september: 35 & 36

all the colors of the dark, by chris whitaker (this was a read with jenna book club pick and i read it for that reason...but i found it really weird and hard to figure out what was real and what was happening in a character's mind - which i think was sort of the point but i didn't love that element of the book.  the middle of the book kind of dragged for me and i guess ultimately i wouldn't recommend this one.)

the wedding people, by alison espach (also a read with jenna pick, but one that i liked a lot more.  a few improbable elements but ultimately i was charmed by this book - vivid setting, interesting and likable characters, quick read.  this would be a great book to take on vacation! i should also mention that it just won the goodreads best fiction book of the year, and while i don't *always* agree with goodreads, this is a good choice.)

august: 30, 31, 32, 33 & 34

oh boy, i am quite behind on reporting out on my reading!  time to catch up.  in august i read:

the color of sundays, by andrew conte (this was one of six choices that our students had for a summer reading book, and the librarian (who is a friend of mine) asked me to read it so i could help lead a book club discussion on it.  the book is nonfiction, the story of the pittsburgh steelers beginning to recruit black players from hbcu colleges...and the history that led up to it.  it was written by an author who teachers at a college locally, and he's coming to school to speak in assembly next month.  as a person new to being a steelers fan, there was a lot in this book that i think locals would grab onto that just didn't mean much to me, but i did enjoy reading it and learned a lot!)

little house on the prairie, by laura ingalls wilder (the third book in the series, and part of my re-read.  like the others, i enjoyed this but didn't necessarily fall back in love with it.)

the golden thread, by kassia st. clair (this is the story of different fabrics that humans have made and used throughout our history - from microscopic scraps of fabric found by archeologists in caves to wool used for viking sails to fabrics that have gone into outer space.  for the immersives class that i am teaching in may, we are going to have the students read this book so i needed to preview it.  it was really interesting and is going to be a great pick for our class.  the kids will read a few chapters all together and then will pick one to focus on and present to the rest of the class.)

madness: race and insanity in a jim crow asylum, by antonia hylton (this author is coming to pittsburgh and i have a ticket to see her speak this spring, so i wanted to read the book before i went.  i found it really interesting - the story of segregated asylums, focusing on one in maryland.  you learn a lot about how the mental healthcare industry has changed over time, and also about how problematic (shocker) the management of all-black institutions was in the first half of the 20th century.  i listened to the audiobook, which is well-narrated.  definitely recommend this!)

stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers, by mary roach (this was recommended to me by a coworker and i really enjoyed it - nonfiction but with a playful take it it.  this book made me want to read more books by this author - having seen how many books this author has written, i can't believe this is the first one i've read!  would definitely recommend.)

july: 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29

hello beautiful, by ann napolitano (this is the second book by this author that i've read, and both have made such a small impression on me that i can't remember what the books are about...even this one that i finished just a month before writing this post.  does that mean the titles are boring and vague?  or the writing is flat?  i'm not sure.  i know that this author is popular, but her books fall flat for me.  this one is [thanks, internet, for reminding me] about sibling relationships, marriage, and forgiveness.  if you want a perfectly fine book that may not stick with you, i did enjoy reading this one!)

gather, by kenneth m. cadow (totally moved by this book, a YA one about a boy and his dog in vermont.  i had heard it referred to as a YA version of demon copperhead, which is a reasonable comparison.  i loved this book and would highly recommend it!  after finishing it i learned that the author is a high school principal who wrote this as a covid project and that really filled my heart up even more.)

there will be fire, by rory carroll (i listened to this audiobook at the recommendation of kevin hazzard, the author of american sirens that my book club at school read and then we zoomed with the author.  it's the story of the IRA bombing of a hotel in brighton, england in 1984 and is excellent narrative nonfiction.  i learned a lot and would definitely recommend it!  as a bonus, the audiobook narrator is excellent.)

family meal, by bryan washington (this is the second book by this author that i've read, both set in houston and interesting for that reason.  this is the story of two men, childhood friends, and how they deal with a tragedy and their relationship with each other.  i think the author is a beautiful writer but this book didn't totally enthrall me.)

the god of the woods, by liz moore (i sped through this book, a read with jenna book club pick, and would definitely recommend it!  the author creates a vibrant world at a summer camp where a girl has gone missing, and flashes back to a missing kid 15 years earlier at the same camp. you follow the investigators, the camp counselors, the girl's best friend, her mother, and others...and it winds together a really intriguing story.  a great summer read!)

june: 21, 22, 23 & 24

master slave husband wife, by ilyon woo (i listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed it.  this was one of the new york times' best books of last year, so i added it to my list - it's the story of a married couple who escaped slavery and then went on an anti-slavery speaking tour in the north.  the story of how they escaped is fascinating, and the details bring to life how dangerous this choice was, even years after they had made it to the north, as slave catchers arrive to look for them.  highly recommend!  great narrative non-fiction, and the audiobook was well-narrated.)

shark heart, by emily habeck (i think this is my favorite book of this year, and i was so reluctant to read it - a man slowly starts turning into a shark shortly after he gets married.  i mean.  but the book is so beautifully written and the characters are so well-developed, and i read the last 50 pages at a sprint and then cried some tears.  the shark book!  you must read this!)

