March 24, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A few of these books have already been released. As usual, I’m including publication dates for the rest of them.

I have two Top Ten Tuesday bloggers to thank for blogging about a couple of these titles earlier, so keep an eye out for those mentions.

 

Book cover for Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer. Image on cover is a photo of Judy Blume with short curly hair and in a black turtleneck sweater. She’s smiling faintly and looking off to her left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer

Why I’m Interested: I adored her books when I was in elementary and middle school but know nothing about her personal life.

 

Book cover for Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life by Leanne ten Brinke. Image on cover shows a neon green background and what appears to be a black puddle of something possibly poisonous off to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life by Leanne ten Brinke

Why I’m Interested: Hopefully it will have some excellent advice for identifying and neutralizing troublemakers in any community.

 

Book cover for Phases: a Memoir by Brandy Norwood. Image on cover is a close-up photo of her face as she wears a blue silk garment and gazes thoughtfully off into the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Phases: A Memoir by Brandy

Publication Date: March 31

Why I’m Interested: This is at least the third time I’ve blogged about this memoir while waiting for its release due to how excited I am for it. One more week to go before I hopefully get to learn more about my favourite singer’s life behind the scenes. In the meantime, I’m trying to get on my library’s waitlist for it as soon as I possibly can today as they generally open it up for requests a week before a book is published. Wish me luck!

 

Book cover for What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed. Image on cover shows a drawing of a white flower with thin yellow petals forming a ring around the thick white petals. This image is half covering a black circular object that I can’t identify. It looks like a black moon hanging in a blue sky, though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed

Publication Date: April 7

Why I’m Interested: Science fiction set on other planets often grabs my interest.

 

Book cover for American Fantasy by Emma Straub. Image on cover shows a drawing of a white cruise ship sailing on the ocean on a mostly cloudless day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  American Fantasy by Emma Straub

Publication Date: April 7

Why I’m Interested: Actually dating a member of a boyband or other type of touring musician? No, thank you. Having a spouse who travels for work for most of the year sounds terribly lonely. Reading about a character who dates her boyband teenage crush, on the other hand? Sign me up.

 

Book cover for Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Image on cover shows a train travelling along a train track next to a field of wheat. The image is warped, though, and has an unnatural bend to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Thank you to Living on the Sunny Side for bringing my attention to this title!

Publication Date: April 7 (I am apparently going to be doing nothing but reading on April 7. Ha!)

Why I’m Interested: No offence to anyone who likes this stuff, but I find tradwife content terribly confusing. It seems odd to me to make a living telling other women that they should not have jobs or ambitions outside of the home. By that logic, then, shouldn’t tradwife creators stop making new content and delete all of their old stuff, too? I love the fact that this novel is exploring those contradictions.

Book cover for Canon by Paige Lewis. Image on cover shows three scenes: a whale swimming through the ocean on the top of the cover, a full moon hanging over a mountain range on the right middle side of the cover, and, on the bottom, a two-paned drawing of a warring carrying a spear and shield charging at a woman wearing a t-shirt and black slacks who is standing in front of a large wall that protects the city behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Canon by Paige Lewis

Publication Date: May 19

Why I’m Interested: This sounds delightfully campy and silly.

 

Book cover for The Redemption Centre Is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston. Image on cover shows a computer-generated drawing of a little brown and white dog looking up at an ominous old house just after dusk. There is light streaming through one window in the house, and a shadowy figure is standing there looking down at the dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.  The Redemption Centre Is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston

Thank you to Spirit Blog for letting me know about this book.

Publication Date: May 26

Why I’m Interested: Mixing the mystery and science fiction genres together is a good way to get my attention.

 

Given that I have published seasonal TBR posts with as few as two books on them in the past, eight books is an excellent number for me even if it’s still a little less than the recommended amount.

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March 19, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Visitor

 

Book cover for The Visitor by Neil Shooter. Image on cover is a photo taken of a one-story ranch-style house after dusk. You can see the road bend in front of the house, some trees on the left, and the house itself sitting quietly, but all of this is shrouded in the darkness of night that obscures most details about any of them.

Title: The Visitor

Author: Neil Shooter

Publisher:  Self-Published

Publication Date: January 6, 2016

Genres: Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Historical, Contemporary

Length: 11 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

On an ordinary blustery British night an extraordinary visitor comes, a time traveller, with a paradox. But time is relative.

Content Warning: References to alcoholism and mild homophobia.

Review:

How far would you go to correct the past?

