6. March is...

First off, I want to apologize to you, my readers, for not posting in February. I want you to know that I did write and I did do some challenges in my personal life. What I didn't do is share it. I decided that a lot of it was overwhelming and also not really that interesting to read about! So, I am sorry if you were one of the few people who asked me why I had dropped off the face of the earth. I am back, and I think we can all agree that February is a write off month for most of us. I may finish writing about events in February and post them later, but who knows! Let's leave it a unknown, shall we? I have Mystery Inc. on speed dial if you really can't hang. And before you scold me and shove a calendar in my face, I want you to know I am aware that I am posting this blog in April and in fact not in March. Let's just give each other grace across the board please!

So, March is:... If you had a childhood like mine then you finished the sentence with READING MONTH! March is reading month. Growing up, March was when you put a sticker on your folder every time you finished a book. March was when you did Battle of the books and showed that your school had the best 5th graders and other schools were inferior. You then carried home a trophy with a magic genie lamp on top because the best trophy top for a reading competition, is in fact, a genie lamp. Obviously.

March was when you entered the world of heroes and geniuses and characters you loved as if they were your best friends. March was when you could get away with smelling books and no one would be weirded out! If you have never smelled a book before, I highly recommend it. Dig out those Newberry prize winners and get sniffing my friend! Anyways, March was always about reading for me, and I realized recently that I have been missing the Marches of my childhood. This is when I dreamed up a new goal for myself.

I started the month hoping to read 5 books. I thought that was how I could pay tribute to reading month. I gathered recommendations from friends, coworkers, Instagram etc. I picked my five books and patted myself on the back for assembling a very sophisticated and well rounded list. Then this quarantine happened... So amidst the chaos I found myself in the third week of March having only read ONE of my books. Once all the hub-bub was over and the dust cleared I realized there were empty days that needed filling and a stack of books that was suing me for neglect.

I sat down and took a look at my books. That carefully curated and well thought out stack of reading material spoke to me in that moment. The stack said: "you don't want to read me". I was appalled! What nerve this stack of books had. First to accuse me of neglect and then to insist that I wanted nothing to do with them... The nerve! But also, the stack was not wrong. Yeah... I had NO desire to read them. No desire to become smarter or challenge myself.

I wondered what was wrong with me. Why was I having such issues with reading these books? My answer came to me quicker than I thought it would. I realized that I was putting pressure on myself to only read when it was clear I would grow from the experience. Now come along on my train of thought for a moment...As human beings we have come up with a lot of ways to entertain ourselves. Music, tv, books, podcasts and so on. All of these things come in a variety though! There is music for dancing around ones' kitchen, but there is also music for pondering, challenging, worshipping, protesting, learning, conversing, grieving etc. The list goes on and on! The same thing applies to movies and tv series. We can chose to watch another episode of Schitts creek, or we can watch the news, a documentary, a cooking show. With all of this being true, it stands to reason that reading books can come in many forms. We as human beings create this variety because we need variety.

Looking at my books I could see that Reese Witherspoon had more say in my reading list than I did! Now don't get me wrong, Reese is a hero to us all, but I wasn't excited to read. I found myself wanting to bring back 11-year-old Hannah. The girl who would skip meals, stay up until 4 a.m. just to read one more chapter. I longed to weep at the end of a good series because I was so sad it was over! (yeah I do that, get over it) I wanted to fall asleep on my floor and wake up with lines on my face and smushed remains of a book.

Now this desire to return to jovial childhood did not result in me reading Percy Jackson books. (Though the thought crossed my mind) Instead I did what I love doing most... I RESEARCHED!! Some of you are clapping for me, but I am sure a few of you are rolling your eyes. But honestly I am rather proud! I watched tweens on Youtube tell me about their favorite novel crushes. I looked up authors I used to read and found some of their more recent work. I walked down memory lane and dug up some classic novels I read during my "Rory Gilmore" era. I even looked into some books about the ocean just because my love of aquatic creatures will not be denied!

None of these books were award winning. No "earth shattering super relevant to society" content. Just books I thought I would pick up and maybe not put down. But just to make sure I didn't slack off, I got an accountability partner... Although I don't think either of us finished the book for our little "book club" whoopsi daisy... Regardless, I was trying! I realized I needed to try harder and grow my book collection. But how?

Well, I needed to find what variety of reading worked for me. ( I couldn't let myself get away with just y.a. novels) But I also got to thinking about the rest of my quarantine time. Fortunately working from home has taken up some time. But I had to decide how to fill the rest of it! I am sure many of you have struggled with this as well...

I told myself to be more organized. Deep clean the entire house, Work on your art, don't watch as much tv, listen to what others need from you and provide it. These are all admirable goals, but they have caused a great deal of stress. And honestly, I get mad at myself when I am unable to get them done in one day. So how do we make the most of this time?

I decided I merely wanted to be happier and honest about the things that bring me joy. All of the books that were recommended to me meant something to their reader. The books gave that reader a positive experience. So maybe I should keep my stack of five books, but seek out some titles of my own that I know I will enjoy. Maybe if I'm enjoying my reading list I will be more able to spread positivity to others.... Now Imma get serious for a moment so prepare yourself...

