Happy March! This week, my twins turned fifteen (yikes!), so we celebrated with cookies, chocolate-covered fruit and cold medicine (yuck!). Plus, since it is officially Middle Grade March, I celebrated with a few books, too. This week, I have three books to share, a writing spiral for your notebook and some new desktop calendars, too.

What I'm Reading:

I started the week with an adult book and finished with two middle grade / young adult books. My reading heart is happy. Here are the three reasons why:

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson

I picked this up because I love reading books about books, bookstores, book culture and anything bookish, really. So I wasn’t surprised when I felt an instant kinship with Nora, an underpaid and overworked editorial assistant barely hanging on to her life. As hoped, I gained an inside perspective into the world of publishing, but came away with so much more. As Nora grapples with her position and the choices she’s made to stay afloat, she shows readers even more: insights into the sneaky arrival of depression, the difficult quest for happiness and making bold choices to find yourself. I absolutely loved this book.

Shelby and Watts Tide Pool Troubles by Ashlyn Anstee

This was a delightful book with a powerful ecology lesson, too. Anstee introduces us to Shelby and Watts, a fox and badger who love learning new facts and solving mysteries. Tasked with the job of figuring out where all the shells have gone so Fred the Hermit Crab can grow into a new shell, they set off to solve the mystery. They meet new animals along the way, take important notes in their notebook and ultimately, solve the lesson with their inferring skills. This graphic novel not only hooks readers in with the bright illustrations, it teaches pretty interesting facts along the way (Did you know Sea Cucumbers breathe through their butt?!) and fosters inferencing skills, too. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. 

The Crossover Graphic Novel by Kwamee Alexander & Dawud Anyabwile

I already fell in love with the original The Crossover book told in verse. In fact, I love all Kwamee Alexander’s books and knew that I’d love this graphic novel, too. I was right. While Alexander’s writing was all I needed to mentally visualize the story on my own, I did love the illustrations to literally bring it to life on the page. Told only in the colors of basketball (orange, black, white and all the shades in between), the story and feelings emerge across the page just as they did in my mind: lessons on life, on love, on family and on the legacy we leave behind. I loved pairing this graphic version with the verse version and can’t wait to share it with young readers, too. 

What I'm Writing:

With all that’s going on in the world and in our lives, Austin Kleon has the perfect prompt for our notebooks right now: the Intentional Spiral. Here’s how:

  • Turn to a fresh page in your notebook and draw a spiral (a series of nested circles growing larger and larger on the page).
  • Annotate the spiral with the thoughts and feelings in your mind and heart. You can note these randomly or arrange them in the spiral based on how close they are to your heart and impact your daily living. Get it all out on the page. 
  • Breathe. Know that your notebook has your back and you can proceed with your day just a bit lighter. 

That’s it! For me, just writing everything down that is on my mind helps me reduce the stress those thoughts are causing. And for some reason, using the spiral metaphor seemed to help me do just that. I hope it helps you, too. 

What I'm Learning:

After reading Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson, I did a little digging on how exactly a book is made, start to finish. This resource from the NY Times was exactly what I needed to satisfy my curiosity. Well, that and this article from Wonderopolis. Now, I’m on a quest to find a place where I can watch this process from start to finish, kind of like the ride in Hershey Park where you can see the m&m’s being made. =) Anyone know where I can do that? 

In the meantime, I’m putting together a bibliotherapy book list on all things bookish: books about books. What book would you add to my list?

What I'm Loving:

My son and I watched an anime movie together: A Silent Voice. I didn’t expect to like it so much, but was shocked by the lessons about humanity, kindness and connection that were inside. 

Tombow’s new desktop and mobile screensavers for March have been released! I love this month’s image!

1Canoe2 released a March desktop calendar: March is For the Birds!

Do you have a book sleeve? I think I want this one from KeeperScraps on Etsy.

Have you seen these reusable sticky notes? I’m picturing what these would look like in every room of my house. =)

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?