The conversational structure of this short story kept my interest levels high. It takes effort to include necessary details about character and plot development while still making sure both characters are speaking to each other in ways that feel natural. Mr. Shooter did a good job balancing these needs while pushing the storyline forward with every reply. It felt like I truly was listening in on someone else’s conversation.

I had some trouble understanding the significance of the final scene due to how vague it was. While I have a theory about what it probably meant, I wasn’t sure if that was what the author was trying to convey or if I’d misunderstood something along the way. It would have been helpful to have a few more hints about what was happening and if my interpretation of it was the correct one (or one of the correct ones). This is something I’m saying as a reader who normally enjoys

It was also entertaining to see how Dean, the protagonist, explained how time travel works and why he decided to go back so many years. While I can’t share a lot of details about these aspects of the tale for spoiler reasons, they were reasonable and helped to answer several questions I had about how certain details were meant to fit together. It was also fun to get to know Dean a little better as his personality was a little bit of a mystery to me at first. Honestly, I would have made the same choice he did if such things were possible.

This was my first experience with this author’s work, and I will be coming back for more.

The Visitor was thought provoking.

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March 18, 2026 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Audiobooks I’ve Enjoyed

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Five hardcover books standing up on a white surface. They are held upright and together in place by a pair of earphones that are wrapped around them in the same way you’d see a person wear earphones. The first few times I tried audiobooks, I was not at all a fan of them because I can read much faster than the average narrator speaks and I’d much rather get to know characters through the written word instead of the spoken one.

My attention span tends to waver fairly quickly if I’m listening to something which is why I also am generally not a fan of podcasts or listening to lengthy speeches of any sort if I’m not physically present in the room at the time the speech is going on.

What shifted my perspective on this topic was when I tried rereading old favourites in audiobook form. This was something I originally did so that I could have something fun to focus on while cleaning or doing chores around the house, and it was key for me to find a way to enjoy this form of entertainment.

These books were amusing rereads in audiobook form for me. Will they also be a good option for you? That’s something each one of you will have to decide for themselves.

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

2. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

3. All seven Chronicles of Narnia books  by C.S. Lewis

4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

6. All of the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary

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March 17, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Green Book Covers


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone who is celebrating it! I always forgot to wear something green on that day when I was in school and so endured jokes about being pinched all day. (Nobody ever really pinched me, though!)  Did your school have that custom as well?

Here are some books that have green book covers. I’ve only read the first two titles, but the rest sound interesting as well.

Book cover for nne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery. Image on cover shows Anne wearing her sun hat anad standing in front of Green Gables smiling as she clutches a book. This appears to be a drawing that was used a lot in 1980s covers for this book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery

 

Book cover for Dark Waters (Small Spaces, #3) by Katherine Arden. Image on cover shows a drawing of a large fish menacingly swimming up to the top of the lake. A small boat is floating on top of the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Dark Waters (Small Spaces, #3) by Katherine Arden

 

Book cover for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Image on cover shows a white woman wearing a glamorous, silky green gown that shows off a little cleavage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Book cover for The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint. Image on cover shows a drawing of about a dozen cats sitting near a small, pale child who is wearing a gauzy green dress and standing next to a pond in a jungle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint

 

Book cover for The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith. Image on cover is a drawing of an owl flying with wings outstretched through a murky green forest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith

 

Book cover for The Bee and the Orange Tree by Melissa Ashley. Image on cover is a drawing of a bee sitting on a small orange tree that is currently only growing a single orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Bee and the Orange Tree by Melissa Ashley

 

Book cover for The River Wife by Jonis Agee. Image on cover shows a white women with auburn hair floating in a river while wearing a gauzy white dress that is falling down her shoulders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The River Wife by Jonis Agee

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March 12, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Amina

Book cover for Amina by P.B. Cannon. Image on cover is a watercolour painting of a woman with long white hair dancing in the forest. She’s wearing a light blue dress. Title: Amina

Author: P.B. Cannon

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Genres: Fantasy

Length: About 26 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

He awakens with a task to perform. A lilac-hued woman dances in his forest clearing. She is human. He is not. It is… a beginning.

Content Warning: Climate change, slavery, a broken leg, brief references to previous rapes, and brief references to a whipping.

Review:

Hope can thrive in even the ugliest circumstances.

This short story included references to some difficult subject matters like slavery and sexual abuse. I appreciated the way it gave the audience the details about these terrible moments without dwelling on them any longer than necessary. These references were disturbing, of course, but not at all graphic. That’s exactly how I prefer to such things to be addressed, so I must tip my cap to the author for striking a balance between remaining true to the story she wanted to share without going into unnecessary detail.

