July 2025 Reading Update

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

July is always the quietest month at work, with some vacation time thrown in. I love having more time to read professional books as well as middle grades books, in addition to my usual experiences. Don’t be shocked by the sheer amount of books I read (18!). I feel like I deserve a Pizza Hut or summer library reward, from my childhood reading days. This month I read:

  • Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning by Natalie Wexler – I continue to find Wexler’s work (books and podcasts) fascinating. So much of what she covers goes against everything I ever learned in my credential program or early years of teaching, and yet some of it resonates with me today. After years of seeing good teachers struggle to meet competing demands, while student learning remains somewhat stagnant, I know we need to make some changes. This book repeats the ideas from Knowledge Matter, that articulate the crucial nature of elementary classes having a knowledge-building curriculum. In addition to that, Wexler adds now that educators need to plan with the science of learning in mind. This science will be new to most educators. One of her basic premises is that if we continue to use extended instruction time to focus on ELA and teaching kids comprehension strategies in isolation, we will never see growth. Instead, we need to use a knowledge-building curriculum to help students learn more content, through whole-group instruction and frequent checks for understanding of the knowledge. This then gives students something more specific to read and write about over time. As of the publication of this book, Wexler knew of some private schools and some individual teachers, especially in Louisiana, who were attempting to use this model. So while she shares data to explain the why, she doesn’t have robust data to back up her theory with proof that students are more successful. Her anecdotal data is compelling enough that I continue to seek out examples of this curriculum, with lingering doubts and questions in mind.
  • Under the Dome by Stephen King – This was chosen for my Stephen King Summer book club, because King himself named it a best book of the 21st Century on the NY Times list. This is one of his longest, at over 1,000 pages, but I was hooked from the very first chapter and I didn’t want to stop reading it. We find ourselves in the small Maine town of Chester’s Mill when an invisble dome appears like a bubble over the entire town, cutting them off from the outside world. After much death, destruction and chaos at the town borders, the town leaders begin to take over and things quickly escalate into a non-democratic state. As evil takes over, the good people start to find one another. Like all other end-of-days apocalypse stories, what I appreciate is that there are always good people who are willing to stand up to evil. no matter the cost. Like all Stephen King books, this is full of good vs evil, children with significant intelligence, abusive men, small town politics, and some heroic actions. I loved this story so much!
  • Learning by Design: Live/ Play/ Engage/ Create by Prakash Nair, Roni Zimmer Doctori, and Dr. Richard Elmore – My boss gifted me this book and another by Nair, with one specific project in mind (the future rebuild of a school). At first, I read with that principal and staff in mind, but quickly realized that this book would make a great book study with all of our principals. The combination of research on learning, real-world innovative examples, and concrete suggestions for professional learning, school construction, and re-thinking education were profound. The areas of live, play, engage, and create all had very specific action items to help lead to student-driven environments where curiosity drives learning. Much of this book asks us to look at education with a completely different mindset, and my mind struggled to visualize some of this in action, especially with very young learners. But that’s not because I doubt the young learners; I just know what a challenge it would be to shift the mindset of whole groups of educators AND parents who are used to traditional education as we currently know it. I love the message that hope, not fear, should be the primary driver of change. I have HOPE for this future [outside of the current political context]!
  • Amari and the Great Game by B. B. Alston [audiobook] – I forgot about this middle grades series until Kaytee recently mentioned the third book on Currently Reading. I read the first book about 3 years ago, and I liked it, but didn’t rememeber much at all. Unfortunately, that made it much harder for me to truly get into book number two of this fantasy series where Amani uses her magic in summer camp to try to save the supernatural world. I wish I had reread #1 before this, to get back into the plot. It’s a fun series and full of magic and mystery.
  • Blended by Sharon Draper – I have read and loved so many of Sharon Draper’s middle grade novels and this was no exception. In this sweet story, we meet Isabella, a biracial girl whose parents divorced, splitting her in two. She has different names at each of their houses, and each parent has a different race, so she is “blended” and trying to figure out who she is in this new world. This was such a sweet, tender story about family, race, music, and so much more. I would put this in the hand of any biracial middle grade child any time!
  • Blueprint for Tomorrow: Redesigning Schools for Student-Centered Learning by Prakash Nair – This is the second book I read by this author for work this month. As mentioned above, the first was so inspiring I plan to use it with our principals this year. This book is much more specific for leaders who are going to embark on a school redesign. Many of the messages I loved in Learing by Design are mentioned in this book, with less details. Instead, this focuses on examples of actual blueprints, with some “do now” sections for leaders to try without any added costs. There are some fun tips and ideas in here, as well as some VERY out of the box thoughts, some of which I can’t even wrap my mind around. This author is really trying to turn our ideas of schools upside down and inside out, and a lot more learning and support would be needed for most of our traditional models to make changes that drastic.
  • The Celebrants by Steven Rowley [audiobook]- This was such a fun book to listen to during the summer! There were laugh-out-loud funny moments and cry-happy-and-sad-tears moments. The five main characters make a pack in college to hold living wakes for each of them while they are alive, after a friend passes away suddenly. Over twenty years, they come back together during the hard times in their lives. The biggest message is to be sure to tell your people you love them and what they mean to you while they are still here. I enjoy how this author creates fun and realistic characters.
  • The Space We’re In by Katya Balen – What a beautiful middle grades novel! We meet Frank and his family during a challenging time of life. Frank’s brother Max is Autistic and Max takes a lot of 1:1 care from their mother, who also happens to be feeling run down lately. Frank and Max’s father works a lot and doesn’t help much around the house. Frank starts his school year happy to be the oldest Year Six group and happy that Max is able to finally go to his own special school, so their mom can get some support. Soon, things spiral and we see this family go through some beautifully touching and also challenging times. I cried in multiple spots of this book, but they were tears full of love for this sweet family. I LOVED this book!
  • a first time for everything by Dan Santat – This is a cute graphic novel about Dan, a boy who had a rough time in middle school. After many embarrassing moments, Dan is shipped off by his parents on a summer adventure trip to Europe, with a group of people who have not been friendly to him. Over time, Dan learns to accept himself, figure out what he likes, and how to make friends and enjoy the adventure. This is a great book about growing through the awkwardness of adolescence, accepting change, and surviving unimaginable tragedy.
  • Iveliz Explains it All by Andrea Beatriz Arango [audiobook] – This is a beautiful middle grades story about Iveliz, a young girl who lost her father in a car accident, and who is struggling to communicate what she needs with her friends, family, and teachers. As we hear her innermost thoughts, we are taken through her journey to have her emotional needs met, through mental health supports including therapy and medication. Her depression is made real, in kid voice, for the reader. In addition, her family’s love and history from Puerto Rico enhance this story with traditions and memories.
  • The Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn – I loved this queer dystopian novel set between 2041 and 2078, with different narrators telling us what happened to Earth after an explosive climate change/ global warning disaster. We follow a variety of queer young adults as they navigate their lives in these dystopian times, with found family supporting them through family drama, food and house insecurities, endless travel, and more. This story was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, uplifting and depressing. I hope our future doesn’t end up like this, but if it does, I hope there are good people around to help us all survive with dignity.
  • Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by M. J. Wassmer – I loved the title of this book and the brief synoposis I heard, thinking it would be a fun summer read. It was engaging and propulsive and not what I expected, but I loved it! We meet Dan and Mara as they begin a vacation at an all-inclusive, brand new resort in the Bahamas. They are enjoying everything when the sun explodes. Literally. The sun explodes. As the world is thrown into darkness, and then cold weather begins, this becomes like my favorite CliFi novels, where the best and the worst of humanity come out to play/ plan/ destroy and so much more. This is such a fun read!
  • The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali [audiobook] – This book made my heart smile! When we meet Amos, the hero of this beautiful middle grades novel, he is a volunteer at a living history museum and an out gay kid experiencing a major crush. As he and his best friend, a young Black girl, realize how much of their stories are not represented in the history they help reenact, we get to know them and LGBTQ+ and Black heroes of the Civil War. This is a DEI masterpiece and it makes me sad that all children will probably not be able to find this as easily as they should.
  • Out of My Heart (#2) by Sharon Draper [audiobook] – I rediscovered my love for Sharon Draper’s work this summer. In this second book from the Out of My Mind series we catch up with Melody over the summer. A middle school student with cerebal palsy, Melody is confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak verbally or control her own body. We learned in the first book that this doesn’t mean Meloday can’t think; she is extremely intelligent and can use her “Elvira” tool for communication. Through her narration we get a deep look into all of her thoughts as she experiences a sleepaway camp on her own for the first time in her life. Her joy is infectious and this was such a beautiful story of independence, support, and friendship.
  • Cultures of Thinking in Action: 10 Mindsets to Transform our Teaching and Students’ Learning by Ron Ritchhart – My professional reading this summer has included a deep dive into Ron Ritchhart’s cultures of thinking work, in alignment with the Learning by Design books I also read. I appreciate this book for the 10 mindsets he outlines, along with the research (the why), reflective questions for teachers, ways to collect street data in your current context, and videos and examples available to read and view for more specifics. This book made me think about how we help educators and the general public learn to think differently about what learning looks and sounds like, and how we share out students’ learning progress. We need to move beyond traditional grades and standarized test scores and into more authentic and purposeful demonstrations of learning, but that is a HUGE shift for most of our country! I’m recommending this to a few specific leaders to consider with their staff this year. I will be focusing on 1-2 mindsets this year in my own learning and growth.
  • The Correspondent by Virginia Evans – I have seen many people rave about this book this summer and now I know why. This epistolary novel tell the beautiful life story of Sybil Van Antwerp, a lawyer, mother, sister, adopted daughter, friend and correspondent. Through her letters to anyone and everyone (she would literally write letters to anyone!), we get to know Sybil later in her life, as she begins to lose her eye sight. But we also learn of her entire life, through family and friendships, heartbreak and success. Sybil’s letters warmed my heart and touched my soul. This was a beautiful book and I was please to learn that the author graduated from my alma mater, James Madison University!
  • The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera [audiobook] – I have seen various teachers in my district read this book with students, or recommend it to students, and I knew I wanted to read it. This is a unique story that starts out in New Mexico in 2060, then transitions to a space shuttle, then outerspace in the WAY distant future. We meet Petra as a child knowing Earth is about to “die” and she and her family are going to space, where she will be put in suspended animation for hundreds of years before awakening with new knowledge in her mind, ready to populate a new planet. When she wakes, nothing is as it seems. Petra has to figure out what is going on, while keeping herself safe and fighting to find her family. This is a story about family and the value of storytelling.
  • No Hiding in Boise by Kim Hooper – I know I heard this book described on a recent podcast, but I can’t remember which one. I loved the begining, when Angie wakes up to a call from the police telling her that her husband was shot in a bar, which makes no sense to Angie, who thinks her husband is still in bed next to her. As we get to know what happened in that bar, through Angie and a variety of other narrators, we see how mass shootings affect survivors, victims, their families, and so much more. This was such a horrific topic written about so beautifully, through individual stories and kind strangers. Despite the topic, I loved this book and the author’s message.

