What I Read

My favorite March release that I actually got to was Infinite Country by Patricia Engel. This story of a family separated by borders, distance, and shame was utterly beautiful, and remained hopeful through the heartache. 

I also loved The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. I thought I was done with World War 2 historical fiction, but Quinn’s complex characters, original plot, and inclusion of historical figures had me riveted. [To hear me discuss every book I read in March ranked from least favorite to favorite, consider joining my Patreon community of readers.]

I can’t stop thinking about this Anne Helen Peterson piece about teacher demoralization.

This memorial to Beverly Cleary and the way she wrote children

Author Nicole Chung’s article about adoption and anti-Asian racism in the U.S. is a must-read

This article about the importance of representation and the problem of Dr. Suess was the best thing I read about this controversy. 

What I Watched

The best show I watched in March was I May Destroy You. It’s a difficult watch that explores rape, consent, internet culture, and so much more, in a thoroughly original and nuanced manner. It’s also a great pairing for Promising Young Woman, and, in my opinion, does what the movie attempted in a far superior way.

My husband and I also watched and loved The Good Lord Bird. Now I really want to read the book by James McBride!

We also watched all three new Star Trek movies three nights in a row! The first one is by far the best, but I enjoyed them all.

Godzilla vs. Kong may not sound like my type of movie, but I’ve actually been almost exclusively watching good-bad action movies this past year. This one wasn’t great, but it was super fun to watch something brand new.

I had a blast revisiting 10 Things I Hate About You with the FictionMatters Patreon community and watching all of the Pride and Prejudice adaptations as part of Austen month with Novel Pairings.

What I Listened To

I was on an episode of 10 Things to Tell You talking with the wonderful Laura Tremaine about why I read and what I’ve learned from reading fiction.

I’m still starting each day with both Up First and What a Day.

The Ezra Klein Show episode called “Finally, a Covid Conversation You Can Feel Good About,” is just what it advertises and will help you feel hopeful about the coming months.

Sarah’s Bookshelves is my go-to source for new releases. I loved the March episode where Sarah and Catherine revisited their anticipated winter books to share their thoughts after reading and their anticipated spring release episode.

What I Made

We made a lot of Instant Pot recipes from the Milk Street cookbook. Some favorites have been the meatballs in spicy tomato-basil sauce and the chicken in green mole.

Avocado toast with cherry tomatoes, balsamic glaze, and everything-but-the-bagel seasoning was a staple this month. Another mainstay was breakfast sandwiches for any meal.

I still make this caramelized shallot pasta about once a month. And, speaking of caramelizing, we did make the New York Times French onion grilled cheese sandwiches this month two. Highly recommend these with a side of grapes.

The Things I Loved

I used my birthday as an excuse to spend some money upgrading my skincare routine. I’ve been using and loving this cleansing balm and this foaming cleanser from Farmacy. I’m also really into this vitamin C serum, which has been really effective at evening my skin tone, and this mineral sunscreen, which is extremely moisturizing and goes on so smoothly.

These jeans from American Eagle are so comfy. Bonus: they seem to always be on sale.

I splurged on a pair of Birdie’s new sneaker style. These took more time to break in than my Starling style did, but now that I have, they’re great.

This lightweight sweater and this colorful cardigan have been perfect transitional pieces for spring.