Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

It's time for planning another season of reading! I read most of the books on my Winter TBR list; I'm still listening to The Only Plane in the Sky, and I abandoned Women Who Run with the Wolves in the first chapter. Here are ten of the books I plan to read this spring!

1. All About Love by bell hooks
This book has been mentioned multiple times in my online communities the past month, so that always feels like a sign from the universe to pick something up. I have enjoyed hooks' other work that I've read, so I'm sure this will be great as well.

2. Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Long-time readers will know how much I adored Burnout, which Nagoski wrote with her sister, but I've also heard Nagoski speak on multiple podcasts about her first book, and I always love what she has to say. I'm looking forward to finally reading it!

3. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
My partner mentioned really liking the movie of this and wanting to watch it with me. The book was already on my list, so I decided to bump it up for this season.

4. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
I can always use a good dose of middle grade! This one is a modern classic that has been on my list for a long time, so I'm going to prioritize it this time around.

5. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
I've read all of John Green's books and don't plan to make this new one an exception! I've enjoyed learning more about the history of tuberculosis from his videos as he's done a deep dive on this the past few years, and it'll be great to see all of it come together in his latest book.

6. Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
After being disappointed by Belly of the Beast, I figured I should instead read the book that was already on my might-want-to-read list that the author kept citing.

7. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
This has been on my list for a long time, and a friend recently mentioned it (possibly she was rereading it?), and it seemed like a good time to finally tackle it!

8. Money for Couples by Ramit Sethi
I've been a fan of Sethi's work since I Will Teach You to Be Rich, but I didn't know he had a new book and related podcast until it was mentioned on the What Should I Read Next? podcast not too long ago. I'm interested to see what he's put together in this one.

9. Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
I finally read Parable of the Sower earlier this year and liked it enough to be interested in the sequel, but there was a 14-week hold on the audiobook so I'm still waiting!

10. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
Every since finishing the Penderwicks series, there's a hole in my heart for a good middle grade sibling series, so this jumped out to me from my might-want-to-read list. Let's hope I like it!

What do you plan to read this spring?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Elatsoe and We Are Not Free
Five years ago I was reading: Paradise Lost and Red, White & Royal Blue
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Baby-Led Weaning, These Is My Words, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Because of Winn-Dixie

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

I blazed through a bunch of short audiobooks this past month, mostly nonfiction, which made a nice little spread of topics to sample! I also finished up the middle grade series I've been enjoying on Kindle.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: I'm still not sure exactly how to describe this. "Feminist revenge fantasy," maybe? Except that the main character doesn't set out to get revenge on anyone, she just lives as if she's entitled to take up as much space on this earth as any man, and as a result, the world slowly reshapes itself to align with this vision. This isn't going to be a book for everyone, but I'm very glad to have read it.

The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall: If the first Penderwicks book had everything resolving a little too quickly and neatly, this one was a little too... real? This was still well done and I liked spending more time with these characters, who are now several years older than when we last saw them; it's just a bit darker and less madcap than the previous volumes.

Amateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBee: Through his story of becoming an amateur boxer to compete in a charity match — in the process becoming the first transgender man to box in Madison Square Garden — McBee explores the idea of "masculinity" and the extent to which he is or is not able to define it for himself. He's a journalist by trade, so it's not surprising that he can write well. This was a quick listen (under 4 hours) that would be valuable for anyone to read.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown: I was struck by how my own life has changed since I first read this book. This time around, I will say that what Brown says here doesn't just make sense to me, but it resonates deeply with what I've experienced and found to be true. I think this is a great book to revisit periodically for a reminder of what truly matters when building a life.

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon: This is one of those books that should be required reading. Gordon makes a strong case that the negative health effects traditionally associated with obesity are more likely tied to the negative impacts of weight loss measures and the daily harassment and discrimination that fat people experience. We could create a much better world if more people understood everything captured in this book.

Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da'Shaun Harrison: I've found that there's a particular strain of activist writing that doesn't work for my brain, one that presents bold statements as self-evident and, inasmuch as they do present evidence, do so by quoting others at length. There are undoubtedly points throughout that speak powerfully to the intersections of race, gender, and body size, and I think Harrison could have gone further in exploring these intersections, but instead they fell back on sweeping, unclear statements.

