Best of the Bunch (August 2026)

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

Of the 8 books I read this month, I didn't have any 5-star reads, but I had three 4.5-star reads:

The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen

Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

This was a hard decision! As often happens when I feel similarly about multiple books, I'm choosing for my Best of the Bunch the one I'd like to recommend most widely.

The Other Significant Others was such a needed book, and I'm so grateful it exists. It was validating to see multiple examples of people who have dared to imagine how non-romantic relationships could become central fixtures in their daily lives (sometimes instead of, and sometimes in addition to, a romantic relationship). I thought Cohen did a fantastic job of organizing the book, highlighting a specific friendship pair within each chapter and using that to illustrate a specific theme, like co-parenting with friends, friends being each other's caregivers in old age, or grief from the loss of a friend. I especially appreciated the chapter about legal structures, giving readers a clear idea of what public policy changes could make a difference for a multitude of family structures, including close friends who want to be each other's caregivers, beneficiaries, etc. I hope that the popularity of this book will push more people to rethink what the relationships in their life "must" look or feel like, leading to more visibility and acceptance of non-traditional relationship structures. For all the reasons Cohen lays out in this book, society would be much better off in so many ways with this expanded perspective.

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: You Know, Sex, Dracula, Master Your Attachment Style, How to Keep House While Drowning, and Out of My Heart
Five years ago I was reading: Strange the Dreamer, Womanist Midrash, and The Sun Is Also a Star
Ten years ago I was reading: The Martian and A Prayer for Owen Meany

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Best of the Bunch (July 2026)

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

I finally had 5-star reads this month after quite a drought! Of the 12 books I read this month, I had three 5-star reads:

Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

Heartstopper: Volume Six by Alice Oseman

I already had to give some thought to which one I'm going to share about at my book gathering this weekend, and so the one that I picked is my Best of the Bunch for this month!

An Immense World was fascinating from start to finish. I adore Ed Yong's writing as well as his audiobook narration. It would never have even occurred to me to compile in one place a survey of the ways that animals perceive the world, and I haven't seen anything like this before. Yong does a fabulous job breaking down complex scientific topics using examples and analogies; he doesn't shy away from digging into the nuances, while keeping his tone conversational and his language clear. I also appreciated how thoughtfully and fluidly he linked together the chapters on different senses in an order that followed logical connections, often ones I wouldn't have put together without his expert guidance. I was enthralled. I highly recommend this one, especially on audio!

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: You Know, Sex, Dracula, The Name of the Wind, A Monster Calls, and Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
Five years ago I was reading: The Thursday Murder Club, Womanist Midrash, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Homecoming of Samuel Lake
Ten years ago I was reading: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare and Girl at the End of the World

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Best of the Bunch (June 2026)

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

Of the 9 books I read this month, I once again didn't have any 5-star reads, but I had two 4.5-star reads:

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson with Karin B. Miller

The one that has most directly affected my life, and which I have already recommended to others, is my Best of the Bunch for this month!

Laundry Love was, indeed, a joyful book about laundry! Richardson (and his co-author) managed to hook me right off the bat when describing situations where well-laundered sheets, towels, and clothing can bring joy and pleasure to your day. While it may be challenging for me to adopt Richardson's methods wholesale, I found the practical tidbits throughout to be invaluable. Do you know why regular bleach often makes your things less white? Do you know why clothes that say they need cold water get cleaner in warm water? Do you know why fabric softener makes your clothes less breathable? Richardson has an entire section dedicated to difficult stains and the best approaches to getting them out. And throughout, you can feel Richardson's passion for how laundry done well is a way of caring for loved ones and the environment. His tone is empowering and kind; I don't feel like I'm being shamed, I feel like I'm being invited to think about how laundry can contribute to a more peaceful, comfortable life, and I appreciate that.

