What I Read in March 2020

If you're spending more time at home now, are you reading more? I would have predicted that would be the case for me, but I was so discombobulated the first couple of weeks that I couldn't really focus on anything. Finally, I realized that re-reading some old favorites would make me feel better, so that's how I ended the month.



The Best American Food Writing 2019, edited by Samin Nosrat
It took me a long time to get through this book, mostly because the first essay is so long. It was so long, in fact, that if there was one coherent main message, I missed it, but it was interesting to read about water rights, farm workers, and crazy rich people in California. The other essays were much shorter, and addressed topics like childhood, socioeconomics, bees in New York City, being a health inspector, and more. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and suggest that if you start the long essay and don't like it, just skip it.

Doing Time: Time Police Book 1 by Jodi Taylor
This is a spinoff of the Chronicles of St. Mary's series, and I loved it. I didn't foresee the twists and turns, the appearances by St. Mary's characters were like running into old friends, and it was just fun.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (audio)
The boys and I listened to this book in the car, back when we were actually driving to and from school. Learning about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was enlightening, particularly as it pertains to how schools are structured.

Hope for the Best: Chronicles of St. Mary's Book 10 by Jodi Taylor
I bought this book after the quarantine started, and enjoyed drowning myself in it at a time when I was struggling to adjust to our new situation.
Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
This was the first book I turned to when I realized reading old favorites would be comforting. It features Dennys and Sandy Murray, the twin brothers of Meg and Charles Wallace from A Wrinkle in Time. I've always loved this book, and it might be my favorite L'Engle novel.

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E.L. Konigsburg
E.L. Konigsburg might be best known as the author of the Newberry Medal winner From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but I think this book has held up better, probably because it's historical, so you don't have references like the Automat to make the story feel out of date. It's the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was married to two kings and was mother to Richard the Lion Heart and two other kings.

What are you reading right now?