Life has certainly changed in the past couple of months! While pivoting to work nearly 100% of the time from home, I seem to have somehow declined on the amount of time I spend reading. (Something I truly need to remedy!) I’ve started a few books and abandoned a few . . . I’ve purchased many books to read and felt overwhelmed with wanting to read everything right now and right away! Here’s a brief look at what I’ve been reading of late:

• When the World Feels Like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Kids, by Abigail Gewirtz
• Donor Care: How to Keep Donors Coming Back after the First Gift, by John Haydon
• Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions, by Dan and Chip Heath
• How to Build and Mobilize a Social Media Community for Your Nonprofit in 90 Days, by Julia Campbell
• American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation, by Eric Rutkow
• If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood, by Gregg Olsen

Wow . . . lots of nonfiction up there–and several related to my work! The first book, When the World Feels Like a Scary Place, I purchased because, as the Director of Communications for a nonprofit, I thought it may give me some insights that will help parents and caregivers. It did and does! If you are a parent or a caregiver, the book may be quite valuable to you–especially given the pandemic and the civil rights situations currently happening in our world.

Donor Care was the last book that author John Haydon wrote before his death earlier this year. Lots of good tips, insights, and perspectives in this one. Same goes for the Julia Campbell book. Some refreshers on concepts I knew with some great ideas for improvement, as well!

Decisive and American Canopy were two books that I did not finish reading. I’ve enjoyed other books by the Heath brothers, but this one just didn’t resonate with me. And, American Canopy is interesting–a view of the history of the United States through the viewpoint of one of the nation’s greatest resources, but just didn’t hold my interest.

The last book, If You Tell, was a doozy! A true crime story of a truly wicked and messed up mother in the Pacific Northwest. This was an Audible book that I listened to and I often found my mouth dropping open in disbelief. I even said, “this lady is nuts!” a few times out loud to my phone! Fascinating in a horrible way; if you’re a fan of true crime, check this one out.