Favorite Books

  • Best BRICK of a novel about end-of-days apocalypse behavior: Under the Dome
  • Best Professional learning book that gave me hope for a better future for education: Learning by Design: Live/ Play/ Engage/ Create
  • Best Middle Grades Book that tugged at my heart and reminded me that these books are the best: Blended AND The Space We’re In AND The Civil War of Amos Abernathy AND Out of My Heart (so many great middle grade books this summer!)
  • Best book with stories that made me laugh out loud: The Celebrants
  • Best book told through letters across decades: The Correspondent
  • Best book about a horrific topic handled so well that I would read it again: No Hiding in Boise
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Currently: July 2025

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

My last currently check-in, 4.0, was last July. It seems fitting to celebrate some summer fun with a new edition. I borrowed today’s headings from this post by Julie, whose blog I’ve followed for years.

CURRENTLY: JULY 2025

  • Currently Remembering: My great vacations! This summer was I was able to travel to Banff, Canada to explore the stunning natural beauty with a good friend I hadn’t seen in 5.5 years. Then I spent time in Las Vegas with some chosen family (nephews by friendship), which included lots of playing games, ice hockey, pool time, and a special experience taking my 11-year-old nephew to a concert at The Sphere (which we both LOVED!). I even had a surprise reunion with a friend I made on my Galapagos cruise last July. I love vacations!
  • Currently Enjoying: San Diego Fun! I started this summer determined to take advantage of local experiences, as I relaxed and recharged after a stressful school year. So far I have: enjoyed a beach day, experienced the Jacumba Hot Springs in a night star-viewing soak, did a silent sunset dance party on the beach, visiting the SD Zoo for a “Night Zoo” walk, rode a scooter to see lots of fireworks at the bay, visiting a Farmer’s Market, ate meals with friends and family, took a virtual photography course, read a lot at my pool and jacuzzi, and more!
  • Currently Reading: Lots of professional books, thousands of pages by Stephen King, and some silly fun! I am keep my reading mixed but mostly light right now. That is just what I need! This summer I have read at the beach, the pool, on planes, during my commute (audiobooks!), in airports, in bed, on my couch, and while getting a new tattoo!
  • Currently Donating To: Goodwill and The Trevor Project – I did a major summer clean-out at home and actually scheduled a Goodwill pick up, since I had two pieces of furniture to donate as well as many bags of clothing. It felt good to purge and give away. I am also supporting The Trevor Project and places that provide resources and safety for LGBTQIA+ youth.
  • Currently Watching: Big Brother! My favorite summer show is back! I have loved this show for over 20 seasons. I still love the concept of strangers stuck in a house with no outside contact, no phones, no TV, no books, and lots of time on their hands. I enjoy the competitions as well as the manipulative game play. It’s always hard to get into it at first, because there are so many people to get to know. But soon people will form alliances and there will be backstabbing and eliminations, getting us into the meat of the season!
  • Currently Anticipating: My 50th Birthday! After various plans fell through, I was able to book something special for a long weekend to celebrate my 50th in style! I’m going to Maui for some luxury time on my own, and then some time with my family who life on the island. Fifty doesn’t bother me, but it’s a big number and I want to honor the years. I have some birthday journaling planned, some reading, and of course beach and pool and nature time; I cannot wait!

What is currently going on in your world?

