March 2022 Reads

Where are my "read multiple books at a time" people at? This month, I've been running in to the inconvenience of finishing all the books I was reading at the same time, which means I'm stuck making many decisions about what to read next all at once.

One thing about my multiple books at a time method is I always read from varying formats. I'm always reading an audiobook and a hardcopy and/or ebook. Lately, I've been reading with my Kindle instead of hardcopies simply because 1) I can get upcoming releases in ebook formats and 2) I can lay on my side and read without having to work too hard. Even though I've been struggling to figure out what to read lately, I read some really great books in March.

1. Busy Toddler's Guide to Actual Parenting: From Their First "no" to Their First Day of School by Susie Allison. I listened to this one on a cramped flight to Palm Springs, and I loved it so much. It's all about life with toddlers and really opened my eyes to a lot of things. It also made me super excited for this baby to arrive!

2. Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly. I had been pretty excited for this one by a Newbery winning author, but I felt like it was a lot of perspectives and not a lot of action.

3. A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum. This one had been on my list for a few years, and it did not disappoint. It dove deeply into cultural implications on women and the roles and advocacy for women.

4. You'll be the Death of Me by Karen McManus. Karen McManus is just such a talented storyteller. I love her other young adult mysteries, and this one met my expectations. It had a couple of unexpected twists and dove into the opioid epidemic.

5. History is Rich by Shaun S. Nichols. In March in my social studies classroom, I teach economics, and it's my favorite thing ever. My class is SO INTERESTED in money, and we do tons of fun projects. So this upcoming release was fantastic. It details the history of money and capitalism, and I can't wait to snag a copy for my classroom.

6. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. This is another 5-star read for me. It was the sweetest story of how books and stories can bring us together, especially when we share our own stories with each other. Ugh, it was beautiful.

7. New From Here by Kelly Yang was yet another great read. Kelly Yang is incredibly talented; I'll read anything by her! This was a relevant middle grade novel about the pandemic and the mistreatment of and racism toward many Asian Americans throughout it. It reminded me of how privileged I've been from the beginning of the pandemic and further opened my eyes to the experiences of others.

8. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle. The audiobook for this had roughly a 6-month wait at my library, but they must have gotten a few more copies and I snagged one. It was read by Lauren Graham, which I liked. Of course the setting was delightful, but it was about a main character whose mother had recently passed away. The main character meets a younger version of her mother on a trip they were supposed to take together. Having lost my mother, I liked the story and related to some of the character's grief experience, but it still seemed to fall short for me.

9. The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money by Ron Lieber. Again the money topic is rich (haha) for me this month. This one dove into all things money and kids, and I really liked it. Over the past few years, I've been doing a lot of learning (and unlearning) about money and, particularly, my relationship with it. I feel like this book gave great tools for helping kids grow into adults that have healthy relationships with money and a solid understanding of it.

10. Chunky by Yehudi Mercado. This is a graphic novel about a boy whose parents and doctors want him to lose weight and put him in a bunch of different sports. In reality, he loves comedy and art. Hudi finds his way to a group he loves without losing himself. Kids will love it for sure.

11. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. Ruta Sepetys is phenomenal at writing historical fiction about events that don't typically get much attention. This one took place in Romania in 1989. It was so gripping and a must-read for everyone!

12. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Okay, this book was incredible. It looked at time and life in a way that I'd never thought of before. It's definitely one I need to reread because there's so many big-picture, radical perspectives that I've needed time to chew on them.

13. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover. The infamous Colleen Hoover is all the rage lately, especially after this 2022 release of her's. I love how different all of her books are, this one included. While I enjoyed reading it, I didn't LOVE it like other books. It felt somewhat predictable.

A lot of what I read this month reminded me of how POWERFUL reading is. I got to escape reality, plan for the future, reflect on my every day life, learn about history, and so much more through the pages of these books this month. Reading really does make us better people.

-J