Monthly Review: January 2026

In darkness greet the day; inhale a breath

that chills the spine and ices out the lungs.

The skin already raw, the fingers curl

in fists to beat against the door of dawn:

Let out the day, though it will be as cold

and gray as now the bitter night is black—

and such a string of days, as ill-formed pearls

to slowly choke the throat that they enclose.

Here, eye to eye with all the scattered stars,

glimpse at the gilded edge of night the sun,

which, though it rises not to balmy heights,

yet brings a January promise sure:

Each day is longer than its yesterday,

And with it brings a little more of light.

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Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of January.

What I Read

• Night, Elie Wiesel (★★★★★)

• Book Lovers, Emily Henry (★★★★★)

• Bel Canto, Ann Patchett (★★)

  
  

If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.

What I Cooked

• Peruvian Chicken Bowls

  • Difficulty: ★★

  • Flavor: ★★★

  • Keeper: Maybe

Tieghan, you know I love you. I do. Hardly a week goes by without one of your recipes on the Allen family meal plan. But sometimes, you just don't know when to quit, and this was one of those times. That sauce did not need sesame oil. It overpowered all the other flavors. I might be willing to try this again sans sesame oil, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, quite literally.

• Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

  • Difficulty: ★

  • Flavor: ★★★★

  • Keeper: Yes

Grapefruit is my favorite citrus as well as my favorite scent, and with the frigid January we've endured, nothing sounded happier than a grapefruit cake. It was truly so easy, and the glaze was the perfect consistency. The grapefruit flavor was not particularly intense, but even my citrus-skeptical husband declared it a success.

• Dumpling Lasagna

  • Difficulty: ★★

  • Flavor: ★★★

  • Keeper: No

As I have written elsewhere, I love dumplings. While this trend piqued my curiosity enough for me to try it myself, it was a reminder that many viral recipes are dished up for the eyes rather than the palate. The flavors were good, but the steamed mass of pork in the center was reminiscent of a hockey puck.

What I Created

• Part of an essay on envy for Commonplace magazine, where you'll find my writing all throughout 2026

• Untitled blackout poem

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May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.

Monthly Review: December 2025

I made the appointment knowing it might be tough to keep. In December, plans feel fragile as the snowflakes that threaten them, but this couldn’t wait for warmer days. My hair demanded its quarterly trim, and I was counting down to it like Christmas.

Once the week came, the forecast showed clear skies each day—except, of course, Thursday, December 18. The miserable drizzle that would open the day was set to turn to snow right on cue as I left my house for the twenty-five minute drive. For days Wisconsin weather forecasts cluttered my Facebook newsfeed to warn me of the impending storm. The tiny snowing cloud icon loomed on my weather app. Maybe I should call Bonnie, I kept thinking. But her calendar would be even fuller than mine, and a postponement would only complicate matters for both of us, a fact driven home by my daily, fruitless efforts to tame the cowlick at the end of my overlong bangs.

The day of the appointment began with the forecasted rain, and I kept refreshing the weather tab on my work computer to see when it would crystallize into wintry mix and, finally, snow. Ostensibly a snow squall was possible between 4-6. Only once had I experienced a snow squall, the natural equivalent of the fat manufactured flakes that embellish the sets of Christmas movies. The squall had swirled and blown its way through our neighborhood before vanishing as suddenly as it came. Even watched through a window, this violent billow of snow had shocked me with its force, and I could only imagine driving through one.

Amidst these anxieties, at last I realized I would have to stop listening to myself and start talking to myself—and to God. I jotted a prayer in my journal, not merely for favorable weather, but for a sense of stillness in this silly self-contrived tempest. Prepared though I wanted to be, I could no more prevent the snow from falling than I could add an inch to my height by worrying about it. I would have to meet whatever came for me with a sense of resolve, and in the meantime, I had other things far more deserving to occupy my mind.

At last the time came. The clouds had dried out and were in fact beginning to part as I set off from home. Along the lonely stretch of highway, the sky took on all the hues of a winter sunset: lustrous golds, dreamy purples, muted pinks and blues. The colors shifted and changed with the sinking sun, and though the bitter December night was coming on, I felt the hope of a radiant new day. There was nothing to be afraid of. How beautiful it was.

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Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of December.

What I Read

• 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup (★★★★★)

• Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always, Ruth Chou Simons (★★★★★)

• I Cheerfully Refuse, Leif Enger (★★★★)

• Sisters in the Wind, Angeline Boulley (★★★★)

• The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (★★★)

• Everything is Poison, Joy McCullough (★★★)

• Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, Kerry McDonald (★★★)

If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.

What I Cooked

In what may be a Mrs. Allen Makes first, I don't believe I tried any new recipes.

What I Created

• Year in Books 2025

• 2 lines of a sonnet

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May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.

A Year in Books: My Most Memorable Reads of 2025

The only thing more enjoyable than reading a good book is sharing it with others. Those who read my monthly reviews (thank you!) know that I try to get plenty of reading in throughout the year. I finished 2025 having read 64 books and over 24,000 pages. If you are wondering what to add to your TBR for 2026, here are some of my most memorable reads of the year.

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Most Fascinating: Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, Nicola Twilley

The American ice trade! Cold storage facilities! Supply chains in developing countries! Meatpacking! Nutrition! Ever since reading this with my book club, I truly feel as though my eyes have been opened to the incredible technological development represented by my refrigerator. Each chapter was bursting with information, and the author’s precise, descriptive writing style kept it from feeling dry. Although it sounds like it should be boring, Frostbite was one of the most engaging and educational nonfiction books I have read in a long time. If you find me dropping tidbits about refrigeration into our next conversation, you may safely blame this book.

Most Charming: The Ickabog, J.K. Rowling

This book has been languishing unread on my shelf for years, but I’m so glad I finally got around to it in 2025. Obviously, it is not Harry Potter, but it features so many of the things I love about Harry Potter: a whimsical setting, dastardly villains and lovable heroes, humor, and an engaging plot from start to finish. It would make a fabulous read-aloud for children.

Most Rewarding Challenge: Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens

Another book club read this year, Our Mutual Friend was not one I would have picked up on my own, much as I have enjoyed my other forays into Dickens. This took me a couple months to read, and the first 200 or so pages were an absolute slog of “What just happened? Who is this person again?”, a difficulty compounded by the lack of Sparknotes. Nevertheless, I soldiered on with my index card of character names, and I was so glad I stuck it out for the Dickensian sass, the intricate plot, and the almost providential weaving together of each character’s arc.

Most Devastating: A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara

While I typically do not put much stock into content warnings, this is the rare novel for which I will provide some. The novel deals with topics such as self-harm, childhood sexual abuse, and suicidal ideation, and it is a heavy read in both the figurative and literal senses (it’s over 700 pages). With that being said, it is an absolutely gripping tragedy reminiscent of The Goldfinch in its sweeping plot, lifelike characters, and evocative style. It was such an excellent read.

Most Swoony: Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, Rebecca Ross

The likelihood I will enjoy a romance novel is usually inversely proportional to the number of women gushing about it on Booktok, but this title intrigued me, so I gave it a shot. Although it does make use of the enemies-to-lovers trope, on the whole it was quite original and effectively written, and both protagonists were fabulously well-drawn. Their relationship develops beautifully over the duology. I happily added both titles to my personal library and look forward to rereading in the future.

Most Beautiful: The Way of the Wildflower, Ruth Chou Simons

Ruth’s work is a gorgeous synthesis of spiritual insight, warm writing, and splendid artistry. This devotional represents the best of each of these qualities. Drawing from the wildflowers of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Ruth guides readers through five qualities wildflowers embody: they are resilient, unhurried, beloved, free, and dependent. Like the wildflowers, we must root ourselves in our Creator’s provision and blossom with the unique beauty He has given us. Ruth points readers to God’s transforming power in all facets of our lives through each meditation and its accompanying wildflower botanical print.