I would have loved to see more world building in this novel. For example, knowing more about what sort of magical creature Ruzi was would have made it easier for me to imagine him and try to predict what he might do next. The snippets of information about his kind that were provided were fascinating and did provide a basic framework for what he was and wasn’t capable of doing as well as a description of his kind and gentle nature. Had this been included, I would have happily gone with a full five-star rating.

The ending was thoughtful, hopeful, and open to interpretation. It’s interesting for me as a reader to be given so much freedom to decide how I wish to interpret certain aspects of the plot, and I enjoy it when authors trust their audiences to come to our own conclusions about what probably happened next without feeling the need to fill in every crevice for us. That’s the sort of writing style that gently urges me to come back for more in the future.

Amina made me wish for a sequel.

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March 11, 2026 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books About My Favourite Topic

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I’ve written several blog posts about this topic in the past and am trying not to repeat myself too often, so this time I will be focusing on nonfiction books about animals and nature. Those are two things I love to read about.

Yes, I know that I mentioned “A Short History of the World According to Sheep” in a Top Ten Tuesday post last month, but it belongs to this theme as well. 

These were all solid reads that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys books on these topics.

Book cover for Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton. Image on cover is a sketch of a young hare whose ears are pointed up and who is looking around at her surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

 

Book cover for A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard. Image on cover is a photo of a shepherd herding his sheep while they stand on a mountain. There are much larger, snowier mountains in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard

 

Book cover for The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard. Image on cover is a drawing of large earthworms digging through the soil. Above the soil there is a large tree whose branches are hanging heavy over the land. In the distance there is a faraway forest and a blue sky dotted with white clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard

 

Book cover for Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf. Image on cover is a drawing of various cephalopods, including squid and octupi, swimming next to each other in a light blue sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf

 

Book cover for Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets. Image on cover is a drawing of a pine forest that has a dirt path running through it. Extra sunlight is shining down onto the path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets

 

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March 10, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles Featuring Ordinal Numbers


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Joanne @ Portobello Book Blog for submitting this week’s theme! Here are ten book titles featuring ordinal numbers. 

Book cover for Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Image on cover shows the title written in a cursive font against a fuzzy green background that looks like it might be the canopy of a tree or trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

 

Book cover for The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Image on cover shows a drawing of three hardback novels neatly stacked in a small pile together. One of the books has a red cloth book cover that is hanging out between its pages and draping down to the wooden surface below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

 

Book cover for Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1) by Heather Brewer. Image on cover is a drawing of a pale-skinned young teenager who is wearing a black hoodie that has a red smilie face with fangs printed on it. The kid’s face is partially obscured by their hoodie’s hood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1) by Heather Brewer

 

Book cover for Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson, #2) by Darynda Jones. Image on cover shows a realistic painting, or maybe a heavily photoshopped photo, of a young white woman who has one hand on her hip and is wearing jeans, a jacket, and a blouse that shows a hint of cleavage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson, #2) by Darynda Jones

 

Book cover for The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. Image on cover is a drawing of a country farmhouse with an empty dirt road next to it. The farmhouse is drawn from an angle and so looks smaller than it would if it were drawn facing forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien

 

Book cover for First Among Sequels (Thursday Next, #5) by Jasper Fforde. Image on cover is a drawing of an opened book that has a small explosion bursting forth from its pages. Dust and rubble is shooting out in all directions!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. First Among Sequels (Thursday Next, #5) by Jasper Fforde

 

Book cover for Seventh Son (The Last Apprentice #1-2) by Joseph Delaney. Image on cover shows three of the characters, presumably the actors from the film version of this book. They are all white, one young woman, one young man, and one old man, and are looking dramatically to the right or facing the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Seventh Son (The Last Apprentice #1-2) by Joseph Delaney

 

Book cover for The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin. Image on cover shows what appears to be a very old door that is partially covered by grime. On the door an ornate metal object has been forged that curls into itself as if it has leaves or perhaps small tentacles. It’s beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, by N.K. Jemisin

 

Book cover for Eighth Moon: The True Story of a Young Girl's Life in Communist China by Bette Bao Lord. Image on cover shows a drawing of an arrange of purple flowers surrounding the face of a young Chinese woman, presumably the author.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.  Eighth Moon: The True Story of a Young Girl’s Life in Communist China by Bette Bao Lord

 