Perhaps you are overwhelmed by positive energy and talk of "hang in there" "could be worse", or maybe you are surrounded with negativity. Maybe everyone in your life is anxious or simply can not combat the challenges and unknowns they are facing. Whatever the case is, I hope you aren't contributing to your own unhappiness, or the unhappiness of others.

In other words, use this time to fulfill your needs. That could mean be a little more selfless today. That could mean say two positive things for every negative thing you say. Also if you want to do something simply because it will make you happy... then do it! (unless it involves sneezing in public spaces) Don't let others make you feel like your interests aren't interesting. If they interest you then they probably interest someone else to. We have variety in our world because there are a variety of people. Your neighbor may not be like you, but your neighbors' neighbor may be your kindred spirit! So give grace to others and their interests, and give some grace to yourself too. We don't have to read Moby Dick or even want to read Moby Dick to be a valid reader.

So now that my tangent has become a lecture.... I am going to get back to reading. The moral of my rants is: Do something for you. If you take a moment to do something simply for yourself; simply because it makes you happy, then it will be so much easier for you to be there for others. Please take the time to take care of yourself so that you CAN take care of others! I decided to change my reading list. What will you decide to do? Make a change. If you aren't a fan of reading try an audio book maybe? I don't know. Start exercising? Maybe eating copious amounts of chocolate is all you need! Or perhaps you'd like to watch as many DCOMs as you can (I would totally respect that) But SHARE what makes you happy please!

I will unapologetically share my new book list with you. Because they are all making me happy, and I want to give you some of my happiness if I can.

Now don't be too impressed, I did not read all of these books in the last week of March, but my new goal is to finish the books by the end of Quarantine, and I will update this blog with more reviews as I continue to chip away at my list. Let me know if these books bring you joy. Please tag me @its_raining_somewhere_blog on Instagram with the hashtag: #ifitmakesyouhappy . Because, if it makes you happy, it can't be that bad no can it? (Cheryl Crow knows what's up). I want to know what has brought YOU joy during this time.

And if you're struggling, then take heart! It's raining somewhere.

- Hannah

(continue reading for some book reviews and rankings)

READING LIST

Y.A. books

- Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi (6 books)

I have begun reading this series after it was recommended to me by one of my housemates.I really enjoy the main characters! it centers around a girl and her "powers" as her touch can hurt people. The writing is highly poetic and Mafi has such a way of describing feelings it makes it a quick and thoughtful read. So far I am only 1 book in but plan to complete the series! 4/5

- Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas (7 book series)

I have read three of the seven books. Honestly stuck in a rut with this series. But there are really good supporting characters and a well-crafted world. It is very whimsical so if you love magic, I bet you will connect with the main character. 3/5

Novels

-All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

- The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

- Mr. Darcy's little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson

I honestly do not think my mother ever read this book, but I found it buried in the books shelf in pristine condition. I figured it would either be a new gem for me to gush over or a good laugh at published fan fiction. Though I am not finished, I find that it has been a jovial experience filled with laughter and a newfound connection to some of my favorite classic characters. 3/5

Classics

- Little Women by Louis May Alcott

- Persuasion by Jane Austen

For my Gender literature course in college we read Persuasion. Being the cliché human I am, my favorite classics author is Jane Austen. After having read this novel in class it quickly became one of my favorites by Austen. I love re-reading books and I find that characters like Anne and Wentworth from Persuasion have given me a lot of understanding about human nature. If you are like me, they may be characters you connect with as well. 5/5

Lifestyle

- Quiet by Susan Cain

This book is all about being an introvert. I am what I lovingly refer to as a loud mouth introvert. This book has given me a lot of peace about being an introvert, and actually helped me understand my place amongst extraverts as well. I've read it a few times over the years and highly recommend stocking it on your shelf whether you are an introvert, extravert, or just a human kind of thing. 4/5

-The life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo

I know you are probably rolling your eyes at me. But I am an organized chaos kind of girl. I am also Japanese and have a mother who does not like my chaotic nature. So this book entered my life at the age of 17... Unfortunately for my mother it didn't take. But as I get ready to move I decided I needed to reimagine my possessions, so I found myself with this book! I highly recommend it. Especially if you are looking into a capsule wardrobe or the minimalist approach. 4/5

Christian Literature

- Torn by Justin Lee

- Christ-Centered Exposition Exalting Jesus in Exodus by Tony Merida and edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin and Tony Merida

Not gonna lie, this is an Old Testament commentary book. So if you aren't writing a teaching or just oddly obsessed with Exodus you don't need to read this. But If you are a big Moses fan like myself, 5/5 would recommend!

- A Theology of the Ordinary by Julie Canlis

I read this book with some of my students last year, and we got to meet the author! It is a super quick read, but I wanted to dive back in because this book is all about the God of the ordinary. In these rather unordinary times, it can be a comfort to remember that He is the God of the Ordinary AND the extraordinary. So what does that look like for us and how can we reimagine our faith right now? I wonder... READ IT! 5/5