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June 2025 Reading Update

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

June might be most random collection of books in awhile. I’m really challenging myself to read differently – not to lean on popcorn thrillers to add up numbers of books read, but instead to lean into “harder” readers, some more serious, but mixing in some fun audio as well. This month I read:

  • You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan [audiobook] – I found this sweet YA book on my library’s app at the perfect time – the beginning of Pride month! We meet Mark and Kate near the end of their high school time, just as they are seeking confidence to speak up for themselves and to find love. As young queer teens, they face a lot of obstacles, but have beautiful friendships, family and found family surrounding them. This was a love story about love and queer joy.
  • So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family, & The Show That Started it All by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig [audiobook] – In this PRIDE month, I am enjoying as much queer JOY as possible! I love the actresses Leisha and Kate, who starred in the original L-Word and the reboot, Generation Q. As two lesbians who also played lesbians on tv, where there continues to be little representation for lesbians, these two proudly share their journey to and from acting, into their friendship, and the successes and challenges of their careeers. I loved this in-depth look into the shows and their beautiful friendship that has spanned cities, relationships, and so much more. Hearing them narrate the memoir was so fun to listen to this month!
  • The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith – Someone recommended this book to me, as the author is a grief counselor and a woman who lost both of her parents before she was 30. Claire tells her memoir in disjointed stories out of order, so we jump around from her childhood to her father’s death bed, then back to her early grieving after her mother died, and through the relationships she drowned her sorrows in throughout. While it was hard to read some of her bad choices during deep grieving, it was also so real to me, as a woman who has lost both of my parents. Luckily, I had mine a bit longer, but it’s still sad for me, as it was for Claire for so long. I loved the end of this, when she pushes herself through the pain to come out happier and grateful on the other side, and then to become a hospice grief counselors in the end. Her letter to her mother on the tenth anniversary of her death just about broke me open, in a way that I needed at this moment in time. Grieving feels so lonely, and yet we all go through it at some point if we are lucky to have loved ones in our lives. I’m grateful to have read this.
  • Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson – I read and loved Black Cake by this author so I was excited to read her second book. I enjoyed the beautiful storytelling of this book as well. We meet Ebby on her wedding day, when everything falls apart. Through different timelines and different narrator boints of view, not only do we learn what happened to Ebby, but also to her family starting in the 1800’s with her enslaved ancestors. This is a beautiful story about ancestry, heritage, history, trust, and relationships.
  • Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding and Healing the Impact of Loss by Claire Bidwell Smith – After reading Claire’s first book and seeing this title in her catalog, I knew I wanted to read it. This was profoundly helpful for me. The author defines what anxiety feels like, how it manifests in the body, how it can come on as a result of grief, and how to work through it, along with your grief. There are so many helpful tips, reminders, and advice throughout this book, from the benefits of meditation and therapy to how to ease your own anxiety about death by planning ahead. This was useful and practical and yet also emotionally supportive for me, at this point in my life.
  • Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson [audiobook] – When I heard this book discussed on the Currently Reading podcast, the premise sounded so interesting. The story begins when a stranger, Rub, shows up on Mad’s farm and tells her that he is her half-brother. They both have the same father, who raised them for the first 10 years of their lives and then abandoned them and their moms and started a new life somewhere else. Mad and Rub drive off for a cross-country adventure that makes found family come to life in sad and funny and unique ways. This was a book full of quirky, sweet characters and it was fun to be on the road trip with them.
  • Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen [audiobook] – I heard Kaytee mention this title on Currently Reading, and it sounded like a fun LGBTQ+ romcom that would be perfect for PRIDE month. However, it was really a “horror romance with queer leanings” and not what I was expecting. It was a quick, campy, ridiculous listen on audio. The story takes place near the end of a season of a reality dating show, when the constestants are taken to an isolated island in Washington state for the semi-final dates. Horror ensues and as the reader you are just about as clueless as the characters throughout the story. I read afterwards that this was written as satire and there were some elements of humor, snark, and more, but it was not my style.
  • Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… A Love Story by Jason Reynolds – I love Jason Reynold’s YA novels and heard good things about this one. This is a Black love story, told in reverse, as Neon processes his two year romance with his high school girlfriend, Aria, moments before they “do it” for the first time, near the end of their senior year. This was a sweet story about family, love, trust, and truth, and Reynold’s afterword was beautiful – “even Black boys deserve love stories”.
  • Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to Healing from Loss by Claire Bidwell Smith – I’ve taken time this month, now that work has slowed down, to do some grief work, that I skipped over 14 years ago, and in the many losses I’ve had since then. Actually, when I made a list of close family, friends, and pets I’ve lost in the last 15 or so years, the list was longer than I realized (12!) and full of so many different emotions for me. Each loss was different, just as each relationship was different, but the cumulative years of anticipatory grief, health stress, and on-going stress has created a lot of internal “stuff” for me to work through. I appreciate Bidwell Smith’s work, as she shares her own grief experience and her work as a grief counselor. The biggest reminders are to feel and process your grief, create rituals to remember and honor your loved ones, and to take care of yourself, including meditation and mindfulness.

Favorite Books

  • Best YA book about queer friendship and joy: You Know Me Well
  • Best historical fiction that highlights Black talent and joy amidst sorrow and travesty: Good Dirt
  • Best book to help me work through grief: Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding and Healing the Impact of Loss
  • Best New Adult love story to hand to your late teens: Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… A Love Story
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A Listening Check-In

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

It’s hard to believe that 2025 is halfway over already, but here we are. My word of the year is LISTEN and boy have I been listening a lot. In my work, our team sought out feedback from students, staff, and families in a number of ways for a variety of purposes and initiatives. At many points we felt like we were drowning in feedback, which can be exhausting. However, reading through and analyzing all of that felt like some of my most important listening work this year. I never want to be a leader who makes decisions in isolation, or who does things TO people instead of WITH people. That is why listening to the feedback we received mattered to me. After sharing how we used that feedback to make changes for next year, I was so happy to receive many positive notes of gratitude for the fact that we heard what people needed and took action to support them. I am proud of our team and our listening this spring.

Rereading my January post about what kind of listening I wanted to do this year was enlightening. While I have done a lot of listening to my body, music, books, and podcasts, I haven’t done enough in nature. And what struck me the most while reading my own list was the fact that what I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time on was listening to the squeaky wheels; the loud, vocal minority who is shouting into the void, or directly at my face, seem to be taking up a lot of air time. While I am open to critiques and concerns, I am not willing to let some voices drown out or shout down all of the incredible work we accomplished this year. This is a reminder to myself to listen as much to what is not said, and to listen for the cheerleaders whispering as well.

During our principal institute at the end of this school year, our amazing superintendent (Hi A!) had us each write a 10-sentence story about our year. One of the prompts was to thank someone who helped you get through the year. I was humbled and honored to have not one, but four of our leaders thank me for supporting them this year. I managed to hold back my tears all the way through the activity, until I was the last person to read my story and then they flooded out! Listening to praise and gratitude is sometimes hard but always rewarding and so deeply meaningful. And during our final activity together, I will always remember all of the laughter I heard in the room. You know you have “found your people” (as one of our principals said) when you can laugh until people are snorting and doubled over crying with laughter, even after one of the most challenging and yet rewarding schools years of my career, in one of the toughest years of my life.

I’m looking forward to listening to the people and ideas that inspire me, that help me create and challenge me to be a better human on this planet.

