What is Ms. Fitz reading? Here’s the view from May 2, 2020.

Time in April seemed to be completely elastic, either racing by or moving so slow it was pretty much backwards. For the first part of the month, I focused so much on the teaching and connecting part of my job (you can see more about that here and here), I am most completely ignored the reading part. I had trouble focusing, and even when I opened a book, couldn’t read more than a few pages. I felt sad, and it definitely felt like something was missing. Approximately 10 billion abandoned books later, I got hooked on an audiobook… and now, I’m back in action!

Our school building has been completely closed since March, which has impacted my goal of reading from our collection. Instead of sharing how many books are from our school’s library, I’ll share that 9 of these 16 books were recommended by, or shared with, students and friends. (Are you a part of any “digital book club” meetings? They’re the best part of reading for me right now! Maybe we should start one together?)

In April, I especially loved Like a Love Story, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Max and the Midknights, Gender Queer, Strays like Us, Chirp, After the Shot Drops, Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom, and Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

I thought that my brain didn’t need the extra stress of reading during this difficult time. For me, that was wrong. That little push back into a hobby that helps me to feel calm, joyful, and normal has made a big difference in my metal health. Reading books along with friends and meeting digitally for “book clubs” has been an especially bright spot.