theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Archives for April 2019

Monthly Favorites | April

filed under: monthly favorites

 At the end of each month,  I share things that have made me happy, new discoveries, or recommendations that I find worthwhile. Enjoy.

1. I got myself a new pair of sneakers*, which I first saw when I was out shopping with Tanja  a few weeks ago. I am trying to not do a lot of impulse shopping, so I didn’t buy them at the  time, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about them, which is a good sign that I should get them, am I right? So I did (praise to the Internet!) and I LOVE THEM.

2. Do you remember me talking about wanting to do puzzles? I found a way to do them on my phone at least with the Jigsaw Puzzles app* :)  This will be just a phase (I don’t last long on game apps), but for now, it’s a nice, little occasional distraction.

3. I’ve been using this Aveeno Hydrate and Protect SPF 50 Sunscreen for the face because we all know that it’s important to wear sunscreen every day. What I like about this sunscreen is that it doesn’t smell like sunscreen.

4.  TJ’s plain Greek yogurt*.  Lots of protein, no added sugars, minimally processed. Just add your favorite fruit. So much better than any fruit yogurt you can buy.

5.  I re-discovered my Clarisonic mia 2*. I first bought it back in 2013 and I have gone through on- and off-phases of using it. Right now, I am in an on-phase and love it. It makes my skin feel so clean and soft.

6. A new Garmin WatchFace*. I love to switch it up every once in a while.

7. I have fallen in love with cycling and have loved going to Cycling Class this month! I blame Tanja, she got me hooked.

What was one of your favorite things this month?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

My (updated) travel carry-on essentials

filed under: Germany, my so-called life, travel, USA

Two years ago, I shared a list of my travel essentials when I travel internationally. Not too much has changed, many of the things are still must-haves during travel, but I thought I’d update my list a little bit.

The most important stuff:

I might be a little paranoid, but when I travel internationally, I like to keep all the important stuff (passports, wallet, phone) close to my body. I haven’t invested in one of these travel money belts yet (haha), although on second thought, I could probably repurpose my running belt. But for now, I use a small cross-body bag that stays on me at all times (yes, even when I am in my seat or got to the restroom).

In this bag goes my travel wallet. I bought this over-sized coin purse at DSW many moons ago and it’s slowly falling apart (you don’t want to see the backside), but it’s the best small travel wallet. I usually don’t take all my cards and everything with me when I travel (esp. internationally) and this wallet fits everything I need.

I also have a “Germany” wallet (from Bungalow360 – aren’t those patterns fun?)  which holds my Euros, a German SIM card, and my German bank card.

The bag also holds my iPhone and my passports.

I will be ok if I have this bag, even if, for some reason, I’d lose the rest of my luggage. But, here are the things that make life a whole lot easier and more pleasant when I travel.

Comfort/personal care:

Simple cleansing wipes and Grove Hand Sanitizer.  

I always have a Labello Pearl & Shine Lip Balm (which I got in Germany) in my purse when I travel. It keeps my lips happy and adds a bit of shine (like a gloss). This Nivea lip balm is a similar alternative.

Can’t leave anywhere without deodorant (Schmidt’s is my favorite and Target has the best price!). I am always a sweaty mess when I travel.

I always have hand creme, currently using this one from L’Occitane. Do your hands get so dry too when you fly?

I got this Clinique Moisture surge moisturizer  as a sample and it’s the perfect size to stick in your carry-on.

I usually don’t use mists in my skincare routine, but when I travel, I really like spraying something on my ever-dried-out skin to make it feel refreshed. This Derma E Hydrating Mist was in a subscription box and I really like it.

I also always have a travel toothbrush and/or mouthwash, mini hairbrush with me and I found my favorite dry shampoo from Batiste in travel size. Hallelujah.

Tech stuff + entertainment:

Now that I own a phone that uses the same port to charge your phone and plug in your headphones (still not a fan, Apple!), I sure am glad to own some awesome Jaybird X3 Bluetooth headphones now. The Jaybirds are not advertised as noise-canceling headphones, but they’re definitely noise-isolating, which is a plus when you travel, and the battery lasts a good while.

I am so excited that I finally upgraded from my old and cumbersome nook to the Amazon Fire. I know, you probably swear by your Kindle Paperwhite, but since I don’t own a tablet (gasp, what!), I thought it would be nice to have something that functions as both a tablet and e-reader.