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May 2025 Reading Update

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

This Maycember was one of the busiest I can remember, with LOTS of night meetings for work to celebrate the end of the school year. Between that and busy weekends and a back injury, I didn’t have the time or the brain power to read my usual volume. Plus, I am intentionally avoiding the popcorn thrillers that are so easy and quick to read, forcing myself to read books that make me think a bit more. This month I read:

  • The Letters by Luanne Rice & Joseph Monninger [audiobook] – I found this in my library collection while looking for other books written by Monninger. This was a sad, sweet story told in letters written by Hadley and Sam, a couple who were separated and headed for divorce after the sudden death of their son. We learn about their marriage and happy life, raising Paul, and the way grief tore them apart, through their letters. They began writing letters to each other when Sam went to Alaska to see the place where their son died tragically, and Hadley is holed up across the country, trying to find herself again through her art. They find they can be kinder with each other through the written word, and the sadness that is wrapped around them both. This had the same love of nature as my favorite Eternal on the Water, but I didn’t fall in love with the characters in the same way.
  • I’ll Have What She’s Having by Chelsea Handler [audiobook] – I always enjoy listening to Chelsea Handler read her essay collections. She is witty, funny, sarcastic, and self-reflective. I appreciate that she, like, is a single woman from NJ who chose not thave children, but who loves her friends and family and travel immensely. I wish I had the ability to fly first class everywhere like she does, or to own houses in Morocco or Whistler. I love her energy, her love of reading and learning, and her honesty about how she has been working on herself over the last 5+ years. This was full of humor and reality.
  • Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh – I enjoy this Eddie Flynn series by Cavanagh. Eddie is a former con man, now lawyer, who uses his nefarious connections and extreme intelligence to defend clients and escape from frightening situations. In this one, he is defening a man on what he believes is a false murder charge, while also trying to sgtay alive after the NYC police put a hit out on his head. This was tense and fun!
  • Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry [audiobook] – What I appreciate about Emily Henry’s books is that she writes relatable characters who I really like, which makes for a nice reading experience. Alice and Hayden meet when they are both offered a trial opportunity to write the long-awaited memoir of an American celebrity. Throughout a month of getting to know the matriarch of the richest family in America, Alice and Hayden also get to know each other and themselves. This story is about finding and enjoying all the loves of your life.
  • The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon – I saw this book all over the Internet last year, and had at least one colleague tell me it was good. This is a historical fiction story, loosely based on the life and journal of Marthan Ballard, a midwife in the 1800’s. Martha kept a daily journal that recorded the weather and whether or not she was at home or out delivering babies. This book tackles sexism and the judicial system of our past, as well as how women were treated. It’s a beautiful story about powerful women surviving in spite of the time and their circumstances. I loved it!
  • The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwik – This was the Secret Stuff book club choice for May and I’m so glad! It’s a new release and the author joined our book club meeting. It was so fun to hear about her research and other books, since I had never heard of her before. This story takes place in the 1960’s, as we meet a group of four women who come together at first to read The Feminine Mystique. As the women get to know each other, they discover what they really want out of their lives and find ways to go after what they want, in small and radical ways. I loved each character’s unique dreams. This book was full of powerful women fighting against the patriarchy. Sadly, it feels too familiar today in 2025, but it gave me hope and inspiration!

Favorite Books

  • Best essay collection that combines sarcasm, humor and mindfulness into one entertaining ride: I’ll Have What She’s Having
  • Best historical fiction story of a badass midwife solving a murder mystery: The Frozen River
  • Best historical fiction that could practically be about 2025 but was really about 1963: The Book Club for Troublesome Women
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April 2025 Reads

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

April began with a Caribbean vacation FULL of reading at the pool and the beach! This month I read:

  • Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor – I had never heard of this author before a recent episode of Currently Reading, where Kaytee talked about this unique book. The story is told in alternating narrations. One is a literary family safa of Zelu and her Nigerian family, as Zelu struggles to write a novel and the deal with the aftermath of it becoming a smash. The other narration is a story witiin a story, as we get to read Zelu’s SciFi novel, about future robots taking over the world. The stories are so drastically different, but both were engaging and I was happy to keep reading each part until the end. I loved this style and her cultural storytelling.
  • Holly Jolly July by Lindsay Maple – I got this book from NetGalley while looking for some light reading to take on my vacation. This was like an LGBTQ+ Hallmark movie, or a fun, cheesy romcom, which was perfect for pool reading! Mariah and Ellie meet on a small town movie set, where Ellie is trying to be the best supporting actress ever and Mariah just wants to do make-up anywhere else. They soon connect over a shared problem and work to solve that problem while also getting to know each other in fun and silly and real ways. This was sweet and fun!
  • Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron – I found this sweet middle grade novels on NetGalley. At first I picked this book soley based on the beautiful, sweet cover. Then I read the description and knew I would enjoy it. We meet Pearl in 5th grade, and learn alongside her that she is struggling with depression. As she navigates her own self discovery, we learn coping techniques and communication tips with her. This is such a serious and important subject, handled with grace and dignity and perfect for a young audience. I would love to place this book lovingly in the hands of very specific readers at their point of need. This is perfect.
  • All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall – I’m not even sure how I discovered this, but I love a Climate Fiction story so it found me! In this near-future story, the world is taken over by water and after a big storm, Nonie and her family have to leave the home they made in the Museum of Natural History and set off in a boat to find a new home. What follows is harrowing, wet, dangerous and sad, but also hopeful and redemtive and full of found family. Nonie was a great young protagonist I was rooting for the entire time.
  • The Housemaid by Freida McFadden – I think this is the book that made Freida famous, but I’ve read lots of hers by now so I’m used to her thriller style, where the narration changes and you can never trust any narrator because there will be twists until the end. What’s funny is that I read this after reading The Last Mrs. Parrish and the plots are almost identical, with a slightly different twist at the end. In this story, we meet Millie when she is hired as the live-in maid for Nina and Andrew Winchesters. We soon see that Nina has mental problems, Andrew is a good-looking saint, and Millie just happens to fall for Andrew. When the narration switches halfway through, we see more than the surface details and things change. This was a thriller for sure, with some brutally graphic scenes and lots of dislikable characters.
  • Goodbye for Now by Laurie Frankel – I have read and loved Laurie Frankel’s recent books, so I went back into her catalog to read an earlier book. This book is definitely not as good as her later books, but I can see the beginning of her writing style. She creates likeable characters dealing with real world issues and we root for them to find love and happiness. Sam and Meredith meet by chance and fall in love. As we follow their romance, Meredith’s grandmother dies and leaves her broken-hearted. In an attempt to help her grief, Sam creates a computer program that allows Meredith to email and video chat with her grandmother (like AI before we knew the possibilities). It is creepy at first, then a lifeline for Meredith. Soon this becomes a business idea and we meet a lot of grieving people just trying to survive. This book was devastatingly sad but also hopeful and sweet, full of family and love and the realities of grief.
  • Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger [audiobook] – I have no idea how many times I have now read this story. For the first time, I listened to the audiobook version instead this year. I often revisit this book in April. We lost my mom 14 years ago, on April 13, 2011. I think of her every day, but especially in April. This book reminds me of her love of reading, literature, nature, a good love story, and shared experiences. It’s like a warm hug of a memory, knowing she read and enjoyed this book before she passed. Though I am not an outdoorsy, camping kind of person, I love nature and this book always makes me want to raft down a river and camp under the stars. The love story of Mary and Cobb is one of beauty.
  • The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams [audiobook] – Apparantely I heard about this book in 2021, because that it when I first added it to my TBR list. However, I have no memory of that. Instead, I was looking for good audiobooks from my library’s catalog and I stumbled upon this. What a gem! I adored this book! This is a sweet, sometimes sad, story of Mukesh, an octogenerian widower who finds a way to keep his deceased wife close to him, by learning to love reading. During his journey he befriends a teen librarian who needs support, Aleisha. Together, they read through a found reading list and end up finding each other, themselves, and their way to a new start for each of them. This is a love story to libraries and the power of books and connections.
  • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- This was our May choice for the Laura Tremaine Secret Stuff book club. We follow Ifemelu and Obinze from their teen love in Nigeria to their separate adult lives (she in America and he in the UK). We see race relations through Ifemelu’s experience as a Nigerian in America, facing what “Black” means to Americans, before returning to Nigeria with her new perspectives. Her experience teaches us about Black hair care, racism, white priveldge, and more, through deep storytelling.
  • The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella- This was a random selection that I found in my local library. I had never heard of the author, but the cover felt right for my attempts to avoid dark murder books. We meet Jack, who is running his families restaurant in a beach town in Delaware, at the precipice of him, deciding whether or not to sell the family business. As we follow Jack’s journey, we meet his past, loves, his grief, and his found family. This was a sweet, small town story full of love and light. I’m glad I found a new author who has other books that I look forward to reading as well.

