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
Reflections on Leadership and Learning 