Happy Wednesday friends! It is hard to believe that we already at the end of March and we are now looking to April! This year seems to be going so quickly and I often find that I want to just grab onto the days and moments and hold them still!
Today I am so excited to share my book, movie, and TV review with y'all for the last few months! Before I start though- if you have any suggestions for me for April please let me know! I am constantly looking for new ideas so please pass on your suggestions!
Books
So my books for this month were varied and just due to the complexities of these last few months with a lot of caregiving and prep for my college courses I didn't read as much as I typically do - unless you count college textbooks haha... so here we go!
{one} To Fly Again
As we were unpacking some boxes from our move, I came across several books in a box that were in my pile "to someday read". I decided that I was going to actually sit down and read them and this was one of them. Y'all... I found it in January and it took me three months to get through because it was incredible. I actually ended up going slowly through it and using it as a devotional in the mornings because it was that beautiful and inspirational. If you are looking for encouragement during a difficult season of life and are wanting to hear from someone who has been there, I can't recommend this book enough! It is amazing. It is inspirational. And it is tenderly encouraging. You can purchase it HERE.
I am embarrassed to admit that I had started this book years ago and never finished it. I am not sure why, but the story didn't really interest me back in the day, something I am truly embarrassed to admit. After reading "To Fly Again" though I knew I wanted to read this book, and y'all it is amazing. If you haven't read it, you will be challenged by the heroism of so many people and the faith of Gracia Burnham. It is raw and real and it is incredible. I sometimes think that different stories hit you differently at different times in your life. This was one that I am so thankful that I choose to read again because my first attempt was not the right timing in my life but now ... it was so inspirational. You can find it HERE.
{three} Wintering
This book I purchased back in July many years ago and saved it for the winter season. Y'all... unfortunately it wasn't my favorite. *sigh* I hate ever giving a bad review to an author-especially with a book that I feel has an incredible premise and the concept of rest and retreat in our busy world, but I started it in January and then again in February and then in March again. And after forcing myself to read through it this past month...it just wasn't a favorite. I love the idea- I appreciated Katherine's story and could relate to a lot of it for different reasons... and there were some concepts that were good, but I honestly was bored as I read it and found a lot of the ideas and writing to simplistic, and a little out of touch. *sigh* I always want to be honest here, and want to love the book (I mean I am a huge proponent of rest and retreat and this is one of my favorite topics, especially since being sick, but I just can't recommend it. For the record- I am definitely in the minority here- it has a 4.4 star review on Amazon with thousands of reviews, so if you purchase it I would be so curious to hear what you think! (You can find it HERE!) Any thoughts?
Movies & TV
I am going to be honest and say that it has been some busy months but with a lot of recovery time for mom we have watched a bit more TV then usual...
Category: Inspirational
This show. I still don't have adequate words since watching it completely in a week in August 2024. It is soul inspiring in so many different ways and simply amazing. If you haven't watched it... do so now. I have been showing clips for one of my college courses I teach and students have been gripped as well. You will not regret spending these 8 hours of your life being inspired, learning about amazing people who were sacrificing so much to help others, and be encouraged that anyone- can make a difference.
I watched this movie back in 2019 and I am going to say that I truly believe that my original review was biased on a friends thoughts prior to me watching the movie. As a bit of background I should say that I have always wanted to foster/adopt and before I got sick was starting the process to become a foster parent. I think the route to foster care is different for every family - so I think that realistically that was portrayed really well - especially in the group meetings. I laughed a lot because I think that I met "each of these people" in my beginning classes. It is hilarious in general but if you have been through the process you will find it even more funny. I also really loved that they showed the "not so fun side" of things when talking about fostering and the challenges that are unique in doing this...
And I loved it this time y'all... if you are looking at becoming a foster parent as y'all know that I am and are heading in that direction... this true story was incredible. If you are like me and the first time was maybe influenced by someone else's thoughts then I can't encourage you enough to try it again. You can find it HERE!
3. Blue Skies
Y'all there is no word for this show except for adorable and cute and very family friendly. This show has a bit of mystery with it, an adorable dog, and just a sweet cast and it makes for such an enjoyable watch each week. In a world that feels very chaotic and angry this beautiful show with incredibly gorgeous scenery will draw you in and just provide some family friendly entertainment. It is lovely. You can find it HERE!
4. White Collar
I mentioned this in a post in 2022 (you can read more HERE) but it took us almost a year to finish the entire series and ... y'all it was such a great show. It had a mystery to it, it was hilarious, it was so well done and we decided to watch through the series again the last couple of months.
I know. I know. Yes. This came out in 2009. Yes there are some of you are laughing because you are assuming that I just like the show because of the sexy lead man. BUT y'all seriously. This is SO good. A couple of years ago Jacob kept telling me that I needed to watch this. I politely was like, "okay" and ignored it (sorry Jacob *hahaha*). But in 2022 we were looking for something new to watch and this popped up. I thought- wait didn't I hear about this, asked Jacob and then started watching and it is SO.GOOD. Why did I wait so long? I have no idea. Haha. I messaged a lot of "WAIT. Is this person bad?" haha. So if you haven't watched it yes it has a very cute man in it but it is also very very good! *smiles* You can find it on Amazon Prime HERE. Let me know what you think!
5. Amazing Race
I know. I know. Some of you are laughing because we all know how much I love this show. There is not currently a new season, but I love seeing different parts of the world...and mom and I have had to cancel several trips recently so we have enjoyed watching some old seasons we never saw. It is great and if you missed an entire season like I did, you can find a lot of them on Amazon Prime HERE for free.
If you are curious about 8 of my favorite inspirational and binge-worthy shows you can find a post all about them HERE!
If you are curious about other review lists I have done in the past you can find those posts below:
2026 Book, Movie, and TV Reviews
2022 Book, Movie, and TV Reviews
2020 Book, Movie, and TV Reviews
2019 Book, Movie, and TV Reviews
Thank you so much for reading today! What about you- what have you been watching and reading that you would recommend for me for April?
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