Favorite Books

  • The best book that demonstrates the extraordinary power of books to change lives and build connections: The Reading List
  • The book that holds my heart and memories with my mom- Eternal on the Water
  • The best book of mixed genres and cultures- Death of the Author

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March 2025 Reading Update

Posted on March 30, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

I tried something new with my reading this month. I was feeling stressed out and was worried that the amount of murder mysteries I was reading, or listening to on podcasts and audiobooks and documentaries, were affecting me. Therefore, I called this my “no murder March” and I had to seek out diverse books to keep myself entertained! Of course, the first few books of the month may have snuck in before I made my decision, so it was more like my “no murder March madness”. This month I read:

  • The Coworker by Fredia McFadden [audiobook] – Another McFadden audiobook that is mostly fluff entertainment. This book was told in emails as well as prose, as we got to know Dawn and Natalie, two coworkers at a sales company. Dawn seems to have communication problems which make all relationships challenging for her, while Natalie is the typical “popular” girl. They are both still living in personalities assigned to them in high school, so there was a lot of girl drama in this that flashes back to high school behavior. I’m find that McFadden writes such flawed, dislikeable characters in ways that make me suspect everyone, trust no one, and hope they all get caught for their bad deeds!
  • Do Not Disturb by Claire Douglas – After discovering this author last month from my library, I knew I wanted to read more in her catalog. In this book we follow Kirsty and her family as they move out of London to run a bed and breakfast with her mother in the country. Kirsty’s husband has had a rough year, and Kirsty and her mother have a tense relationship. As they prepare to open their new business together, other family members show up as guests and when one is found dead there is a big mystery and a lot of suspicion. I didn’t except some of the twists that came in this story and it was a fun ride!
  • How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague – This is a unique story about love, grief, friendship, and unrequited love, as well as self discovering. We meet Magda after her best friend Sara has died. Magda’s grief is overwhelming and she can’t stand to continue her regular life, as a therapist to people with high anxiety. Magda decides to take a road trip that Sara wanted them to do. Along the way, we get to know Sara through Magda’s memories, and Magda, through her missteps, inaction, and sadness, while she attemps to survive her grief. There was a lot of love in between all that sadness and a beautiful story of found family
  • Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten [audiobook] – I watched The Barefoot Contessa cooking show many years ago, but haven’t heard much about her in years. Knowing I love a celebrity memoir, when I heard this was good I borrowed the audiobook from my library. I enjoyed Ina’s stories, whether it was her less-than-loving childhood, or journey to find a career that stimulated her mind and challenged her, and her joyful explorations in cooking, then writing books and making tv. She seems so down-to-earth and her husbad Jeffery seems like such a great partner for her. I enjoyed the story of this memoir!
  • Say Everything: A Memoir by Ione Skye [audiobook] – I LOVED the movie Say Anything. When I heard that the female star of that movie, Ione Skye, had a memoir out, I was ready to listen to the audio version right away. Her voice is the exact same! Now, other than that movie and one or two other roles, I have no idea about her life, past or present. Everything was new to me, which should have been more interesting. Unfortunately, for me this felt like a name-dropping attempt at a tell-all, without much happening. Other than a lot of sex, including some inappropriate releatinships when she was very young and vulnerable, Ione seemed to float from one partner to another, always looking to fill the voice from the famous musician father who abandoned her mother before she was born. I kept waiting for big life lessons to be learned, but the epilogue didn’t give me what I was hoping for. Overall, this was underwhelming for me.
  • The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center – I picked this up on a whim in my library during my search for non-murder books. This was a rom-com about two writers working on a rom-com screenplay, and despite all of that cheesiness, it was fun and sweet and well written and a happy story I enjoyed! Emma has spent ten years taking care of her father after a serious accident that changed all of their lives. The famous screenwriter Charlie is fighing “the yips” after a break up and cancer and his perpetual pessimism. Emma and her family model how to embrace the good in life, in spite of the very real, hard stuff along the way.
  • They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms by Mike Hixenbaugh – Wow. I read this after listening to the Southlake and Grapevine podcasts, done by the author and his reporting partner, about two Texas suburban towns and the battle for school board positions. With aching familiarity, I picked up the book to learn even more. The title itself is genius with the double meaning: 1) Families moved to these beautiful, idyllic suburbs for the incredible schools and all the opportunities for their children and 2) The parents CAME for the schools when they formed PACs that raised thousands of dollars to bring the Seven Mountains religious philosophy into public education (and 6 other parts of society). This story is about a small town in Texas, but it is also about America since 2016. The author tracks the first utterance of “CRT” and how that became a catch all term used to criticize the “woke” liberals, accusing educators of making white children feel guilty, of grooming young kids, of being pedophiles, and more, all to fight to end the separation of church and state. I wish I had known how deep this battle went before I had any first-hand experience. It’s good, yet heartbreaking, to know how many schools and educators are suffering through the same battles all across America, as we work to help ALL children have access to public education. I’m sorry this had to be written, but I’m so grateful I read it.
  • Funny Story by Emily Henry [audiobook] – Thanks to my Aunt Ellen for putting this book on my radar. I’ve read most of Henry’s other books and knew I would enjoy this sweet romcom. We meet Daphne just as her fiancee dumps her for his best friend, forcing her to have to move in said friend’s ex-boyfriend Miles. As Daphne and Miles figure out their post-break up lives, they connect through their shared pain and their good hearts. This is a sweet story about the joys of reading, the power of a library, found family, and new friendships. I enjoyed it!
  • Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell – This is the BEST book I’ve read so far this year! Wow! I had no idea what I was getting into, but I’m so glad I heard about it from the Currently Reading podcast. The story begins after “The Event” and we meet Charles, a Howard University professor who knows how to fix things. It turns out that Charles is only able to be a professor because of the event, which was when all the white people of the world suddenly walked into water and died, Charles, a Black man, was in prison at the time, but was broken out and able to start a very different life. We follow Charles on an adventure, where he and other characters learn to release their anger and pain, experience and celebreate Black joy, and honor their ancestors and their future. This was a lyrical, poetic, beautifully written story about resilience and learning from history and leaning in to the JOY.
  • The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine- for some reason I thought this book was historical fiction. I remember it was so popular a year or so ago, and I was happy to start it at the beginning of my vacation. It is definitely not historical fiction. It is more like a psychological thriller, that changes dramatically when the narrator switches in the second half of the book. I found most of the characters despicable, and I enjoyed the ending.
  • The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead- This is a beautifully written story that is fiction, but based on true events. We follow a young boy on the brink of beginning college at the height of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fame, to his sudden arrest and shipment to a boys work camp/penitentiary. Then we see the horrors and abuse that happened in these work camps, through his eyes. This is the second book I have read by Colson Whitehead, and his writing is beautiful, though often hard to read. This is one of those stories that you don’t want to know, but you are glad you read.

