11. Abbott Elementary Is Calling Your Name
What I'm reading and doing lately, plus my top priority books for 2022 from authors I've read before
Hello! January is almost (finally) over and I’m ready for February because that means ~February Break!~ Nick and I are going on a trip to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and I am so excited and ready to be warm and relaxed after the craziness that this winter as a teacher has been.
Regardless of the grades, report cards, COVID, class quarantine, holidays, and more…I’ve still had some time to read. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately!
What I’m Reading
Kindle Book: God Bless This Mess by Hannah Brown
Physical Book: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Audio Book: Reckless Girls
January Wrap-Up
I read a COMPLETE mix of genres this month: YA thriller, nonfiction, contemporary fiction, mystery, literary fiction, thriller, memoir, and dystopian fiction. One book was a reread, and many were audiobooks.
You’ll Be The Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
The Maid by Nita Prose
Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
What I’m Doing
Watching: Abbott Elementary. If you haven’t watched this show, what are you doing? It’s a mockumentary like the Office but set in a school. I’ve never seen anything so clearly depict what life as a teacher is like. The grim realities of teaching are laid on the line but in a hilariously relatable way.
One scene that I literally had to pause because I was laughing so hard was when the do-nothing principal calls a morning meeting. This exchange occurs:
She’s referring to those mini boxes of cereal. No milk. No bowl. No spoon. Now the reason why this had me in stitches was because the week prior, my school said the union president was coming and brining breakfast. Many of us chose to forgo breakfast, only to find a bag of untoasted bagels. No cream cheese, no butter, no thing to put on top. Just a bag of bread.
^Also literally me on Friday when my student said he was watching Ted Lasso last night or any time my student wears a Venom mask to school.
Listening To: Honestly, I’m still listening to Red (Taylor’s Version). And I’m not mad about it.
Eating: Nick and I took a cooking class last week and had so many leftovers, then decided to cook the same recipe again last night. The class was vegetarian Indian food, and we learned how to cook chana masala, aloo chat, mango lassi, basmati rice, and yogurt cucumber salad. Turns out the proper spice selection is key so Nick had a ball at our local Indian spice store. Also, who knew washing rice makes such a difference? Probably everyone but me.
Self Care: After a particularly ROUGH day at school, I decided to ball out on the self-care. I got a body scrub for the shower, a face mask, a new Olive and June nail color, and a bag of Reese’s. BUT the absolute BEST thing I did was this ManiMe Pedi mask which made my dried out feet feel soooo soft.
Doing: Nick and I have been going to a lot of classes lately. Cooking class, candle making class, axe throwing class. Next on the docket: paint and sip and a session at SkyZone, a literal indoor trampoline park.
Buying: More Who Gives a Crap toilet paper, recycled toilet paper and other goods. I like their reusable paper towels but also got some regular paper towls this time too.
Another recent buy is Magic Spoon cereal. I was susceptible to this Instagram ad because I am a cereal addict. I eat it nearly every single day as a snack — midday or post-dinner. Recently, I was realizing I was eating so much and still feeling hungry. Magic Spoon has 12-14 g of protein, 4 g of carbs, and 0 g of sugar, compared to other cereal brands’ 1-3 g of protein, 27-32 g of carbs, and 11-13 g of sugar. And I’m not kidding you when I say somehow they still made this stuff TASTE GOOD?!
Oh, and Ritual vitamins to try to see if I can do ANYTHING to stop being so freaking tired all the time.
On my TBR for 2022
There are SO many great reads coming up, but here are the TOP ones on my radar by authors I’ve read before…it’s a lot, but you’re welcome. I will send out a list of books by authors I have NOT read in my next newsletter!
THE PARIS APARTMENT by Lucy Foley, author of THE GUEST LIST, out February 22nd
A locked room mystery about a woman who shows up to her half-brother’s strangely-nice Paris apartment to find him missing
My third Foley, I enjoyed her other two books
BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry, author of BEACH READ, out May 3rd
An enemies-to-lovers story about a literary agent and an editor who coincidentally run into each other in small-town North Carolina over the summer
My third Henry, BEACH READ is one of my all-time faves
SOMETHING WILDER by Christina Lauren, author of THE UNHONEYMOONERS, out May 17th
A love story set in a Utah National Park during a treasure hunt
I’ve read every single CLo standalone book so they’re auto-buy for me!