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: You Know, Sex, Dracula, The Name of the Wind, More Than Two, The Psychopath Test, and The Resilience Myth
Five years ago I was reading: Maurice, One Last Stop, Womanist Midrash, and Jada Sly, Artist & Spy
Ten years ago I was reading: Furiously Happy, The Return of the King, The Whole Life Adoption Book, and East of Eden

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Best of the Bunch (May 2026)

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

Of the 9 books I read this month, I again didn't have any 5-star reads, but I had two 4.5-star reads:

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon

These are very different books! I think the complicated tensions in Far from the Tree will stay with me for a while, but if I had to say which one I personally liked best of these, it's the other one.

They Never Learn was quite the twisty feminist revenge fantasy thriller! While I saw a couple of the twists coming, the one halfway through — which possibly should have been the most obvious, in retrospect — made my jaw literally drop. It almost ranked up there with The No-Show for deceitful misdirection taking advantage of a reader's assumptions, but in this case I applauded the author's skill rather than feeling cheated. And the ending, while highly implausible, made me grin from ear to ear.

What I can say without spoilers is that the book opens on Scarlett in the process of her latest kill. She's a serial killer in the vein of Dexter, one who solely targets men who abuse, sexual assault, or otherwise terrorize women. This made the book simultaneously satisfying and also a bit brutal to get through, as we're exposed to not just the wide range of ways that men can hurt women, but also the many ways the system fails those women. And then of course there are the multiple methods of murder we witness throughout the book. So while it's not a story I wanted to linger in, I am duly impressed by Fargo's writing skills and would recommend this to anyone who can stomach the too-real pieces.

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: You Know, Sex, Dracula, The Name of the Wind, More Than Two, Come As You Are, and The Final Empire
Five years ago I was reading: The Echo Wife, A Madness of Sunshine, Womanist Midrash, and The Case of the Stolen Space Suit
Ten years ago I was reading: The Husband's Secret, The Two Towers, and Man's Search for Meaning

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Best of the Bunch (April 2026)

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

Of the 7 books I read this month, I didn't have another 5-star reads, but I had one 4.5-star read, so that's my Best of the Bunch!

There were elements of Listen for the Lie that reminded me of The Girl on the Train, particularly the protagonist's amnesia around the night of her best friend's murder and her apparent inability to make good decisions generally, and there were definitely other tropes that made this somewhat predictable, but ultimately none of that took away from my enjoyment. I also really liked the story alternating with podcast episodes, similar to Sadie, and like that book, it was excellent on audio. Despite one egregious consistency error, on the whole, I really enjoyed this listen!

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: You Know, Sex, The Name of the Wind, More Than Two, All About Love, and The Vanderbeekers of 141 Street
Five years ago I was reading: Kate in Waiting, Womanist Midrash, and Freddie Ramos Adds It All Up
Ten years ago I was reading: The Husband's Secret, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Church of Mercy 

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Best of the Bunch (March 2026)

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

Of the 7 books I read this month, I had one 5-star read, so that's my Best of the Bunch!

Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story was, dare I say, fabulous. Tobia is a delightful narrator on audio of their own story. I appreciate that they called out upfront that there is a typical, cookie-cutter "trans narrative" and that their story wasn't going to follow that at all. Instead, what followed was a real, messy, humorous recounting of their experiences from childhood through college as they grappled with societal expectations for their assigned gender and then eventually the complex journey of discovering their own gender identity and how they could best express that. Tobia's writing is alternately snarky and soulful; even at 27, they knew how to turn a phrase and then turn around and laugh at their own seriousness. They skillfully capture how their relationship with their parents doesn't fit into neat boxes of "accepting" or "rejecting." They have an absolutely must-read chapter on tokenism and their experience being accepted as a token on campus. I loved this from start to finish and would highly recommend, especially on audio.