Favorite Book Superlatives

  • Best speculative, literary fiction about a world with no white people: Sky Full of Elephants
  • Best how-to if you are a concerned educator, parent or community member who doesn’t want religion to become the main curriculum in public schools: They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms
  • Best romance that reminds us that gratitude for the good in front of us can change your life: The Rom-Commers
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February Reading Update

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

The theme of this month was my public library. I truly took advantage of my library for print and audiobooks, especially for mysteries and thrillers. I also read across many countries! This month I read:

  • Olivetti by Allie Millington [audiobook] – This is a sweet middle grades story about a typewriter, Olivetti, who is able to retell the stories that have been typed on him, in order to help a family in need. Olivetti and Ernest, one of the children, are alternating narrators as we meet a fun and loveable cast of characters on an adventure fueled by love.
  • The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson – I loved this fast-paced mystery/thriller! The story starts with Bel and her father participating in a documentary about Bel’s mother’s sudden disappearance 16 years ago. Then i morphs quickly when Rachel, the mother, suddenly returns (no spoilers, that happens pretty quickly and it’s in the title!). Everything after that is a mystery to figure out what happened then and what’s happening now, who is responsible, who is guilty, and no one can be trusted.
  • Competency-Based Education Ignited: A Transformational Systemwide Approach for Leaders by Richard A. DeLorenzo and Roxanne Mourant – I chose to read this book as part of my quarterly book review for AASA, so I was given a copy. Because I get to select the books I want to read and review, I was actively looking for my educational books about competency-based education, a journey we are embarking on. I enjoyed this book, as it gives a very realisitic picture of the multi-year plans you need to create in order to make this seismic systemic change. There are many resources and examples shared, though more from secondary than elemtary. This book sparked me to begin researching Learning Management Systems (LMS) that will align with competency-based assessments in the future. I appreciated the questions it brought up and the advice for the next phases of our journey.
  • Colored Television by Danzy Senna – This is the February pick for my book club. When I got it, I didn’t realize the author is married to Percival Everett, the author of James. They have some similiar writing traits, but Danzy has her own voice for sure. In this story we follow Jane, a self-named Mulatto, who wants to see more representation of biracial people in literature. She is writing an epic novel, and during a year-long sabbatical we see her process, her struggles, her family woes, and more. Married to starving artist, trying to raise two children, one of whom is having significant challenges, Jane just wants to own a house in the beautiful multicultural neighborhood in LA. We go on quite an internal struggle journey with Jane, through beautiful, tortured writing, and hard choices about money and family and trust.
  • The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman [audiobook] – This Thursday Murder Club series is so intriguing! I love the premise- a group of 4 people in a retirement community come together and end up solving local murders. I’ve read two in the series now, and I truly enjoy the story and the funny characters. But both times I started reading the hard copy of these books (from my library), the writing has felt so slow. When I switch over to the audiobook version, the story flies by and it’s amusing. For some reason, this author’s writing style is too dry for me in print, but when I can speed up the story, I love it. So, I will only listen to the rest of the series that way! In this book, our gang (Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim) are helping Ibrahim recover from a mugging, while also helping Elizabeth’s ex-husband, another former spy. There are stolen diamonds, a love story, and more hijinx!
  • The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz – I knew I loved The Plot by this author, but when I started this, I had to Google the details from the first book to truly remember what happened. This book picks up soon after the first. Anna, the widow of Jacob, is going on tour to help sell her husband’s last book after his surprising death by suicide. During interviews, she tells people she might like to write a book. Then she goes off and quickly writes one, which her husband’s editor is only too happy to publish. As we follow Anna’s rise, we see she is still haunted by the anonymous critics who say Jacob stole the idea for his famous work. As Anna goes on a wild chase to solve the mystery, her own mysterious story comes to light.
  • The Teacher by Freida McFadden [audiobook]- I was reminded of this author recently, so I searched my library’s catalog for any audiobooks available by her. This was propulsive yet disturbing. The story begins with chapters narrators by Addie and Eve. Addie is a high school junior who has no friends, whose father recently died, and who had some trouble with a male teacher the year before. Eve is a math teacher at Addie’s school. Eve is known as a strict teacher while her husband Nate is known as both fun and the best looking teacher at school. Throughout the book, I found each of these characters annoying and unreliable, yet I was enthralled enough in the story to want to know how it was going to end. There are a number of twists that surprised me, up until the very last page. There are hints of inappropriate student-teacher relationships in this book from beginning that disturbed me. That theme made me want to stop reading, but the propulsive story kept me reading until the end.
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer – I have seen this book in a few 6th grade classrooms in my district, so I wanted to read it. This is a memoir written by William, a young man from Malawi, who created his very own windmill to help bring electricity to his home and village. The first three quarters of this book document many years of corrupt government and famine in Malawi that led to wide-spread devastation. The details are hard to read, especially when you think that it was the 1990’s, not the 1700’s, that were being described. Due to the famine, William’s family couldn’t afford for him to attend secondary school, so he used his village’s small library to attemp to keep up with his learing. A natural scientist and tinkerer, Williams finds science books that teach him how to harness the power of the wind, one of the few reliable resources available in Malawi. This is a beautiful story of hard work, innovation and inventiveness, and telling your own story.
  • The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas – I found this book as a “Blind Date with a book” selection at my library. It was wrapped in brown paper with these hints on it: psychological suspense, London, missing person, serial murders, and books about books. These were intriguing enough for me to check it out and I’m so glad I did. I LOVED this! It was a fast-paced thriller, and a 5 star read for me. Author Emilia has just finished the final novel in her crimer series, where she decided to kill off her lead detective. Suddendly odd things start happening to Emilia and her family, and it all comes from plot points in her novels. Emilia is worried that something sinister is happening and that she might be the final target. We follow her as she tries to solve her own mystery, and we suspect everyone around her as she does. This was so good, with lots of twists!
  • Zero Days by Ruth Ware [audiobook] – I recently did a big search in my library’s online catalog and put a bunch of audiobooks on hold. I’ve finally found a rhythm to enjoy listening to some fiction (mostly mystery) on my commute. This was an incredible, fast-paced thriller that I ended up listening to while sitting on my couch just to find out how it ended. Jack and Gabe are a married couple who run a company to help other companies know if their physical and digital worlds are safe from hackers. While Jack is out on a job, Gabe is murdered in their house. When Jack returns to find his body, everything turns upside down. We follow Jack as she attempts to figure out what happened without getting accused of her husband’s murder. This was such a ride!
  • The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich – I love Erdrich’s lyrical writing. She creates very real, flawed characters and shows us their average, daily lives with poetic, beautiful language. The mighty red is a river in North Dakota, where we meet a small town of sugar beet farmers and haulers and their teenage children. Kismet and Gary are being pushed into an early, quick marriage and everyone has opinions about them and their families. Kismet’s mother Crystal was the best character in this story! This book had the least historical context or connections to Native American culture I’ve read in an Erdrich book, which is part of what I love about her stories.
  • Braver Than You Think by Maggie Downs – Thanks to my Aunt Ellen, who sent me her copy of this book after she read it. In this memoir, we follow Maggie for a year of international travel. There are some unique aspects of this journey. First, Maggie leaves on her travels days after she gets married, and then spends most of her first year of marriage apart form her husband. Second, Maggie’s mother is dying of Alzheimer’s disease, and Maggie is trying to grapple with the last decade of watching her mom’s decline, and preparing for her inevitable death. This was a lot about grief – anticipatory grief, avoiding grief, and simply experiencing grief. Along the way, we get glimpses into Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, India, Cambodia, and more places around the globe. Through her descriptions of people, places, and volunteer work, I learned that I never need to visit some of these places and I can’t wait to visit others. This was a sad, bittersweet, honest view of grief with some incredible travel adventures mixed in. [I have this in paperback ready to loan if anyone I know wants to read this.]
  • The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden [audiobook] – I have found that Freida McFadden’s thrillers are easy to listen to on audio and I can fly through one a week, using my library as much as possible! In this book (I read another book by this exact same title, different author, a few years ago!), we meet Sylvia as she is hired to be a live-in support to a woman, Victoria, with significant brain damage from an accident. We get to know Victoria through a journal that Sylvia found, as we are getting to know Victoria’s husband and their marriage. There are the usual twists and turns and I wasn’t sure who to suspect throughout each twist.

