Happy Birthday! I love this newsletter and I have so many items on my Claire topic wishlist. I’d love to read about how being a Catholic feminist intersects with raising kids. Where are we all going for parenting advice, especially when advice from our families doesn’t align with our beliefs? Also: independent of whether we have our own kids or not, who (or who else) are we mothering? What is hard and what is wonderful about it? And, who are we being mothered by? Another idea is would love a thread where we all can discuss what our prayer lives look like right now and what we wished they looked like, and what barriers may be getting in our way. Would also love a post (ideally prior to Black Friday) that might help spotlight some Catholic creators that I can purchase gifts from. I’m off of social media mostly so I don’t know who is out there anymore, but I want to know!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ‘loneliness epidemic’ that keeps popping up everywhere - the real need for in-person contact and friendships, the lack of any time in our lives for it, and the necessity to reach out ourselves if this is something we want to pursue (I have often found people in general are more than willing to be friends but we are all pretty bad at at being the one doing the reaching out)… You may have already covered this kind of thing, I can’t remember. Just some thoughts. :-)
Happy Birthday Claire! I also turn 33 at the end of the month, and at this moment I'm looking at the '33' balloons in the corner of our room from my husband's birthday a couple days ago. Cheers to our Jesus year, whatever that means!!
This is a great idea (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants -- so, so good, I just reread recently! and The Great Gatsby, there are so many lines and images I think of often... "a tuning fork struck on a star" ah!) and a great list. I'd have to think on it some more but off the the top of my head -- The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Little Women, Betsy-Tacy, King of the Wind, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, The Sun Also Rises, Kristin Lavransdatter, Lord of the Rings... are the ones that immediately come to mind!
I truly love your writing Claire, thank you so much for sharing it. I can't even give advice or ideas for the year, just keep doing what you're doing :)
I'm not sure about ideas. But I've enjoyed your work this last year - especially as you insist that women striving for a holy life don't all look/act/mother in one way. Also the ways you notice how women's bodies are treated like dysfunctional men.
Happy Birthday, Claire! God grant you many years, and cheers to your Jesus year. I’ve had a bit of difficulty keeping Piranesi by Susanna Clarke on my shelf since I read it November, 2022. To answer your question, as a younger married woman, you could potentially write navigating Catholic dating for the many young Catholic women out there who want to get married, some of whom are having difficulty with red pill Catholic young men.
Happy happy birthday, Claire! We have two foundational books in common: Ella Enchanted and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants forever! On my list would also be The Secret Life of Bees and the entire Harry Potter series. Maybe A Wrinkle in Time? Bridge to Terabithia? Little Women? So many good ones to choose from, and such a fun conversation to share with friends!
Wishing you all the best in your Jesus Year ahead. I'm always so happy when your name pops up in my inbox, and I especially appreciate your commentary on current events and pop culture. We tend to think about these things the same way, and I'm so appreciative of the way you put those thoughts into words! Can't wait to see where your writing takes you (and us readers!) next! 🌻
Happy birthday Claire! This question is catnip for me, so in no particular order, here are some.
Little Women and Anne of Green Gables - for those of us with lots to say and lots to feel (raises hand), Jo March and Anne Shirley are friends as real as any we meet on Earth.
The Chronicles of Narnia and Pride and Prejudice - when I lived my own version of "what books would you take with you to a desert island" (which for me was a summer spent volunteering in the Guatemalan highlands) these were the books, along with a Spanish/English Bible, that made it into my backpack. They were excellent companions.
The Irrational Season by Madeleine L'Engle - I love all the Crosswicks Journals but the way this one walks through the liturgical year means it is one I turn to again and again.
Eight Whopping Lies and Other Stories of Bruised Grace by Brian Doyle - I'm making my way through his entire catalog but the last paragraph of A Prayer for You And Yours is what I want read at my funeral. "Bruised" is a pretty good description of my faith and my heart here in my late thirties and Brian's words are balm to my wounds.
Truck by Michael Perry - this book was the first gift I ever gave my husband. Some couples have "our song" but for us, Truck is our book.
The Story of a Soul by Therese of Lisieux - on the hard days, her little way is my only hope.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - probably the best novel I have read in the past 10 years. Demon has one of the most distinctive narrative voices I've ever read in fiction, right up there with Sethe from Beloved. This book haunts me.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I reread the last 50 pages of this novel over and over and over again for the triumph, the teamwork, the grief and hope and forgiveness that I find there.
That's 10 books so I'll stop! Wishing you every blessing today and always!
I don’t have any grand or tiny writing suggestions, but wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday. I’m so glad you were born! Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world.
Happiest of birthdays to you, Claire! I read The Screwtape Letters in college and felt like such a gift of wisdom for my perfectionist spirit. I've revisited it often in the years since. And Sarah's book! I have OCD, too, and she's been on my list for a long time. Thanks for the reminder! Hope 33 is beautiful for you.
You’re a September baby too?! I should’ve known. Happy birthday Claire! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your Instagram five (six? Can’t remember) years ago. I bought He Leadeth me when I was newly postpartum (lol) and I’ve really enjoyed it!
Happy Birthday! I love this newsletter and I have so many items on my Claire topic wishlist. I’d love to read about how being a Catholic feminist intersects with raising kids. Where are we all going for parenting advice, especially when advice from our families doesn’t align with our beliefs? Also: independent of whether we have our own kids or not, who (or who else) are we mothering? What is hard and what is wonderful about it? And, who are we being mothered by? Another idea is would love a thread where we all can discuss what our prayer lives look like right now and what we wished they looked like, and what barriers may be getting in our way. Would also love a post (ideally prior to Black Friday) that might help spotlight some Catholic creators that I can purchase gifts from. I’m off of social media mostly so I don’t know who is out there anymore, but I want to know!