PART OF YOUR WORLD by Abby Jimenez, author of LIFE’S TOO SHORT, out April 19th
An age-gap romance between a city woman and a country man
This is my 3rd Jimenez, and I enjoyed all her books
ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle, author of IN FIVE YEARS, out March 1st
A woman reeling after the loss of her mother travels to the Amalfi Coast on a trip they had planned together
I read IN FIVE YEARS and did NOT like it, so this is my second choice
FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD by Elle Cosimano, sequel to FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT, out February 1st
Finlay grapples with the discovery of an online hit on her ex-husband
I have read both installments in this series and loved them both!
THE YOUNGER WIFE by Sally Hepworth, author of THE GOOD SISTER, out April 5th
A husband is remarrying a young wife while his current wife is still in the hospital for dementia
This will be my second Hepworth and I have many of her others on my TBR because it was so good!
THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark, author of THE LAST FLIGHT, out June 21st
A twisted domestic thriller that dives deep into the psyches and motivations of two women and their quest to seek justice for the past
I read Clark’s THE LAST FLIGHT in one day last year
THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE the Lake Riley Sager, author of SURVIVE THE NIGHT, out July 7th
Casey watches her neighbors across the lake, until one day she has to save one of them from drowning and realizes the truth behind their marriage
This will be my 3rd Sager, pretty middle-of-the-road thrillers for me but I still enjoy them as beach reads
ONE NIGHT ON THE ISLAND by Josie Silver, author of ONE DAY IN DECEMBER, out February 15th
Dating columnist Cleo goes of a self-coupling quasi-sabbatical to a remote Irish Island, but her retreat is interrupted when she finds out her one-bedroom has been double booked
This will be my third Silver, I really liked LYDIA BIRD
I KISSED SHARA WHEELER by Casey McQuiston, author of RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, out May 3rd
Chloe’s high school rival, Shara, kisses her and then vanishes, leaving Chloe and two others to figure out Shara’s trail of clues to find her
This is my third McQuiston and their first YA book
THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda, author of THE LAST HOUSE GUEST, out July 26th
Abby manages The Passage Inn, a cozy resort near Cutter’s Pass and she loves her job — but a string of unsolved disappearances haunting the town is thrust into the spotlight by a journalist who then disappears himself
This will be my 4th Miranda, similar to Sager — nothing groundbreaking but a great summer read
LOVE THAT STORY: OBSERVATIONS FROM A GORGEOUSLY QUEER LIFE by Jonathan Van Ness, author of OVER THE TOP, out April 12th
A candid and curious essay collection that ranges from reflections on grief to the HIV safety net and white privilege to the ways he’s learned to embrace change
I read JVN’s memoir as an audiobook and it was incredible
UPGRADE by Blake Crouch, out July 19th
A sci-fi story where Logan has been infected by a virus that is designed to modify his genetic structure, and realizes that he is suddenly a genius
This will be my second Crouch, I did NOT like DARK MATTER so this will be my second chance
TIME IS A MOTHER by Ocean Vuong, author of ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS, out April 5th
A deeply intimate poetry collection detailing the aftershocks of his mother’s death
Vuong’s book was a favorite of 2019 for me
YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY by Akwaeke Emezi, author of THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI, out May 24th
It’s been five years since the love of her life died in an accident, and Feyi finally meets an intriguing new man
I loved VIVEK OJI (didn’t like PET, though) but regardless I am excited for this one
THE SUMMER PLACE by Jennifer Weiner, author of MRS. EVERYTHING, out May 10th
A testament to family in its messy glory, this love letter to Cape Cod follows a stepdaughter’s engagement and whirlwind wedding planning
This will be my 4th Weiner book — MRS. EVERYTHING is my favorite but I love the ones I’ve read set on the Cape, too
OUR LAST DAYS IN BARCELONA by Chanel Cleeton, author of NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA, out May 24th
When Isabel Perez travels to Barcelona to save her sister Beatriz, she discovers a shocking family secret
This will be my fourth Cleeton, I’ll read anything she writes because the historical fiction is just too good
MEANT TO BE MINE by Hannah Orenstein, author of HEAD OVER HEELS, out June 7th
A sweeping love story about a woman who knows the date she’ll meet her true love, but when the day arrives — it doesn’t go as planned
This will be my second Orenstein, and her last was a cute, cozy read (and my first-ever ARC!)
Liv’s Little Library Feature
THE RUNAWAY WOK by Ying Chang Compestine is a Chinese New Year tale about a boy who goes to the market to buy food and ocmes home with a magical wok