The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall: I greatly enjoyed this conclusion to the Penderwicks series. It's not quite as madcap as the early books, but it's definitely not as dark as the prior book; mainly this is a last romp with some beloved characters while sending them off into a beautiful future, and I was satisfied with that.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers: This was a compelling novella that, at its essence, asks the reader a question about humans' role in the universe without itself answering it. This isn't something I'd necessarily rush to press into someone's hands (unlike most of Chambers' books), but if you're looking for a grown-up, more diverse version of those classic children's books where each chapter is its own adventure and ultimately it's about growing up, this is a great fit for that.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Elatsoe and We Are Not Free
Five years ago I was reading: Paradise Lost and Red, White & Royal Blue
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Baby-Led Weaning, These Is My Words, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Because of Winn-Dixie

Best of the Bunch (February 2025)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in February.

Of the eight books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

These are both excellent, so as I typically do, I'm going to choose the one that wasn't a reread for me!

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat is one of those books that should be required reading. Although I went into this already supportive of the HAES movement and fat activism, I didn't have a rebuttal for those who insisted that obesity was a health concern that shouldn't be downplayed or ignored. Gordon makes a strong case that the negative health effects traditionally associated with obesity are more likely tied to two things: 1) the documented negative effects of restrictive eating, excessive exercise, constant weight fluctuation, and more extreme measures like diet pills, and 2) the daily harassment and discrimination that fat people experience, which takes a physical toll on the body (similar to the "weathering" that bodies have been found to undergo due to poverty and racism). She demonstrates how anti-fat attitudes show up everywhere from the media to the doctor's office and envisions a world in which weight is not associated with morality or work ethic but instead is seen as an attribute, just like height, that exists on a broad spectrum in humans. We could create a much better world if more people understood everything captured in this book. At only 208 pages (or under 7 1/2 hours on audio at standard speed), there's no excuse not to pick this one up.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Elevating Child Care, Elatsoe, Polywise, and Dog Man
Five years ago I was reading: Let's Talk About Love and Dreams from My Father
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Baby-Led Weaning, These Is My Words, Anna and the French Kiss, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, Station Eleven, and Ella Enchanted

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

This was a pretty good reading month! Not much in the way of 5-star books, but almost everything was 4 or 4.5 stars, which is a solid track record for the month.

Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey: Most of the story was pretty good for a Dog Man book, but then it kind of ran out of steam at the end with a lightning-fast resolution (besides the dangling plot threads that the characters themselves call out and name are an indication of an impending sequel). I'll happily continue listening to my kid read these, though!

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall: This was a sweet and charming children's book that might have been 5 stars for me at another point in time, but I wasn't quite in a space to have things resolve as neatly as they did each time a challenge arose throughout this book. I enjoyed it enough to continue with the series, though!

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong: Yong clearly communicates his key theses, from the small percentage of microbes that are true pathogens (and how difficult/inaccurate it is to label most microbes as "good" or "bad") to the ways that microbes work in tandem with other organisms in a multitude of ways. It's a dense work of nonfiction and I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but I found it both interesting and valuable for better understanding the world around me.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall: This was a sweet addition to the adventures of the Penderwicks. Predictable? Yes. But not in a way I minded. I didn't quite buy some aspects of the plot but the rest of the book was lovely and sweet, with everyone getting slightly embroiled in plots of deception, but not in a way that gave me anxiety like it normally would.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett: This was well done, though I don't think I caught whatever it was that led multiple folks I follow to rave about this one. The world-building here is excellent and the Scandinavian winter can be felt through the words, with a plot that hangs together well but in the end is a vehicle for showcasing the world more than an end to itself, or at least that's how it felt to me.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers: I enjoyed spending more time with Mosscap and Sibling Dex and revisiting this gentle vision of community. It has even less plot than the first book, but then plot is somewhat antithetical to the message of being able to just be and have intrinsic value for existing.

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall: This was another charming installment of this series about the Penderwick sisters and their loved ones. There was a plot reveal near the end that stretched the limits of my suspension of disbelief, but outside of that, I greatly enjoyed spending more time with these characters.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler: Much has been made of what Butler did or did not "predict" about our present day, but like any good dystopia, I think the more important accomplishment is what it said about the time period in which it was written and how those elements are still relevant today. I'm glad to have finally read this, and I'll definitely read the sequel when my library hold eventually comes in.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Elevating Child Care, Elatsoe, The Secret Keepers, and The Bad Guys in The Others?!
Five years ago I was reading: The Boys in the Boat and Dreams from My Father
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, A Letter to My Congregation, and All-Of-a-Kind Family

Best of the Bunch (January 2025)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in January.

Of the nine books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

One of these was a reread (and my Best of the Bunch back in September 2021) so I'm going with the other one this time around!