Favorite Books

The Woman Who Lied – Best thriller about ideas from a book coming to life in horrifying ways!

The Sequel – Best second book in a mystery series I’ve read in awhile, as long as your [old] brain can remember what happened in the first of the series!

Zero Days – Best propulsive murder mystery with fugitive on the run vibes!

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January 2025 Reading Update

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

In a month that feels like 100 days long, and that took me from Maui to home to DC and back home again, I am so grateful that I can always return to books and reading. This is my favorite hobby and my happy place. Books are warm and welcoming, even when they are scary or sad. More than ever, I am trying to step away from the noise of social media and lean more into books. This month I read:

  • Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty – I enjoyed this book so much! Reading it reminded me of The Measure as well as The Immortalists. In this story, we start on a plane ride where some strange woman goes does the aisle telling each passenger when and how they will die. Some people are scared, some laugh it off, and others don’t know what to make of this unrequested information. After the travel, we follow the lives of some of the passengers and employees to see if the predictions come true. These stories are interspersed with the background life story of the “stranger woman” who made the predictions. This book addresses beliefs, faither, doubt, seizing the day, fear, and so much more. I loved all of the characters and the flawed humanity represented so beautifully.
  • The House in the Woods by Mark Dawson [Attius Priest #1] – This was a surprisingly fun mystery! I don’t know why I ever bought the Kindle version, but I will continue to read this series and more by this author. We meet Atticus Priest after he has been fired from being a copy and is building his own private dectective operation. He is hired to help Ralph Mallender, who is on trial for the murder of his parents and siblings. His wife is desperate to find a hole in the case before he is convicted. As Atticus digs, we meet his former colleagues, including the chief MacKenzie, with whom he also had a personal relationship. This story had a variety of twists and turns and kept me entertained!
  • Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others by Stephen M.R. Covey- Our superintendent selected this book for our entire management team to read this year, in small segments each month (Thank you AG!). The discussions were so powerful as we all reflected on our own leadership and what it means to be a Trust & Inspire leader rather than a Command & Control leader. There are 5 key ideas within the book: 1) People have greatness inside them, so leaders can unleash potential not control them 2) People are whole people who need inspiration, not motivation, 3) There is enough for everyone, so elevate caring above competing, 4) Leadership is stewardship, so put service above self-interest, and 5) Eduring influence is created from the inside out, so model the way. So much of this book aligns with our district’s framework and values, and the structures we have created for learner success (student and adult learners!). There were also a lot of reminders about conenctions before content, and relationships built for trust. I appreciated the distinction that it is better to “mutuall clarify expectations” than to “dictate” them. Trust & Inspire does not mean there isn’t accountaiblity, but it means a system mutuall establishes the agreements we will work towards together. This book continues to be a touchpoint in leadership conversations across our district, which is impactful!
  • Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman – I LOVED Newman’s first two thrillers and this was did not disappoint, as it was my first 5 STAR read of 2025! In this fast-paced rollercoaster, a plane crashes into a nuclear power plant in a small town in Minnesota (no spoiler, that is the first few pages!). The rest of the book we follow the townspeople and the power plant workers as they heroically try to save the nation from nuclear disaster. This is tense, interesting, beautifully heart warming, and bittersweet. I was sobbing through the last few chapeters, because there was so much beautiful emotions coming up in these characters’ stories. Highly recommend this!
  • James by Percival Everett – This book was the Book of the Year on so many lists in 2024, for good reason. This is the second book very Everett that I’ve read and his writing is phenomenal. This book was incredible. Though I haven’t read Huckleberry Finn in decades, I had a vague memory of the basic plot. This is a twist on a retelling of that, from Jim’s point of view. Jim was the enslaved man who ended up on the run away adventure with Huck in the original. In this story, we are able to admire, and be horrified by, all that enslaved people went through at the hands of white people. We also see the beautiful culture and family created within enslaved groups, and the code switching that we know still happens today with people of different races, ethnicities, and languages, especially in America. This was hard to read and important. This was storytelling to educate, as a window for many of us, with a greater purpose.
  • Cher: The Memoir, Part I by Cher [audiobook] – I was intrigued to listen to Cher’s memoir because I always love a good celebrity memoir on audio, and though I feel like I’ve known some of her songs all my life, I didn’t know much about her life. First off, I was incredibly disappointed that Cher only reads the first chapter, and then first few minutes of all the rest of the chapters. Then someone else does the narration. That person was fine, but I really wanted to hear Cher’s iconic voice tell me her story. Second, I feel like there was way too much historical details about her grandparents and parents lives before she was even born. We spent many chapters in her childhood and we were past the middle of this part one before she met Sonny, and yet she wasn’t even 18 yet. Knowing there is a second part, I feel like they dragged out the story to be able to tell it over time, when it could have been edited. Having said that, once we got into her early fame years and her relationship with Sonny and then the Allman brother, I was intrigued. Cher had a rough childhood and limited life experience, making her vulnerable and innocent in so many ways. As I was reading I was so mad that she wasn’t a stronger woman. I had to keep reminding myself that these stories took place in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when women didn’t have the same power and control that we [sort of] do now. There is so much about her life that I never knew. I am interested enough to want to read part two when it comes out in November.
  • The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins – I heard Mel Robbins interviewed on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast and loved how she described her Let Them Theory. I had never heard her before, though she has a robust podcast of her own and other books. In this, she talks through all the reasons we need to stop trying to control what other people do. When people do things we don’t like, that hurt us or anger or confuse us, we need to just “let them”. This is common sense, and follows advice I’ve learned through meditation, mindfulness, and self care. We stress so much about others’ actions, but those are things out of our control. The second half of her theory is “Let me”. After you say “let them” about an action, you must then decide how you will respond. When you consciously choose your response, you retain control of your emotions and state of mind. This is all logical, but easier said than done in tough situations or challenging relationships. Throughout the book, she gives a lot of examples from her own life, her children, and her friends, to ground the advice. I enjoyed this easy to read self help book. **** After I finished this book and wrote this, I learned that the “Let Them” phrase was written in a poem by Cassie Phillips back in 2019. There is some controversy about Mel Robbin’s taken her phrase from this poem but never giving credit. Which is interesting because throughout the book Mel also says one of her daughter’s co-wrote the book with her, but the daughter is not listed as an author. This makes me question her “theory” development and her integrity.