Book cover for The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson. Image on cover shows Calvin and Hobbes making funny faces at the audience by pulling their cheeks gently away from their teeth and sticking out their tongues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson

 

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March 5, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Hearth Stories, Springtime Fare

Book cover for Hearth Stories, Springtime Fare by B. Morris Allen, Erin Keating, Em Harriett, Erin France, and JM Cyrus. Image on cover is a painting of wild flowers growing in a meadow. There are tiny little pink, white, and blue flowers everywhere. Title: Hearth Stories, Springtime Fare

Author: B. Morris Allen, Erin Keating, Em Harriett, Erin France, and JM Cyrus

Publisher: Hearth Stories

Publication Date: March 22, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, LGBTQ+

Length: 66 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the authors.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Hearth Stories: Springtime Fair (2025) is a special issue of Hearth Stories in which each story has instructions for making something that was featured in the story (charm, recipe, ritual, etc).

This issue features the following:

Crivăț and the Snow Curse by B. Morris Allen

How to Make a Martisor

The Confession Chocolate by Erin Keating

How to Make Confession Chocolate

Creature Comforts by Em Harriett

Fox’s Almond Cake

The Soapmaker by Erin France

Unscented Soap

A Song Amongst the Prayer Ribbons by JM Cyrus

Leaf Rubbing and Forest Bathing

Content Warning: An accident that seriously injures someone’s knee.

Review:

Early spring is no time to leave the house unprepared for any sort of weather.

“The Confession Chocolate” was a cozy tale about two friends who may or may not be falling in love with each other. The storyline was straightforward, so I don’t want to share too many details about it for spoiler reasons. What I adored about it was how Mara and Lennan danced around their evolving feelings for each other while she was simultaneously grinding through the busiest time of the year at her chocolate shop. The fantasy elements of the storyline ebbed and flowed in ways that were as natural as they were playful. I think this one might be a little more appealing to fans who already love the romance genre versus those who were hoping for something deeply rooted in traditional fantasy lore, but it was delightful either way.

I had mixed feelings about “A Song Among the Prayer Ribbons.” The romantic subplot was a wonderful surprise whose details I’ll leave for others to discover for themselves, and I liked the nuanced relationship between Maren and her grumpy, elderly father. What made me pause as I was reading was the underlying theme that it’s okay for older people to be argumentative, mean-spirited, and grouchy with younger people because the former have been alive for so long. This is something that pops up regularly in both fiction and real life, and it’s something I vehemently disagree with. Yes, of course we should make some allowances for people who are grieving or in pain, but I don’t agree with the idea that living a particular number of years should grant anyone the right to treat others poorly regularly. This is something I’m saying as a younger person who has a chronic illness that causes terrible pain and other symptoms that cannot be ignored. I completely understand being in a bad mood because of how one feels, but I cannot agree with the idea that this gives anyone the license to be a jerk. Self control is key.

Stinky soap and etiquette were the conflicts in “The Soapmaker.” Conversations about someone’s odour will always be awkward no matter how gentle others try to be about it, so I kept reading with interest as the characters in this little village tried to let the kind and wonderful woman who made soap for everyone know that the scent combinations she used weren’t appealing. My favorite part of this tale was the open-ended final scene that left so much scope for the imagination. It made me wish for a sequel so I could discover what happened to the characters next.

I look forward to other readers chiming in with their thoughts on these tales.

Hearth Stories, Springtime Fare was a sweet and gentle read.

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March 4, 2026 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Fictional Things I’m Glad Are NOT Real

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

This is once again going to be a science fiction, horror, and fantasy heavy list due to how much I’ve read in those genres.

1. Vampires

Stylized drawing of a Chinese dragon that doesn’t have limbs. It’s long, snake-like body curls around itself as it flicks out its tongue and looks annoyed. 2. Zombies

3. The Borg

4. Panem (The country set in North America in the Hunger Games series that forced children to fight for their lives in epic televised battles)

5. Being the Chosen One ™. Honestly, that sounds exhausting.

6. Aliens who show up on Earth ready to fight.

7. Having a One True Love ™. Falling in love can be an excellent thing, but the pressure of believing there’s only one person out there for you and you’d better not mess things up was intense when I was single.

8. Epic adventures. This, too, sounds exhausting. Let someone else go save the world while I hunker down for the rest of the winter.