While my iPhone 7 still holds a decent charge, I will definitely need my power bank + all charger cables (for various gadgets) during travel. Have you ever noticed how incredibly slow the outlets in airports charge phones (if you can find one that isn’t occupied)?

Don’t ever get stuck in a foreign airport without a travel adapter when your power bank has no juice anymore. It’s the worst.

I always bring a USB stick when I travel. You never know if you need to transfer some pictures before you head home (although I must admit that ‘air drop’ on the iPhone is a pretty nifty thing these days. The USB stick is just a back up option, really.)

I also usually have a Sudoku book and whatever piece of knitting I am working on in my carry-on.

Snacks

We all know airport food is expensive and what they serve on airplanes (if you get a meal at all) can be hit and miss. Therefore, I always have some snacks in my carry-on, you know, just in case.

I have recently raved about the Perfect Bars because they’re the only protein bars so far that I can stomach. In fact, they taste like a ‘treat’, but are actually full of protein and good things.

Usually, I carry a snack-sized bag (or two) of Trader Joe’s trail mix in my purse on a regular day, so I also take some when I travel.

I usually stock up on these Dextro energy cubes when I am in Germany, but I think you can find them here now, too. They give you a quick boost of energy when you need it, and they simply taste good.

My current go-to snack if I just want something to suck on: licorice. Gustaf’s Dutch Licorice Coins from World Market are my favorite right now.

A few other things; not pictured:

  • Shawl– I don’t go onto a longer flight without a shawl/blanket scarf. It looks stylish (if it’s cold enough to wear it), comes in handy as a blanket, shoulder wrap or pillow on your flight.
  • Wet Wipes – always. They come in handy not just to freshen up.
  • Sunglasses.
  • Neck pillow – (I have a cheap inflatable one from Target – it does the job). Originally, I thought that neck pillows are kinda silly, because you can just roll up your sweater and rest your head against the window, right? Well, unless you don’t have a window seats and ever since I intentionally book aisle seats on longer flights (because I like to be able to get up whenever I want without bothering a stranger in the aisle seat), I’ve come to love the neck pillow.
  • a change of clothes (not pictured). It only happened to me once or twice so far that my luggage didn’t make it to my destination. When it happened, I was either at my parents’ house or back home, so I wasn’t stranded somewhere with NOTHING but the clothes on my back, but I still have gotten into the habit of packing a set of fresh clothes in my carry-on now when I travel.
  • Some money in international currency (luckily, I always keep some Euros on hand from my last trip)
  • Travel insurance (copy)
  • Medications (I don’t take any  medications except for birth control and a supplement, but I always take some Zantac and Aleve, just in case).
  • Valuables (I have a little pouch with all my jewelry. Even though none of it is really expensive, I  would hate to lose it and don’t like to put it in my suitcase.)

What are your must-haves when you travel? 
Do you travel with a bagpack or a (big) purse?

My Germany bucket list

filed under: about me, family, friends, Germany, travel

Once again, I’ll be traveling home soon and I have a bucket list of things to do when I am there.  Everyone does have such a list, right?

Since I haven’t been home in two years (gasp!), my list is long, but again doesn’t include much out of the ordinary, unless you count being able to attend a wedding AND a communion during ONE visit out of the ordinary (which I guess it is).

However, visiting home usually includes mostly just simple things that most people take for granted and that I miss out on by living so far away from family and friends. So, I soak them up whenever I can.

This time around I am looking forward to…

… spending time with my niece and nephew (and the rest of the family)

Always. I miss my two munchkins and wish we could be together more often.

… spending time with my best friend

I told you about my best friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2008. She’s been through so much through those 11 years and I just wish she’d get some relief already.

After her last treatment over a year ago, she developed trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain condition of the trigeminal nerve of the face, and even though her tumor has been in remission, she’s has been dealing with this severe nerve pain since then. She just can’t catch a break, it seems, but I hope that I can cheer her up some.

… attending one of my best friends’ wedding

I am so stoked that I’ll be able to attend one of my best friend’s wedding during my visit. I’ve missed so many weddings and events by living so far away, so it’s really a strike of luck that this worked out.