  • The Wedding People by Alison Espach – I heard many people, including Laura Tremaine, rave about this book as one of their favorites of 2024. During a travel weekend, this book saved me from an AWFUL book club book that I had to DNF (do not finish). This story takes place in a quaint ritzy hotel where one woman finds out that she is the only guest in the hotel not associated with a big wedding. There are some seriously dark parts to this story, right from the beginning, but there is also love and laughter and connection. The characters felt real and relatable and I enjoyed reading this so much!
  • Walking Well: A New Approach for Comfort, Vitality, and Inspiration in Every Step by Michael J. Gelb and Bruce Fertman – I saw this e-book when I was looking for audiobooks to download in my library app. As someone who enjoys walking for exercise and as a tourist, I was intrigued by the title and I enjoyed reading this book! The authors review the health benefits of walking every day (though they say 7,000 steps a day is just fine!), from physical and mental health standpoints. Then they go into details about how to walk, sit and stand the way our bodies were designed to move. They use a lot of comparisons to various animals in the natural world, and connect to the benefits of walking outside, in nature. I admit that I tried some of the first steps while in an airport and I’m sure I looked wacky at first! Their idea is that, over time, your will be able to walk father with less pain over time, if you retrain your body to walk better. I’ve just started, but I’m willing to keep practicing, since I want to be able to walk for many more decades!
  • Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller – I saw this book all over Instagram last year and the title certainly caught my eye. It wasn’t until I checked it out of my library that I realized I had read another book by this author last year, The Change, which I loved. In this story, we meet the townspeople of Troy, Georgina, a small southern town where Lula Dean is trying to ensure that no “evil” books get into the hands of the young children. As a book ban commences, there are hijinx underfoot, and we meet a lot of really good people through humorous stories and mishaps. At the same time, this book is addressing the very real problems plagueing America right now – the misinformed belief that books can do things like make kids gay, or that reading about what really happened in American history, such as the enslavement of people, makes kids feel bad and we should avoid that. While I laughed, I also reflected on many real conversations I have had, in my own work and life. As an avid reader, I know firsthand the value of books, and reading others’ stories and learning from our past. I am against all book bans and couldn’t love this book any more than I did.
  • Blood on the River: James Town, 1607 by Elisa Carbone [audiobook] – Many 5th grade teachers in my district have read this book with their class, so I wanted to know what it was all about. This middle grades book tells the story of young Samuel, an English orphan who was made an indentured servant to Capt. John Smith on his voyage to the New World, where they settled James Town in the 1600’s. This takes elements of the history and turns it into a personal account from the perspective of a young boy. Throughout most of the book, the native people are called “savages” and are judged harshly, which was accurate to the history, but hard to read in 2025. By the end, our young protagonist, Samuel, learns the value of befriending the native people, respecting their ways of living, their knowledge of how to find food and treat the earth well, and the importance of language and trade. Many other settlers do not learn these lessons and there are harsh realities they all face. The afterward gives more historical details. I understand why many teachers use this, as a way to bridge the 5th grade standards to a child’s fictional tale.
  • A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison – I’ve read one other book by this author so far and I love her. This was a 5 star read for me! When we meet Columbia, she is a world famous author, on a book tour before her latest novel opens as a movie. Her daughter Darian is her assistant and a little annoyed that her mother has brought in Riley, an unknown journalist, to write the first piece about Columbia that she’s agreed to. As a private woman, the world knows very little about her. Through alternating narrators and flips in time, we learn a lot about Columbia’s past and present. This was propulsive and I couldn’t put it down – the best way to spend a rainy Sunday!
  • We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer – I heard about this book on the Currently Reading podcast, but by the time I got a copy from my library I had no memory of what it was about. For good or for bad, I began to read it, at night, knowing nothing about it. I quickly learned that this ia a HORROR book. For most of the book, there is psychological tension and it feels like a thriller, but there are some gross and scary parts for sure. I hated reading this at night, but couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what was happening and how it was going to end. If you are intrigued, go in blind and have fun!

Favorite Books

Worst Case Scenario – Best propulsive, tense, thriller you don’t want to end yet can’t wait to find out what happens

James – Best prospective shift; Another lesson in American history told from the point of view of people who weren’t given a voice in the past or in their own lives for way too long

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books – Best fiction book about scary things that are happening in America right now, blending humor with reality and helping us laugh through some very real terror

A Very Bad Thing – Best thriller with alternating narrators and unreliable characters who you don’t trust, yet can’t figure out who is truly evil

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You Never Know

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Amy's Reflections

You never know what other people are dealing with privately. I work in a positive, supportive work environment. I am directly responsible for a small but mighty team. In the last few years, at any given point in time, I had staff members performing their work admirably while they were also going through:

  • supporting parents with Alzheimer’s
  • feuding siblings
  • adult children who wouldn’t talk to them/ let them see their grandchildren/ get to know their new partners
  • cancer treatments
  • surgeries (so many surgeries) and recoveries
  • divorce
  • deaths in their families
  • their children going off to college
  • arranging support for aging parents
  • significant health concerns for themselves or their loved ones
  • car accidents
  • sick children
  • deaths of pets
  • worries about their job status due to temporary positions
  • financial worries
  • moving homes

These are just a sample of things I do know, because my staff members shared their hard times with me during or after the facts. I am sure there was even more going on under the surface that I never knew. Every once in a while, when someone I don’t know well seems to underperforming based on my own private judgment, I remind myself that you never know what else is going on. It is not my job to judge anyone. I work hard to coach and support, to celebrate and inspire, to listen to and love the people around me. I share this list as a reminder to myself and to others to be aware of that which we do not know. I share this as I grieve for all the losses we are seeing in Los Angeles right now as they continue to battle multiple wildfires and massive devastation. I share this after just having visited the Laihaina area of Maui, which is still suffering from the horrific fire that swept through there over a year ago. I share this for myself when I get impatient. I share this as a reminder to listen to what is being said and what is not being said because you never know.

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