What I Read: April 2025

April was a blur and other things you've probably already heard.

I’m trying to decide what to write to you this month. My kids are at their grandparents for two whole days and whenever this happens I get a little intense about making it The Best Kid-Free Time Possible. And then I end up so busy leading up to their absence that when it arrives I just… keep doing what I need to do, like laundry, and freelance work, and dishes.

It is delicious to be in my own home, in silence, and working without interruption (well, except from Scott who took the day off and is using his kid-free time to repair a couple of screens on our porch. Adulting!). Being home alone also happens so infrequently that I almost don’t know what to do when that time arrives. Do I get ahead on All The Things so that re-entry isn’t so bad? Do I lounge in pajamas and read books cover-to-cover? Do I make plans with friends? I’m always paralyzed by the possibilities!

What do you prioritize when you find yourself with a day that isn’t necessarily committed to anything in particular? The rarity makes them feel so precious that I always assume I am doing it wrong.

In other news, Arthur is 8 now. We took a birthday hike (his choice) and both kids walked the 2.5 miles without complaining or asking me to carry them even once. This truly is a new era of parenting.

That same morning, our area got a massive hail storm that means we need a new roof, some new siding, and new garage doors — and we were on the lighter end of the hail where it was “only” golf ball sized. The next town over saw hail that measured 2.75”, and not a roof or vehicle was spared at least some damage. We are grateful for insurance, for cars parked in a garage, and also not thrilled to be dealing with the paperwork it all entails. All the days contain multitudes, and they sure are exhausting to keep up with.

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Here’s What I Read in April:

Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto {nonfiction}

by Tricia Hersey

Ashley Brooks recommended this in her January newsletter around the same time I had gone on my little tangent about my ups and downs with practicing a Sabbath. I loved the arguments that Hersey is making about our need to see rest not just as a way to reclaim our own humanity, but also as a rejection of the capitalist ideology that our bodies are here to be owned and exploited by capital. Hersey is writing as a Black woman and theologian, and much of her manifesto urges other Black people to step away from the hustle culture that reimposes a system of slavery upon them. Some quotes in Hersey’s own words:

• "You are worthy of rest. We don't have to earn rest. Rest is not a luxury, a privilege, or a bonus we must wait for once we are burned out." - page 28

• "Our work is not about a one-day only event, where leaving your homes is necessary to rest in a fancy retreat center or hotel. This work is about a slow unraveling that will require our participation for our entire lives." - page 61

• "The belief that what one does and experiences does not affect everyone around them is a myth and disease that Americans severely suffer from." - page 76

• "I keep hearing about the ways we exhaust ourselves to be seen as valuable and I am wondering when we will shift to see our inherent worth." - page 86

• "Rest disrupts and makes space for invention, imagination, and restoration. Rest is an imagination tool because it makes space to simply be. To be a human being is an ancient miracle that we overlook when we work so hard to prove our worth via exhaustion." - page 161

There was so much good stuff in this book, and I think it is well-worth reading. That said, it’s a manifesto, and it gets really repetitive and circular at times. I think the topic and the book itself could be more approachable if the text had been streamlined to better let the main ideas shine through and lean on the supporting evidence, rather than be all muddled together.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.FM

All Creatures Great & Small {memoir-ish/audiobook}

by James Herriot

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially on audio. The narrator has a light Scottish brogue, which can take some getting used to, but which I grew to love as the chapters rolled by. This is a fictionalized memoir of a country veterinarian in Yorkshire, set in the 1930s. Herriot’s real name, James Wight, was an actual vet at this time and in this place, but he crafted his memoirs with a good deal of literary license, creating a fictional town to set his story in. The descriptions of the hills and pastoral farms are delightful, and nearly every one of the 60+ chapters left me with a smile on my face. There are several more volumes, but this first one clocked in at 15 hours — a bit of a heavy lift for me to listen to solo during a library loan period. So I’ll likely pause on the series for now, but with some sadness at the fact.

**Content warming: The nature of this book of course deals with a great many descriptions of medium-gross ailments in livestock, and many times when Herriot or colleagues are called out to help with a cow or horse having a rough time giving birth. If medical procedure descriptions or birth stories are hard for you, I’d skip this for now.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.FM

The Secret World of Weather {nonfiction}

by Tristan Gooley

Confession: I didn’t read the whole book… but only because I plan to buy a copy of my own so I sent my library copy back.

Gooley writes in a concept-by-concept way to help you read your local micro-climate and recognize patterns to help you better predict your own weather outcomes. Your local-ish weather channel is great! But they can’t predict what’s going to happen where you live, where you hike, and where you spend your time the most. I love the nerdiness of this, and I’ve already learned and incorporated so much into my daily life.

I’m also reading The Weather Detective by Peter Wohlleben to see which I like best, and I think The Secret World of Weather is easier to digest, for what it’s worth.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.FM

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: A Novel {fiction/audiobook}

by Gabrielle Zevin

This was a bit nerdy, a bit literary, and really compelling.

Two friends meet as kids, and then have a falling out. They reconnect in college and end up building an award-winning video game together, which pushes them and a third friend/roommate into running a company and trying to follow up that hit game over the next two decades. There’s a lot about friendship, creativity, agency, bodily autonomy, romantic love, and 1990s tech all woven into one story. And it works. I would have kept listening to even more.

If you have read it or do read it, I’d love to discuss one thing I’d like to nitpick but don’t want to give away any plot points. If that’s you, email or message me!

Content warning: there is an episode of gun violence in the novel. There’s plenty of lead-up, so no surprises. There is also extremely brief mention of abortion and depression, as well as an emotionally abusive relationship. It’s all handled rather matter-of-factly, but steer clear if you’re not in a place where you can read/hear about those topics.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.FM

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What I’m Reading with the Kids:

We finished Mary Poppins (this version really is gorgeous) and I can’t honestly say I understand it’s appeal. The writing was great, with so many interesting characters, but there really isn’t a plot? And I don’t understand if I’m supposed to like Mary Poppins or not? Or why Jane and Michael are sad to see her leave? Is anyone an expert in why it’s a much-beloved classic? If so, please give me some intel so that I actually understand the story — or lack thereof. Maybe I’ll enjoy it more in retrospect?

Earlier this school year, we began Five Little Peppers and it was slow going. It was tough as a read-aloud because the five siblings are constantly interrupting each other and talking over each other, which is hard to communicate when you are not a voice actor. We didn’t finish it before it had to return to the library, but I thought we’d give it another try on audio and that has been the ticket. It’s actually enjoyable to listen to someone else doing all the voices, and we were able to finish it. The ending wrapped up so neat, albeit a little predictably, and the kids immediately asked for the second in the series.

We began The Magician’s Nephew this month, taking a break from the recommended Free Reads from Ambleside. Arthur keeps begging for one more chapter! And I try to oblige when it’s not already past his little sister’s bedtime.

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What I’m Reading Next:

I hit a serious jackpot at the Oregon Library Book Sale. Their bag sale was only $3! I came home with two paper grocery sacks of books — a mix of reference books my kids love to flip through, picture books, and middle grade stuff they will grow into. I found lots of folk tales, specifically from Indigenous and African traditions, and I was thrilled to see I picked out a few at random that Story of the World recommends.

I’ve heard great things about The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, so I think that might be my next read before I pass it onto a middle school reader who is going to need extra material this summer when she is parted from her school library.

What are you reading right now? Hit “reply” and tell me!