Happy birthday!!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ‘loneliness epidemic’ that keeps popping up everywhere - the real need for in-person contact and friendships, the lack of any time in our lives for it, and the necessity to reach out ourselves if this is something we want to pursue (I have often found people in general are more than willing to be friends but we are all pretty bad at at being the one doing the reaching out)… You may have already covered this kind of thing, I can’t remember. Just some thoughts. :-)
Happy Birthday Claire! I also turn 33 at the end of the month, and at this moment I'm looking at the '33' balloons in the corner of our room from my husband's birthday a couple days ago. Cheers to our Jesus year, whatever that means!!
This is a great idea (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants -- so, so good, I just reread recently! and The Great Gatsby, there are so many lines and images I think of often... "a tuning fork struck on a star" ah!) and a great list. I'd have to think on it some more but off the the top of my head -- The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Little Women, Betsy-Tacy, King of the Wind, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, The Sun Also Rises, Kristin Lavransdatter, Lord of the Rings... are the ones that immediately come to mind!
I truly love your writing Claire, thank you so much for sharing it. I can't even give advice or ideas for the year, just keep doing what you're doing :)
Happy Birthday, Claire!
This a great list - thanks for sharing.
I'm not sure about ideas. But I've enjoyed your work this last year - especially as you insist that women striving for a holy life don't all look/act/mother in one way. Also the ways you notice how women's bodies are treated like dysfunctional men.
Happy Birthday, Claire! God grant you many years, and cheers to your Jesus year. I’ve had a bit of difficulty keeping Piranesi by Susanna Clarke on my shelf since I read it November, 2022. To answer your question, as a younger married woman, you could potentially write navigating Catholic dating for the many young Catholic women out there who want to get married, some of whom are having difficulty with red pill Catholic young men.
Happy happy birthday, Claire! We have two foundational books in common: Ella Enchanted and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants forever! On my list would also be The Secret Life of Bees and the entire Harry Potter series. Maybe A Wrinkle in Time? Bridge to Terabithia? Little Women? So many good ones to choose from, and such a fun conversation to share with friends!
Wishing you all the best in your Jesus Year ahead. I'm always so happy when your name pops up in my inbox, and I especially appreciate your commentary on current events and pop culture. We tend to think about these things the same way, and I'm so appreciative of the way you put those thoughts into words! Can't wait to see where your writing takes you (and us readers!) next! 🌻
Who doesn't love a booklist? I've added a couple new gems to peruse. Thanks!
Happy Birthday! May God grant you a beautiful year.
Happy Birthday Claire!!! Thank you for sharing the book list; hope I get around to reading them.
Thank you for your writing too! and for leaving one letter for us free subscribers.
Wishing you many more wonderful years ahead filled with joy and peace!
Will say a prayer for you today.
He Leadeth Me!! That's on my list too. I can't stop recommending either! :)
Happy birthday Claire! This question is catnip for me, so in no particular order, here are some.
Little Women and Anne of Green Gables - for those of us with lots to say and lots to feel (raises hand), Jo March and Anne Shirley are friends as real as any we meet on Earth.
The Chronicles of Narnia and Pride and Prejudice - when I lived my own version of "what books would you take with you to a desert island" (which for me was a summer spent volunteering in the Guatemalan highlands) these were the books, along with a Spanish/English Bible, that made it into my backpack. They were excellent companions.
The Irrational Season by Madeleine L'Engle - I love all the Crosswicks Journals but the way this one walks through the liturgical year means it is one I turn to again and again.
Eight Whopping Lies and Other Stories of Bruised Grace by Brian Doyle - I'm making my way through his entire catalog but the last paragraph of A Prayer for You And Yours is what I want read at my funeral. "Bruised" is a pretty good description of my faith and my heart here in my late thirties and Brian's words are balm to my wounds.
Truck by Michael Perry - this book was the first gift I ever gave my husband. Some couples have "our song" but for us, Truck is our book.
The Story of a Soul by Therese of Lisieux - on the hard days, her little way is my only hope.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - probably the best novel I have read in the past 10 years. Demon has one of the most distinctive narrative voices I've ever read in fiction, right up there with Sethe from Beloved. This book haunts me.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I reread the last 50 pages of this novel over and over and over again for the triumph, the teamwork, the grief and hope and forgiveness that I find there.
That's 10 books so I'll stop! Wishing you every blessing today and always!
Story of a Soul + Little Women would definitely be on mine if the list was a bit longer, too!!!
If you liked Gatsby, you might also love Tender is the Night.
Never Let Me Go (some skippable pages!) bu Kazou Ishiguro is another classic.
Happy Birthday!
Oh - I'd love to see more bioethics discussions.
I don’t have any grand or tiny writing suggestions, but wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday. I’m so glad you were born! Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world.
Happiest of birthdays to you, Claire! I read The Screwtape Letters in college and felt like such a gift of wisdom for my perfectionist spirit. I've revisited it often in the years since. And Sarah's book! I have OCD, too, and she's been on my list for a long time. Thanks for the reminder! Hope 33 is beautiful for you.
I love book lists and September birthdays and Cloud Cuckoo Land. 💜 happy birthday!
You’re a September baby too?! I should’ve known. Happy birthday Claire! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your Instagram five (six? Can’t remember) years ago. I bought He Leadeth me when I was newly postpartum (lol) and I’ve really enjoyed it!