US violate international human rights law. Further, new immigrant detention centers continue to open despite public pressure to stop the practice. RAICES is an organization committed to this fight and has lots of up-to-date info on their Instagram and Twitter if you’d like to keep up with this topic.
I feel like I should be a paid part of the marketing team at this point, but I cannot stop telling people to watch Ted Lasso. I laughed so hard. I cried at the poignancy. It’s magnificently wholesome and absolutely hysterical. Honestly, if you don’t have an Apple TV+ subscription, snag the free trial to watch.
I don’t have a “moment of whimsy/delight” link for you this month, so below my sign-off, find some magical pictures of Twyla playing in the snow.
Thanks for being a part of this little community. See you in March!
Warmly,
Holly