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: Esperanza Rising, The Name of the Wind, More Than Two, and Fearing the Black Body
Five years ago I was reading: Tess of the Road, Womanist Midrash, and How the Irish Became White
Ten years ago I was reading: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Under the Banner of Heaven, and A People's History of the United States

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Best of the Bunch (February 2026)

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

Of the 7 books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

These were both great! It's hard to choose between them, but ultimately the one that I'd like to spread the word about more is my Best of the Bunch for this month.

I could have used It's OK That You're Not OK a while back, but I'm still incredibly grateful for it now. Devine has written a reflection of what grief is actually like, especially "early" grief (which has no timeline), without the rush to try to make the pain better or part of a greater story of meaning or growth. The distinction she made between pain and suffering was incredibly powerful for me — in a nutshell, pain is the actual pain and grief of loss, while suffering is everything that makes living with that pain harder, whether self-judgment, unhelpful comments, or lack of adequate food or sleep. As she says, grief is normal in the face of loss and is not a problem to be solved, and everyone who treats your grief like it's a problem to be solved ends up instead heaping suffering on top of your pain.

There's so much here that's helpful, including a chapter that's specifically for giving to the people who truly want to support you but don't know how, which is why I'm recommending this broadly; everyone will experience loss and grief at some point, but it's even more likely that you already know someone who's gone through a loss even if you haven't, and this book will give you the best possible window into that experience that you could ask for.

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: Belly of the Beast, The Name of the Wind, More Than Two, It's Perfectly Normal, and The Penderwicks at Last
Five years ago I was reading: Record of a Spaceborn Few, How to Be an Antiracist, and James and the Giant Peach
Ten years ago I was reading: Watchmen, Tell the Wolves I'm Home, and The Book of Mormon

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Best of the Bunch (January 2026)

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

Of the 8 books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

Blood, Marriage, Wine, & Glitter by S. Bear Bergman

The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having—or Being Denied—an Abortion by Diana Greene Foster

I loooooved Bergman's book, and I'd highly recommend it to other queer folks, but I'm choosing the one I think everyone should read for my Best of the Bunch!

The Turnaway Study is a tremendous accomplishment for multiple reasons. First of all, the study design is brilliant. Foster has tried to resolve many of the objections to previous statistics around abortion by studying women who all sought abortions around the same gestational period, some of whom were denied an abortion and some of whom were allowed to proceed with getting one, based on legal restrictions or medical determinations. The book is incredibly readable for what is essentially a report on dozens and dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles of research done using this data set. And I was impressed that, while Foster is clearly in favor of pregnant people being able to make their own decisions about their pregnancies, she didn't cherry-pick the findings that were included in the book. I would highly recommend this book for all adults, but especially those who live in places like the United States where abortion is highly contested and policies are inconsistent across time and place. It's comprehensive, readable, and also just good for filling in the gaps about why people seek abortion and what circumstances make seeking an abortion more likely.

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: Usborne Fifth Book of Puzzle Adventures, Parable of the Sower, More Than Two, and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
Five years ago I was reading: How to Be Ace, Red at the Bone, Listen, Dinosaurs Before Dark, and Socks
Ten years ago I was reading: Lonesome Dove, Emotional Vampires, The Girl on the Train, and Dancing with God

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Best of the Bunch (December 2025)

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

Of the 13 books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen, or End Any Relationship by KC Davis

Both of these books will undoubtedly be on my top ten nonfiction list that I post next week, so this is a tough call. I think everyone in the Western world should read El Akkad's book, but the other one has the distinct honor of being a book I recommended to people before I was even halfway through it, so that's going to be my Best of the Bunch this month.

KC Davis is truly a treasure. Her ability to dispense clear, accessible, non-judgmental advice in ways that are both practical and widely applicable is an absolute gift. I recommended Who Deserves Your Love to others before I was more than a few chapters in, and it continued to hold up to that recommendation over the course of reading it. I couldn't begin to capture everything that's valuable about this book, but here are a few standout elements:

• After naming the sensitivity / defense mechanism cycle, she then identifies that the key to getting out of the cycle is not understanding and deconstructing it, but self-regulation. I feel like this is such a missing piece in the vast majority of self-help/relationship literature out there.
• She notes how the same exact action can be taken for the "right"/healthy reasons and for the "wrong"/unhealthy reasons, and you can't know from the outside what's driving someone else's actions.
• Just about everything in this book can be applied to any relationship in one's life, not just a romantic partnership.