Bad Blood was an utterly fascinating work of narrative nonfiction by the journalist who broke the story that led to Theranos' demise. Admittedly I missed the media buzz around Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes when it was happening, but I found this a great read even without any background knowledge going in. Carreyrou chooses an interesting way to structure the book, mostly opting to have each chapter focus on a single employee from their start at Theranos to their disillusionment and eventual departure, using the different stories to share different parts of the company's machinations and move the story forward in time. Then, just as the book was starting to feel a bit repetitive, Carreyrou's own role in the events commences and lends a propulsive air of tension to the plot as he tries to expose the company while he and his sources are threatened at every turn. This one lived up to the hype for me and was a great book to kick off my 2025 reading!

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Demon Copperhead, The Secret Keepers, and The Bad Guys in They're Bee-Hind You!
Five years ago I was reading: Call Down the Hawk, Activist Theology, and Dreams from My Father
Ten years ago I was reading: If I Stay, Hyperbole and a Half, and Heidi

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

This was a solid reading month for me. Not all the books were 5 stars, but all of them were worth reading, which is something.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett: I was entertained and appreciated the reflections on the reading life, but I think I just never quite settled in to the tone, whether it was sincere or mocking, earnest or humorous, and that may be an artifact of the references and the humor being a bit too British for me personally.

Queer Windows: Volume 1 Spring: Four fantastical, queer love stories by Cay Fletcher: This was a cute little collection. The nature of the "fantastical," the "queer," and the "love" varies greatly from story to story. I think I could have focused better on the stories if I hadn't been perpetually distracted by the misuse of punctuation.

Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie: This was better than I expected for a late-in-life Christie, and a thriller at that. I think Christie had a decent overall premise, and some excellent observations, dialogue, and scenes, they just don't quite hang together into something compelling, probably because we spend too much time at the 30,000-foot view.

Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully by Julie McFadden, RN: In detailing everything from the way the dying body naturally stops wanting to eat and drink to how common it is for dying people to see visions of deceased loved ones and beautiful light, McFadden paints a picture of death as just one more step on everyone's journey of life and not something to be feared or avoided at all costs.

Only Love Today: Reminders to Breathe More, Stress Less, and Choose Love by Rachel Macy Stafford: This is best read as intended, in bite-sized pieces, and it's mostly geared toward parents. It won't give you any practical tips on how to rework your schedule or reorganize your space to ensure that your day-to-day life aligns best with your priorities. It's simply a consistent nudge in the right direction, in much the same way that you might continually refocus your mind during meditation each time it wanders. And for that goal, I think it works very well.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes: This was a delightful look behind the scenes of a classic movie, even for someone who wasn't a superfan going in. I especially recommend the audio, both because of the many voices that contributed and because Elwes himself has a talent for accents!

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou: This was an utterly fascinating work of narrative nonfiction by the journalist who broke the story that led to Theranos' demise. It lived up to the hype for me and was a great book to kick off my 2025 reading!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: I appreciated the concept behind this book and certainly don't think it's that far-fetched that the United States could someday turn criminal execution into a reality TV show. The way the story was laid out, though, wasn't quite satisfying for me.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: I loved this book just as much on reread. Although the philosophers and scientists may be right that humans need meaning and purpose in their life, through this story Chambers posits that it's equally important that sometimes you're able to just be. Sometimes you need someone to tell you that you matter just as you are, which is exactly what this book does, through the sweet and comical interactions between a monk and a robot.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Demon Copperhead and Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, There There, and Dreams from My Father
Ten years ago I was reading: The Garlic Ballads and Generous Spaciousness

Top Ten Nonfiction Reads of 2024

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Last week I shared my favorite fiction reads of 2024. Rather than doing this week's topic, I'm going to share my top ten nonfiction reads of last year. To read more about why I liked these nonfiction reads, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads. (To see my favorite read every month with a detailed description of why I liked it, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. As You Wish by Cary Elwes

2. Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

3. I Am Ace by Cody Daigle-Orians

4. Love by Design by Sara Nasserzadeh

5. Multiamory by Dedeker Winston, Jase Lindgren, and Emily Matlack

6. Nothing to Fear by Julie McFadden

7. The Polyamory Paradox by Irene Morning

8. Polywise by Jessica Fern with David Cooley

9. Setting Boundaries That Stick by Juliane Taylor Shore

10. She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh

What great nonfiction did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Multiamory, Demon Copperhead, and Remarkably Bright Creatures
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, I Bring the Voices of My People, and The Seeress of Kell
Ten years ago I was reading: The Canterbury Tales, Big Little Lies, and Yes Please