Dawn (Xenogenesis #1) by Octavia E Bulter: I LOVED this book. Lilith Iyapo lost her husband and son before the atomic war and wakes up to find herself on a massive alien spacecraft – after the Oankali have kept her asleep for hundreds of years. The Oankali survive by genetic trading – whether humans like it or not. I was really swept up by this book and love that the hero of this science fiction story was a woman of color. I already have the next two books in the series on hold.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: M read this to me and the baby and we really enjoyed it.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan: Another Read Harder book, this was a middle grade novel. Otto finds himself lost in the forest where he meets three sisters and finds himself engulfed in a quest involving a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each become interwoven by the same harmonica. I really enjoyed this one and found it to be an uplifting and fast read.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (audiobook): I finally read this one! It was informative, as it to be expected of Pollan, and incredibly convicting.

Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson: I only picked this one up because of Read Harder and I have to say, even non-superhero graphic novels are not for me.

The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids who are Ground, Generous and Smart about Money by Ron Lieber: Filled with practical advice about teaching kids about money, this book assumes a certain upper middle class reality that I don’t see most families having. I think we’ll consider of his ideas ourselves.

Hello, Cruel World by Kate Bornstein: My last Read Harder book! Bornstein bravely and wittily shares personal and unorthodox methods of survival in an often cruel world.

What I Watched: The Nightmare Before Christmas