… my nephew’s first communion.

Last time I visited for my niece’s first communion, so of course I had to make sure that I am there for my nephew’s as well. So glad I could make this happen.

… eating all the food

I always have a list of things that I want to eat when I go home, mostly because these things are a) not available in the US or b) homemade by Mama.  Some include “Mettbrötchen” (rolls with freshly minced meat, salt, pepper and onions – OMG!), my Mom’s potato pancakes, all the fresh bread + deli meats (there is a much larger variety than here!) , and white asparagus (it’s asparagus season in Germany!).

… walking with my Mom

My Mom has been getting into a regular morning walk routine since I last visited and I am looking forward to joining her on one (or many) of her walks!

… going  for a run with my cousin (and maybe my sister?)

I haven’t brought it up with them yet, but I hope they realize that I’ll be expecting them to run  with me while I am there.

… working out with my Dad

As you know, my Dad is a retired P.E. teacher, but he still keeps active by playing tennis, golfing, and going to the gym a few times per week. One of my favorite things to do when I visit is join him for a workout. I’d do that all the time if we lived closer.

… having  a heart-to-heart with my sister

One of the things I miss most  is being able to just hang out with my sister and talk about everything. Of course, we talk on the phone and we always  know what is going on in each other’s lives, but it’s not the same as talking in person and sometimes life is busy and we don’t get to talk and share stuff as much I’d like to. 

… seeing an old friend from high school

I won’t have much time to see a lot of people during my visit because of family commitments, but I’ve been Whatsapp-ing with one of my old high school friends recently and I hope I can see her for coffee or something.

… having brunch with a friend in Köln

I will probably meet up with one of my longest, dearest friends  in Cologne again and get to spend some time in my favorite city. Win-win.

… shopping for items to bring back to my US home.

The list of things I shop for and bring back to the US when I visit Germany has become shorter over the years, but there are a still a few things that I always have to get on my visits. That’s normal, right?

This is only a partial list of  what I want to do and I know there will be things that I won’t be able to fit in; again. But hey, I am always, always grateful for the time that I do get to spend back home.

How far away is home for you?

Currently | April

filed under: currently

STOKED | about receiving my confirmation letter that I’ll be officially starting my permanent position at my job on 4/28. My co-worker was joking that I am doing this absolutely right, by being on vacation when the effective date hits – way to start a “new” job!

HOPING TO | get some stuff finished (or to a good stopping point) at work, before I go on AL, but I am also really

LOOKING FORWARD TO | to being off work for a few weeks soon. I am ready for a proper vacation (although visiting back home never really feels like a vacation vacation, if you know what I mean).

LOVING | our new-to-us outdoor furniture for the backyard. I’ve been wanting to get our backyard summer-ready, so we can sit out there (at an actual table) and have our coffee there in the morning and BBQs in the evening.

WEARING | a necklace that I haven’t worn for a long time.

DRINKING | decaf French press coffee.

EATING | Thai food. 

TRYING | different kinds of soy milk in my morning coffee (what’s your favorite?).

READING |  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. STILL. Gosh, I need to finish it.

WORKING ON | some blog posts to schedule for the time when I am away. I don’t want to leave you completely hanging ;)

ENJOYING | the cycling classes I’ve been going to on Sunday mornings.

What’s going on with you currently?

April Link Love

filed under: link love

Around the Interwebs

How I ditched my phone and unbroke my brain.

Everybody loves Samin.  I do too. She’s so likable.

Pictures taken from drones. Amazing.

How to read the news like a scientist. I love this.

This morning routine will save you 20+ hours per week.

Are calories pointless? Food for thought!

How to break your plastic habit. Always open to suggestions on how to live ‘more green’.

Things that look like other things. So cool.

Around the blogosphere

More forms mental accounting: the “endowment effect” and “nudge theory”.

Craftiness/DIY

Four no-dye ideas to decorate Easter eggs with washi tape.

That’s a cute idea: modern DIY charging box.

I cleaned a couple of silver necklaces with these instructions. How to clean silver with aluminum foil and baking soda. It worked!

Printable Calendars.

For my runner friends

Race day nutrition.

How to be an Instagram Runner. LOL

Deliciousness

Eat more fish! Garlic butter creamed spinach salmon.