 

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March 3, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Nonfiction Titles I Recently Added to My TBR List


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten nonfiction titles I’ve recently added to my TBR list. If you’ve read any of them or have other suggestions for great titles in this genre, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Book cover for Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent by Kim Bowes. Image on cover shows a close-up photo of a silver Roman coin. The face on the coin is pointing up, and you can only see the top half of the coin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent by Kim Bowes

Why I’m interested: As I’ve mentioned here before, I prefer reading about the lives of ordinary people in the past. It’s interesting to find out what they ate and wore and what their daily lives were like.

 

Book cover for The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas by Brooke N. Newman. image on cove shows a British royal crown hanging from the black silhouette of a head as if it were an earring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Crown’s Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas by Brooke N. Newman

Why I’m interested: This is an aspect of the transatlantic slave trade that I wasn’t aware of.

Book cover for elieve You're Made for More: 7 Steps to Break Free from Low Self-Esteem, Remember Your Worth and Claim Your Quiet Confidence by Natasha Page. Image on cover shows the title written in a pink font against a blue background with the subtitle written in a yellow bubble on the bottom right hand of the cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Believe You’re Made for More: 7 Steps to Break Free from Low Self-Esteem, Remember Your Worth and Claim Your Quiet Confidence
by Natasha Page

Why I’m interested: It sounds helpful. (I don’t have a great track record with self-help books, though, so no promises that I’ll actually finish it).

Book cover for Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants by Fay-Wei Li and Jacob S. Suissa. Image on cover is a drawing of about eight different types of ferns, one of whom is red, growing towards the centre of the book cove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ferns: Lessons in Survival From Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants by Fay-Wei Li and Jacob S. Suissa.

Why I’m interested: Botany is such an interesting subject.

 

Book cover for Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic by Mia Bennett and Klaus Doods. Image on cover is a drawing created from the perspective of someone looking down at the arctic and seeing the dark sea water between icebergs as a few different cargo ships sail past each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic by Mia Bennett, Klaus Dodds

Why I’m interested: Cimate change frightens me, but I am also intrigued by how it alongside geopolitical conflicts are shaping the future of this continent. Will humans someday live there for non-scientific purposes, for example?

 

Book cover for The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy by Susan Wise Bauer. Image on cover is a historical painting of a woman lying sick in bed as two other women tend to her. I’d estimate that this scene was set in the late 1700s or early 1800s based on their attire and the little white rumpled hat one of the caretakers is wearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy by Susan Wise Bauer

Why I’m interested: I couldn’t read about contagious diseases back when Covid first emerged, but now I can occasionally explore how previous generations handled similar crises and how epidemics and pandemics e can permanently affect a culture in all sorts of interesting ways.

Book cover for The Flowers of Good: The Science and the History of Marijuana Liberation by Sidarta Ribeiro, Daniel Hahn. Image on cover is a drawing of what I presume is a marijuana plant. It’s tall, leafy, and green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Flowers of Good: The Science and the History of Marijuana Liberation by Sidarta Ribeiro, Daniel Hahn

Why I’m interested: For the record, I don’t drink, smoke, or do any sort of drugs, including this one. I also do not judge you if you’ve made other choices in life. My interest in the topic is rooted firmly, pun intended, in how this plant can be used to treat pain and nausea from all sorts of various illnesses. The less suffering in the world, the better if you ask me! Such things should never be politicized.

 

Book cover for When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery. Image on cover shows drawings of the leaves of about a half dozen different plants, none of which I can identify unfortunately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery

Why I’m interested: Can you tell I love reading about plants, especially during the cold months of the year when nothing grows? This is another topic I know nothing about but would like to.

 

Book cover for Why Not Me: Living with Invisible Illness by Lindsay Ireland. Image on cover shows dozen of little oblong shaped objects smushed together in circle. Are they bacteria multiplying in a Petri dish, maybe? They seemed to be loosely arranged in a star-like pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Why Not Me: Living with Invisible Illness by Lindsay Ireland

Why I’m interested: I don’t have multiple sclerosis, but I do like reading about the lives of other people living with chronic, invisible illnesses. We often share a lot in common, and it’s rewarding to learn about the aspects of other diseases that are generally only known to those who are quietly dealing with them. Having empathy and/or sympathy for others is a good thing that I think should be encouraged more often than many parts of western society currently do.

 

Book cover for Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others by Stephanie Dalley. Image on cover shows a man carved into a stone wall. He has a long beard and appears to have two large wings sprouting out behind him as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others by Stephanie Dalley

Why I’m interested: I was lucky enough to learn a little about this topic in college, but there’s still so much I don’t know about it. Mythology is fascinating, so this is definitely something I’ll be checking out sometime.

 

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