iron flame, by rebecca yarros (the second book in the series...this one dragged for me - i think i read it too soon after reading the first.  dragons and romance...and this book has a lot more strategy and battle planning and such.  it ends on a cliffhanger, so i'm sure i'll read the third book that comes out in january, but i definitely liked this one less than the first in the series [fourth wing].)

where the deer and the antelope play, by nick offerman (listened to this audiobook at the recommendation of a colleague - though the middle part got a little preachy about how much we're screwing up our relationship to nature, i did really enjoy this book.  funny, self-deprecating, thoughtful, well-written and well-narrated by the author.  a great recommendation for a road trip!)

may: 19 & 20

i didn't read a ton in may (a few works in progress will be completed in june), and i didn't fall head over heels for either of these books:

let us descend, by jesmyn ward (this was a hard read - the main character is enslaved and much of the content is as brutal as you'd expect - but beautifully written.  if you haven't read anything by jesmyn ward, you must.  i might point you towards sing, unburied, sing instead.)

farmer boy, by laura ingalls wilder (the second in the series that i'm making my way through.  i'm actually not sure i ever read this as a kid, which wouldn't surprise me - this is stories from laura's husband's childhood, and i didn't want to be a pioneer BOY, i wanted to be a pioneer girl.  glad i read it, though - more amazing descriptions of food and daily life, this time of almanzo's childhood in new york state.)

april: 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18

oh boy!  as may ends, i realize i haven't posted april's reading.  here to correct that!  in april i read:

yellowface, by r.f. kuang (this had been on a lot of lists and i picked it up - and now it has been announced that the author is speaking in pittsburgh next year, so i'm excited to see her speak.  this book raises a lot of ethical questions around authorship and what kind of stories we can tell.  the set up of the book is kind of salacious, which i liked - an intriguing death early in the book sets the plot in motion.  i'd recommend this!)

little house in the big woods, by laura ingalls wilder (i've decided to re-read the little house books, accompanied by the podcast "wilder" and listening to an audiobook (prairie fires) that is a biography of wilder.  this book was a little more boring than i remembered, if i'm honest, but i'm thoroughly enjoying immersing myself in wilder's writing and her world.)

carnegie's maid, by marie benedict (we wanted to use this as an option of a summer reading book, so i read it to preview it - historical fiction with the main character who is andrew carnegie's mother's maid.  liked but didn't love it!  we did end up putting it on our summer reading list.)

harlem shuffle, by colson whitehead (i liked this book - the world and characters the author creates are vivid and captivating - but the plot moved super slowly and i felt like i never really got into the rhythm with it.)

the husbands, by holly gramazio (totally charmed by this book, a read with jenna book club pick.  have already bought a copy for a friend!  the premise is that the main character is single, but comes home to find a man in her house - her husband!  he goes into the attic to get something and a different man appears.  her attic is producing husbands!  i really enjoyed this book and would recommend it as the perfect beach read!)

march: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13

so much reading this month - a two week spring break helped!  and 3 of these were audiobooks...

the waters, by bonnie jo campbell (this was a read with jenna book club recommendation that i liked, but didn't love.  it's set in a marshy area of michigan and follows three generations of strong and wild women.  it's poignant and thoughtful, but not one that i'll be rushing out to recommend.)

good material, by dolly alderton (this was another read with jenna recommendation - the story of a break up told through the eyes of the man who has been broken up with.  i don't think we get that story often - break up stories are almost always ones about women struggling with a relationship ending.  this was funny and had some depth to it, and i think anyone who has been broken up with will find things to grab onto here.  a great beach read!)

fourth wing, by rebecca yarros (okay guys, i have been sucked in to the romance and dragons series.  i read this at a breakneck pace and am on the list at the library for the second book.)

rough sleepers, by tracy kidder (listened to this audiobook and then got to hear the author speak in pittsburgh last week.  this is the incredibly well written narrative nonfiction story of dr. jim o'connell and boston's healthcare for the homeless program. kidder is an amazing writer and this story is so poignant.  tough to read at points, but so so important.  highly recommend!)

invisible women, by caroline criado perez (another audiobook - this is about data bias and how it impacts women.  SUCH important and interesting information, and this book compiles a ton of it to make a really scary case for how women are being ignored in things from car safety to transportation policy to drug trials.  highly recommend, though it was a bit of a slog at points - the author is incredibly thorough with the information she's sharing and sometimes i was like, "i get it, can we move on?")

interesting facts about space, by emily austin (another light read that's intriguing and charming and would be perfect for binge reading while on a trip.)

the wager, by david grann (arron and i listened to this audiobook over one weekend - this is by the author of killers of the flower moon, so i expected to find it compelling and was not wrong.  it's the true story of an around-the-world voyage in the 1840s, a shipwreck and a mutiny.  definitely recommend it!  great audiobook narrator, too.)