Vegan Burst Cherry Tomato Polenta. I always forget about polenta, but this looks so good!

Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli.

 

Share a good link with me in the comments!

Daily Life | 2019 Spending Summary – Q1

filed under: budgeting, finances

Hello, hello. It’s time to talk finances again. The first quarterly update for 2019.

Things have changed a bit since we last talked. We’re no longer homeowners and are now renting again, which might – or might not – make a difference in our budget in 2019 (we’ll see).

Right now, I feel like we’re slightly more “cash-strapped”, but that could just be because our rent is a little more than our mortgage payment and we started paying into a FSA this year, which makes my take-home pay “look” smaller, although it should save us some money in the long run. At the same time, we got rid off a a few ongoing house-related expenses and we have way more in savings now.

As you might remember, I’ve been using YNAB*, the budgeting software which I have reviewed here, for over 4 years now and one of the YNAB principles is that it doesn’t really care where your money is located (in a bank account, savings account, investment, cash, etc.)

That makes sense to me and in the software, you assign the dollars to categories rather than accounts. However, during this transition period, I realized that for me personally, it makes a huge difference where my money is located. I am much less inclined to spend money that I have earmarked as ‘savings’ (and that I might have already transferred to a savings account) than money that is still in my bank account. On the other hand though, sometimes it’s necessary to use those savings/sinking funds to pay off stuff that we have ‘saved’ up for.

Without further ado, our quarterly spending pie.

I pulled this handy pie-chart out of YNAB* (well, actually the pie-chart was done in Excel, but the report came out of YNAB.)

I have more subcategories that I track separately in my budgeting software, but I consolidated them a bit for the purpose of easier visualization. As a reminder: these are percentages based on money spent, not based on my (take-home) income (and we did have to pull a bit out of savings recently because a few of our “annual bills” are due in the first quarter of the year).

Home (35%) – The spending for our (rental) home now includes rent, utilities, household items, and rental insurance. Hopefully this percentage will go down a bit with more “regular” spending from our sinking funds.

Groceries (14%) and Dining Out (10%) – This will always be a larger chunk of our expenses, I guess. If you have followed along, you know that I am constantly talking about that I want to cut our grocery and dining out budget, but man, it’s one of my biggest challenges.

Car Maintenance (9%) – Car registration and insurance were due in Q1. Hopefully not many more expenses this year.

Gifts (6%) – Birthdays, mainly. Including my own.

Health & Fitness (6%) – This category includes my gym membership, and our medical and dental co-payments. I am actually expecting a refund for a dental cleaning that I believe I was overcharged for, so that percentage might come down.

Travel (6%) – This category really is only the flight that I booked to see my friend Tanja and my flight home to Germany. The actual travel will happen in Q2.

Cable/Internet (3%) – We cut down our cable package a bit, which saves us a few bucks.

Shopping and Miscellaneous (3%) – All the spending that doesn’t really fit into other categories, e.g. tax software charge, driver’s license renewal, random shopping.

Subscriptions (3%) – This includes Netflix and a few annual subscriptions that are due at the beginning of the year, like Grove Co., Runner’s Magazine, Identity Guard,  and MLB TV.

Cellphone (2%) – Self-explanatory.

Personal Care (1%) – This category includes all toiletry items, makeup, J’s beard trims, and haircuts.

Transportation (1%) – Gas and parking fees. We’re already spending very little on transportation, but with the acquisition of my bike and a bus pass, I am hoping it’s going to be even less.

Clothing (1%) – Did not spend much on clothing at all.  It barely made this list.

Where did most of your spending go in the first quarter? Did you have any unexpected expenses?

* This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by YNAB for mentioning their product. I just share it for transparency’s sake. However, the post does contain an affiliate link. If you feel like you need a budget software in your life, download the fully functioning trial version and give it a shot! If you like it, you can use this link to activate the software and we’ll both get a month free!

 

Tuesday Topics: Favorite cross training activities

filed under: fitness, running, Tuesday Topics

I have to confess that when I started running about 5 years ago, I was really bad at cross training. Sure, I’d do a warm up before and stretching after each run (hey, which should count for something!), but as I was just finding my way into a new fitness routine, I didn’t really do anything else but run (unless you count the occasional time on the elliptical a cross training activity). 