Would I quibble with her on certain specific points or the way she phrased them? Sure. But by and large, this is a masterful piece of work that I'd recommend to just about anyone and will definitely be returning to in the future.

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: Chain-Gang All-Stars and More Than Two
Five years ago I was reading: Strangers from a Different Shore and Feminist, Queer, Crip
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Lonesome Dove, The Quran, and Middlemarch

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Best of the Bunch (November 2025)

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

Of the six books I read this month, I had one 5-star read, so that's my Best of the Bunch!

Do You Still Talk to Grandma?: When the Problematic People in Our Lives Are the Ones We Love is undoubtedly one of the best books I've read this year. The last chapter includes a lot of overlap with the keynote that first put Brit Barron on my radar, but all of it is great. Barron has captured the challenging nuance of wanting to hold people accountable while still leaving room for growth and learning, and wanting to set boundaries while having clarity on when and where to draw the line. She vulnerably shares real stories of her own missteps throughout her life to illustrate the very human tendencies to either cover up or double down on mistakes. Her section on "progressive amnesia" is spot on; it's so true that when we learn we've caused harm, we don't want to spend the time sitting in that pain that's needed to offer compassion to the person who's two days or two years behind us on the journey. Especially for progressive Christians, but for anyone who cares about social justice or considers themself progressive, I'd highly recommend this 160-page read.

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: Only Love Today, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, The Girl with the Silver Eyes, and The Pale Horse
Five years ago I was reading: Strangers from a Different Shore
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, A Snicker of Magic, Lonesome Dove, On Heroes, Lizards, and Passion, and Middlemarch 

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Best of the Bunch (October 2025)

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

Of the 11 books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram

I love everything Khorram writes, but since I already featured the first in this romance series as a previous Best of the Bunch (September 2024), I'm going to go with the other one this time!

Humankind was exactly what I needed right now. Bregman argues that how we view humanity as a whole becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and that our collective belief (reinforced by simplified histories, sketchy but famous psychological experiments, economic theories, and the criminal justice system generally) that humans are inherently selfish actually doesn't hold up to the evidence. I appreciated that Bregman takes the reader on his own journey of looking into questions about human nature, coming up with seemingly disappointing answers, and then digging below the surface to show that there's more going on than meets the eye. I'm sure that folks could find other evidence to poke holes in Bregman's theories, though I appreciated how often he cited meta-analyses and showed how a single story wasn't the whole picture. Even if not watertight, I appreciate having a solid collection of evidence that having trust, hope, and faith in humanity is not naïve. I would highly recommend this read (or listen — it was great on audio).

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: Useful Delusions, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, The Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures, and Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Five years ago I was reading: Amazing Grace and To Kill a Mockingbird
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, A Snicker of Magic, Lonesome Dove, and David Copperfield 

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Best of the Bunch (September 2025)

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

Of the six books I read this month, I had three 5-star reads:

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth

These were all great in their own way, but the one I will be recommending far and wide is my Best of the Bunch!

I found affirmation and validation in the pages of How to Keep House While Drowning for the ways I prioritize (or don't) what Davis calls "care tasks." (This term both succinctly encompasses the tasks needed to care for one's body and one's space and also reminds the reader that these tasks are not externally imposed obligations but steps to take care of oneself and one's loved ones.) While Davis does offer what she calls "gentle skill building" — practical tips for specific care tasks — she spends much of the book breaking down assumptions and cultural messages that feed shame and make care tasks more difficult. She is relentlessly focused on function over aesthetics or appeasing some imaginary judge or taskmaster. And I appreciate her three-tier approach to care tasks, with the baseline being what needs to be done for health and safety, then what can be done to aid comfort, then what can be done to foster happiness. It's a clear structure for prioritization that allows one to adjust based on one's current capacity. I would highly, highly recommend this read!