february: 4, 5 & 6

this month's reading:

how high we go in the dark, by sequoia nagamatsu (often, i really love stories with separate plot lines that all come together at the end.  this book had some plot lines that i found really compelling - the theme park for terminally ill kids, the pig who learns to speak - there were SO many plot lines that i couldn't keep track of them all and i'm honestly not sure how many of them came together in the end.  i didn't dislike this book at all, but i don't think it will stick with me.)

the best minds: a story of friendship, madness, and the tragedy of good intentions, by jonathan rosen (i listened to the audiobook of this and found it SO compelling.  the premise - what you'll read on amazon or the back cover - is that this book is the memoir of a friendship between the author and his friend, michael, who has schizophrenia and who murders his pregnant girlfriend.  and that does happen, in real life and in the book, but the first 75% of the book is the story of their friendship and the onset and treatment of michael's mental illness.  this book doesn't turn the event into a tabloid article, and by the time the event happens, you feel such sadness and compassion for all people involved.  i'd highly recommend this - it was one of the new york times' 10 best books of the year, and i'm so glad it was because that's how it got on my list.)

tom lake, by ann patchett (i also listened to this, mostly because it is narrated by meryl streep!  i don't listen to much fiction, but maybe i should - i really enjoyed listening to this in the car and on walks with emma.  i have some bones to pick about certain elements of the plot that seemed implausible or out of character for certain characters, but overall i enjoyed this book for what it is - a 50-something women telling her 3 grown daughters the story of the summer she worked as an actress at a place called tom lake.  my book club is reading it this month so i can't wait to debrief it with them in a few weeks.  i have so many things i want their take on!)

january: 1, 2 & 3

tomb sweeping, by alexandra chang (this was a book of the month club pick of short stories - i liked this book just fine but didn't love it and have already put it out in my free little library.  not one that i'm going to push on you!)

birnam wood, by eleanor catton (the author's previous book - the luminaries - was one that i couldn't get through...and i tried twice.  so i was nervous about this one, but it got such great press that i did pick it up and found it really digestible and interesting and absolutely worth reading.  it follows this weird hippie gardening collective as they begin to plant and harvest on a huge estate run by a billionaire eccentric whose motives are suspect.  it turns into a thriller, though it doesn't start that way, and i really enjoyed following the mysterious story.  i'd definitely recommend this one if that description sounds palatable!)

the courage to teach, by parker j. palmer (this is a book that i started this summer but finally finished - there is so much goodness in this book about the magic and the challenges of teaching.  i was super inspired, and pulled parts of this into a faculty meeting this fall.  it was published 20 years ago, but if you work in education and haven't read it, i would highly recommend!)

2023 in books

this year i read 39 books, pretty similar to my reading habits over the past few years.  13 of those books meet some sort of diversity standard (as in, the main character or author is not white).  and 29 of those books were from my public library.  i heart the library.

my favorite books of 2023:

beloved, by toni morrison 

i have some questions for you, by rebecca makkai

hellhound on his trail: the stalking of martin luther king jr. and the international hunt for his assassin, by hampton sides

demon copperhead, by barbara kingsolver

a fever in the heartland, by timothy egan

the boys in the boat, by daniel james brown 

the covenant of water, by abraham verghese

december: 35, 36, 37, 38 & 39

i read a ton in december!

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, by taylor jenkins reid (it felt like all of my friends read this book and pushed it into my hand.  i was definitely entertained by this book and i know it will make a great movie or limited series!  i had heard that there was a twist, and it took me by surprise, which was fun.  i'd recommend this as great vacation reading!)

the covenant of water, by abraham verghese (this loooooong (700+ page) book was so worth the read.  i'd loved his first book and so eagerly dived into this one - i saw the author speak in november and was only about 150 pages in at that point...then had to take a break to read evelyn hugo in time for a book club meeting discussing it.  this multigenerational story of christians living on the coast of india had a ton of characters that i came to care a great deal about.  i'd highly recommend this!)

again and again, by jonathan evison (this was a book of the month club pick that i would never have picked up but for BOTM club picking it.  the main character has lived many lives, including in moorish spain, as oscar wilde's cat, and in the present day as an old man in a nursing home.  this is the story of the love of his live(s) who he's trying to find again after losing her in spain several hundred years ago.  an interesting read that i very much enjoyed but didn't LOVE...though i did cry a few tears at the end of it, so i was clearly invested.)

an immense world, by ed yong (i listened to this audiobook over several months and really enjoyed it.  it was one of the new york times' best books of the year last year, and it definitely deserved that honor.  the chapters are organized by the different senses - from taste to sight to echolocation, with many others in between - and discusses how that sense is lived by different animals, including humans.  i learned a ton and found it very interesting and accessible.  highly recommend this!  very excited to see this author speak in pittsburgh in a few months.)

miracle creek, by angie kim (i'm not sure how this book made it onto my list, but it did and then came available from the library, so i read it in december.  the framework of this book is a courtroom drama over who is responsible for a fire in a hyperbaric chamber that leads to the death of two people.  i liked but didn't love this book and the end felt too drawn out, but i was definitely interested while reading and the author really built some interesting and sympathetic characters.)