But don’t you worry, I’ve gotten much better at cross training over the years. It definitely helps keeping me motivated (because it’s always good to switch things up), but I also think it’s a big reason why I’ve been (mostly) injury free. I’ve been trying to take advantage of my gym membership which gives me access to equipment and classes and I am usually there 3x per week.

I started going to yoga classes (although I have to admit that I haven’t been to a class in a while) and also do yoga workouts at home sometimes. There is just something about bending and stretching your body in a gentle fashion that definitely helps with flexibility and mobility of your body.

I also started (body) weight and strength training a couple of years ago (and I can definitely see how that has helped my running!). It’s so important to strengthen your core and hips to be a stronger runner. You’re much less likely to get injured due to weak joints/tendons that lead to poor running form.

I’ve been incorporating more core and balance training into my strength training exercises. (For short-term extra boosts of motivation, I’ve also joined the TMAC20 21-day challenges* before, which provide community support and very effective, daily 20-minute workouts that are easy to incorporate into your daily life).

And then, I very recently picked up cycling as a cross training activity and I can see that becoming a favorite. I’d been talking about taking a cycling  class for a while and I am so glad I finally got a taste when I went to a cycling class with my friend Tanja when I visited her in SoCal a week and a half ago. I think it’s safe to say that she most certainly got me hooked (now, if I could got to the cycling classes with her, that would be even better).

All this to say, cross training is fun, it’s important and it keeps me motivated. 

What is your favorite cross training activity?

I am linking up again with  Kookyrunner and Zenaida  for Tuesday Topics.

Girl time in OC

filed under: friends, fun!, weekend

Last week, I visited my #fromURLtoIRL friend Tanja in Southern California and I had such a fantastic time!

Tanja, like me, is a German (dual) citizen and we’ve “immigrated” around the same time (2006/2007), however, I got my green card through marriage (as you know), but Tanja (and her husband Herbert) won the green card lottery!
We’ve been reading each others blogs for ages and finally did meet up for the first time in 2016. (Now I wonder, what tooks us so long?) We actually lived quite close to each other (she in Irvine, I in Westwood) for a while, but that was before we “knew” each other. What a huge bummer, because now I would give anything to live closer again.

Anyway, we met up once in 2016 when I was down in SoCal meeting up with another friend and then we met again in 2017, when Tanja and her Mom visited San Francisco and I joined them for the day.

And then we started talking about meeting up again sometime last year, but I kept delaying it (not because I didn’t want to, but because we had stuff going on with selling the house, etc.). I felt bad and hoped that Tanja didn’t think I wasn’t interested, because I WAS! So, when we started talking about it again earlier this year, I just decided to book a flight and see her for the weekend.

I was definitely in need of some girl time (always!) and I really wanted to meet Herbert and their three (really cute) dogs, too!

 

I flew down to Orange County early on Saturday morning to spend two nights with them. They have a beautiful house and yard, and they were really awesome hosts. They even took me to Aldi (because we still don’t have one in Northern California, much to my dismay).

We didn’t really make any plans in advance, but Herbert and Tanja definitely showed me around a little bit. It was beautiful weather, too, so we had to spend some time at the beach.


On Sunday, Tanja and I even worked out together. Tanja is one of my fitness buddies and I told her that I would love to join her for a class at her cycling studio when I come visit. No sooner said than done. She signed us up for the Sunday morning class and then I got my ass handed to me, because damn, cycling uses very different muscle groups than running. I was so sore. BUT, I also had a lot of fun. I definitely want to consider incorporating more cycling into my cross-training. I might (or might not) have checked out the cycling classes at my gym already.

After a shower and brunch, we played a game of (supersize) Jenga in the backyard. I didn’t know that this game was going to make you laugh so hard your tummy hurts.

(I lost, in case you can’t tell.)

Monday morning, we went on a walk with Herbert’s Social Dog Walking Group (Herbert is a professional dog trainer/walker) and that was so cool. See for yourself. I even got to walk one (and a half) of the dogs.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Then Tanja and I drove to Laguna Beach to hang out at the ocean for a little while. It was so awesome how comfortable we felt around each other and that we never ran out of things to talk about. 

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

What can I say? The weekend flew by way too fast and we got along in person so well that I wish I could have stayed longer.

