I’m surprised I logged five books in March, because I spent most of the month wrestling through an ARC of Tia Levings’ new book (which I still haven’t finished).
Sight Unseen by Alexis Marie (4 stars) This magical-realism novel is the author’s original adaptation of her GOAT Dramione fanfic, Measure of a Man. It’s a slow burn romance with a mystery and a cute kid. I liked the magic system she built, the Pacific Northwest setting, and the overall vibe. I got it early through Kindle First Reads, which was exciting since I would have snatched it up as soon as it came out.
Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times by Elizabeth Oldfield (5 stars) I heard this author on Pantsuit Politics and, by the end of the episode, made an executive decision to read this book for March book club. Her framework is the traditional seven deadly sins, how they show up in modern life, and how we can choose to be “fully alive” instead. It’s challenging, encouraging, and not excessively Christian. She addresses her exvangelical baggage periodically and makes her message accessible to people of any or no belief. I will probably revisit this one in the future. (For more current takes on the seven deadly sins, see On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen, which was also a five-star read for me.)
House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget by Myquillyn Smith (3 stars) I flipped through this at the dining room table a few minutes at a time while we packed up our house. Good principles for starting over decor-wise.
All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball by Kate Spencer (4 stars) I love Kate, former co-host of Forever 35, and am happy to report that her latest novel is her best yet. After losing her mom, Bex is struggling to keep her family’s racquet club going. When a disgraced tennis star comes to town, he and Bex enter a pickleball tournament as partners to rehab his image and get her the money she needs for the club. This fun story touches on a lot of important themes like grief, community, family pressures, and adult ADHD (seriously).
I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy by Kate Strickler (3 stars) It was ironic to read this while actively in the process of getting a bigger kitchen that is already making me happy. The book is an examination of what the title says. It was fine.
2026 Total YTD: 16
We closed on a new home in East Memphis on March 9 and moved last weekend. !!! Having lived in Midtown for almost 11 years and made it my entire personality, this is a MAJOR change for me – I will definitely share more soon about that. But believe me when I tell you the house is worth it. So far, being more centrally located is great too. It was probably the easiest move I’ve had, which I credit to 1. Taylor handling all the logistics and 2. having money to throw at problems. Still, no move is really easy. The weekend before, we took a family spring break trip to Florida (more to come on that). Our flight home was so delayed that we arrived home at 4:30 am on Monday. By the end of the day we were all exhausted and sick from the half-inch of tree pollen covering everything. It was hard to recover. All week, I threw together a few boxes at a time in the evenings and then went to bed with C while Taylor stayed up super late packing.
We’re having a laundry room and a small office built in the new house. It was supposed to be finished by the time we moved in, but is of course delayed by inspections, so we have moved into a construction zone. Meaning we won’t be fully settled until all that is resolved. We also still have to finish cleaning out the new house and get it listed. All this with a preschooler who demands our full attention 24/7. At this point I just want to wander off into the woods by myself. But I can wander off into our new yard, which is almost as good. We have a huge lot of over an acre, and if Plantfinder is correct, we have 13 types of trees! One part of the yard is walled off and I’ve claimed it for my garden. Very excited to start on that soon.
Anyway, lots more to come on all of this. I’ve just needed a minute to collect myself.