Monthly Review: November 2025

“I want to stay here forever.”

I don’t know if you mean that, little buddy, given that you are only 3, and you would probably want to stay anywhere where you were allowed to play Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch after eating a Thanksgiving dinner of rolls, turkey, and pumpkin cake. Magna-tiles are strewn across my living room floor, mingling with small pieces of LEGO from one of Uncle Mitch’s partially deconstructed sets. Your sister, who has been reluctant to accept any arms not belonging to your parents, has Dobby running for his life in her pursuit of his tail. Your 11-month-old cousin and I are wedged into my recliner with you, admiring the scene of chaos. At least most of the dishes are done.

Our last Thanksgiving as a family, you were just barely walking; our next Thanksgiving, you will have another baby brother or sister, bringing the number of Mayes grandchildren equal to the number of Mayes siblings. That future celebration seems almost impossible to predict or shape, but I allow myself to imagine it nevertheless, subtracting all the deficiencies of this year yet somehow retaining all its triumphs. Maybe next year, my thawing turkey won’t flood my refrigerator with raw meat juices. Maybe next year, an unhappily exiled Cosmo won’t bark his way through dinner. Maybe next year I will finally purchase my own dining room set to replace the secondhand one that came with our house, and there will finally be room for all of us (adults, at least) without a card table. I will keep the oven schedule and maybe even the new cake recipe. I will reuse the spreadsheet for family food signups and scheduling. I will buy a bigger turkey than necessary so I can make turkey almondine and gumbo and pot pie. And, once all the planning, prepping, and cooking wraps up, I will sit around the table with my family, glowing in gratitude for them all.

But the dream is only that—any number of things could go right or wrong between now and the fourth Thursday of November 2026. It is for this very reason we practice gratitude: that our blessings are not permanent entitlements, but gifts of the moment to enjoy as long as God continues to give them to us. Perhaps you’re right, and we should stay here forever.

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

What I Read

• The Ickabog, J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)

• Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, Nicola Twilley (★★★★★)

• Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro (★★★★)

• Warrior Girl Unearthed, Angeline Boulley (★★★)

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

What I Cooked

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bundt Cake

Difficulty: ★★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: Surprisingly easy to make and quite delicious. My one complaint was that my cheesecake layer was not particularly substantial. I'd be tempted to double it next time.

• Turkey Gumbo

Difficulty: ★★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: I stole this recipe from my brother-in-law, and it may need to become a post-Thanksgiving tradition for me. For a half-batch, I used about 1 tablespoon of Creole spice and about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.

What I Created

• Original blackout poem "Duality of Man"

• Podcast interview "Hidden in My Heart"

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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.