We’ll definitely have to do that again soon!

Monthly recap | March

filed under: my so-called life, review

READ

Reading is still slow…. still reading the same book (all month. Sigh). I actually had to re-borrow it from (a different) library because I didn’t get through it in 3 weeks.  

COOKED

I’ve cooked modified versions of this tortellini soup. One time, we used ground beef instead of sausage, another time with had spinach tortellini and extra spinach instead of kale. This is such a quick and delicious dinner!

WATCHED

“Happy Feet” (for the first time!)(★★★★☆)

So cute! I really enjoyed this one.

“Christopher Robin” (★★★★★)

This movie was so lovely. I urge you to watch it sometime.

Do you see a pattern? I’ve been watching quite a few children’s movies lately. I just need something uplifting and feel-good at the end of the week. Nothing too sad or dramatic or action-packed.

Oh, and I watched an episode of “Tatort” (translation: “crime scene”), which is a German crime series, at my friend Tanja’s house last weekend and it was so fun because I hadn’t watched an episode of that show in a long, long time.

LISTENED TO

I’ve listened to “Pod Save America“ (the only podcast I will regularly listen to) and also downloaded “SkimmThis”, the podcast that goes with The Skimm emails. News compressed into a roughly 10 minute (week)daily pod. Maybe I can manage that?

BOUGHT

I feel like I bought a  lot of things this month: flights, a bike (well that was technically  a gift, but if you’re married, it comes out of the household budget), hotel  reservations, dresses. Does spending money make you uneasy sometime?

RAN

I ran 55.5 miles this month. I rode my bike a couple of times and then I threw in a cycling class with my friend Tanja last weekend (which was awesome and I might start doing that more often for cross-training).

GOING-ONS

+ As you know, I had a great birthday. In fact, I had a pretty good birthday month!

+ I’ve ridden my bike to the Farmer’s Market and I can’t wait for the weather to be more agreeable to bike riding.

+ As mentioned in my Currently post, I finally booked my flight(s) to Germany and I couldn’t be more excited to finally go home for a visit again.

+ I went shopping for dresses this month (I’ll have a wedding and communion to attend in Germany) and man, I have a hard time finding something that I like. I used to enjoy weekend shopping trips, but for some reason, spending hours upon hours going through clothes’ racks has become less and less appealing to me. Where do you shop for clothes these days?

+ My position was advertised earlier this month. (I am currently on a  term appointment that cannot be converted, but I have to apply to a new “vacancy”). I didn’t expect this to happen before the summer, but I am glad they’re getting the ball rolling early.

+ I got to work on one of my favorite projects at work this week and that, of course, made this whole month awesome.

+ I spent the last weekend in March visiting my friend Tanja in SoCal. It was nice to get away for weekend. We got some (much needed) girl time and we had so much fun! I’ll tell you all about it in a separate post (because yes, it warrants its own post!).

How was your March?

What I read in March

filed under: books

It’s  official. I am in a reading rut (and I have no idea how to get out of it). I can’t seem to focus on books right now (much to my dismay).

I only finished one book this month (again), and I started a second (which I haven’t finished yet). At least, the book I finished was a good one.

Becoming by Michelle Obama (★★★★★)

I am not the only one among my friends who gave this memoir  five well-deserved stars. I didn’t think that I needed to read this memoir to like  Michelle Obama more than I already did. I already liked her well enough from what I had seen of her as First Lady, but this book absolutely humanized her (and also her husband) and emphasized once more how much they care about others and this country. 

I loved reading about her childhood on the Southside of Chicago and how she met Barack (although I will admit it was a little slower for me than the rest of the book), because it really set the tone what was to come afterwards, when I really didn’t want to put the book down, when she talked about Barack’s running for president and their time in the White House. It was fascinating to read some of the private in and outs of being the First Family and living in that big house on Pennsylvania Avenue, but I especially loved her candor and vulnerability when she talked about her feelings surrounding Barack’s presidency (who knew she wasn’t so thrilled about the idea?), her role as a  mother and First Lady, and the backlash she had to endure. It’s amazing to me how she handled all this with so much strength and grace.

Everybody must read this book. Obviously.

What did you read in March? Anything you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment, and then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch.