Reading with Empathy

February wrap + books that enlarged my paradigm

Hi friends! February has flown by, and I think it’s ironic the shortest month of the year comes after the literal longest one. One of the biggest things I’ve been thinking about lately is empathy. According to research, reading fiction helps promote empathy — more so than movies, music, video games, or other types of media (see NIH reference here). Empathy can help us to treat others with love, and leaves no room for dehumanization. It’s one of the reasons I try to read widely so that I can try to put myself in someone else’s shoes. While the correlation between empathy and reading is tied to fictional narratives, I also think it is incredibly important to read non-fiction texts as well. As a result, I’ve gone through the some of books I’ve read and picked out my favorites. Have you read any of these and learned something new?

Ten Books to Learn Through Fiction

• Linesman by S. K. Dunstall

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

• Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (confession: I am about to start this one!)

• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

• Things Past Telling by Shiela Williams

• The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

• Sisters in Arms by Kaia Anderson

• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Twelve Titles to Learn Through Non-Fiction

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (you MUST listen to the audio!!)

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

• My Side of the River by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

• Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

• Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

• Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

• Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

• The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

• You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin (the audio is fantastic!!)

• Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Books I Read This Month

• Real Americans by Rachel Khong

  I really really enjoyed this multigenerational tale that asked the question “who am I?”

• The Favorites by Layne Fargo

  I picked this one up due to intense fear of missing out, and it was such a dramatic and angsty read! I could not tear my eyes away from the (mildly predictable) drama. While I hated all the characters, I really did want to know what was going to happen. If you haven’t heard of this one, it’s a retelling of Wuthering Heights with an ice dancing backdrop.

• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (thank you to Flatiron Books for a gifted copy to read — coming March 3, 2025!)

• The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mendel

  This was my second try with this book, and this time I tried the audio. I absolutely loved Station Eleven, and Sea of Tranquility was fascinating, but this one just didn’t quite do it for me. That said, I really do enjoy her writing style and want to read The Last Night in Montreal.

• You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego (big thank you to Bantam Books for sending this title my way — available now!)

REVIEW: Wild Dark Shore

Dominic Salt and his family live on a remote island near Antarctica as caretakers for a seed bank. When a woman washes up on their beach, they have to decide whether or not to trust her. But they aren’t the only ones keeping secrets.

This is one of the books I was SO excited to read this year! McConaghy’s previous novel, Once There Were Wolves, connected me to nature in such a unique way, and I couldn’t wait to experience that again. And boy did she deliver. The atmosphere was stressful, dark, and foreboding, but it also had light and joy. These characters — especially Orly!! — were complex and beautiful. I experienced so many emotions throughout this book, and it will be one that sticks with me for a long time.

I’d recommend this one if you enjoyed McConaghy’s previous novels, stories featuring the nature-human connection, and if you think family is important.

Content Warnings: rape, blood/injury, death, grief, suicide, animal death

Special thanks to Flatiron Books for sending me a gifted copy of this novel! It publishes this Tuesday, March 4, 2025!

REVIEW: You Are Fatally Invited

Six esteemed writers are invited to a special writing retreat to work with a reclusive writer they all idolize. Then the unthinkable starts happening, and each of them discover they all have something to hide. Can they survive the murder mystery tropes being thrown their way?

I didn’t know much about You Are Fatally Invited, but it sounded like such a fun murder mystery. I am here to tell you it did not disappoint! The writing was engaging, I really liked the multiple points of view, and how the book was divided into the different days on the island. Seeing the internal dialogue of multiple characters really made for quite a puzzle to solve, and it engaged my brain in such a great way.

I’d recommend this one if you enjoy locked room murder mysteries, Agatha Christie’s book And Then There Were None, or puzzles.

Content Warnings: blood/gore (while there is not a murder on the page, writer Ande Pliego spares no details in some rather gruesome reveals), gaslighting

Special thanks to Penguin Random House for sending this title my way via NetGalley! You can snag your copy now at your local library or favorite independent bookstore!

What I’m Loving

• I took a break leading playgroups with our local forest school to just attend and participate with my youngest two, and it was such a joy! I also really enjoyed observing and learning from another leader.

• The relationship between our three littles is growing, and it’s so fun to see them all love on one another.

• As a family we are researching ways to support more businesses locally (not just books, but food and clothing too!), and I think it will be worth the investment into our community!