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: Jessica, Delusions of Gender, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, and Here One Moment
Five years ago I was reading: The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Girls with Sharp Sticks
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Number the Stars, The Pushcart War, David Copperfield, and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

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Best of the Bunch (August 2025)

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

Of the 10 books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

This was a very hard decision because these books were both so good, and they're so different! I would honestly recommend both of them — and they're both pretty quick reads! — but if I had to push one into more readers' hands, I know which one I'd pick for my Best of the Bunch.

The book description says You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey "tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity," and that's exactly right. In sharing these stories of the off-the-wall racist nonsense Lacey (and occasionally Amber and others in their family) have to deal with on a regular basis, the sisters rarely stray from the tone of "This is so terrible you have to laugh about it." If you're the kind of person who immediately tries to find a "reasonable," non-racist explanation for situations that Black people tell you are racist, I dare you to come out of this book with that instinct intact. I'm very glad I was able to get both the audiobook and the ebook of this, as there are pictures throughout the book but lots of audio-only bonuses as well. (Amber singing to her dad had me laughing uncontrollably.) It's a quick read/listen but well worth it.

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: Jessica, Destination Unknown, You Don't Have a Shot, The Little Book of Living Small, and Nimona
Five years ago I was reading: Thank You for Voting and Dear Martin
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Still Alice, Brain on Fire, and A General Theory of Love

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Best of the Bunch (July 2025)

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

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

More Than Two, Second Edition: Cultivating Nonmonogamous Relationships with Kindness and Integrity by Eve Rickert and Andrea Zanin

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Horowitz's whole Susan Ryeland series is excellent, but as this was the third book and contains major spoilers for the first one, I don't want to accidentally steer anyone to that one who should be starting with Magpie Murders. That makes the other my Best of the Bunch!

More Than Two, Second Edition (and do make sure you get the second edition) is a powerhouse of a book. The book is grounded in knowing and articulating one's own values and needs, valuing people as unique individuals and never putting relationships above the people in them, and acting with integrity and care within relationships. I'm not sure I could adequately attempt a summary of the best takeaways from this book, as it's a gold mine front to back. I read through this 2-3 chapters at a time with a book group, which was a great way to tackle it, and at every meeting, people brought more pieces from the chapters than we even had time to discuss. Even if you are not a person who engages in romantic relationships, the insights about communication, values, control, advocacy, needs... so much of it is relevant to anyone who has connections of any kind with other human beings. I highly recommend it.

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: Jessica, Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder, The Henna Wars, A Tale for the Time Being, and Nimona
Five years ago I was reading: Everyday Antiracism and Lovely War
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Nervous Conditions, The Princess Bride, Okay for Now, and Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch

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Best of the Bunch (June 2025)

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

Of the six books I read this month, I had three 5-star reads:

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli

It was an amazing reading month, and it's so hard to choose between these! I think Amelia, If Only is great but especially top-tier for those who have read Imogen, Obviously, and while I loved Come As You Are and would recommend it for everyone, my thoughts are so deeply personal I didn't even write a comprehensive review like I typically would. So that leaves one crowdpleaser to be my Best of the Bunch for the month!

The Final Empire was just fantastic. I don't read a lot of fantasy, so when I do pick it up it's generally because it's been highly recommended by multiple people, and this definitely lived up to its reputation. The heist-like plot was compelling, the world-building was stellar (always a tough bar to clear in my eyes), and the plot twists were satisfying. The story's tragic moments had a purpose, and the climax felt earned. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get through the 25-hour audiobook in the three weeks I had it checked out from the library, but in actuality I blazed through it in just over a week. I have the next book on hold (another 5 months' wait), but I appreciate that this one had a satisfying conclusion rather than a cliffhanger, with just enough elements unresolved to make me interested in the next installment. I'm really happy I gave this one a shot.

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: Jessica, Influencers, and To Night Owl from Dogfish
Five years ago I was reading: For the Love of Men and You're Not Listening
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Clockwork Angel, The Crossover, and Pippi Longstocking

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Best of the Bunch (May 2025)

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

Of the six books I read this month, I had just one 5-star read (a really great one!), so that's my Best of the Bunch!

Unfit Parent is one of those rare books that I wish I could compel every person to read. In telling the story of her own and others' disabled parenting experiences, she is not only showcasing the way that our society and our structures are biased against those with disabilities, but she's also making it clear how modern parenting is impossible for everyone without support. Yes, disabled parents need support to be able to parent effectively... but so do we all! And the more your life circumstances and identities align with privilege, the more likely you are to have access to that support (in a way that's socially acceptable), but that doesn't mean that it's easy for anyone in this culture that prioritizes and rewards independence over having needs. Through a combination of personal stories, interviews, and research, Slice clearly and concisely lays out her key points. Be aware that there are some quite upsetting stories about the way disabled folks have been treated by the medical and child welfare systems. But those realities are important for anyone not yet aware to understand. Highly recommended!

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: Jessica and When Things Fall Apart
Five years ago I was reading: Team of Rivals and The Book of Longings
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Gilead, Baby-Led Weaning, The Tale of Despereaux, and What If?

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Best of the Bunch (April 2025)

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

Y'all, my brain needed a break this month, so I read a grand total of three books, and I had no 5-star or 4.5-star reads. So my one 4-star read was my Best of the Bunch!

I'm glad to have finally read Esperanza Rising! I can clearly see why this is frequently read in schools; between the historical setting, the plentiful themes and symbols, the coming-of-age elements, and the dilemmas with no clear right answer (e.g., should the characters strike or continue working?), it's rich with topics for discussion or essays. On top of that, though, it's a good story, with sympathetic characters and a plot full of challenges that must be overcome. Esperanza is relatable for anyone who's ever had to start over, been faced with the unfamiliar, or encountered ridicule for not fitting in. Having previously read The Grapes of Wrath, I appreciated this different perspective on the same time and place. This would be a great addition to any middle grade bookshelf.

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: Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, I Am Ace, and Cemetery Boys
Five years ago I was reading: Team of Rivals and The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Angle of Repose, How to Train Your Dragon, Baby-Led Weaning, and Finding Your Own North Star

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Best of the Bunch (March 2025)

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

Of the seven books I read this month, I had three 5-star reads:

The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

The Penderwicks book was the last in the series and thus not one I'd recommend as a standalone, but deciding which was best between the other two was very difficult! I think Green's book should be read widely as a layman's introduction to tuberculosis, but I can't pass by the sheer magnitude of the accomplishment that is The Only Plane in the Sky.

This book is an incredible achievement, both in its original construction and in the care that was put into the full-cast audiobook. The book itself is similar to a documentary, jumping from person to person to tell the full story of each hour of September 11, 2001. Trying to recount the scope here would be futile, but Graff really tried to provide a complete history of the day from every angle, and I think he succeeded. It's hard to capture everything I took away from this book, but you really get a sense of what it was like to live through that day, whether you were a victim's loved one, a survivor, a first responder, a member of the government, someone in New York City or Arlington or Shanksville, the press, or just an average American watching the events unfold on TV. I don't know what else I can say that can add to the experience of listening to this book, except to join the chorus of those urging that this is worth a listen.

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: Dead in the Garden and Death Comes as the End
Five years ago I was reading: Paradise Lost, The Left Hand of Darkness, V for Vendetta, and The Sea of Tranquility
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Angle of Repose, Baby-Led Weaning, These Is My Words, The Rosie Project, and Mary Poppins

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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

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Click here to enter